"Queen of Hearts Rule 249 is quite clear: 'Those in charge of feeding the flamingos must wear pink while doing so'," Riddle recited, addressing a Heartslabyul student that had been brought before him in the dorm lounge. "You are the one assigned to feed the flamingos for today, are you not? So why are you not wearing pink?"

"F-Forgive me, dorm leader. I-It's being w-washed," the poor freshman stammered. He clenched his fists to try and stop them from trembling and bowed his head. "P-P-Please sir, don't cut off my head!"

Riddle sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is the second time you've broken the rules in as many days. I can only overlook so much." He swept his arm out as he cast his Unique Magic. "[Off With Your Head]!"

The freshman screamed in pain as the collar appeared around his neck.

"Write me a 5,000 word apology and weed the garden for a week. After that, I will gladly unseal your magic," Riddle said.

"But I… That's…," the freshman choked out, trying to keep his sobs at bay.

"I'm not doing this because I enjoy it, you know," Riddle assured the boy, though it didn't seem to convince him. "I'm doing this because you all won't stop breaking the rules! My strictness is for your own benefit. Don't you understand?" He gestured to Trey and Cater standing nearby. "Take him outside."

The two juniors shared another uneasy look before walking over to the freshman. "…Yes, dorm leader."

Riddle turned and began walking toward his room as the student was led away, crossing his arms as he did so. The events of the Unbirthday Party kept playing on a loop in his mind. He'd tried to shake them off, but one moment in particular kept coming back to him. "You're a disappointment." The Ramshackle girl's last words before she left with those other troublemaking freshmen were tightening their hold on him with each passing moment. It meant nothing to him when she first said but the longer he stewed on it, the harder it was to keep the bitter feeling that was starting to bubble up in his chest down.

'What does she know anyway?' Riddle thought angrily as he gripped his arms tightly. 'She has no business being here in the first place. Just a magicless little nothing who only holds a superficial dorm head seat because the headmaster sees fit to just hand her whatever she wants on a silver platter. She's the real disappointment here and if our paths ever cross again, I'll make sure she knows it.'

Trey heaved a sigh as he walked into the library, a cookbook under his arm. Riddle had been in a worse mood than usual ever since the Unbirthday Party. Heartslabyul students were losing their heads left and right and there was only so much he and Cater to do to placate both the dorm leader and the residents. He was grateful that Ace and Deuce had a safe place to retreat to since Devon was willing to open Ramshackle to them, but the other residents didn't have such a refuge. If something didn't change soon, all the tension in the dorm was going to erupt. He was passing by some of the long rows of bookshelves on his way to the front desk when a voice called out to him.

"We've been expecting you, Trey," Devon said dramatically as she stepped out from a one of the rows ahead of him.

Trey looked around but saw no sign of Ace, Deuce, or Grim. "Then how come I only see you here? And how did you know it was me?"

"They got bored waiting for you so they went to take a look at what movies were available to check out. As for the second question," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm gonna level with ya, the first few people I tried that on were not you."

"So…were you just going to keep doing that until either I actually showed up or the library closed?" Trey asked, perplexed and amused at the same time.

"I am nothing if not determined," Devon replied. "Besides, I like being a little extra every now and then."

"We figured you'd come to the library at some point today to return the cookbook we used to make the chestnut tart," Deuce supplied as he, Ace, and Grim made their way over. "So we decided to camp out here until you did."

"We can't get behind the way Riddle's doing things, Trey," Ace said matter-of-factly.

Trey studied them for a moment, took in the determination on their faces, before sighing. "…Yeah, I figured as much." He glanced around before gesturing toward the bookshelves in a more isolated area of the library. "Let's head somewhere a little more private, yeah? I'd rather not discuss this out in the open."

"Fair enough," Deuce agreed as Trey led them over to the shelves he'd indicated.

"Level with us, Trey. What's your honest opinion of Riddle?" Ace asked once they'd been safely sequestered away from prying eyes and ears. "Were you this subservient to him when you guys were kids too?"

Trey looked surprised. "How did you know about that?"

"A guy named Chenya told us," Deuce supplied.

"Chenya?" Trey mused quietly. "What was he doing around here?"

"You're older than Riddle, aren't you, Trey?" Grim asked. "So tell him what's what! What's wrong with you getting angry with him and calling him out?"

"If I thought it was necessary, I do it without a second thought. But I just…can't see it doing any good," Trey told them.

"Why not?!" Ace exclaimed incredulously.

"Because a strict upbringing is what made Riddle the way he is," Trey explained.

