Ava rubbed the thick parchment between her fingers as she drowned another crusty piece of buttered toast down her throat with some Orange Juice.
"Jeez Aloe, your hair has the same consistency as water!" Robin joked, as she tried to braid the thin and soft locks.
"I told you, you wouldn't get far" Ava responded, her eyes sliding off the paper and locking onto Duncan's.
"What?" the blonde mumbled, his fingers fiddled with his hair, freshly pushed back, then as normal he started dragging the hairs forward again, shielding his forehead, but not quite his eyes.
"I just noticed your haircut, it looks nice" Ava responded, quickly downing another gulp of juice.
"Yeah right," he grumbled as Robin snorted behind Ava.
"Why'd ya' cut it if you don't like it, Blondie?" cackled Robin, her eyes peering over Ava's shoulder only for a moment before settling back down behind the tall girl's long taupe hair.
"I didn't!" Duncan growled, his fingernails digging into the clutched schedule. "Dad made me, said I "needed to stop looking like such a hoodlum" and "if I wanted a good job at the Ministry one day", I would need some help with my appearance.
Ava was waiting for one of Robin retorts, but the brunette said nothing, as if sensing Duncan's irritability.
Waves of silence washed over them, the only noise other than the shouts of other students around the Hall was Robin's mumbled curses as she lost a lock of hair between her fingers every once and awhile.
"Should we go?" questioned Duncan as he watched Ava down a third juice.
"I'm ready a-"
"NO WAIT" responded Robin, her voice frantic as she pulled the last strands into place before fumbling beside her for her stout wand, not taking her eyes off the end of the braid.
She grabbed ahold of the familiar stick and paused for only a minute to make sure she was holding the right end, then pointed the twig at the plait and mumbled an incantation before the parting strands locked together and fell tight to Ava's back.
"Done!" Robin sighed, her face red with fading concentration.
Ava pulled the interwoven hair over her left shoulder and admired the hard work.
"Thank you Robin" Ava praised, "You really do have a talent with hair"
"I know right?" smirked the shorter girl.
Duncan gave out an exasperated sigh as he watched a small herd of Ravenclaws trickle through the doors and to their classes.
"What you got?" questioned Robin, her nose buried into her freshly opened schedule.
"We all have Transfiguration first, and then Double Potions-"
"Ughhhh" moaned Duncan, his upper body drooping like a dying flower. "I suuuuuuuck at Potions- that and we have to spend extra time with those damned Gryffindors!"
"They aren't that bad" responded Ava, her voice ringing with displease.
"Only you would say that Aloe!" growled Duncan as Robin weaved her arms through Ava's.
"They're such prats, prancing around like purebloods!" he scathed, "As far as I'm concerned them and the poor excuse of magical folk in Hufflepuff can keel over".
"That is so closed minded Duncan!" Ava responded peering at her friend from the corner of her eye.
"Oh- like they've ever treated you like a person!"
"Well-"
"Robin, what do you think?"
Robin's eyes peered down at her feet, and she raised her shoulders in a fake opinionated fashion.
"Oh- yeah- sorry Robin" he responded, the red flush of anger disappearing almost instantly.
"Come on" Ava said rather forcefully, "we want to get good seats