Val was startled awake by a sudden loud popping noise. She thought it had all been a fever dream, that she was somehow back at the Burrow, but when she opened her eyes and saw the large room, the intricate designs on the wall, and the dark sheets in which she was lying on, she knew it had all been real.

Valencia looked around the room to find the source of the noise that had woken her, and when her eyes landed on the creature at the foot of the bed, her eyes went wide.

"Pimsey is very sorry for having woken you, Miss. Pimsey has been ordered by her master to heal your wound." A small house elf with torn clothes was looking at her apologetically.

"You don't need to apologize, Pimsey" Val said as she smiled at the elf.

"Y-yes, of course Miss" Pimsey said with a short nod.

"Here, why don't you come sit up on the bed?" she said as she patted the spot next to where she sat.

A small almost sob like sound escaped the elf's mouth. "Miss is very kind indeed" Pimsey said. She hesitated for a few seconds before starting towards her bed.

Pimsey cleaned out any remaining dirt and debris that had gotten stuck in the gouge on Val's head before placing a few pieces of gauze over the area, secured by some medical tape.

"Thank you, Pimsey" she said when the elf finished.

"Pimsey is very glad to have helped you, Miss." The small creature gave her a slight bow as she said these words.

Pimsey then disappeared with a loud pop as she disapparated from Valencia's room, leaving her alone once more.

She laid back down and stretched her arms and legs. Morning stretches were always the best, even if it wasn't technically morning.

After deciding that laying in bed for the rest of the day with nothing to do would be far too boring, Val charmed herself a white skirt, similar to the one she wore to the World Cup, and an oversized, navy blue crewneck sweatshirt. The outfit looked almost identical to the one she was wearing only the day before, minus the colors, but she didn't really care.

She slipped on the black heels she had made earlier, grabbed her wand, and started for the door.

The hallway was cool; empty. Val had the entirety of Malfoy Manor to explore, and not a clue where to start. The gardens seemed like a viable option, so she started down the hallway and towards the set of stairs she had first ascended.

The air was humid and the sun bright as she stepped out into the maze of plants at the back of the manor. She wandered the gardens aimlessly for almost an hour, observing the different plants and fountains.

And then, while she was examining a flower, a thought came to her mind. Idiot. Idiot. Oh you sodding idiot. Why didn't you think of it earlier she thought.

She rushed back into the manor and made straight towards the room she had stayed in, except she ran past it and continued down the hall.

She knocked on every door she passed until she found his.

"Malfoy? Helloo?" she was banging on one of the last doors of the hallway, running out of patience. "Draco Malfoy. Where are you you sodding git?"

She huffed an impatient breath before giving up on that door and moving to the next. She was about to start knocking when the previous door swung open.

"What do you want Martin? Merlin you're annoying" Draco said. She realized it was likely that she had just woken him up because he was wearing… grey joggers and a white t-shirt. His hair was messy and he was rather attra- stop. Just- no. Absolutely not.

"The Floo Network" she stated plainly.

"What about it?" he drawled, annoyed. But then realization struck his face.

"Exactly," she said, interpreting his expression, "I can get the hell out of here. Why didn't I think of it before? Please tell me you have Floo Powder."

"I don't know Martin. Go find my mother and ask her" he said groggily.

"I would, but I don't know where she is. Just- come on." She grabbed his forearm and began to tug him from the doorway.

"Let go of me mudblood" he snapped. He tugged his arm out from her grip and brought it back to his side, but he continued to follow her.

They made their way down the stairs and into the entrance hall. The large fireplace held no fire when they arrived at it, but Val took out her want and said, "Incendio" and a large fire appeared, as if it had been there all along.

"Have you ever even used the Floo Network before?" Malfoy asked. He stood behind her with his hands in his pockets. A disinterested look in his eyes.

"No, but it can't be that hard. I've read about it a bit-"

"Of course you have" he said as he let out a mocking laugh.

"Whatever. Where's the powder?" she asked. Her heartbeat had risen at the thought of finally being able to get back to the Burrow.

"Here." He shoved a small bowl with a green powder in it into her hands.

"Erm- right. So do I step in right now or…?"

"Not unless you fancy getting burnt alive" he said. "Throw some of the powder in. The fire should turn green, that's when you step in and then say your destination."

"Mmk." She took a small handful of the powder and tossed it into the fire. Emerald green flames replaced the bright orange ones, and Val cautiously stepped into the fire. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she was pleasantly surprised when she only felt a sense of warmness encase her entire body.