"What do you mean?" Deuce asked.

"Riddle's parents are famous healers," Trey elaborated. "There's not a single person in our hometown that doesn't know who they are. His mother is exceptionally talented and she wanted Riddle to follow in her footsteps. So from dawn to dusk, every aspect of Riddle's life, down to the smallest thing, was decided for him as part of her study program."

"Down to the smallest thing…?" Grim repeated quietly.

"Mmhmm. What he ate, what he wore, what media he was allowed to consume, who he was allowed to be friends with… Literally everything was decided for him," Trey continued. "Even so, Riddle never complained once and did his best to meet the expectations his mother set for him. He perfected his Unique Magic by the time he turned 10 and he's been at the top of the class since middle school." He shook his head, a sympathetic look on his face. "I can't even begin to imagine how hard it was to live like that."

"Same," Devon agreed. Her own parents had rules for her and her brothers to follow, to be sure, but they never tried to dictate their kids' lives. Growing up in the environment Trey was describing sounded like a special kind of hell.

"Riddle's not just blowing smoke when talking about following the Queen of Hearts' rules, you know," Trey assured them. "He fully believes that being bound to a strict set of rules is for one's own benefit. Thanks to his upbringing, he's completely convinced that being ruled by fear and strictness is the only right way for a person to grow. After all, it worked for him. But that also means that there's no greater evil to him than breaking those rules. Does that make sense?"

"So you're saying that Riddle thinks he'd be going against everything that made him who he is if he let any sort of rule-breaking slide, right?" Ace asked.

"Look, I completely understand why you guys think he's a tyrant and I agree with you that the way he's going about things is wrong," Trey empathized. "Even so…I just can't bring myself to say anything to him."

"Man…that really sucks," Grim commented.

"I didn't know the dorm leader had a past like that," Deuce added.

"Yeah, well there's one thing I know for sure after listening to all this," Ace declared as he crossed his arms and shot Trey an unamused glare. "Riddle turning out the way he did is your fault, Trey."

Everyone let out a resounding "Huh?!" at Ace's claim, staring at him with varying degrees of incredulity. "You mind connectin' the dots for me there, Ace?" Grim asked. "Because I'm totally lost."

"Yeah, same," Devon added.

"What I mean is that Riddle didn't get to choose his parents. None of us do," Ace elaborated, never taking his eyes off of Trey. "But you've known what's been going on for a while now and that is was wrong, haven't you, Trey?"

"Well… I mean, yeah…," Trey conceded.

"You can see that Riddle's going down the same path as his parents, so why don't you speak up and say something?" Ace pressed. "Put him on the right track! I get that you're coddling him because you feel bad for him, but what good's it done? Each and every day, he becomes more hated and isolated from everyone. Are you really just gonna sit back and watch it happen?"

Trey didn't answer, but his brow furrowed and his lips pressed together in a tight line.

"C-C'mon, Ace," Deuce interjected softly. "Ease up a little, man."

"Or is it something else?" Ace continued, ignoring Deuce. "Are you not stepping in because you're afraid of losing your head, too?" He let out a mocking chuckle. "Pfft. So lame. You guys aren't childhood friends. I'd be hard-pressed to call you "friends" at all!"

"OI! YOU LOT OVER THERE! BE QUIET IN THE LIBRARY!" the headmaster bellowed as he appeared out of nowhere.

"You're bein' way louder than any of us," Grim pointed out dryly.

"Oh my, please excuse me," Crowley replied sheepishly before clearing his throat and starting again in a whisper. "My goodness. The library is supposed to be a place for quiet study and reading!"

"Sorry about that, headmaster," Devon apologized. "Umm…not to be rude, but what are you doing here, sir?"

"Ah. I came here to research ways to get you back to your home world," Crowley replied, reaching out to pat her head. "You see? I haven't forgotten, hatchling. I'm far too gracious for that~ And there's no better place for serious research than the library, after all." He lowered his voice and began speaking in a fast whisper. "I certainly didn't come here because I wanted to borrow the next part of my favorite novel series before someone else has a chance to snatch it up. Nope, nope, definitely not~!" He cleared his throat again. "Now then, why are you all loitering around here with such grim looks on your faces?"

"About that…," Deuce began.

"I see," the headmaster said as Deuce finished explaining what had happened that day. "You're against apologizing to get the collars removed, but you don't think you can persuade Mr. Rosehearts to let this go without a fuss. Does that sound like a fair assessment?"

"Pretty much, I guess," Ace replied.

