Clarke sipped her coffee having to focus on not letting her hands shake. Wearing the heavy plum robes with the golden embroidery indicating the hereditary nature of her seat weighed down on her. In some ways, it had been a concept alone until this moment. Eating was difficult but necessary. She'd already taken a calming draught that morning before leaving her dorm room.
"So, who's face do you think is going to be the most amusing when you reveal your party affiliation?" Thalia asked from across the table.
Fox poured herself some pumpkin juice while replying. "My money's on Jaha."
Clarke had to actively try not to snort the coffee she was drinking out her nose. The image of Jaha's face when she didn't designate her seat for the Traditionalist party would be priceless. A deep and vindictive part of her was going to cherish the memory of the shock on his traitorous face. "I'm sure it will be worth remembering." She was aware that every ear at the table was tuned into her conversation.
"That's an understatement." Thalia chuckled. "Do tell my aunt hello for me would you?"
"Of course, your parents will come around." Clarke said. She disliked how the Cartwig family had dealt with Calli refusing to marry for political gain. Of course, Calli was head of family and Thalia's parent's disapproval meant very little in the grand scheme of things, but she knew Thalia liked her aunt and missed seeing her.
Thalia shrugged. "I'm not sure why they want her to marry for the betterment of the family so badly. My brother will be head of family one day as long as Calli doesn't have an heir herself."
Clarke snorted. "Your brother's approach of hiding out in South America looking for exotic magical creatures is understandable. He'll abdicate the role and relinquish it to you, if he hasn't gone and disgraced the family and been disowned before the day comes."
Fox laughed. "Is he still dating that Nymph he was traveling with during the summer?"
"Yes, to the great shame of the family." Thalia said seriously, though her eyes were twinkling with mirth.
"I'm sure he'll see sense or be removed, but well he's young and some adventure and foolishness is to be expected." Clarke said, privately knowing that Thalia's brother would leave his adventures the day he died and not a moment sooner. Still, talking with her friends, she could feel her nerves settling and allowed herself the distraction.
"Sup bitches!" Raven proclaimed before sitting down at the table heavily. Up and down the table eyebrows raised at the unprecedented sight of a Ravenclaw muggleborn sitting at the Slytherin table. Raven cheerfully ignored them and offered her raven Poe some bacon as he sat on her
shoulder.
"Reyes, what are you doing?" Fox asked in surprise, clearly startled by the girl's daring.
Raven loaded up a plate with food while replying. "I figure as Princess here's pet muggleborn, I should get to see if the food over here is as good as it is at my table. I've recently realized Gryffindor tower has the most comfortable couches known to magical kind."
Clarke sighed, she really couldn't afford to deal with any Slytherin drama but at the same time she refused to be rude to her friend. She shot a pointed look at Thalia. Clearly, she got the message because she set a mug of coffee down in front of Raven.
"I see Poe is doing well." Clarke remarked.
Raven scratched the bird's head. "He's lazy is what he is."
Fox tilted her head, looking at the bird before shifting her attention back to Raven. "So, you're still planning on helping me with my essay on runes in the 3rd century after lunch right?"
"Sure, Thalia want to join us?" Raven offered before taking a bit of sausage.
"That would be useful actually, if you don't mind." Thalia replied.
A throat cleared slightly from down the table. Clarke was surprised to see Ontari watching them carefully. "Is that offer of help with runes available to others?" Her body posture was subdued and cautious.
Clarke watched Raven's reaction thoughtfully. This was an opportunity but she couldn't be the one to take it. Raven blinked at the girl for a few seconds, her mouth slightly open before Poe pecked the side of her head. Shaking herself back into the moment, Raven nodded. "Yeah, you can join us if you want."
Ontari nodded sharply. "Until later then."
It was hard not to laugh at Raven's expression, it said clearly what none of them could say out loud 'Did one of the most bigoted up and coming Slytherins really just ask a mudblood for help?' Instead, Clarke just finished her last bite of muffin and stood. "Well, with that, I'm afraid I have places to be."
"Good luck," Fox said seriously, while Thalia nodded her agreement.
"Give them hell Princess!" Raven grinned.
