I wanna take this time to congratulate Goldenheart11, Ava B, and LAs for getting the reference! It was the Spoby makeout scene in 3x02 :) Now for your reviews:
ShadowsOnTheMoon: I must say, I think your review for my last chapter I received faster than I've received any review for any of my stories... ever. So thank you for that! And thank you for your kind words as well! As much as I'm annoyed with Spoby now, I love vintage Spoby, so whenever I write for them, I just try to keep the old Spoby in mind :) and as for showing the soft side of Slytherins, that's probably because I myself have a soft spot for Slytherins! According to JK Rowling, I belong in Slytherin, so I guess it comes naturally. And dysfunctional is the perfect word to describe the girls. That's how I see them, anyway, because they're all so so different, yet their bond and friendship just works. They're that family next door that the neighbors have to constantly yell at to stop screaming during meals ;) Again, I'm so happy you're enjoying this story; it was a pleasure to write, and the fact that it's such a pleasure for you to read really warms my heart XD
PrettyWitchyVamp: From the first sentence, I can already tell that you're a super cool person (I think it was the 'not Twilight' that sold it for me, haha). I'm happy to bring the two together for your reading pleasure! And oh yes, you can bet your bottom dollars that there will be an Ezria centric chapter in the future. It won't be for several chapters, but you can expect it ;) I absolutely adore them, too! And well, this story takes place 24 years after Voldemort was defeated, making it pretty far into the future, so I would say it's based on the books as a whole; the Chamber being opened is just a plot point, not any specific reference to the second book. You will see similar themes from the second book, though! Keep your eyes peeled is all I'm saying ;) and please, you are never wasting my time. I'm happy to read whatever you have to say!
erica: Since the Slytherin common room is in the dungeons, it's basically underground; underneath the lake. That's why the squid will sometimes swim by the windows, and that's what gives the common room it's greenish hue. I'm a Slytherin myself (even though I deny it all the time since I see myself as more of a Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff), so thanks to the glory that is Pottermore, I know this :D and yes, Jenna indeed has a glass eye. There's no way Jenna could be included in any story without some sort of eye issue! Thanks again, and enjoy the rest!
Goldenheart11: Ugh, I can't even describe how happy your review made me. Thank you! It's always a good day when you reduce someone to a giggling little school girl XD and isn't it such a great scene? And the song is one of my favorites, too. And there is no other word to describe Mona other than perfect (well, actually there is: brilliant, crazy, breathtaking, GOD, bow-down-bitches fantastic, etc.) and you're gonna get a front row seat to all of Spencer's rage toward Mona for getting that title. It's another aspect of this story that I'm looking forward to ;) and wow, my first marriage proposal! Absolutely, when/where's the wedding?
Sgdp1261: Hah, that was clever what you did there. Not judging at all, have you seen him? He's a serious piece of eye candy. And interesting that you think it's a good fit for him... stay tuned is all I'm saying ;) and yes, I love Mona. She's power crazy, and I adore it!
Ava B: People on wikia are so mean, especially to Aria! It's like, leave the poor girl alone! Whatever, I don't go on there anymore. I don't wanna surround myself with those people.
LAs: Yay! SO happy you agree with the houses of all the characters; I was getting pretty nervous! But in my mind, it makes sense. Emily may be labeled the weakest link, but she's as brave as they come. Hanna is loyal as ever, as shown with her mother. Aria, I've always perceived her to be insanely clever and witty. Need proof? Makeshift shiv. Any questions? Good. Spencer is all ambition, all determination, all Slytherin. And Caleb? He's a freakin' hacker! Enough said. You'll see more people come into the story, and hopefully you'll agree with what houses they go into :)
Shaynezo: I'm on the fence with them. I love vintage Spoby, but I'm not the biggest fan of them right now, especially during/after 3B. But writing for them is helping me fall back in love with them! Since you don't like Spoby, who's your favorite couple? Who knows, maybe they'll be included in here :) and thanks again for reading!
Now, this next chapter is one of my favorite chapters because, as mentioned before when replying to a review, it involves the interaction/friendship between two of my favorite characters; one that hasn't been seen all too often on the show! So enjoy, and again, REVIEW! Much love!