"Hmm… Well, if you truly don't believe that you can reach an understanding with your dorm leader, you do have the option to transfer to another dorm," Crowley suggested. "However, Heartslabyul was the dorm that the Dark Mirror chose for you based on the essence of your being. Transferring to a different dorm would necessitate a number of tedious procedures and paperwork, not to mention a whole new ritual."

"A transfer, huh?" Ace mulled the idea over for a moment before shaking his head. "That would feel like I'm running away, so no thanks."

Crowley hummed in response. "In that case, how would you feel about challenging Mr. Rosehearts to a duel to take his place as dorm leader?"

"WHAT?!" the group shouted in union.

"Everyone! Please be mindful of your volume! No shouting in the library!" Crowley admonished in a harsh whisper.

"Then stop saying such outlandish things!" Ace whisper-yelled back.

"It isn't "outlandish" in the slightest. That's precisely how Mr. Rosehearts became dorm leader, after all," Crowley informed them.

"I've actually been wondering about that," Deuce piped up. "How exactly are the dorm leaders chosen here, anyway?"

"We heard that Riddle became Heartslabyul's dorm leader during his very first week here," Grim added.

"There are many ways for a student to become a dorm leader," Crowley explained. "Being nominated by the previous dorm leader is one way as is winning against the dorm leader in a duel. A duel is one of the simpler methods, in all honesty."

"I thought using magic for personal fights was forbidden on campus, though," Ace pointed out.

"Personal fights, yes. Going through the proper channels to have the headmaster oversee a duel is another matter entirely," Crowley corrected.

"It's also against standard dueling rules to place handicaps on your opponent before the duel starts," Trey added. "That means you could force Riddle to remove the collar without having to apologize. But even so…"

"All students are given the right to take the dorm leader's seat as soon as they enter this school," Crowley said. "What say you, Mr. Trappola? Will you be issuing a challenge to Mr. Rosehearts?"

Ace thought for a moment before nodding. "You know what? Yeah. I won't know if I can do it unless I try."

"Count me in too," Deuce added.

"And me!" Grim chimed in.

"Unfortunately, Grim, students cannot issue a challenge to a dorm leader if they do not belong to the dorm in question," Crowley said.

"What?! Then how am I supposed to get this stupid collar off?!" Grim cried.

"No worries, Grim. I'll just order him to remove the collar when I become dorm leader," Ace declared.

"Mmmgh, I wanted a chance to show off what I can really do…but fine, I guess," Grim reluctantly agreed. "You'd better win out there, though!"

"Wait, you guys are serious about this?" Trey asked in disbelief. "I can see Ace challenging Riddle, but I didn't expect this out of you, Deuce."

"Really? Haven't you ever wanted to aim for the top at least once, Trey?" Deuce countered as he smirked and slammed his fist against his palm. "If you're gonna challenge someone, it might as well be the boss, y'know?"

"Ah, there's the bad-boy mode," Ace commented with a smirk of his own.

"Huh?!" Deuce exclaimed, snapping back to his usual demeanor. "I-I don't have a…bad-boy mode…"

"Splendid~!" Crowley chirped, clapping his hands together. "I'll handle all the necessary preparations."

"We should probably come up with a plan, then," Devon said. "I have to wonder if this is really going to turn out okay, though…"

Ace wrapped an arm around Devon's shoulders, pulling her against his chest and ruffling her hair. "Hey, don't worry your adorable head over that, New York! Everything's gonna be fine." He looked over at the other boys. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

"Well…I can't really picture us beating the dorm leader in terms of magic," Deuce admitted. He looked concerned for a moment before smirking again. "But if it's a fist-fight we're talkin' about…"

"Hey, yeah!" Grim agreed. "Riddle totally looks like a little weakling. One punch would probably be enough to take him out."

"Ah, did I forget to tell you?" Crowley cut in. "During an official duel, any and all non-magic attacks are strictly prohibited."

"Huh?!" Deuce exclaimed, suddenly looking unsure.

"Hahaha! How exciting!" Crowley beamed. "All the formalities will be taken care of by tomorrow, so feel free to make your challenge whenever you wish. I bid you all adieu." And with that, he was gone as suddenly as he had appeared, ducking into another row of books.

"A-Alright! Great!" Ace said, trying to stay optimistic. "I'm not especially confident about pitting our magic against Riddle's but…once we come up with a plan, I'm sure we'll have this in the bag!"

"Y-Yeah! We got this!" Deuce agreed shakily.

"My head is riding on this, so you'd better go all out!" Grim told them.