"Tell Pimsey that I like her more than you," she said as she grinned back at him from the fire.

"Fuck out of here Martin" he snarled back. She rolled her eyes as the grin continued to spread across her lips.

"The Burrow!" she exclaimed. And Malfoy Manor was left behind as the green flames engulfed her completely. It was almost as if she were sucked into a tunnel, zooming past hundreds of different fireplaces until she reached the one she wanted.

Valencia slid out of the Weasley's fireplace at an alarming pace and crashed into the couch in front of it. She was back.

"Oh my God. OH MY GOD! VAL!" a flash of long red hair came running over to her. Ginny.

"Oh thank fuck" Ginny said. She got to her feet and was instantly wrapped in a bone crushing hug.

"Hey Gin," Val said.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Ginny said. She backhanded Val's shoulder as she pulled away from the hug, a serious look on her face. But she didn't mind. Val was too busy smiling at her to care.

"Bloody hell Gin" she said, rubbing her shoulder, smile still on her face.

Ginny went back in for another hug while she continued to mumble things like "you little git", "don't scare us like that", and "I'm so glad you are okay".

"What happened at the World Cup?" Ginny asked after a minute.

"Well, I got separated from Hermione. We went out of the tent together, but with everyone going in different directions, we were torn apart. Then someone shoved me and I kind of hit my head on a rock." She pointed up to the gauze that was covering the gauge on her forehead. "Then Draco Malfoy of all people found me and so we ran into the woods. I may or may not have fallen asleep… but hey, it was only because I could barely fucking see and I had cold sweats" she added when she noticed the look on Ginny's face that almost said "really? You fell asleep?".

"Understandable" Ginny huffed. "But where did you go after? I mean it's really late in the day. We were worried sick."

"I had a really weird dream, which I'll tell you and Mione about later, and then I woke up and he was carrying me. Fucking bridal style." She felt as if she were sharing some sort of gossip with Ginny. It was hilarious to watch her face contort into different expressions as she continued to tell her everything that happened.

"Come on, I'm sure everyone else will want to know you are okay. Mum said dinner would be ready soon too" Ginny said.

It was then that Val realized that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast the day of the World Cup. Only a bit over a day, but it was enough to cause her stomach to make an uneasy noise, causing Ginny to laugh slightly.

The two girls left the living room and entered the kitchen where Molly Weasley was preparing a meal.

"Mum" Ginny said, causing Molly to turn around.

Mrs. Weasley turned around and nearly dropped the pot she was holding at the sight of Val.

"Oh Valencia, dear, I am so glad you are alright." Mrs. Weasley came over to Val and gave her an even more bone crushing hug than Ginny had.

"Molly! I have just received a letter from-" Arthur Weasley had come practically running into the kitchen, a letter in his hand. "Merlin's beard" he gasped. "She's already here!"

Even Mr. Weasley, who rarely gave hugs, game over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Narcissa Malfoy sent me a letter, said you were safe with them and to meet us at the station tomorrow to come and get you" Mr. Weasley said.

"Yes, I was with the Malfoy's, but not for long really. Draco found me and brought me back to the manor where I was able to sleep and heal. I would have come back much sooner, but the fact that the Floo Network was a thing completely slipped from my mind" she explained.

"We are just glad you are okay dear" Molly said, a bright smile on her face.

Fred, George, Harry, and Ron all gave her hugs when they greeted her. They all said similar things to Mrs. Weasley, like how they were just glad she was okay.

Hermione was last, and her reaction to seeing that Val was alright was a mix between heart warming and guilt wrenching.

"Valencia Emilia Martin! Ugh you're a pain in my arse. I thought you died! I thought I lost you! Don't do that to me ever again!" Hermione had said. Her hug lasted the longest and a few tears left both of their eyes.

There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that her and Hermione's friendship was the strongest out of all of them. It almost outdid Harry and Ron's friendship with Hermione, but not quite. The two of them had spent a majority of their summers together, going over to each other's houses and talking for hours. Their time in the library together at Hogwarts hadn't changed from first year. They sat in the same cream-coloured armchairs, there was the same reading of books, the same little talks about all of the gossip going around the school, the same times spent practicing charms with one another. They were very close and no one could deny it.

The rest of that day was spent eating more than enough food, talking about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes with Fred and George, and drinking Butterbeer with Hermione and Ginny up in their room.