Aria walked down the cold stone steps of the girls' dormitory in the Ravenclaw Tower in a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt, in Ravenclaw colors of course, with a bottle of water and a book under her arm. It was way too cold up in the dorms, so she felt she'd be better off curling up in front of the fireplace to read. Sure enough, as soon as she trotted into the dome-ceilinged common room, the moon from outside shining through the windows hovering over them, illuminating the midnight-blue carpet, she was greeted with a warm, welcoming atmosphere as students sat around in sweats and blankets, as well as stood up leaning against bookcases, chatting happily about their summers and what they looked forward to in the new school year, and the fire on the other side of the room burned bright, illuminating the room with an earthen glow.
She was making her way over to one of the couches when she stopped short. In her line of sight, in the far corner of the common room, she spotted Caleb leaning against the wall, looking uncomfortable as he made conversation with Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, two twin boys who were fourth years. Everyone tried to avoid them as much as possible; for one, their mother was Luna Lovegood Scamander, the rather odd writer for The Quibbler who had a section all to herself, where she always charted her findings of rare and unusual creatures, some of which were just downright disturbing; and for another, the boys took an awful lot from their mother, from their white-blonde hair to their innocent green eyes, and while they could be sweet, it was very hard not to walk out of a conversation with them without nursing a headache. And from the looks of it, Caleb was itching to rub his sore temples as Lysander droned on about something Aria couldn't quite catch.
Aria felt nervous all of a sudden. She still hadn't come up with a convincing lie yet for Hanna, and if Caleb spotted her she knew he would come over, and she knew he would ask her about it.
Maybe if I sit down quietly, he won't even know I'm here, Aria tried to convince herself. She carefully and slowly perched herself down on the couch. Caleb hadn't seen her. She decided to use her smaller stature to her advantage as she curled up against the pillow with her head tucked in, making sure she was out of sight, without completely looking like she was hiding.
She waited a minute, and it seemed as though Caleb hadn't caught her. So she let herself relax a little as she opened her book to her marked page and nonchalantly took a sip of her water.
At least, she was aiming to nonchalantly sip her water.
The minute her lips met the mouth of the bottle, the liquid went down the wrong pipe, and Aria lurched forward, coughing and sputtering and overall just making a scene. Everyone's eyes turned toward her, and she put up her hand to signal that she was fine and for them to continue with whatever they were doing. Eventually, she managed to suppress her coughing, but she still felt a tickle in the back of her throat, and was reduced to sporadically coughing and choking, one cough at a time, trying her hardest to remain quiet and calm. Once she had quieted completely, she sat back against the cushion and let out a deep breath. By now everyone's heads were turned back to their previous endeavors, but Aria knew what to expect when she felt the weight shift on the other side of the couch.
She turned and gave a weak smile. "Hey, Caleb," she croaked.
"You okay?" Caleb asked, laughing slightly, yet still having a touch of concern in his voice.
Aria affirmatively cleared her throat before answering, "Yeah, I'm fine! Just something caught in my throat."
He sneakily looked over his shoulder for a second before turning back to her with a sly grin on his face. "I know this sounds horrible, but I'm kinda glad that happened. I needed a reason to escape!"
At this, Aria had to laugh. "Oh, c'mon! How bad could it have been?"
He gave a small shrug. "I guess it could've been worse," he admitted. "But..."
"What?"
He wrinkled his forehead in perplexion. "What are nargles?"
Aria was caught a little off guard by this question. "No idea..." she answered honestly.
"Yeah, that's what I thought."
Aria let out a giggle before turning the page in her book, thinking she could smoothly transition out of the conversation and into her reading so that Caleb would go away. But, just as she feared, he pressed his fingers to the top of the book and lowered it so that he could see her face.
"What was going on today that you guys had to leave the Great Hall?"
Great. Hanna was going to kill her.
"Umm..." Aria began, trying to come up with a good excuse. "It was nothing."
Caleb just gave her a look. One that told Aria she better not play games with him. Aria flicked her hands out to the side, indicating that she actually had nothing.
