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Chapter 9

September 8, 2030

After deciding to put our plan into action next week, giving us enough time to prepare, the rest of the day goes smoothly. We avoid Kimmy, talking with the rest of the group most of the day. At some point we decide to head outside, so we find a shady tree to sit under, relaxing and enjoying our free time. Ciena and Xinia, of course, alternate between reading and doing homework, but the rest of us laugh and joke.

All too soon though, it starts getting dark, so we head up to the castle for dinner. I eat quickly, remembering my detention with Lupin. At ten to seven, I bid the others goodbye before exiting the Great Hall. I walk slowly to Lupin's office, dreading what's to come. I know by now my parents would have received a letter from the school, telling them about my punishment and what had happened. Mum and Dad will be mad, I know, but I hope they'll understand. I'll have to write a letter to them later and get Studs to deliver it to them.

With two minutes to spare, I arrive outside Lupin's door. I can hear him inside, scratching at a piece of parchment. It hits me then how good my hearing is. With that thought in mind, I bring my left wrist up to my face, studying the mark there. I had gotten so used to it being there that I barely noticed it anymore. The mark is just a circle about the size of a coin that reminded me of the moon, but that wasn't what I was looking at. I was looking at how bright it was.

Ever since I was able to understand that the mark was unusual, I had noticed that it would often fade or get brighter during the month. Right now, the mark was only a few shades darker than the brightest it would ever get. That in itself isn't too unusual, but that combined with my hearing and smell getting better made it unique. Whenever the mark was at its brightest, my senses would be at their best. Whenever it was at its dimmest, my senses were only slightly better than average. So right now, judging by the mark, my hearing would be pretty damn good. I continue looking at my wrist for a little longer before a voice cuts through.

"Interesting wrist?"

I snap my head up, my eyes meeting hazel. I hold back a sigh. Kimmy. I had forgotten she would be here.

"Very, actually," I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "You know there are eight bones in your wrist?"

Kimmy gives me a look bordering on murderous. Just then, the door opens, revealing Professor Lupin. He looks tired already and he beckons us in a little impatiently. Before he says anything though, I remember what he asked me to do.

"Oh by the way," I say, keeping my tone nice. "I'm sorry for sending you into that table Kimmy. I didn't mean to."

I note with satisfaction my apology almost sounds genuine. Of course, they both know it's not, but it's the best they're going to get. Better than Kimmy's anyway.

"Thank you Miss Dinnick," Lupin sighs a little. "Now I expect you two to move past this and put this silliness behind you. For your detention, you will be sorting out these," he points to the open cupboards at the front of the room, where stacks of books lay. "I want them sorted into piles of the same books, and once you've finished that, I will give you further instructions."

It's an obvious dismissal, so I start for the closest one. The cupboards aren't too big thankfully, and they're also not full, so it shouldn't take long. I gather as many of the books as I can, then drop them onto a group of desks and start sorting through them. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kimmy doing the same, as far away from me as possible. I know we will have to acknowledge each other later, but I'm content in silence for now.

Once I'm finished with the first cupboard, I move to the second, then the third. I fall into a sort of rhythm, and I find I don't mind this too much. As far as detentions go, this isn't half bad. Despite my messy habits, I like putting things in order and making them perfect. I probably take longer than normal to ensure the books are stacked with the biggest at the bottom and the smallest at the top. I also put the titles in alphabetical order to help me find which stack to put a book on. I can tell that these are cupboards of old Transfiguration textbooks, so there are many copies of all the books. Some are completely ruined; creased covers and torn pages, and some look almost new.

Finally, I finish the last cupboard, then look over Kimmy's stacks in silence. I find double-ups in my stacks and bring them over, noting Kimmy stacked hers similarly to the way I did. Once we're finished, Lupin shows us where he wants the books put, and we carry out the task in silence still. When there are only three stacks left to be put away, Lupin addresses us.

"Thank you, girls. I will put away these last few stacks. I hope you have learnt from your actions, and that this doesn't happen again. Miss Dinnick, I want you back here Tuesday, at 5 pm, for your second detention. Both of you may go now."

Kimmy leaves immediately, but I stay behind.

"Sir, I thought that was when I was going to have another lesson," I point out cautiously.

Lupin nods.

"It is."

He doesn't say anything else.

"Then why -?"

"One detention was more than enough. I trust you've learned your lesson?"

I nod.

