"Chalondra, where were you Tuesday afternoon?"

"Tuesday?" Chalondra asked hurriedly, mind buzzing with terrible alibis.

"Yea, we couldn't find you…" Kate's voice drifted off. The two were walking in from Care of Magical Creatures, when Kate had suddenly decided to become a detective.

"How come you wanted me?" Chal asked, stalling for time so she could think up a good excuse. She was supposed to have things like this planned! Stupid Kadric and his homework plan for her, it took up most of her time…

On Tuesday, their first lesson, Kadric had assigned Chalondra to come to Greenhouse One every afternoon and work with the plants he assigned her. It took up lots of time, but it was effective.

It was Thursday, and Chalondra was, well, sort of looking forward to seeing Kadric.

"Because we were going to study together for that Defense Against the Dark Arts quiz today, remember?"

"WHAT!" Chalondra cried out, nearly dropping her books. Two nearby Slytherin's chuckled, but Kate's glare silenced them.

"Yea. A quiz is today. You mean you didn't remember!" Kate gasped in mock shock. "Chalondra! I never would have thought…"

"You shut up." Chalondra said, frowning with worry. I'm going to fail it; I'm going to fail it. Stupid, STUPID Kadric…but at least it distracted Kate from prodding me about where I was.

Just then, the bell chimed. It was time for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Just as the two were hurrying through the front doors, Chalondra spotted a familiar head; its body adorned in green Slytherin robes.

"Hey, Ka—" She stopped herself from yelling anymore. Kadric had turned his head ever so slightly in her direction and sent her a murderous glare. Chalondra willingly closed her mouth, remembering that…well…Herbology wasn't the manliest lesson ever. She could pay Kadric back so easily for all the years he had teased her…but she wouldn't. Not to mention he'd get teased for tutoring a Ravenclaw in Herbology.

Stupid conscience, she thought dully, climbing the stairs behind Kate, who, luckily, hadn't heard or seen a thing. As the two walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Chalondra slid beside Yoyo, who had been motioning her over. Chal didn't talk to her friend, which was probably rude, but she was busier chewing the end of her quill nervously and wondering if she'd read what she needed to know by any freakishly lucky chance.

The sound of rustling parchment caused Chal to look down. A folded note lay underneath her ink jar. She looked up to make sure no one was watching her, and then slid it out. She unfolded it in her lap quickly and scanned the writing.

Cee,

Please don't be mad at me for the other day. I know I shouldn't have laughed at Kadric, but I can't let those guys know I like him! Imagine how much they'd tease me. And, well, I'm not really proud of it myself. I know you thought it was disgusting of me, and I agree. Sorry again.

PS: Heard any news on him? Know who he likes?

-Y

Chal risked a glance at her friend, who was busying herself with her newly acquired test sheet. Chal moaned as hers came, and slipped the note into her pocket. She'd have to answer it later. She flipped it over, scribbled her name, and glanced at the first question.

What is the difference in powers found in a female vampire and a male vampire?

Chal grinned slowly. This wouldn't be so hard. Vampires just happened to be one of her favorite things. She could make it. She could.

…………

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the last class of the day. Chalondra hadn't had time to answer Yoyo's note, and she hoped that her friend didn't think Chal hated her, because she most certainly did not. Who could after an apology like that? And besides, it's not like she would take any dislike towards Kadric personally. Why should she? She shouldn't, her mind told her as she strode furtively towards the greenhouses. Chalondra didn't like Kadric – she couldn't. Chalondra couldn't possibly take Yoyo's crush. That was an insult to her best friend. So she decided to just brush it off and think it was a momentary girl infatuation. She didn't usually have those, (Chal didn't often have time for boys), she wasn't surprised she found herself slightly drawn to him. He was the only boy to talk to her for a long time, even if their conversation was forced through tutoring.

"What are you doing standing there? Waiting for the sky to fall?" Kadric chuckled at his own joke, striding over to Chalondra from the shadows between Greenhouse One and Two.

"H-Huh?" Chalondra managed, proud of herself.

"You were just standing there, kind of staring into nothing. A bit creepy, but you'll survive."

"I'LL survive? I don't think there's anything wrong with thinking things through."

"Of course not. After all, it's fun to think in the freezing cold, letting your tutor die of pneumonia! It's the latest craze!" He gave Chalondra a cocky smirk, and Chal felt like punching in his nose.