"I n-never want to go back there again," Val said as a hiccup escaped her throat. While Hermione and Ginny had both opted to drink only a small amount of Butterbeer, she had downed nearly five bottles of the golden liquid, causing her to be slightly drunk. "Bunch of arse wipes if you ask me." She took another sip of Butterbeer, essentially finishing the bottle in her hands.

"Well-" hiccup, "Narcissa was nice, and I didn't see Lucius at all, so I guess it was D-" hiccup, "Draco that was the arse wipe. Oh but when I knocked on his door and he opened it he- oh you should have seen him" she said. She knew she would hate herself in the morning.

"Oh please never say that again" Ginny said with a smirk.

"Doesn't excuse him from being a blonde fucking prat who calls me mudblood and makes my life hell" she added.

"He may have helped you, but he's still an arse and there's no denying that" Hermione said in agreement.

"He didn't help me for sh- shit. I could have walked perfectly fine. Alright then! Ginnyyy!" she said, changing the subject abruptly. "So tell me Gin, did wonder boy s-" hiccup, "save you? Oh that would have been so cute."

She went to grab another bottle after she finished talking but Hermione stopped her hand from grabbing it. Val sent her a disappointed look, but Hermione only shook her head.

"You've had enough Val" Hermione said.

"Whatever you say Mione" she said, words slurred. "Mmm- so Gin. Wonder boy?"

"Nothing happened really. He went with Ron and I went with Fred and George" Ginny said.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about us now would you?" Fred asked from the doorway. He and George stood there, looking down at the three of them where they sat on the floor, with smirks on their faces.

"Oh well if it isn't pretty boy number one and two" Val said, a grin on her lips.

"Hello love," Fred said as he smiled down at her. "Bit drunk are we?"

"Do you two need something?" Ginny asked.

"Didn't want to miss out on all of the fun and gossip of course" George said.

"Mm, yes. C'mere" Val said. She patted the empty space on the floor next to her, motioning for them to sit. "So much gossip."

Fred immediately took her offer and sat on the floor next to Val. He put his arm about her and she rested her head on his shoulder. Ginny rolled her eyes at the two of them as George sat down on Ginny's bed.

"Mm, yes- Mione. We need to get more drinks going" Val said, words still slurred.

"Val, that's not a good idea" Hermione said, shaking her head.

"Maybe, but the goal is to not be able to remember things, especially if I say something embarrassing. Oh! Do you happen to have Firewhiskey? That could help loadsss" she said.

"Absolutely not!" Hermione said shrilly.

"Yea, I'm going to have to agree with Granger on this one" Fred said.

"Finee" she said with a huff. "Ugh Ginny, you're so hot. It's so not fair! Okay so here's the plan, fuck men, we don't need them. How about you and I- together. Boom! Perfect."

She nodded her own head as if to reassure herself that it was an amazing plan. Drunk words are sober thoughts.

"Oh I am so down" Ginny said, a smile growing on her face.

"Can I be a bridesmaid at the wedding?" George asked, grinning.

"Mm- of course, of course" Val said. "Fred."

"Yes love?" Fred said. The way he said that made her shiver. It was nothing new, but it always made her insides churn.

"Anyone ever tell you that you smell sooo good?" she said.

"Once or twice" he said with a chuckle.

"B-ack to boys," Val said after a few seconds.

The five of them spent the next hour talking about boys among other things. Ginny had another bottle of Butterbeer, but every time Val tried to convince Hermione to let her have just one more, Hermione would tell her off, saying that she was far too drunk already. Val always disagreed.

"Wonder boy and Ronald are missing out on this," Val said. She had changed her position; she was now lying down with her head in Fred's lap while he braided little strands of her hair.

"Oh trust me, those piss pots are already asleep" George said. "And speaking of sleep, it's nearly two in the morning, I should be heading off."

"Night pretty boy" Val said as she looked up at him.

"I should get going too-"

"Absolutely not!" Val said, interrupting Fred.

"Val, he's not staying in our room, that's for sure" Ginny said. She and Hermione had both gotten up from the floor and were making their way over to their beds.

"Urgh. Whatever." And so she rolled over, out of Fred's lap and onto the floor, allowing him to leave.

She didn't even bother attempting to make her way over to her bed. The floor felt nice anyways. Nice and cool; comfy. The floor was a good solution for almost all problems. Drunk? Floor. Tired and can't sleep? Floor. Angry? Sad? Happy? Floor.

The next week passed by quickly. It was now the morning of September first, the day that they would be boarding the Hogwarts express and heading back to school.