"You guys…," Trey muttered quietly as he shook his head. 'Something tells me this isn't going to end well…'

"Once I become dorm leader, I'll put Riddle in his place!" Ace declared. "I'll make him apologize and admit he was wrong. And then nobody in Heartslabyul will have to live in fear of his rules ever again!"

"So what else can you tell us about the fancy boarding school Devon's going to now?" Errin pressed.

Dominic had just finished explaining Devon's absence to his friends during the break between class periods. He'd stuck to the story he and his family had come up with the night before but it was clear that his friends were still a bit thrown. "I don't really know much more about it myself, just that it only offers admission to "individuals of exceptional potential"."

"And they didn't take you?" AJ asked. "I mean, I'm glad you're still here, don't get me wrong. It's just…"

"I get ya, man," Dominic assured him. "You know I don't like change, though." He shuddered. "Just thinking about having to adjust to…all that gives me second-hand anxiety. I'm not sure how Devon's managed it."

"So she was doing okay when you talked to her last night?" Harper probed.

"I think so," Dominic replied. "She's still adjusting but that's gonna take a little time." He smiled. "She's already made some friends too, so that's good."

Harper chuckled. "No surprise there. I'm sure she's out there livin' her best life."

The bell rang to signal that the next class was about to start. Errin and AJ said their goodbyes and took off toward their classes while Dominic and Harper started walking toward their classroom as well.

Harper waiting until they were certain nobody, namely Madison or any of her cronies, was eavesdropping before speaking up again. "Okay. I'mma be real with you here, Dom. This whole situation with your sister is sounding a little sus to me."

Dominic quirked an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"First off, I appreciate that you didn't just assume I was accusing you of lying; this is why we besties," Harper commented. "But to answer your question, I'm getting this feeling that you aren't telling us everything and that whatever it is you aren't telling us is…a pretty big deal." They looked Dominic in the eye, searching for shifts in his expression. "Errin and AJ haven't known you as long as I have, so I don't think they've picked up on it quite yet but when you were telling us about this…Night Raven place, you kept glancing down and to the left; you only do that when you're mentally checking yourself to make sure you haven't said too much."

Dominic opened his mouth to protest but the words died in his throat. He shook his head before nudging Harper's shoulder. "Damn. Why you gotta be so observant?"

Harper shrugged with a smile. "Because I'm a walking ball of anxiety and with more paranoia about being rejected in one finger than most people have in their entire body. Ya know, just like you." The pair shared a laugh before Harper continued. "Just in case it needs to be said, I respect your privacy one hundred percent so I'm not going to pressure you to tell me what's going on. Just know that I'll be here if you're ever in a position where you can or want to tell someone the whole story."

"I…," Dominic paused before heaving a sigh and pulling Harper into a hug. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. You're a real one, Harper."

"Don't even worry about it, my dude," Harper replied as they returned the hug.

Mateo pulled in a breath as he approached a few of DJ's football teammates after practice had ended for the day. Mason, Noah, and Brody all smiled as he approached.

"What up, Mateo?" Brody greeted.

"We don't usually see you in this neck of the woods," Noah commented. "Everything okay?"

"Eh…yes and no," Mateo answered. "I'm okay myself but…can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure thing, dude," Brody agreed. "What's goin' on?"

"Has DJ seemed…off at all to you guys today?" Mateo asked.

The trio looked at one another before refocusing on Mateo. "Well his head definitely wasn't in the game at practice, if that's what you mean," Mason reported. "But now that you mention it, he's seemed distracted by something the past couple days. It's pretty out of character for him, honestly."

"We asked him what was up, but he just said everything was cool," Noah added.

"Yeah, that checks out," Mateo mused. "Do you know where he is? I'd like to try to talk to him."

"Last I saw, he was still talkin' to Coach on the field," Mason supplied. "Somethin' about new plays for the Homecoming game." He smiled. "It's gonna be lit, yo."

Mateo nodded. "Thanks, you guys. I'll head that way now."

"Hey, do you mind if we tag along with you?" Noah asked. "DJ's our bud and if he's havin' trouble, we wanna help."

Mateo couldn't help but smile. He wasn't entirely familiar with DJ's friends on the football team; he knew of them, of course, almost the entire school did, but he didn't exactly run in the athletic circles. The sense of camaraderie didn't surprise him, either. Mason, Noah, and Brody may not have been the sharpest crayons in the box, but they always had DJ's back. He nodded and jerked his head toward the field. "Sure thing. Let's go."