"I'll do my best." Clarke smirked fondly at her friends before turning and heading towards the exit. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dax getting up and following her. Lifting her eyes to the enchanted ceiling, she prayed he at least waited till they were in private to say whatever it was he was going to be saying. It seemed magic was with her because he didn't close in on her till she was into the hall outside of the great hall.
"Griffin," He demanded.
Turning, she looked at him expectantly. "What do you want Dax?"
His face was contorted with anger and ugliness. "You think you're so great don't you?! But I know what you are."
"And what's that Dax?" She asked tiredly. Bellamy was right, the boy was becoming unhinged and it was getting to the point she was going to have to bring it up to Sydney soon.
"You and your little friends are murderers." He snapped. "I know you had something to do with Shumway, and I'm going to prove it!"
"Dax, Shumway left. I'm sorry he didn't tell you first, but he left. Sydney received his resignation letter. It's not like he just vanished into midair." She was genuinely curious how the boy had gotten so close to the truth.
"He wouldn't have left me!" Dax raised his voice nearly shouting.
Clarke noticed the way his eyes were bloodshot, his hair unruly, and his shirt wrinkled. It was unlike him. Softening her face, she spoke carefully. "Dax what's going on with you?"
His hands were clenching uselessly by his sides. "You're a filthy mudblood lover, don't pretend you care about your better. Blood traitor!"
Clarke startled back, that answered the question of whether there was an amicable way to deal with this. Narrowing her eyes, she drew herself up. "Careful Dax, I've been forgiving, but that won't last forever."
"And at last, your true nature shows itself. Go play at power Griffin, you're a shame to your blood." He snarled before turning on his heel and storming away.
-MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA-
Striding through the atrium, Clarke kept her head held high and her face unapproachable. She could hear the whispers and see out of the corner of her eyes as people stopped and glanced. The Wizengamot was small and members kept their seats for decades, so she stood out as
she entered the ministry. The fountain like the ministry itself made a mockery of the idea of magical cooperation. It pretended to show the all-inclusive nature of the ministry while actually showing the subjugation of those the ministry saw as lesser beings. It stood proud and glittering in the center of the commons of the ministry. She felt it brace her, as it always did, by making her bristle with indignation. That fountain would not stand for long and it would be replaced with something that symbolized the truer sort of magical cooperation that she planned on establishing. This was the first major step to that uncertain future. Without breaking stride, she made it to the lift and let the doors swish closed.
The long hallways were easy enough to make her way through as she joined other members of the Wizengamot on their way in for the first meeting of the year. She saw Callie, in her own plum robes, gesture for her to join her and Kane. Making her way over, she smiled politely.
"Lady Cartwig, Lord Kane, it's a pleasure to see you." She greeted.
"You're making me feel old." Kane said with a sigh. "You youngsters already getting involved."
"You say that like you weren't barely older than me when you took your seat." She replied easily.
Kane shrugged looking a bit sheepish. "So, planning on telling us what color your seat will be by the end of your swearing in ceremony? Last chance before the moment is upon us."
Callie managed to look remarkably uninformed as she added in, "Will we be getting to work more closely with you than we have with your mother?"
"Undoubtedly," Clarke said. "After all, it is my opinion that one shouldn't allow political affiliation to hinder good conversation."
"You just have to stay mysterious don't you?" Kane said.
Clarke shook her head lightly. "Well, what sort of teenager would I be without a little drama?"
Her companions let out some polite laughter while out of the corner of her eye she saw Indra Woods giving her a dark look. She flashed a quick smile at the prickly member of the old guard before returning her attention to Kane and his small talk. Getting the cooperation of the Reformist party, which contained the political remnants of the old rebellion, would be difficult. Her ruse of youthful arrogance and foolishness would make her the antithesis of what they respected. It would be an uphill battle and she had few ideas on how to tackle it. She had time though, and Indra and the others of that small contingent were smart, they should be able to see through her ruse, after all they survived supporting the last rebellion that had been attempted.
"So, tell me how are your classes going?" Kane said, bringing the conversation back.
"Oh, you don't care about my classes Kane." She laughed lightly. "Tell me, I heard you've been spending a lot of time at a muggle cafe recently?"
