A/N: Okay, so my computer's been acting up lately and not letting me get onto my account as much as I need to. I'm hoping that I'll be able to update on a regular basis still, but just in case I seem kind of off... there's a logical explanation! Also, I am going on a skiing trip to Quebec, so I won't be able to update for two weeks. Just a heads up. I'm going to try to get a chapter up of A Stupid Thing Called Love, and then I'll have a long chapter of this story when I get back ;)

Here are some replies to anon. reviewers:

Allie - I'm glad you've been enjoying the story! What you brought up is probably one of the hardest things I'm dealing with: when does their relationship become friendlier and less awkward? I'm trying not to just jump into a "BFF" friendship, just trying to merge into it but I'm not sure if I'm doing the greatest job. Let me know what you think? Thanks! And thanks for your review!

Alyse - I know right? I find it incredibly annoying when writers don't allow anonymous reviews - just because I'm too lazy to log on and submit a review ;P thank you so much for reviewing!

Chapter 11 - Totally Barbaric

The first of December, two thousand and twenty

Dearest Miss Rosalie Flint,

You are cordially invited to the Slug Club's annual Christmas dinner and party. You are allowed to bring one guest with you. Please respond by the twelfth of December.

Yours expectantly, Professor Horace Slughorn

I stared down at the elegant scroll, hands shaking slightly. The last time I went to one of Slughorn's get togethers... I couldn't go. I wouldn't go.

"So, I was thinking of going with Blake," Georgiana said mindlessly, brushing through her dark curls. "I know he's into me."

"Of course he is," Veronique giggled. "You two would be a perfect match!"

My insides gagged. Blake was most definitely not interested in Georgiana. She was just foolishly blind to the facts. Blake Zabini was not into any of the girls at Hogwarts, especially not the notorious whore Georgiana Ruthford. Her intimate life wasn't unknown to the people at Hogwarts.

"How about you, Ver?"

She paused for a second, as if she were deciding which guy would be her play thing for the night of Slughorn's party. "Probably Merrick Roland. Dear Godric, he is a walking sex god."

"Could you guys quiet down? Just for a second?" I asked, agitated by their asinine girl talk.

There was silence, until Georgiana shattered it. "Why? Jealous we can get dates and you can't?"

I turned to face her with a harsh, frigid glare. "Is that a challenge?"

She backed down like the coward she was. Her voice was lighter when she said, "No, no," and glanced at Veronique.

"Who are you going with, anyways?" Veronique asked, playing with her blond hair.

I faced the opposite wall again, my back to them. "I don't want to go to Slughorn's party," I said with finality.

"Really? What a shame. I heard Matthias was planning on asking Cassandra Sinclair," Georgiana inserted slyly.

"And I should care why?" I asked her without looking back.

"Don't you want to make him jealous?"

"Certainly not," I scoffed. "I'm the one who broke up wth him, remember?"

"You're no fun," she told me.

"Whatever," I sighed.

The less attention I got from Matthias, the better off I would be. Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to believe he was actually done with me, but the last thing I wanted was to be his prey again, after I'd just gotten rid of him.

"You could show up without a date," Veronique suggested.

"That would be terribly pathetic," I answered. "I'm not going, okay?"

'"I bet you'd go if Potter asked you," Georgiana said snottily, flipping her glossy hair back over her shoulder. She peeked at me with piercing dark eyes.

For that remark, I faced them again,my face contorted in new-found frustration. "Do you really think I'd sink that low?" I snarled. "Potter and I have nothing together! We're not meeting in secret, we're not best mates, and we certainly are not attracted to each other! Just give it up already! You have tested me beyond my limits, Georgiana. I am done with you and your ridiculous, odious antics! I hate Potter!"

I stood in front of my neat work station, patiently chopping up some Valerian roots for my Draught of Living Death. My cauldron, sitting close to my left forearm, was bubbling loudly, as were everyone else's as students worked around me.

Potions was one of the many classes I shared with Gryffindor. I could hear Weasel and Potter fooling around in the back of the room instead of working diligently, like most of us. I glanced at Blake, who stood beside me, giving him an annoyed look. He nodded slightly in agreement.

My Potions partner had always been Matthias, but ever since we broke up, he's been trying to get close to every girl he could, especially when I was watching. Usually, it just frustrated me but today was particularly bad. He was whispering into Cassandra Sinclair's ear, and she was giggling as she sprinkled some Asphodel powder into her cauldron. Her light blond curls bounced as she turned to give me a smug grin.

My grip tightened around my knife as I tried to ignore them. Honestly, I wasn't in the least bit jealous. How could I be? But it annoyed me that they thought I was envious.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, thankfully, but trying to drown them out was an impossibility. Everyone in the room was staring at them, and even Slughorn couldn't ignore them. Every now and then, he would glance up at them with confused eyes, then his stare turning to me, before flicking back to them, and finally returning to whatever he had been doing before.

Sighing heavily, I forked my Valerian roots into the cauldron and watched as they dissolved in the elixir perfectly. Smiling distractedly at my flawless work, I wiped my hands on my skirt and reached for snake fangs that I had set aside. I began to skillfully grind them into clumpy bits.