Val had finally finished repacking her trunk and so she was now heading down the stairs to the kitchen. Hermione and Ginny were tagging along behind her.

They all ate a quick breakfast, and then they were on their way to King's Cross Station.

Val said goodbye to all of them, before she boarded the scarlet steam engine and began her search for June, Damon, and Noah. She hadn't seen any of them all summer and although she had written to them, she still felt as if she hadn't talked to them in ages.

She made her way back to the Slytherin compartment of the train and slid the door open. Not many people were on the train yet but she saw June sitting in their usual booth.

"You've gotten hotter," June said as Val sat down across from her.

"I think your vision may just be impaired" she replied with a smirk.

"How was your summer?" June asked. And so Val told her the few interesting things that she did with her family over the summer.

Slytherins continued to pile into the car, all going to their usual seats and greeting their friends. Noah and Damon joined the two girls a few minutes before the train left the station, and so Val told the three of them what happened at the World Cup. The rest of them then all took turns telling each other about their summers.

Damon ended up falling asleep on Val's shoulder, like usual. There had never been a train ride where he didn't sleep.

Val had taken to reading a book on spells, and June and Noah had continued a small conversation.

"Well look what we have here. It really is a shame you didn't die in the Floo Network" a cold voice said.

"I agree," Val said nonchalantly, still looking down at her book.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all standing in front of their booth, most likely looking to annoy them.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Noah said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Oh nothing, just looking to see if I will have any competition in the tournament. Any of you signing up?" he said.

"What tournament?" June asked.

"You seriously don't know?" Malfoy scoffed.

"No, nor do we care. Move along now" Val said.

He sneered at all of them before moving to leave the Slytherin car, his two goons following close behind.

"What tournament do you suppose he was talking about?" Noah asked after the four of them were alone once more.

"Erm- I'm not really sure… but there is something that I need to tell you guys, something that happened around the time of the World Cup that I left out" Valencia said.

"Mmk, well what is it?" June asked.

"One second" Val said. "Damon! Wake up" she yelled into his ear.

"What! Are we there?" Damon said groggily.

"No, but Val said she has something to tell us," Noah said.

"Right, fine. Make it quick you git" Damon said. He rubbed his eyes before sitting up straight in his seat.

"I had a dream-" Val started.

"About Cedric or that red head?" Damon asked.

"Wha- neither" she said, but her cheeks began to redden.

"Sure."

"Anyways, I had the same dream for like four nights in a row. Nothing about it changed" she began. She spent the next ten minutes explaining every little detail about the dream that she could remember. Every word.

"So, the voices mentioned a tournament?" Noah asked.

"Yes. And I know it sounds like a bunch of bollocks, but what they said, about acting after the World Cup, came true. And now Malfoy comes over and says something about a tournament. I guess I'm just a little freaked out because it seems like it wasn't actually a dream" she explained. "There were no details about the tournament, it was just mentioned" she finished.

"Well, erm- it could have just been a coincidence" Damon said.

"That would be one hell of a coincidence Damon" June said.

"I had another dream though" Val said, causing them all to look at her again with great intent.

She explained the dream that she had when she fell asleep in the woods. About the girl, about Harry, and about how the voices had planned to do something at Hogwarts.

"T-they said that they were planning to bring Harry to the skeleton baby man" Val said. "And I have no clue who this girl is, which is no help at all, but if this wasn't a dream then I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen at Hogwarts this year."

"Do you think we should tell the headmaster?" Noah asked.

"No. I don't think that's a good idea" June said.

"Why not?" Damon asked, confused.

"I just think we should wait and see. What if telling him about it makes him and everyone else worried, but then none of it actually happens?" June said.

"Okay, okay. So- you have this little baby man that these two full grown men are calling "My Lord"… And then you have this girl that is apparently in our year that can see into the baby man's mind. Harry Potter is apparently in danger and they are planning something at Hogwarts? Our school. And you're saying that we shouldn't tell anyone?" Damon scoffed.

"Yes," June said affirmatively.

"I don't know honestly," Val said. "I think we should wait just a little while, but if something happens, then we tell the headmaster. I'm still not sure if it was even real. It could have just been a dream, plus I was a bit delusional at the time."

"Urgh, I guess so" Damon said, crossing his arms.

"I need some sweets," Noah said as he stood up from the booth. "All of this is a bit wack."

"I'm coming too" Damon said as he too left his seat.