He sighed. "I should never underestimate your knowledge of the latest gossip." He shook his head fondly. "Muggles may be our inferiors but they can make a truly delectable panini."
Clarke went to reply, but was stopped by the sound of the door leading into the Wizengamot chambers opening up. The plum robed members made their way into the chamber along with the photographer and reporter from the Prophet that always attended. A few ministry secretaries and various bit players in the ministry as well made their way into where the meeting would be held. She took a steadying breath before following the crowd into the room.
The sweeping manner in which the Wizengamot chamber had been built was designed to engender shock and awe. The dark colors and rich wood gave a sense of age and grandeur. The hereditary seats completed a circle that defined the chamber's shape. Those original ornately carved seats dated from when the original treaty between the old families had led to the creation of the Wizengamot. Clarke had read about the room but entering it for the first time had an unexpected effect on her. Emotion rose within her, this was a room that her ancestors helped build and represented a legacy that every generation of her family since had a part in furthering. The importance of her legacy struck her in a way it never had before today. Her father had done honor to the Griffin name by championing the rights of half-bloods and muggleborns. Today Clarke was reclaiming the honorable position of her family that her mother had so degraded. This was her path to honoring her heritage and the birthright they'd left for her.
Coming back to the present, Clarke made her way to her family seat. Her family name 'Griffin' was embossed on the front of her seat. Her family coat of arms was glittering slightly as a background behind the center of the name. Taking her new seat, she let her fingers run along the old wood of her desk top.
The formal chambers were different from the courtrooms where court cases were brought to the Wizengamot for judgement. Clarke had visited the courtrooms a few times with Wells to get an idea of what trials were like, but she had been unable to visit the formal chambers of the Wizengamot until she was of age. The room was circular and divided into four sections. Three of the sections were filled with three rows of seats. The hereditary seats formed the top row. The two rows of seats below were built when elected members were added to the Wizengamot. Above these formal seating sections for Wizengamot members, was a gallery with seating for those who came to view the Wizengamot sessions but had no official business there.
The fourth section was a raised dais that held a formal seat for the Head of the Wizengamot and a place for the Memory Keeper. The dais, additionally, provided space for formal presentations and speeches. Today it was configured with a podium that Clark would stand before when she was presented and took her oath of office. Jaha was already sitting in his seat as the Head of the Wizengamot.
As she looked around the chamber taking in all the details that couldn't be described on paper, Clarke noticed her mother sitting in the gallery not far above her trying to get her attention. Clarke let out an exasperated sigh and acknowledged her mother with a nod. One of the hardest things about playing the young idealist tilting at dragons was tolerating the hypocrisy of her mother's attempts to manipulate her. For now, it was to her advantage to be underestimated, but in time she would be able to drop her mask and show her true drive to end the tyranny of the bigots leading their society. Deciding not to give her mother a further thought, Clarke looked away and focused on her agenda for the day.
Reaching into the enchanted inner pocket of her robe, Clarke pulled out her folder of official documents. Setting the heavy leather folder down, she opened it and thumbed through it, quickly reassuring herself she had everything in order. There was a rustling as the other members did the same. Far too soon though, Jaha was banging his gavel to begin the meeting.
"I bring this first meeting of the year to order at 10'oclock January the 5th." He declared formally as the room fell silent. "The first order of business today is the swearing in of our newest member. Lady Clarke Griffin, if you would approach."
Clarke stood and stepped out from behind her new seat and made her way down to the open central area of the chamber and then up to the dais approaching the podium. Keeping her face blank and head raised, she came to a stop. "Present your lordship."
Jaha nodded. "Are there any objections to Lady Griffin taking the oath?"
Kane stood. "All those of my party, the Purists, hold no objections to her membership and congratulate our newest member of the Wizengamot."
Allie Glass stood as well. "On behalf of our Minister and the Traditionalist party I congratulate Lady Griffin on her entrance into this hallowed position and offer no objection to her entry." Her hair was neatly pulled back and falling over one shoulder, her lips a bright red.
Indra Woods begrudgingly stood up. "My party, the Reformists, have no objection to her placement."
"Are you, Clarke Griffin, of the house of Griffin, prepared to swear your oath of office to this ancient institution?" Jaha asked gravely while clearly watching her carefully.