DJ was getting ready to leave the locker room when they arrived. "Hey, my dudes. What's up? You guys need a ride home?"

"Uhh…nah, man," Noah said. "We were hopin' we could talk to you for a sec."

DJ took in the concerned looks on his friends' faces. His eye twitched but he kept up his usual easy-going smile. "Go ahead. I've got nothing to hide." 'That's not true. Not true in the slightest. I'm hiding so much from you guys and I feel terrible about it.'

"We just want to make sure you're really doing okay," Mason said.

"Of course I am!" DJ replied, even though he could tell they picked up on the forced cheerfulness in his voice. "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" Noah pressed. "You haven't really been acting like yourself."

"Is this about practice today?" DJ asked as he crossed his arms. "I guess I should apologize for that. You're right, my head absolutely was not in the game today. It won't happen again, though. I promise I'll have my head on straight by our next practice."

"That's not what we're worried about," Mateo told him. He gave his cousin a knowing look. "We just wanted to make sure you know that if something's bothering you," he gestured toward himself and the rest of DJ's friends. "we wanna be here for you as much as we can."

"Noted and appreciated," DJ replied, shooting off some finger guns. The smile was still in place but he could hear frustration seeping into his tone. He could feel his eye getting ready to twitch again and he tried to turn his head to hide it, but he was positive Mateo saw it at the very least. He brushed past them and started walking toward the parking lot. "I'm sorry to cut this short, you guys, but I really need to be getting home."

Noah started speed-walking to try to keep up with DJ, the others following suit. "Seriously, man. You can tell us if something's wrong-"

DJ whirled around to face them, his eyes fixed in a glare. "NOTHING'S WRONG!" he shouted, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. He eyes widened as he realized what he'd done and he took a reflexive step backward, his expression one of embarrassed horror. Nobody spoke for a moment until he finally broke the silence. "Oh…Oh damn. I am so, so sorry, you guys. I didn't mean to lash out like that, I swear."

"It's okay, DJ," Mason assured him. "Nobody's mad at ya." He rubbed the back of his head. "We shouldn't have crowded you the way we did."

"Or been so pushy," Mateo added.

"Yeah, we probably should have come up with a better way to approach you," Noah admitted.

"We just don't want you to feel like you have to keep everything bottled up all the time," Brody said.

"Yeah. I know," DJ replied. He looked at the four of them before heaving a sigh. "Maybe…Maybe it would do me some good to talk out what I'm feeling. Can we head over to my car, though? I'd really rather not do this out in the open."

"You got it, dude," Brody agreed.

"I'm not exactly sure where to start…," DJ said once everyone had settled into his car. Mateo might have been aware of the entire situation, but DJ knew there was only so much he could say in front of his other three friends.

"That's fine, just take your time," Noah replied encouragingly.

DJ was silent for a while as he mulled over what to say. His friends remained silent as well, meeting his gaze when he looked at them and smiling gently. Finally, he blew out a breath and started to get his worries off his chest. "I'm worried about Devon. I know I told you guys about her transferring to a new school this morning."

"Mmhmm," Brody nodded. "Good for her, by the way, gettin' into a fancy school like that."

"How do you know it's fancy?" Mason asked.

"Boarding schools are always fancy," Brody replied confidently. "Hogwarts is a boarding school and it's about as fancy as it gets."

"It's magic, Bro," Mason corrected. "There's a difference. Magic schools like that don't exist in real life."

"Hey. Let's stay focused here, guys," Noah interjected, thankfully causing all three boys to miss the look DJ and Mateo exchanged. "So you're worried about your sister, DJ?"

DJ cleared his throat. "Yeah. I know I'm being overprotective. I mean, Dom and I just talked to her last night and she's perfectly fine. I just can't stop myself from worrying about her, though."

"I don't think you're being overprotective," Noah said. "I'd be worried too if my little sister was miles away from home, even if it was for school."

"Yeah, but your little sister's, like, seven," Brody pointed out.

Noah held up a hand. "Doesn't matter, dude." He looked back at DJ. "Point is, I get where you're comin' from. You and your sibs have been together since literally before you were born; I doubt anyone would blame you for going through a little separation anxiety now that Devon's not right here with you."

"What your feeling now is probably even more intense because this is so new for you," Mason added. "Once you've all had time to adjust to the changes, I bet that nervousness will start to fade."

DJ nodded, but he still didn't look entirely convinced. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

"And hey, we'll always be here for you to vent to," Mateo assured him. "Even if your nervousness doesn't fade."