"Could I have some of that Asphodel powder?" Blake asked quietly, not making eye contact with me.

Picking up the jar, I handed it to him and returned to my work. Soon, I was on the last step: the sopophorous beans. I took my knife into my hand once more and tried to crush the bean with the side of the blade (a trick I'd picked up from a portrait in the headmistress' study).

"Could you show me how?" Cassandra whispered to Matthias. It wasn't much of a whisper, though, considering I could hear it from over at my desk.

I gritted my teeth irately and tried to focus on my bean.

"Yeah," he said huskily. "You just take the knife and cut off the top... like this." By now, he had his hand on top of her's and it was eating me alive. Couldn't they have their little lovefest somewhere else? Like, far away from me?

"Like that?"

"Yeah. Good job."

She giggled.

"You're almost as good as Rosalie."

"Damn it!"

I looked down at my finger, which was now gushing blood. I had accidentially sliced my pointer finger while I was listening to Matthias and Cassandra's quiet exchange. As good as me? I internally scoffed. Yeah right! I was the best student in the class.

"Language, Miss Flint- Oh, dear me. Your finger," Slughorn said, looking over from his desk at my own work station, peering through his stacks of books and viles of potions.

At that moment, there was a pop and a sudden pain as something small hit the back of my scalp.

"Oops," Potter whispered from the back of the room, hands frozen in the air as if he had made to move, but was too late.

All I could see was red. Millions of thoughts ripped through my head as I stood there for a second, impassively, letting everything resurface.

And then that second ended.

"Potter! You insolent, vulgar git! I'm going to murder you!" All of my anger and spite caved in on me, flooding my senses. I sprinted across the room and slammed into him, knocking him to the floor. "Oh, Merlin's fucking saggy balls! You idiot! You stupid idiot!" I realized vaguely that I was getting blood on his shirt and his throat as I continued to hit him with my injured hand, but right then I didn't care.

The classroom burst into chatter and yells and laughter, watching me savagely attack Potter like a raging barbarian.

"Flint! Get off of me!" he yelled, trying to shove me off but failing.

"Rosalie!" Blake pulled me off of Potter, holding me back from aggressively pinning him down again.

"Miss Flint! Please refrain yourself!" Slughorn yelled. The classroom started to die down until it finally became silent. "Go see Madam Pomfrey about your finger, then return to my classroom immediately! That type of behaviour will not be tolerated in my class."

Huffing, I clenched my jaw and muttered a "Yes, professor," before leaving the room without my bag or books.

The snickers of Fred Weasley and James Potter did not go unnoticed.

My shoes slapped against the cold, stone ground as I held out my wand lazily, patrolling the corridors less than cautiously. Light grew from the tip of my wand, casting all of the shadows and darkness away. The contrast between the light and the dark was hautingly beautiful.

My viscious outburst and attack on Potter had earned me a week's worth of detention and three late-night patrols. Fortunately for me, I didn't mind patrolling later into the evening and my detentions were with Professor Trelawney. She was a nut case absolutely through and through, but cleaning tea-cups and crystal balls was definitely preferred over detention with the oaf Hagrid or with a fuming Slughorn. I didn't feel too bad about it though; I would get back into his good graces by the holidays.

And it had felt food to hit Potter. That prat.

About an hour into my rounds, I heard the unmistakable swish of a cloak and gentle but heavy footsteps. At first, I ignored it; I really didn't feel like running into the likes of Flich at this hour. But as I continued to walk, I couldn't evade them any longer. It had become obvious to me that whoever it was, they were following me. A professor coincidentally walking in the same direction as me? Probably not. Potter getting revenge? Believable.

Wielding my wand offensively, I called out in a hushed voice.

"Hello?"

And suddenly, I was pinned to the wall, hard hands gripping my shoulders.

"You're so hot when you go all psycho on Potter," a voice hissed in the darkness. "I really had trouble hiding my enthusiasm in Potions today."

My heart thudded, encaged painfully in my chest, as I stared into the icy eyes of Matthias.

"What do you want?" I snapped, my voice sounding so much stronger than what I actually felt.

"You," he answered simply and I cringed.

"I broke up with you," I growled. "We're over!"

"No," he told me, his hot breath on my cheek making me feel clausterphobic and uncomfortable. "We'll never be over."

"Just... just leave me alone!" I said, breaking. "Please."

He laughed humorlessly. Cruelly. Snidely. There were so many ways to describe it, but only one way to feel it. The way it vibrated down your spine, and sent shivers all over your body - that was indescribable. "I'll never leave you alone, darling." He brought his fingers to my forehead, pushing a lock of dark hair behind my ear. "I love you, Rosie."

I tried to duck under his arms, but he shoved me back against the wall, closing in on me.

"Don't touch me!"

He tsked me. "Don't be like that. But then again, I did always like them fiesty."

His voice sent shivers down my spine. His very presence made my hands tremble and my palms grow sweaty.

Matthias smiled at me. "See you later, Rosalie."

Then he was gone.

And I was alone with my thoughts.