POV: SAYORI

My feet fluttered lightly beneath me as I skipped across the stone brick floor, humming a silly little tune to myself the closer I got to my destination.

To my side, large paned windows painted a beautiful image of the lowering afternoon sun bathing the corridor in a deep, golden light that might entice even the most stubborn of meanies to pause for a second and appreciate the sight.

Not me though, no siree! I had somewhere far better and way more important to be right now than some dusty old corridor!

Despite the many taxing and exhausting classes I'd already been through, I couldn't have felt more energized for what came next. I'd been looking forward to it the whole day, heck, practically the whole summer! I couldn't even begin to describe my excitement when Monika had waved me over this morning and confirmed we were on today- right before the Hall had filled up with the magnified voice of an angry woman from the Gryffindor table where someone had apparently opened up a shouting letter. That had been a bit awkward.

But never mind that.

Being back at Hogwarts was just as amazing as I remembered, though… maybe just a bit more confusing. Herbology had been fun enough, working with Gryffindor to re-pot some weird, ugly plant-babies that apparently screamed so loudly they could knock us out for hours. Luckily Natsuki had been there to save me when one of them had tried pulling off my protective ear-muffs.

Aside from that, you could definitely feel we'd entered the second year. Classes were more complicated than ever before, and they'd already piled heaps and heaps of new homework on us. Homework that I hadn't even the foggiest idea how I was supposed to solve before the deadline next week. Listening to the teachers' instructions was super hard…

But that was okay, I'd probably figure something out in time! And even if I didn't, it wasn't the end of the world! I had Cedric, who was every bit as nice and sweet as he'd been to me last year, and, of course, I had the Literature Club!

Jeez, my stomach butterflies were making loop-de-loops just at the thought! The first ever Club meeting of the whole semester was just a few minutes away! Finally it'd just be me, Yuri, Nat and Moni, alone together just like old times, free to talk about anything and everything on our minds. The perfect palette cleanser after such a busy day of complicated, head-swirling magic!

I smiled as I rounded a corner to another hallway and saw the old, decrepit broom closet by the end, vividly remembering it as the one Moni and I had gotten very intimately familiar with last year. At the time it'd been a pretty horrible and scary experience, but nowadays it just made a strong sensation of nostalgia flare up in my chest.

The place I cast my very first spell. I thought, recalling the moment warmly. Maybe I should try locking myself in there again, just for old time's sake.

Not right now though. I shook the thought from my head, and increased my pace to a casual run. Revisiting the broom closet would have to wait a bit now that I was so close to the classroom we used for our Club, so close to hanging out with my best friends in the whole wide world! I was almost there-

"And just where exactly are you going?"

I stopped my run abruptly, nearly crashing directly into one of the empty armor stands positioned near the wall. For a moment I thought the drawling, male voice had spoken to me, but I quickly realized it was coming from somewhere behind the corner where our Club was located.

"Oh, I just have a Club meeting to attend!"

Placing Monika's calm voice roughly around the same spot wasn't difficult at all. Steadying myself and moving as quietly as a mouse, I carefully snuck close to the turnaround point of the corridor, curious who she could be talking to. Slowly, I tilted my head sideways to peek around the corner.

I immediately caught a glimpse of our President, her back turned to the Clubroom door as she smiled cordially at whoever was confronting her. I craned my neck further, and nearly gasped aloud when I saw a tall, blonde boy who looked like he got roughly the same amount of sun as Yuri did, slowly coming into view approaching Monika.

I'd seen him around before, of course. He was that guy from Slytherin Monika had been friends with for a while, "Malgoy" or something like that. We'd never actually talked, despite sharing the same friend- due in large part to the two large, burly boys that usually followed him around like silent police guards.

On one hand, that didn't sound like a very good reason not to get to know one of your friend's friends. I was sure all three of them were super cool, I mean, they almost had to be if Monika liked them! On the other hand, however… they were just a bit menacing…

As if to demonstrate my point, the pale boy's sharp features stretched with a vaguely Dracula-like smirk.

"Club meeting?" He repeated, sounding amused as he glanced around. I managed to duck back around the wall just before his eyes found me. "On the first day back at school?"

"Y'know what they say, waste no time!" Came Monika's casual reply.

I remained exactly where I was, stuck in a dilemma. I knew it was rude to listen in on their conversation, but it'd be even ruder to interrupt them now. My head started filling up with the most distracting thoughts I could manage in a vain attempt to shut out their voices.