"Funny," was all she managed, hoping she sounded unenthused instead of slightly amused.

"I thought so," Kadric answered, grabbing a ring of three keys from his pocket. He stuck a gold one into Greenhouse Three.

"Wow! She gave you the keys to the greenhouses?" Chalondra asked, a bit jealous. She never got treatment like that, and she was the – the genius of the school! Sure, taking it a bit far, but still…

"Mhm," he muttered, barely listening. "Okay, I think I have an idea of what to do today. Go in." He bowed low and held the door open for her. Chalondra almost grinned as she walked up to the door. Once and a while, he could be a gentleme—

"KADRIC!" She shrieked, jumping back. Just as she were about to walk through the entrance, Kadric had slammed the door shut in front of her, the swinging door grazing her face. "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR! THAT WASN'T FUNNY! THAT WAS CHILDISH!"

Kadric looked like he was about to burst. His face was slightly red, and he was openly guffawing, kneeling on the cobbled stone. Chalondra glared down at him, hands on her hips. "Would it hurt you to be a gentlemen once and a while?" She glared daggers at him when he managed to look up.

Kadric bit his lip. "Yes Ma'am, I'm afraid it would. And I know you wouldn't want me to get hurt. You'd be sad without me," he said with a poor, lost soul kind of look on his face. Chalondra knew he was trying to irritate her, she knew he was trying to get her to say she liked him just for kicks, she knew he was baiting her…so she did the one thing that got her anger out – she kicked him. Right in the ribs.

The boy's body, which had just been kneeling, was now fallen onto the ground. "Good God, Chalondra! What'd you do that for? Geez, you keep hurting me and hurting me…"

"If you don't get up and tutor me, I'll hurt you more," Chalondra growled. "I'm sick of you messing with me. Just teach me, I'll learn, and we'll get out of here. It's only the second lesson and I'm sick of looking at your face already!"

Wow. That felt good. Chalondra marched into the greenhouse, slamming the poor, wooden screen door behind her. Sure, she thought he was handsome, sure, she thought he could be funny, but he was the most annoying, most hurtful and stupid boy she had ever met!

"Hey…what's this?" Kadric's voice asked outside the door. Chalondra set her books on the table hesitantly. She almost went outside to go see what he was looking at, but decided against it. It was probably another trick to get her to jump or scream or something.

"Cee," he began to say, and Chalondra felt her blood run cold. She patted her pocket anxiously, only to discover Yoyo's note was gone.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Chalondra cried under her breath, frozen with shock and horror. Kadric continued to read off the letter.

"Please don't be mad at me for the other day. I know I shouldn't have laughed at Kadric," he paused. "Hmm, that's me…I was laughed at? How come? Hmph," he coughed and started again, and all Chalondra could was listen with horror. "But I can't let those guys know I like him! Imagine how much they'd tease me. And, well, I'm not really proud of it myself. I know you thought it was disgusting of me, and I agree. Sorry again. PS…heard any news on him? Know who he likes? Y."

Chalondra's knuckles were white from gripping onto the chair to keep from falling. Great. She had just let her friends ultimate secret out to the guy she liked! Now he'd tease her, and she'd cry, and she'd blame Chal for telling him when Kadric would hint, and Chal would say the note fell, Yoyo wouldn't believe her…

Before she could stop herself, Chalondra was outside the door, glaring at Kadric and screaming some not-so-nice words at him in Spanish, and ripping the notes to shreds.

"¡Cómo atrévasele? ¡Puerco! ¡Tirón! ¡Perdedor! ¡Idiota! ¡Maldiga! ¡Maldiga!"

All Kadric was doing was staring at her, his eyes slightly round. He was now standing upright so he was taller than Chalondra again, but it's always scary to hear someone's voice go hoarse from screaming at you in a different language.

"Chalondra! Speak a language I understand," he said calmly, smirking a little.

"Ohhhh, a language you understand, huh?" She said quietly, and she knew Kadric was a little intimated. Good. "I'll speak a language you understand. I'll – I'll – I'll –"

But she couldn't finish her ranting. She didn't have the chance. Kadric had swooped down on her and kissed her smack dab on the lips. Chalondra's eyes widened in shock, and she hurriedly stepped away from him. But this time, she was speechless.