"Yes," She said cooly.
"Then make your oath." He commanded.
Raising her left arm with her wand in hand, she spoke clearly and evenly. "I, Clarke Griffin, of the most ancient and noble house of Griffin, swear by my magic that I will be faithful and bear true
allegiance to the Magical order of Britain and its Kingdoms, according to the law. May Magic aid and witness this." Her wand lit up with a golden light that ran down her arm searing into her skin. It wasn't a completely binding oath, but it was close. She could feel her magic accepting it.
"Then, as head of this body, I instate Clarke Griffin as the new holder of the seat of her line." Jaha proclaimed. There was some polite clapping as she nodded briefly and made her way to what was now officially her seat.
"Now then," Jaha said as the clapping died out easily. "Honorable member, what party is the seat of Griffin now designated for?"
Clarke stood behind her family seat and felt a thrill of excitement, this was the moment. Her voice echoed out clear and unwavering. "I designate my seat to no current party." Several exclamations of shock and surprise moved around the chamber. She noticed the reporter actually stopped taking notes. She continued, ignoring the ripples of surprise. "Instead, as is my right as the representative of a founding seat, I move to create a new party." Pulling out a sheaf of parchment from her folder, she gave sharp swish and flick, silently sending the papers floating to Jaha. She took a moment to enjoy the surprised dismay on Jaha's face. "I hereby found the Latrocinium party."
Giving a sharp tap to the side of her desk, the formally green stripe of color behind her name changed to purple. Then, she calmly sat down and watched the chaos descend.
It took Jaha banging his gavel to stop the protests of her breaking tradition and how surely this couldn't be legal. Finally, silence fell. Jaha's voice boomed out. "You need another member of this body to second your movement for the creation of a new party. Which you do not have."
Callie Cartwig stood. "I second Lady Griffin's motion for the creation of the Latrocinium party."
Kane made a choking noise as he spun to face her. Clarke watched with raised eyebrows as a wave of shocked and surprised exclamations surged through the chamber.
"ORDER!" Jaha roared while banging his gavel again.
Jaha turned angry eyes on Clarke as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Are you sure you want to do this?!" He demanded.
Clarke stood once more and the protests fell silent. "It is already done."
Jaha seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before continuing. "Then the motion is passed and the Latrocinium is recognized as an official party."
-MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA-
The green flames engulfed her with their tickling warmth and familiar presence as she twisted and turned through the floo finally stepping out of the fireplace in the Slytherin common room. She was exhausted and her shoulders felt heavy from the weight of the formal robes. Making her way across the common room, she ignored the looks and headed straight up the stairs to her room. As soon as the door closed she leaned against it and let her posture slump.
Taking her hat off her head, she dropped it on top of her trunk and unclasped her plum robes and let them hit the ground. She didn't have the energy to deal with them right now. With a groan, she face planted on her bed. The Wizengamot had been insanely boring once the drama of her founding a new party had finished. Seven hours of budget reviews in preparation for the discussion of next year's budget. Wells would have loved it she thought morosely.
After giving herself half an hour to enjoy the break, she peeled herself up off the bed. Pulling on her school robes, she tied her green and silver tie with deft fingers, it barely required thought at this point. Sighing, she stuck her wand up her sleeve after a wave of it towards her hair. It was strange feeling her hair magically straightening itself out, but she didn't have the energy to bother brushing it properly. Her face fell into its standard mask as she left her small private room and went down into the common room. Fox was up and beside her quickly, leaving Thalia in the corner with ink smudged fingers sitting across from Ontari.
"Clarke, mind if I follow you?" Fox asked with a genuine smile.
Clarke returned the smile. "Of course not, I'm afraid I'm just heading to the kitchens before I'm required at the tutoring hall."
Fox shrugged and followed her out into the castle. As they walked, she finally started talking. "So, Ontair isn't half bad when she's not surrounded by her family 'friends'." Fox raised her hands and made air quotes for the 'friends.'
"I noticed. Is Thalia still studying with her?" Clarke asked curiously.
"Yup," Fox said, "Raven pushed us through more Runes in an hour than we usually get through in a month. Ontari was muttering about 'dirty mudbloods showing her up' on the way back to the common room. I think Thalia is trying to further humiliate her by proving her superior skill at them as well."