You're worthless. Everyone is better than you. Why are you even here? You should just quit now.

I frowned. Well that was hardly any better, was it now?

"Who on Earth is crazy enough to run a Club this early in the year?" The boy asked incredulously. "Even the Quidditch teams are taking it easy until most people are settled in…"

"I am, as a matter of fact!" Monika replied, bright and proud. "You have the honor of speaking to its President!"

"Ah, I might have known…" Malgoy let out an overbearing chuckle. "What is it even about, anyway? Wait, no, don't tell me- knowing you, it's probably some sort of Debate Club, isn't it?"

"Come off it, I'm not that two-dimensional!" Monika giggled. "It's a Literature Club. We read, and share poems with each other, it's actually really fun."

"I suppose I'll take your word for that..." Malgoy sighed, audible disinterest seeping into his voice. "So, I take it this means you won't be applying for the Quidditch team after all…?"

"Ha! You wish!" Monika exclaimed sharply, her voice turning fiery and competitive. "I'm quite able to focus on two things at once, thank you very much! First opportunity I get, I'll be talking to Flint about applying for the Seeker position!"

"Dear me…" The boy drawled mockingly. "You really like making things more difficult on yourself, don't you?"

"What can I say? Having some extra challenges makes everything more exciting and fun!" Monika retorted confidently. "Hey, speaking of- why don't you join us?"

"Join you?" The boy repeated skeptically.

I furrowed my brows, conflicted. It wasn't that I had a big problem with having Malgoy in our Club at all. I mean, his attitude towards Monika didn't impress me either, but that wasn't my place to question. It was normal for long-time friends to be meanies to each other, just like me and M-

My body gave a reflexive shiver, and I quickly got my train of thought back on track.

No, what really bothered me was Monika so readily going back on the promise we'd made to Yuri and Nat about waiting for at least a month before recruiting. I knew she was opportunistic by nature, but it'd barely even been a day!

"Come ooon, Draco!" She went on, prodding him with encouragement. "Why not give it a go? It would be so fun to see what your writing style looks like!"

"You have an odd idea of 'fun.'"

"Hold on a second. That can't be intimidation I hear in your voice, can it?!" Monika jabbed teasingly, switching strategy. "Surely the mighty Draco Malfoy isn't afraid of having to read a few books, is he?"

Oh. Malfoy, not goy. Got it.

"Who's even in this so-called 'Club' of yours, anyway?!" Draco sneered back, doing a very poor job at hiding how much Monika's light riffing was working on him.

"Just some friends of mine…" Monika replied vaguely. "I think you'd like them. There's this girl who's almost as stubborn as you!"

"-TT-" Malfoy clicked his tongue irritably, but then surprisingly seemed to relent. "I'll… think about it."

"Yay!"

"Not today, though." He denied hurriedly. "I have to talk to Flint about my recruitment."

"And you say I work fast!" Monika giggled lightly. "Well, good luck! Put in a good word for me, yeah?"

As Malfoy's footsteps faded away, I finally saw my opportunity to step out from the corner.

"Moni!" I made my voice extra cheery, as if I'd just arrived. Monika turned her head, smiling at me.

"Hullo, Sayori." She greeted back, and inserted a key into the classroom door. "How was your first day? Ready to get back into the groove?"

"You betcha!" I nodded, throwing my arms around her in a hug. Then, somewhat guiltily, I whispered in her ear. "I've, uh, already got some homework I need your help with, ehehe…"

To my relief, she just let out a reassuring laugh and clapped me on the shoulder.

"Not to worry, we'll have a look at it."

I smiled back and decided not to mention her early recruitment until after she'd helped me. I was allowed to have some schemes of my own, too.

"So, I hope you didn't expect us to have poems ready this soon!" Came a familiar, highpitched voice from behind. I glanced up to see Natsuki was indeed slouching down the hall towards us, followed closely by Yuri.

"Not at all." Monika smiled patiently, meeting the pinkette's confrontational stare head on. "This'll be a meeting purely for re-introductory purposes, no poems required."

"Oh." Yuri muttered in a slightly disappointed voice as she discreetly put the piece of parchment she'd been holding, back into her pocket.

I squinted a bit as they got closer.

"Natsuki… what's up with your- your…?!"