"Hey, bring me back some cauldron cakes," Val said to them. She handed Damon a few silver sickles.

"Mmm, and some every flavour beans," June added.

The two boys left the compartment and began their search for the sweets trolly, leaving June and Val alone.

"Val?"

"Hm?"

"Any updates with Diggory?" she pried, a gin on her lips.

"Nothing since what happened at the World Cup, but-" she said. She reached for her trunk, unzipped it, and pulled out the yellow and black knitted scarf.

"What! You failed to mention that part in your story" June said as she reached over the table to smack Val on the shoulder.

Her cheeks grew to a deep shade of red. "I was cold, so he gave it to me. It would have been a cute moment if Malfoy wasn't there to ruin it."

"I have asked you this before, and I will ask you again now… are you sure you don't want me to murder him for you?" June said. The funny thing was that Val knew she wasn't joking.

She let out a snort at her comment and shook her head. "I can't have you going to Azkaban Adams, not yet. Maybe in a few years, and I will gladly help you take care of that git. We can both go to that paradise together."

"Deal" June said.

"What about you?" Val said.

"What do you mean?" June said as she lifted an eyebrow at her.

"Any updates with you and Nott?" Val said. When June's eyes went wide, it was Val's turn to grin.

"How did you- I never said anything about that" June stammered.

"Trust me girl, I know everything about you, even if you never tell me. There's no point in keeping secrets" she said.

"Urgh, well fine. But no, no updates with Nott" June said.

"Unfortunate. I guess we'll just have to sit near him at the feast tonight, get a little conversation going" Val said.

"Oh absolutely not. I'm not desperate Valencia" June said.

"It's not like we would be sitting with a different house though. Oh come one, maybe it will spark your romance with him" Val said.

"Ugh, maybe" June said, rolling her eyes.

"Three cauldron cakes for you and a pack of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans for you" Damon said as he scooted back into the booth. Noah was carrying the rest of the candy, and he too sat back down next to June.

The four of them spent the rest of the train ride eating the sweets and talking about their plans for the school year.

The sky was dark, and the air cool as rain poured down onto them after they exited the Hogwarts Express.

"Glad we aren't first years" June said as they all shivered. Their clothes had all become sopping wet as they waited in the line for a carriage.

When a carriage finally came, the four of them squished together on one side and a bunch of second years took the other side. None of them talked as the invisible force began to pull them towards the castle.

When they walked through the large oak doors that led into the Great Hall, the four of them made their way over to the Slytherin table. They were some of the last ones to sit down, so when Val saw that there was an empty seat next to Theodore Nott, a grin grew on her lips. But that grin faltered when she noticed that if they were to sit near Nott, then they would also have to sit next to Draco Malfoy.

"Looks like sitting next to Nott will have to wait-" June began.

"Uhm, absolutely not. Come on, we're going" Val said. She began to tug on June's sleeve and pulled her towards the table.

June reluctantly took the seat next to Theo who gave her a cheeky grin when she did. Damon then hurried to sit down next to June, leaving Val and Noah to find their own seats. Noah sat down between Blaise Zabini and Gregory Goyle and Val, even more reluctant than June had been, sat down between Zabini and Mafloy, across from June and Damon.

Blaise ignored her completely while Draco scoffed at her and rolled his eyes.

"Why are you sitting over here Martin?" Malfoy asked.

"Believe me, I don't want to, but I'm not going to go sit with the third years" she replied. Surprisingly, he left her alone after that.

The Sorting ceremony began after the hat sang its song, and when it finished Dumbledore said a few words before the golden platters in front of them were filled with an assortment of different foods.

"Anyone have any idea who our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is going to be?" Damon asked when they had all finished their food.

"No idea-"

"So!" Dumbledore began, interrupting their conversation. "Now that we have all had our fill, I must once more ask for your attention. Mr. Filch, our caretaker here at Hogwarts, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle this year has been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list of the some four hundred and thirty-seven forbidden objects can be found in Mr. Filch's office if you wish to see it."

Val looked over to the Gryffindor table to see that Fred and George were clearly annoyed. They had always loved their pranks, and the more items that got compromised, the harder it was to pull a good prank.

"I would also like to remind you that the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. I will also tell you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not be taking place this year" Dumbledore said.

The entire hall broke out into worried and upset voices at this announcement. She couldn't blame them, Quidditch was a staple game at Hogwarts, played every year by the students. The games always served as a good distraction from the load of school work that they would receive.