"Then I see no reason to take even more time away from you."

"Thank you, Sir," I say gratefully.

I'm about to leave when I spot the last few piles of books. I go over to them and grab one of them, bringing it over to the cupboard.

"You don't have to do that," Lupin says kindly, taking the second last stack.

I walk past him without saying anything and grab the last one, putting it in the cupboard.

"I don't mind," I say. "It seems pointless to do all that sorting without finishing the job," I shrug.

Lupin closes the cupboard, looking at me with an unreadable expression. Just then, I spot a lone book where Kimmy was working. I walk over to it.

"She must not have seen it," I say, picking it up.

I look down at the title to see where to put it, then pause.

"I stand corrected. She definitely saw it," I sigh. "The Abilities of a Metamorphmagus," I show Lupin, walking back over to the cupboard.

He opens it without saying anything, and I quickly find the stack of books it belongs to, and place it on top. As I do, I accidentally hit another stack, causing the top three books to fall off. I mutter a curse under my breath and kneel to pick them up. Lupin bends as well, a small smile on his face, grabbing the one that slid over to him. When I straighten, I hold my hand out to him, silently asking for the book. He places it in my hand but doesn't let go of the cover. I look up at him and notice his gaze is on my wrist, the smile gone. I look back down. Being left-handed, I had held out my left hand, where the moon like mark was. I tighten my grip on the book, tugging it slightly, and Lupin lets go in surprise.

"Do you mind if I ask about that?" he asks as I put the books away.

I shrug.

"It's a birthmark," I say. "Been there as long as I can remember."

"Birthmarks normally fade after a while though," Lupin points out. "That looked rather bright to me."

"I don't know," I say. "It gets brighter and darker. I don't know why."

Lupin nods. For a moment, I think he will dismiss me, but then his face turns serious.

"Miss Dinnick, I wanted to talk to you about what happened."

I tense a little, having a pretty good idea where this conversation is going. Lupin sighs, perching on a desk.

"Look, I've been in your place," he starts. "Believe it or not, I was once a student here."

I smile a little.

"Kids are ruthless," he continues. "They will say whatever they like, regardless of the consequences. And unfortunately, they are going to pick on you, particularly, because you're different. But you have to learn restraint. You can't just blow up at anyone who taunts you. And they are going to. There's nothing you can do to stop that. Because your abilities make you different, unique, they will try to make you feel bad about yourself. But you have to deal with it. Otherwise, you're going to get into a lot of trouble, and quite a few bad situations."

"I don't try to," I say. "But it's just...it's crap how they think they can do that and get away with it."

"I know," Lupin sighs. "Believe me, I know. But take it from someone who's been in your shoes. I wish someone had been there to tell me when to back down. So please, if not anything else, listen to this."

"How do you do it?" I ask, looking at my feet. "How do you just ignore them?"

"Patience," Lupin says. "And practice."

"Yeah, well, patience is the one thing I do not have."

"You do."

I look up at him. He's smiling a little, looking a lost for a moment.

"I think you do," he continues, getting off the desk. "Somewhere in you, however deep down, you have patience. And kindness. You just have to look for it."

"Easy for you to say," I mutter, knowing he'll still hear it. "You're a Hufflepuff. Patience and kindness are your two main traits. I'm a Slytherin. Cunning and pride are mine. The complete opposite."

"Your house does not define you, Gena," Lupin tells me gently.

I mumble something under my breath. Then I straighten my robes and turn towards Lupin.

"Thank you," I say. "I'll be back on Tuesday evening."

"Miss Dinnick," Lupin calls out as I reach the door.

I turn my neck to look back at him. He has a small smile on his face.

"Watch your language," he warns with a shine in his eyes.

I blush a little before turning back and walking out of the room. I make my way to the Community Hall where I figure everyone will be. Sure enough, when I get there, the room is crowded. I make my way over to the group, but freeze when I see Kimmy. Everyone tenses when they see me. I'm tempted to make a scene, but I remember Lupin's words.

"Look," I say. "I don't want to cause drama. I will tolerate you if you stop acting like a prick."

Kimmy's face reddens. She stands up from her spot on the couch and walks up to me.

"How do you expect me to accept that when you just insulted me?"

"I didn't insult you," I say calmly. "I insulted your behaviour."

"That's the same thing," she snaps.

"It's not. Your behaviour can change. You, however, cannot."