"Spencer just needed us for something," she said. It wasn't exactly a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth. Obviously Caleb knew that rule, because he cocked his eyebrows upward, indicating he wanted more information.
"Caleb, it's private. It's something Spencer doesn't want people knowing. If it were Hanna herself she'd probably tell you, but it's not."
Caleb sighed and leaned back against the cushion. "Maybe you're right, but I'm not used to Hanna keeping things from me. Even if it's for someone else," he added when Aria opened her mouth to argue. He scooted further on the couch to her, looking her in the eyes, his brown Bambi eyes asking her for a way to understand how he was feeling.
"Every summer, it's miserable being away from her. It's not like I have a stable home full of people who love me to go back to. She's all I have."
Aria nodded her head in understanding as she gave Caleb's knee a comforting rub. When Caleb was a baby, his mother was killed in a car crash by muggles who were driving under the influence, and his dad abandoned him when he decided he couldn't take care of him, and left him on the doorstep of Caleb's aunt and uncle, who were horrible to Caleb and slammed doors in his face when they were tired of looking at him. Caleb would always run away from home up until he was eleven and admitted into Hogwarts, and now, during the summer, he would still run away, with nothing more than a grilled cheese sandwich, some English pounds, and a change of clothes on his back. He ran away to get away from it all; to think. And yet, despite the peace it brought him, each time he always found himself going back.
Caleb was not well known for how quickly he warmed up to people. One was considered incredibly lucky if he let them in, and he held a grudge especially against muggles. It took forever for him to warm up to even Aria after learning she was a muggle-born, but after being in the same house with her for six years and getting to know her for her bubbly personality and occasional sassiness, he saw a great confident and friend in her.
But somehow, he had found a way to let Hanna in faster than he had let anyone in before. There was just something about her that drew him in; made him want to know more about her; made him want HER to know more about HIM. He trusted her so much, and it hurt to know that she might not trust him in the same way.
"Most of my life I've felt alone," he explained. "Even when I was with people. That is until I met her."
"You just need to find a way to connect again," Aria suggested comfortingly. "She loves you, Caleb. She loves and trusts you."
"I know we need to connect again," he agreed, before looking at her and breaking out into a mischievous grin. "Which is why I'm going to sneak into the Hufflepuff Basement."
"Again?" Aria exclaimed, widening her eyes as an incredulous laugh escaped her.
Caleb laughed along with her. "Yeah, why not?"
"Do you really want me to relive all of the times you've almost gotten caught last year?" Aria said obviously. "Or the year before that? Or the year before - "
"Please." Caleb waved her off as he put his arms up and behind his head. "That was when I was young. I'm a seventh year now. I've grown. Blossomed. All those kinks in my original plans to sneak off? Not now. Nope."
"What makes this year so different from past years?"
"For one," he began confidently, "I've planned ahead. Learned all the passcodes to every single coded private area in this place. Guarded with a statue, with a painting, whatever. You name it."
"That's ridiculous. How could you possibly have done that?"
"I have my ways," Caleb said with a playful wink. Caleb was known around Hogwarts as, "the magical hacker". He could break through any of the magical barriers around the school with just a flick of his wand, meaning he could apparate within the walls of Hogwarts, and he could even connect any fireplace around the school to the Floo Network. And now he had managed to rig into the magical system so that he could get the passwords to each private place. People around the school paid him serious money to rig their wands so that they could do the same, but in the past he had gotten sloppy. The staff at Hogwarts was constantly suspicious of someone breaking the barriers, but they could never catch on to who it was.
"Okay, so you found out the passwords," Aria challenged. "Then what? You could get expelled for sneaking out at night. Just because you can sneak into different houses without rigging a bunch of stuff doesn't mean you won't get caught doing it."
"Yes it does," he said coyly, leaning in further. "Because I have a secret weapon this time."
"I'm intrigued," Aria joked as she positioned herself on the couch so that she was fully facing Caleb.
Caleb gave the room a quick once over to make sure no one was listening. A jet-black haired boy had his arm extended as he pressed his hand against the wall and chatted up a pretty girl. A couple of third years were perched on the floor, smiling giddily as they played around with Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats, a known product from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. And a fifth year lay curled up in an armchair, passed out, with her tabby cat sprawled across her stomach. None of them were paying Aria or Caleb any mind.