"It doesn't even have to be about Dev, either," Brody chimed in. "We'll happily listen to anything you need to get off your chest. No judgment allowed."

"I don't wanna burden you guys, though," DJ protested weakly, but they could all see the gratitude in his eyes.

"Your feelings are not a burden, man," Noah replied before gently flicking him on the forehead. "You're always the one that looks after everyone's mood. I think it's only fair that you have someone do the same for you too."

"We got you, DJ," Brody agreed.

DJ let out a breath as he felt his eyes get misty again. "Thanks, you guys." He sniffled. "That means more to me than you know."

"We know you'd do the same for us," Mason said.

"You have done the same for us," Brody corrected.

DJ laughed weakly as he felt the weight of all the emotions he'd been keeping in start to ease. "You've got a deal, then. I already promised Mateo that I'd try to do better about being honest about my feelings, but I'm gonna make the same promise to you guys too."

Brody beamed. "Good. Because we don't like seeing our best dude workin' on autopilot. It is not a pretty sight, my man."

"Devon will be back for school breaks and stuff too, won't she?" Noah asked. "I mean, it's not like they can hold her hostage, right?"

"Oooh! Do you think she'll be able to come back for the annual Lopez Halloween Party?" Brody asked excitedly.

DJ and Mateo exchanged another quick look. The triplets had been throwing the Lopez Halloween Party every year since they first managed to convince their parents to give them the green light. It had started out as a fairly small gathering with their friends and had since grown into an event that nearly rivaled Homecoming (much to Dominic's chagrin). The triplets had been making plans for this year's party, but DJ and Dominic hadn't had much of a chance to think about it since Devon was taken to Twisted Wonderland. "It's too soon to say right now, but we definitely hope so," DJ replied. "We'd started planning it before she left, so it's definitely still on."

Brody whooped happily, causing the rest of them to laugh. They talked for a while longer before going their separate ways for the evening. Dominic had gotten a ride home with Harper, as he often did on the evenings DJ had practice, so DJ was able to spend the drive home basking in the newfound lightness he felt in his chest. He may not have been able to tell his friends everything that was going on (and he still felt guilty about keeping the whole truth from them), and telling them didn't mean he'd stopped worrying about his sister, but he took solace in knowing he could at least trust them with how he was feeling when it got to be too overwhelming.

'It's gonna be alright,' he thought. 'Dom and I don't have to face this alone. We've got our parents and our extended family at home…and our squads here at school.' He thought back to their conversation with Devon the previous evening. 'Dev's already got a squad in the making on her end, too.' He blew out a breath. 'Yeah. Whatever happens, whether we get Dev home tomorrow or months from now, we'll find our way through this together.'

Ending Notes: I'm so happy to finally introduce DJ's squad (aside from Mateo)! I'm also really happy I got to write some of Dominic and Harper one-on-one. Dom is 100% my comfort triplet (which is part of why I didn't make him the main character) and Harper is loosely based on my IRL bestie, so I always look forward to getting to write them. And we got a little bit of build-up for what'll be going on in Devon's world during the Halloween event.

Watch Riddle go from "That wench has no business being at this most prestigious academy!" to "Headmaster, Ramshackle might not be an official dorm but you still bestowed the dorm leader title onto Devon. Therefore, in accordance with the rules of this institution, she should be granted a seat at the dorm leader meetings." At the very least, it'll mean Malleus stands a better chance of being invited, but it also means that Devon would bring her own brand of chaos to the meetings. Case and point:

Devon: *walks into the Mirror Chamber a couple minutes late* Sorry I'm late, guys. I was…doing things.

Malleus, secretly ecstatic about actually getting invited this time: Fret not, Child of Man. The headmaster has not yet arrived.

*running footsteps getting closer to the Mirror Chamber*

Crowley, covered in bruises and straightening out his clothes: *points an accusing finger at Devon* She pushed me down the f-ing stairs!

Devon: I did not! I gently nudged you…for threatening to cut Ramshackle's food budget again.

Azul: Even if she did manage to get the drop on you somehow, you should have been able to break your fall with a flight spell. *smirks* Isn't that right, headmaster?

Crowley: *cries in the corner*

I do have to wonder how Devon's family would react if they knew the kind of danger Crowley put her in on a regular basis under threat of losing her housing and/or money for food. As fearsome as Elena would be (especially since I can't imagine her without a chancla in this situation), I think Valentina's the one he'd really need to be afraid of. For his sake, let's hope that situation doesn't come to pass. *wink*

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome. Geekinthepink, out!