"Yes, yes. I know that Quidditch here at Hogwarts is a very well loved sport. However, this is due to an event that will be starting in October. It will continue throughout the school year, taking up much of the teacher's time and energy. I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. And so it is with this that I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

There was a sudden loud clap of thunder as the doors to the Great Hall opened, interrupting the headmaster's speech. There was a man in the doorway. He was leaning up against a staff as he began to make his way up to the front of the hall. Everyone had stopped eating their food, and all eyes turned to him.

As the man got closer to where she sat, Val could see that almost his entire face was covered in all sorts of scars. He had a glass eye that seemed to have a mind of its own. It looked in every direction, at all of the students, as the man walked.

When the stranger reached the front of the hall, he shook hands with the headmaster before taking the empty seat at the table. He began to pile all sorts of different foods onto his plate as if no one were looking at him.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody" Dumbledore said. This caused whispers to break out all throughout the hall.

She had heard that name before. Alastor Moody, an Auror for the Ministry of Magic.

"Now, as I was saying," Dumbledore began, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months here. This event has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you all that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place this year at Hogwarts."

"You're JOKING!" Fred called from the Gryffindor table.

So this was the tournament that the voices had been talking about. It made her slightly nervous to know that it all seemed to be coming true.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," the headmaster said. "Now where was I- Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament… some of you may know what this tournament involves, but I assume that most of you do not, and so I will try my best to give a short explanation. The Triwizard Tournament is a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion from each school will be selected, and the three champions will then compete in three magical tasks. Our Departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided that the time is ripe for another attempt at this tournament. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that none of the champions will be harmed or find themselves in mortal danger."

Dumbledore then continued to explain how, in the past, there had been so many casualties that they had to discontinue the tournament.

"The Heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place on Halloween. Now, since it has been known to be rather dangerous to compete, the Heads of all the schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have decided to impose an age restriction on those who will be allowed to enter. Only students who are of the ages of seventeen and above will be allowed to compete. Please do not try to enter if you are not of age." Dumbledore looked over to the Weasley twins as he said this.

"Right! Bedtime, all of you!" the headmaster said.

"Unbelievable," Malfoy said as they got up from the table.

"Sad you can't enter the competition Malfoy? Not like you would have won anyways" June said.

"Shut it Adams" Malfoy sneered.

All of the Slytherins began to make their way to the commons, all talking about the tournament in hushed whispers.

Val immediately went up to the fourth year girls' dorm the second they got to the common room. Her trunk had already been placed by her bed, and so she changed into her nighttime clothes.

Since she was nowhere near tired, she grabbed a blanket she had brought with her from her trunk, her muggle book, Pride and Prejudice, and started back down the spiral stairs and into the common room once more.

The prefects were still telling the first years what to expect, but she ignored them and took her usual seat on one of the black leather couches in front of the fireplace.

A few people remained in the common room late into the night, but none of them interrupted her. June and Noah had both decided to go to sleep, but Damon had joined her on the couches and took to charming small flowers all around the common room.

"For my darling Valencia" Damon said with a cheeky grin. He held out a small Peony that he had charmed for her. Peonies had always been her favourite kind of flower.

She let out a soft laugh before accepting the flower. "Thank you Damon" she said with a smile.

He gave her a small wink before going back to creating random floral objects all around them.

"Ugh, I'm so not ready to start writing papers again" Val said as she changed her position on the couch so that she was laying down completely. She rested the open book on her chest before looking over to Damon.

"Honestly. I always look forward to coming back to Hogwarts, but the one thing I despise about it all is the homework. The classwork has never been that bad though" he said.

"We'll have to do some things to entertain us, distract us from homework," Val said.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Oh I have no clue, we'll make up stuff as we go. We always do" she said.

Just then, June and Noah joined the two of them.

"I thought you two piss pots were asleep" Damon said as he arched an eyebrow at them.

"Can't sleep," June said. She made her way over to where Val was and laid down on top of her. Val wrapped her arms around her casually.

"Just because you can't sleep doesn't mean you have to come into my dorm and punch my arm until I wake up" Noah said in a scratchy voice. It was obvious that he had been sleeping.

"Do you need a flower to cheer you up? I think he needs a flower to cheer him up, don't you Val?" Damon said.

"Mm, that sounds like a good idea" she agreed.

Damon conjured up a little rose and held it out for Noah to take.

"Shove off," Noah said as he sat down on the other couch. But he took the rose anyways.