Kadric looked quite pleased with himself. "Well, I had to shut you up some how, right?" He laced his fingers lazily behind his head. "After all, I didn't want you to hurt me again. Or start speaking in that weird voodoo language. Kinda weird, really—"

SLAP!

Chalondra had taken one swift step towards Kadric, summed up all her power, and slapped him hard on the cheek. So hard, in fact, his head did the corny thing where it swung to one side. He moaned. "What did I do this time?"

Chalondra spluttered at him. "What did you do this time? WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?" She chuckled darkly, her whole body trembling. "Ohhhh…that's a new one. 'What did I do this time?' I give up, Kadric. You're just as slimy as I thought you were." Chalondra walked swiftly past Kadric without saying a word, her whole face a stony mask. She grabbed her books, and that's when she realized her body was shaking. She shook it off, walking across the greenhouse floor and past Kadric. He hadn't moved. He had just been standing there, a confused sort of smile on his face. As Chalondra was walking further and further away, she heard him yell,

"Hey, who's 'Y', anyway? I like to know who my ladies are!" Chalondra didn't answer. She was shaking with fury. She wanted to go back and give him another good, hard, slap, and other physical abusive movements. She just wanted him to die.

He kissed her. He kissed her. Any other girl would have swooned, even Tali or Kate, and especially Yoyo. But with Chalondra it was different. She didn't hate him because he had kissed her. She didn't hate him for taking away her first kiss. She didn't hate him for his reasons to kiss her, namely for shutting her up.

She hated him for the kiss…because she had liked it. Chalondra, the brainiac Ravenclaw, had liked a kiss given by Kadric, Slytherin Bully.

Something was up with Chalondra lately.

…………

Why did I do it? Kadric asked himself numbly, kicking at the bits of grass leaking out of the cobblestone paths. Why did I kiss her? He had been asking this question over and over for the past hour or so. He knew he must have ruined her life, and usually this wouldn't bother him. But considering he had actually – well – kissed her changed everything.

It was okay to randomly kiss Slytherin girls – they would just swoon and it would be okay. Friends would laugh, there'd be a fling, and he would dump them for another girl. It was almost like an assembly line. But this time it was different. The kiss had actually been meant for shutting her up. Kadric really didn't want to get hurt again, (which had backfired), and he really didn't want to get swore at in Spanish. That had worked out, but something worse had happened. Chalondra hated him even more, and he really couldn't understand why it bothered him so much.

"Grow up," he muttered to himself, turning to the greenhouse and locking it up tightly. "Look on the bright side – at least you don't have to tutor her anymore." He chuckled slightly, but realized that wasn't very comforting at all, even thought it was only their second class and he hadn't really had to work yet.

"I hope she didn't take the kiss offensively. Then again, we're supposed enemies, so of course it was a little weird. But I can't hit a girl to shut her up! That's too evil…" Kadric began to talk out loud to comfort himself.

"I really didn't mean for it to hurt her so much. Man, why do I even care? I'm a Slytherin for Pete's Sake, things like this don't bother me! But…that kiss did. Probably because it felt – different. It wasn't like kissing a rock or anything. Okay, actually it was because she was frozen with shock and probably hate, but it was still different. Augh, I can't like a kiss with a Ravenclaw. Especially Chalondra. Why did she even have that note? Her friend likes me? Which friend? Augh! I've gotta make this right…"

Kadric had now reached the main doors. He hadn't even got his two months of free detention worth yet! No, he needed to get Chalondra back for tutoring, so he could get points and get no detentions. Not to mention Sprout would be angry. What would Kadric say?

I took advantage of her, Professor.

No, he'd have to fix things. For school. For his marks. For his social status – everything.

Are you sure it's not just because you want to see Chalondra? A voice asked in his head. Kadric scowled.

God, no! His voice answered. I think she's semi-nice, but she's not someone I go for. It was a pathetic, shut up you talk too much kiss, and not a lovey-dovey kiss! Girls take things to seriously. But I still need to talk to her. Augh.

He walked slowly to the Slytherin dormitories, deciding it was best to go get an early sleep and think out his plan to tutor Chalondra again.

In two days, his life, and Chalondra's, had both gotten much more interesting.

A/N: GASP. They kissed. But it wasn't real. Doesn't really count, because Chal didn't exactly kiss him back. Haha. Sunny, this one's for you all the way in India! Hope you had fun reading it!