Clarke snorted. "So, Raven and you all had fun then?"
"Of course," Fox reached out tickling the pear and letting them into the kitchens.
"Just a sandwich if you don't mind." Clarke said quickly before the elves could get over excited.
Fox elbowed her in the ribs. "Hot cocoa for me."
"Of course mistresses!" An excited elf replied and soon hot cocoa and a massive sandwich were being shoved into their hands as they were herded to the small table and chairs used by students when in the kitchens.
Clarke let out a groan of pleasure at the first bite of her sandwich. She'd missed lunch during the break of the meeting because she had been absconded by Jaha, who had demanded answers. Or well, politely asked for them with a thinly covered layer of stress. Allie, the brains behind the party, would no doubt be calling on her soon. That would be an uncomfortable conversation, there was something distinctly disturbing about the woman.
"So, how was the Wizengamot?" Fox asked after taking a sip of her hot cocoa.
Clarke looked at her sandwich with longing as she set it down so she could reply. "I probably will be making the front page tomorrow unless something catastrophic happens. We'll see how favorable the Prophet is towards me." She shrugged while going back to her sandwich.
"Come on, whose face was the best?" Fox insisted.
"Allie, although Kane's face when Callie seconded my motion was priceless. Jaha's look of shock didn't disappoint but he had some unexpectedly talented competition." She made a thoughtful sound, turning the conversation in a more serious direction. "Kane, for all I disagree with him, is the most reasonable of the party bigwigs."
Fox grinned. "So, sadly, since I have the day's gossip to catch you up on, you will have to owe me a detailed account tonight." She said with grin. "Dax is out of control Clarke." Her smile faded. "He gave out twenty detentions to muggleborns today after breakfast."
Clarke groaned and closed her eyes, she didn't have time for a school bully but apparently she would be making time for it. "We'll just have to make sure that as many of the detentions he gives out are served through the tutoring program as possible. It won't be able to fix all of it but it should help. When he cornered me after breakfast today, he declared I was a blood traitor but only after accusing me of murdering Shumway." She said, giving a significant look to Fox. After all, there was a line that should not be crossed while in front of the elves.
Fox clearly got the message. "Sounds right, he's been unstable since Shumway left." She shook her head. "He was his mentor and the source of a lot of his power here at Hogwarts. Shumway ditching him has left him in the lurch."
"I know," Clarke rubbed at her eyes. "I'll have to bring it up with Sydney if he keeps abusing his position."
"You didn't want to do that though." Fox pointed out.
"I know, but there is only so much I can do as head girl when he's head boy. If he was a prefect or a regular student, I could handle him. As it is the tutoring program will be the best defense we have against his abuse and it's just started up and nowhere near its full effectiveness. We should probably encourage the younger years to start a buddy system for when they are in the public places. So that no one has to face him alone. How's the house dealing with his behavior today?" She asked curiously. Dax's ever descending level of self-control had already hurt his standing in the house of snakes.
Fox frowned. "Ontari has been avoiding him as best she can, trying to avoid having him pull her down with him in his downward spiral. Most of the seventh years don't think it's worth coming up for air from their NEWT studies to fight for position in a house they won't be in for much longer. So they are pretty much leaving the situation alone. Sixth years have been giving him a wide berth same as they have since break ended. They have pretty much stopped their jockeying for top spot next year out of fear of setting off Dax. Fifth years are too absorbed in their OWLs to care about the situation. They're in a study coma same as the seventh years. The younger years won't approach Dax without Ontari as a go between. It is creating a mess in internal Slytherin politics. No offense, but you are often too busy to deal with the more minor internal issues and though Dax wasn't the best option he at least kept control of things. With him off the rails, things have gotten a bit messy in Slytherin." She reported succinctly.
Clarke nodded, it was about what she'd expected. Although for as much of a pain as Dax was being he had effectively ceded the power in Slytherin house to her completely. He was no longer positioned to challenge her, and he'd been the only one capable of challenging her properly before all this. Though being the unofficial leader of Slytherin had never been her main goal, it might help to smooth over some potential issues she had to deal with while here at Hogwarts. Ontari's change of attitude made sense in light of this change in the power structure of Slytherin. She'd noticed the changing of the guard. If she wanted to take control of Slytherin house in another year or two, she'd need to be allied at least loosely with Clarke's contingent. Suddenly, Clarke laughed, "Fox, you're a sixth year and close friends with the current power in Slytherin. With Dax combusting, his sixth year allies have lost the support they need and won't be able to take over the house."