Caleb turned back to Aria, the mischievous glint that was once only in his smile now spreading all the way up to his eyes. "You know James Potter?"
"How could I not?" Aria said unmistakably. "He's one of the Potters. He's Harry Potter's son!"
"Yeah, well, since he's Harry Potter's son, he has something that can help me," Caleb said quietly, purposefully staying silent to leave room for Aria to guess what James could possibly have.
It took a minute, but finally Aria snapped her fingers and gasped, the realization coming to her. "NO!"
"Yep!" Caleb said smugly.
"The Invisibility Cloak?" Aria whispered.
"In all its glory," Caleb grinned. He really had thought all of this out. It was his seventh, and final, year at Hogwarts, and he wanted to make it right. So to do that, he wanted to spend as much time with Hanna as possible. He wanted to be happy, and he was happiest when he was with her.
Aria just sat there with her mouth gaping open. "That... that is just - "
"Brilliant? I know," Caleb said, his eyes brightening.
"I was going to say ridiculous, but whatever floats your boat," Aria said with a shrug.
"Aww, c'mon, you know it's great," Caleb pried, nudging Aria's arm toyingly. "I bet you'd change your mind if I told you I'd let you use it to sneak off with Ezra at night..."
Aria stared ahead, away from Caleb, before finally breaking out into a small smile. "Okay, maybe I would change my mind at that," she admitted.
Caleb pumped his fist in the air in victory before sitting back against the couch. He then sat up slightly, rubbing his arms as the temperature in the room dropped. People were starting to go up to bed, so the opening and closing of the door was letting some of the cold air from the stairwell into the common room. "Hey, can you put another log in the fire?"
"Sure," Aria complied as she stood up. She felt better now knowing that she didn't have to make up some random, ridiculous lie for Hanna that she knew Caleb would end up not believing, and chances are would take it out on Hanna, which Aria would feel terrible about in the end.
She kneeled down by the fire as she reached for a log. But just as she was about to place it in the flames...
A cackle, a sputter, and a small poof were heard all at once, but then they were heard again, steadily getting louder as the pattern repeated itself. Aria stood back up, startled, but then she let out a small scream when the fire exploded altogether. Caleb jumped up and pulled her out of the way as the fire came to life, growing taller and wider by the second, extending out of the fireplace like an advancing blockade.
Eventually, the blaze stopped growing, and then calmed down to the point that it was at a normal height. Aria and Caleb froze, and looked around. They were the only ones left in the common room. It looked like everyone else had fled.
Aria got up and took a hesitant step forward, but then fell right back down when a large pop was heard. Along with the explosive sound, something went catapulting out of the fire and shot across the room over to the wall on the other side.
Aria counted to 50, and when, by that time, the fire remained dormant, she gathered the courage to get up and look at what had just flown across the room. She walked steadily toward it, the echo that her footsteps made worsening the torment for her. The object was small and cream colored, and it looked a lot like...
Aria felt her heart sink to her shoes. Afraid to touch it, she kicked the fang over, and sure enough, there was the scarlet red 'A' that she had been hoping wouldn't appear.
Aria gulped mournfully. No way, she thought to herself. No. It can't be.
"What's going on?" Caleb asked wearily behind her.
Aria looked at him, not sure how to answer, but the fear in her eyes said it all.
"I have no idea."
Side Note: I always liked the friendship between Caleb and Aria. When they interact, they have this hilariously snarky, gossipy relationship, and I had the advantage of being able to show more of that since they're in the same house in my story :D Caleb's my favorite guy character, so I wanted to add some developments by having him have a friendship with one of the girls. Also, Aria choking? That happened to me in real life, like, the day that I wrote this chapter haha. I was trying to avoid someone while riding the bus, but I tried to sip some water and then just started choking randomly. The person didn't end up seeing me (somehow), but it was a sight to see. Also, lot of references in this chapter. Try and catch 'em all! (Pokemon) Review with your guesses! Remember, they can be from both HP and PLL ;)