"And why should I change my behaviour?"

"Because you're being rude, and quite frankly, we've had enough of it," Ciena suddenly says.

Kimmy whirls around to face her and stares at the group in anger.

"If you're not willing to change," I say, still calm. "Then you can leave. We will not put up with you insulting us or causing drama."

"I wasn't aware you were the leader of this group," Kimmy glares at me. "Are you sure your friends don't mind you making that decision?"

I look at my friends and see similar expressions to mine on all of their faces. Annoyance at Kimmy. Even George.

"Pretty sure," I shrug. "And I'm not the leader. We're not like Parkinson. We don't need someone to call the shots. We're friends, not a gang. There is no leader. I'm simply standing up to you because you've been rude to me the most, and I've had enough."

"You say that," Kimmy snorts. "But as I said, you're all words. You think your talent," she spits. "Makes you better than everyone else. You just don't want anyone else to know."

I don't let her get to me. I keep my voice even, although it raises a little.

"If that's how you see it, then you must be delusional. I have never once implied that I'm the leader of this group, or that I'm better than anyone else."

"Bullshit," she scoffs. "Every day you boast about how you're better than us."

"That's called sarcasm and joking," I cry, unbelieving.

I realise how loud I spoke, and now everyone in the room is looking at us. I take a deep breath, knowing I can't get mad.

"I'm sick of this pettiness," I say with finality. "If you have a problem with me that you simply can't put up with, that's fine. I'm not going to play a losing game. But if you're going to make a big deal out of this, if you're not willing to make peace with me, like I am trying to do with you, you can leave."

I cross my arms over my chest, staring at her with an expressionless face.

"Are you seriously going to let her talk to me like that?" Kimmy whirls on George.

I can feel the tension in the air as the attention moves off me. George stands up, calmer than I've ever seen him, and stares down at Kimmy. Even though they're both tall, Geroge has about an inch on her.

"Yes," he replies simply. "You've insulted all of us, and you're having a go at Gena for nothing. So what if she can change her appearance? She poses no threat to you and hasn't done anything to you before now, despite your rude comments all week. She's right. If you can't put up with her, we don't want you around. So either you apologise and get your ass back in line, or you walk away and don't come back."

Kimmy glares at him, but he doesn't back down.

"Kimmy please," Ciena says softy.

"You're a good person," Xinia says. "Please just let this go."

I can see the war behind Kimmy's eyes. She obviously doesn't want to let it go, but she also doesn't want to lose her only friends. Part of me wants to see her go, but I see the expression in Xinia and Ciena's eyes. They don't want to lose her. I had seen the three of them together, and I had to admit, they made each other better. The girls had found a friend who was like them but also got along with the rest of their friends. I knew how much it would hurt George to see his little sister cast out, so with a deep sigh, I soften my tone.

"My offer still stands," I say. "I'm willing to put this behind us."

This time, I mean it. Behind her attitude, Kimmy is a good person. She cares about Ciena and Xinia, and I don't want them to get hurt. I hope Kimmy can see that I'm being truthful. She studies me for a second, and I can almost hear her brain working. Then, after a long minute, she gives a dejected nod. I smile a little.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," I say.

I hold my hand out to her, letting it sit between us. She stares at it, then me, then takes it. We shake, and I smile.

"I don't hate you, Kimmy. I want us to be friends."

"I think we're almost too similar," Kimmy says. "But I think we can work around it."

We look at each other for a minute, and the silence is deafening. Unfortunately, the person who breaks it is completely unwelcome.

"Isn't that nice?" Parkinson drawls. "Personally, I would've liked to have seen a fight, but that's just me."

Kimmy and I turn together to face the dark-haired boy.

"Stay out of this," I snap.

Without a second thought, I turn back around, all but dismissing him. I walk over to Anica and take a seat on the couch beside her. Everyone who was standing sits, but no one talks. Eventually, I grow tired of the awkwardness.

"Well, that was fun," I joke.

Everyone laughs, and the tension is broken. The conversation continues without any problems after that, and we talk into the night. When it finally gets too late, we bid our goodbyes, then head off to our dormitories. Just before Anica and I enter ours, I speak.

"What a weekend," I sigh.

She laughs, pushing the door open.

"Yeah, definitely."

We slip into our night clothes, then whisper goodnight to each other. I fall asleep rather quickly, worn out from today's events. Thankfully, I don't stir till the next morning.

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