While her hair remained just as gnarly and bubblegum-esque as ever, it now looked as though someone had taken a rake and ferociously dragged it across her scalp multiple times. Many strands of it were standing up at odd, conflicting directions, her front bangs were strewn unevenly sideways and only one of her ribboned pigtails stood intact.

"Oh, this?" She smirked back at me, seemingly unbothered and gestured up at the mangled nest. "I'm just trying something new. D'you like it?"

"Uh-" I hesitated, unsure how to best respond. "Y- yeah, it's… it's, uh-"

Then, I noticed her stifled chortling as Yuri shook her head in exasperation.

"Go on, tell her what you told me." The lavenderette instructed. Natsuki shrugged.

"All right, fine. I didn't actually do this myself. That credit goes to our brilliant new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher!"

It was no exaggeration to say her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Monika tilted her head curiously.

"Professor Lockhart did your hair? What do you mean?"

"Well..." Natsuki began her tale. "Apparently his idea of showing us how to combat the 'dark arts' was by opening a cage of Cornish Pixies in class, show off an obviously fake spell, and then flee from the room while instructing us to clean up after him!"

"Oh." Monika's eyes widened as they darted upwards, inspecting the ruined hair with the new context in mind. "So I take it one of them got… stuck?"

"It took me 10 minutes to get it offa me." Natsuki nodded almost proudly. "By the way, did you know Cornish Pixie females turn from blue to pink to show the males when they're ready to mate? Cuz' I sure fucking didn't!"

"Yikes." Monika winced. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Psh, not as sorry as the Pixie after I got my hands on it!" Nat brushed her off with a dark grin. "Trust me, that little turd regretted ever messing with me!"

"Are you… okay?" I asked, inspecting her face for bruises or scratches. I wasn't really sure what 'Cornish Pixies' even looked like, but if there was one thing I'd learned about the magical world, it was that most of its creatures were usually a lot more scary and dangerous than in the normal children books.

I'm gonna cry if it turns out unicorns are actually evil…

"Oh yeah, I'm peachy!" She assured me, still grinning. "Believe it or not, I got off lightly! You should see what those flying suckers did to Longbottom- I'm not even sure they've gotten him down from the chandelier yet!"

I felt myself grinning despite the circumstances. It was good to see Natsuki's mood had improved so much since yesterday.

She must've had plenty to eat since then…

"Well, thanks for the forewarning" Monika sighed deeply, but smiled as well. "Sounds like a complete circus. I'm guessing Lockhart's not in your books for 'teacher of the year' then?"

Natsuki made a sound halfway between a scoff and a laugh.

"Honestly? I'd say even Quirrel was better than this chump! At least that fraud had the decency to teach us something about vampires whenever he wasn't trying to steal a secret, life-giving stone from the school! This fraud doesn't even try to hide his incompetence!"

"Yeah, sounds about right." Monika nodded. "I kinda had a feeling something like this would happen when I heard he got the teaching position. I mean… it makes sense when you read his works, doesn't it?"

"Agreed." Yuri concurred. "Textbook narcissist."

"Wait." I cut in, blinking. "You don't like Gilderoy Lockhart's books? I've only read Magical Me so far but he seems so, well… magical!"

"Oh please, Sayori. Don't fall for that nonsense!" Natsuki facepalmed. "It's just romantic, self-insert fanfic bait for single witches going through a mid-life crisis! Probably ghost-written, too. I'd be surprised if that moron even knows how to read!"

"…oh." I looked down, feeling my cheeks redden. I'd honestly thought the book had been really good. It had action, drama, romance, and even more drama. Definitely much more exciting to read than my other schoolbooks, like the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2!

Although… Maybe that was the point Natsuki was making.

"I'll say this for his books." Yuri admitted begrudgingly. "They are… factual. I've cross-checked the events that transpired in them with real newspaper articles and reliable sources, and it seems he really did banish all those monsters the way he said he did. It's just… the way they're written is so- so…

She struggled with finding a suitable word for a moment before Monika swooped to the rescue.

"Self-indulgent?" She suggested, to which Yuri nodded in agreement. Monika went on. "I know just what you mean. There's a lot of what I guess you'd call 'fan service' sprinkled throughout them about how 'amazing' and 'perfect' he is, which often distracts completely from the narrative."

"Heh, 'narrative.'" Natsuki snickered. "Good one!"

"I believe the most egregious example of this was within Gadding with Ghouls." Yuri said. "The narration spends almost ten pages describing how soft and flowing his hair was, while the actual banishment charm was included as a mere footnote."