Fox opened her mouth and shut it sharply. "I…holy shit, but I'm a new blood?!"
Clarke snorted. "And none of the old families have a child with enough political capital to challenge you." The irony was immense that the new blood who'd ended up under her wing in need of help surviving Slytherin could end up leading the house.
"Ontari would challenge me, she might take it." Fox said cautiously.
Clarke hummed while chewing her next bite. "Ontari has turned too much of the school against her with her bullying. She might still be able to be a thorn in your side, but you have age and aren't hated by people outside of our house, distrusted maybe, but not hated."
Fox snorted. "Next, you're going to suggest I befriend the bigot so that I can have iron clad control of the house." She rolled her eyes and was clearly being sarcastic.
Clarke grinned, "Well it couldn't hurt."
"Clarke…."
-MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA-
Clarke worked on her homework at the table in the study hall. Fox had abandoned her for Harper and Monroe as soon as they'd arrived at the study group. She wished she could get a hold of a time turner but even the Minister would have a hard time getting one out of the Department of Mysteries. Realizing she'd just read the same paragraph for the fifth time and still hadn't understood it, she let herself listen in to the others in their various pockets around the room. She smiled as she heard Bellamy lecturing to his significantly larger group of first years on the history of Merlin and Morgana.
"Merlin's death at the hands of a Veela luring him into an enchanted cave is part fact, part myth. Even as magicals our understanding and recordings of history are not perfect. The accounts we have of the time aren't perfect. We do know that Morgana was founder of enchantment and runic work and overlay as we know it today. We also know the site of Merlin's tomb and it is indeed to this day one of the greatest works of enchantment known to wizarding kind. Academics will argue that the two were bitter enemies while others will argue that they were dear friends. The tale that those who believe they were enemies will tell is simple. During the height of their rivalry, Morgana paid a visiting veela to seduce Merlin and lead him to a cave she had enchanted to be inescapable and trap him inside. This trap became his tomb and he never made it out, and no one to this day has ever made it inside." Bellamy deepened his voice dramatically as he described Merlin's possible fate.
"The other version of events, based on what little evidence we have, is that while rivals, Morgana and Merlin were friends. In recent years, this has been a more popular theory and was first proposed by Bathilda Bagshot. Since it was first proposed it has been corroborated by several academics specializing in that time period. In this version, Merlin died of illness or old age and Morgana designed his tomb as a monument to her friend. Now, if you want an opinion on the nature of the runic chains used on the tomb you should ask Reyes. Regardless, you'll need to know both theories on how Merlin died for your exams, so study up even if you think one is incredibly wrong." He smiled at his students all eagerly listening to him.
Clarke didn't blame the kids for listening to his every word, he was a far more interesting teacher of history than Binns could have been even when he still breathed. Noticing Raven's study group, she almost laughed at the fact it was heavily populated by Slytherin and Gryffindor girls. The written title of '101 Ways to Deal with Boys' explained that. She had a feeling explosions were involved in several of those, after all it was Raven. She may not be an expert but that was
definitely a ward for school trunks that Raven was writing with chalk up on the board.
Professor Miller had a group of kids he was lecturing on boggarts. That made Clarke shiver at the memories of her class on the foul things. Her boggart had been of a werewolf hunched over her father's body, howling in victory while her father lay there bleeding from the injuries that killed him. The traditional way of getting rid of a boggart was to hit it with a ridiculous spell. Killing one was incredibly difficult. On that day her entire class learned that if hit with a strong enough 'destructo' a bogart will self-implode. No one had spoken to her above a whisper for a week after that event.
Skipping to where Finn was going over first year charms, she groaned. The first and second year girls were looking at him with wide eyes. He was charming, she'd give him that, and was clearly keeping an engaged audience. Tutoring was good for him really. Maybe it would keep him too busy to try and approach her or Raven for a while.
