Mason O'Reilly ruffled his shaggy sandy blonde hair as he walked down the corridor to History of Magic with his two best friends and roommates, Christian Delly and Tyler Kane.

"Oh now Katie Bell isn't even here to see your beautiful hair," Tyler teased Mason. "You don't have to fix it. It looks luscious as is." He ran a hand through Mason's hair and Mason sighed grumpily, having to re-ruffle it in order for it to feel correct. This made his two friends laugh.

"OI!" said a voice in front of them. The three boys stopped very suddenly, causing two Second Year Ravenclaw girls to run into them.

"Mr. Filch, you scared us," Christian said, addressing Filch very formally as to not get into trouble. But Filch seemed to be steaming already. Ever since his cat, Mrs. Norris, was Petrified the week before, Filch had been on a mission to punish students for no reason at all.

Filch set his jaw very tightly, making a vein in his forehead pulsate. "You three," he said in between heavy breaths, "can't just go around being so loud and laughing like that. You can't be too happy! This is a bloody school! What do you think you're trying to prove? Why aren't you studying?!"

The three boys stayed silent, not sure if they were actually in trouble or if someone had put Filch up to this. But Filch seemed pretty convincing, what with his greasy hair sticking to his sweaty, wrinkled face and his bottom jaw jutted out in such a way that it made his breathing very loud and heavy.

"Argus, I trust that you're treating these children with respect, correct?" asked Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He flashed a grisly smile at Mason and Mason smiled warmly back. Mason loved Professor Kettleburn's class - mostly because the only things he taught the class was how he lost almost all of his limbs. He had a prosthetic arm and one and a half prosthetic legs. He was a real wonder to Mason, which is why he was his favorite teacher.

Filch, still angry, but more restrained now that a higher official was present, turned to Professor Kettleburn, hatred in his beetle-like black eyes.

"These troublemakers were making the hallways too loud and preventing the other students from learning with all of their raucous laughter! They should be studying, not laughing!" he said, angrily whilst pointing at the trio. The boys looked at each other. None of them were being very loud at all.

"Professor-" started Tyler, who was always the one to argue.

"Mr. Kane, if you wouldn't mind," Kettleburn said. "I'd like to speak with the grief-stricken Filch alone. Get on with what you were doing." Without another word, the boys left. They looked back only once and found Kettleburn gently trying to hug a feisty Filch.

"If Kettleburn isn't careful, he's going to lose another limb," Christian said.

"But seriously, Filch is trying to punish people for laughing and being happy? How preposterous!" Tyler exclaimed, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Guys, you heard Kettleburn. He said Filch was greiving. He's probably really sad that Mrs. Norris isn't around anymore," Mason interjected.

"Yeah, he's sad because she can't catch him any more students out of bed and now he has to do all the work," Tyler said.

"Oh, I know you don't like Filch, but how would you like it if you lost Remy your toad?" Mason asked Tyler. He always had been the level-headed and reasonable one of the group.

Tyler sneered and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, begrudgingly. They reached the door for their History of Magic classroom and Christian opened the door for the three of them.

"Do you think Potter actually Petrified the cat?" Christian said, bringing his voice down now that they were in an enclosed space with many others. "Do you think he really is the Heir of Slytherin?"

"Oh, honestly this rumor again?" Mason said, laying his head down on his desk as he sat down in his usual spot. His friends sat on either side of him.

"Well it all fits, doesn't it?" Christian said.

"No it doesn't," Tyler argued. "If he was the Heir if Slytherin wouldn't he be in Slytherin?"

Christian shrugged. "I don't know how it works, but I know that he was found there with Mrs. Norris. Plus how else could he have defeated You-Know-Who twice before he even turned twelve?"

Mr. Binns, the History of Magic teacher, floated his ghostly body through the blackboard in the front of the classroom. "Class please settle down," he said in his monotonous voice. Christian shot both Mason and Kyle a look that very clearly said 'this is not over.'

And that is Mason, the peace keeper!

Review please :)