The thud of someone sitting down next to her brought her attention back to her immediate surroundings. Snorting, she saw Jasper and Monty pulling out their books, Jasper's goggles settled on his face to show that he was preparing for some serious studying.
"Hey guys." She greeted.
"Whuzz up Princess?" Jasper asked.
"Wishing you two could invent a potion that made sleep unnecessary." She smiled.
Monty tilted his head looking thoughtful. "Not sure if that's possible…but there are a few that if combined could give you a good two weeks of no sleep. However, you might require afterwards." He shrugged.
She raised her eyebrows. "I think I'll just suffer, thanks."
"What, now that you're a big wig you're too good for our experiments?" Jasper asked with a wink.
"Nope, I've just learned to avoid your experiments if I value my life."
Monty nodded, "Wise decision."
"But you're our friend!" Jasper protested while pouting theatrically. "You're supposed to be a willing sacrifice to our genius."
Clarke raised her eyebrows at him. "That face doesn't work on me any longer Jordan."
"Ooooo, the big guns are out, she called you by your last name." Roma snarked as she walked
past.
Jasper straightened immediately, casting hopeful eyes at her. "She's just afraid she'll fall for my charm."
"Sure Jordan." Clarke said, "Whatever helps you sleep at night." Glancing to the side, she caught Bellamy's eye. Internally she cursed, it seemed her sleep would have to be delayed a little longer, Bellamy was signaling that he needed to have a conversation with her. She had not anticipated how much work a rebellion would end up being when she originally planned this out with Wells. Foolish on her part, she was now realizing. "Guys...I'm going to need a secretary."
"Oh, I'm out." Jasper said, looking horrified. "Nope, not happening."
Monty looked at her in horror as well. "Yeah, nope, nada, not happening."
Clarke smacked Jasper lightly upside the head. "I didn't mean you two. I can't exactly finance your start up if you're working as my secretary."
Roma did a pivot turn and walked back over. "You know Harper doesn't have a career path. You should talk to her if you're serious about that."
"I will. Do you think she'd be willing to spend a lot of time around pureblood elites though?" She asked carefully.
Roma shrugged. "She's stronger than most people give her credit for being. Still, I don't know if she'd be willing to put up with their crap or not."
"Let her know I want to talk to her soon then." She said with a feeling of relief. If she had an extra hand to help out, it would make the ridiculous amount of work she needed to get done at Hogwarts before her graduation easier. Standing up, she began to put her things away. "Well, I have to go have a word with Blake on his lectures. They're quite popular and I'll need to secure his services for more sessions. If you'll excuse me."
She left after saying goodnight to her friends and directed Bellamy to a quiet corner of the room where they could talk in relative privacy. Throwing up a subtle privacy ward, she softened her stance glad to see him. "You needed to talk?"
"Yeah, can we have an owl conference tomorrow?" He asked carefully.
Frowning, she replied quickly. "Of course, lunch hour? I'll be in the Wizengamot during the morning hours but I should be back for lunch. Meetings don't tend to run long more than once in a week."
"That works, but, Princess, Dax is out of hand." He shifted nervously.
"I know." She said. "Fox informed me already. I'll go to Sydney after the next prefect meeting this coming weekend."
Bellamy seemed to lose some of the anxious energy around him. "Good, he's been following me around lately and it's starting to get creepy."
"Is there anything else I need to know now that can't wait till tomorrow?" She asked, knowing that once they had proper privacy they could have a far more productive conversation. Not to mention she had several dad jokes about how comfortable he was with the kids. He really was doing a great job with them.
"No, the rest can wait. Although, you should consider teaching some of the munchkins. It might help with house integration and all that mumbo jumbo. Teaching isn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be, I'm actually enjoying it." Bellamy remarked with some surprise.
"I'm far too busy for that. What with studying for my own classes, my meetings with the Wizengamot, and my duties as head girl, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to give it the attention it deserves. Besides, I think it will be far more enjoyable to watch your students as they moon over you. If that's everything, I'll see you tomorrow. I am going to be getting some necessary rest before the next Wizengamot meeting tomorrow." Clarke gave one last wave to Bellamy before retreating to her bed and a well deserved sleep.