"So, uh, how about we go inside?!" I suggested awkwardly, opening the door to our Clubroom. I was very eager to move on from this topic. The girls were of course allowed to have their smart and critical reasons to dislike our new teacher- it was just a bit embarrassing for me to hear. Ever since I'd laid my eyes on Professor Lockharts beautiful golden, curly locks I'd had this near indescribable urge to touch, comb and style it. I made a mental note to read Gadding with Ghouls as soon as possible for the section Yuri had described.

I know, that probably sounded really weird and vain of me, but try and understand- his hair was so. Freaking. Pretty! Doubled with his charming full smile and deep blue eyes, he reminded me a bit of a fun, full-size plastic doll that I'd absolutely love to play dress-up with, just to see how he'd look in different outfits.

But no way was I going to admit that now that I knew their true opinions. They'd just make fun of how much of a surface-level airhead I was. Well, I could probably tell Monika. She definitely wouldn't think any less of me. Possibly. Maybe just a little.

"Was the spell at least legitimate?" Monika asked Yuri as they stepped inside the room, unfortunately continuing their conversation.

"It was, I checked." Yuri confirmed, sighing. Expectedly, she'd already approached the kettle standing ready by the teacher's desk, and pulled out her wand. With a few graceful swishes and some low muttering, she'd soon filled it with fresh water and conjured up a bright flame beneath it. "It's certainly a strange set of writing priorities. No doubt he's a great wizard, he must be after all he's done. I'm just really not a fan of how he's decided to publicize his feats…"

"Nah, he's full of it." Natsuki declared brusquely, already making a beeline for the cupboard where she'd stored her manga collection over the summer. "I don't believe a single bloated word in any of his books!"

"But-" Yuri furrowed her brows vaguely. "There are first hand accounts of witnesses who swear-"

"Oh, I'm sure there is." Natsuki dismissed readily. "Still don't buy it. He's just an arrogant jerk who's way too far up his own ass. Trust me, I don't know how he's managed to fool everyone, but I know a liar when I see one."

She said this with the kind of finality that let us all know the subject was finished, which I was all too happy for. Finally settling on her manga of choice, Natsuki withdraw the volume from the cupboard's shelf, turned, and made eye contact with Yuri.

"So," She said with a wide, ecstatic smile. "Ya ready to start Volume 6, Yuri?"

"Well, that depends." Yuri met her gaze calmly, bending away from her tea-brewing to reach into her rucksack where she pulled out a heavy, thick book. "Are you prepared to get started on the spiritual successor to Portrait of Markov?"

"Yeah sure, just lay it on me." Nat gave a dramatic sigh of defeat as she trudged back towards us. "I've definitely missed having nightmares about creepy experiments…"

There was a light 'ahuhuhu…' from Yuri as she chuckled softly.

I was pleased to see how easily the two had fallen back into the usual rhythm of the Club. It was obvious they enjoyed their time here almost as much as I did.

Then, before they'd properly exchanged reading material, Monika's lips split apart to form a wide, mischievous smirk.

"Well, at least it's not all disasters." She said in a light, casual voice. "From what I've heard around the place, Natsuki's already managed to snag up a new friend~"

Natsuki froze abruptly and looked up at Monika. Her smile had disappeared.

"Wh- huh? What are you talking abou-"

But upon looking at Monika's glittering, emerald eyes, her expression quickly drooped into a scowl of recognition.

"No. Don't." She hissed warningly at the President.

Monika merely wiggled her eyebrows knowingly in response.

"How the fuck did you know?!" Natsuki asked, her cheeks turning a deep shade of embarrassed red. "Who told you?!"

"I have my sources…" Monika said, pretending to check her nails. She seemed completely undeterred by the smaller girl's threatening tone. "And if they're correct, he's barely even left your side since yesterday's feast! You two must have made quite the bond~"

"Oh my gosh, really?!" I exclaimed, my worry of ticking off Natsuki drowned out by wild excitement on her behalf. "Who is it?! When can I meet him?! Is he like, a friend-friend, or just a friend?! I totally ship it-"

"He's not my friend!" Natsuki protested profusely. "Colin's just an annoying little twerp with a stupid camera, I hardly even know the guy!"

"But apparently you're already on a first name basis…" Yuri pointed out, but flinched away again at the withering glare sent her way.

"Yes, it's very interesting indeed…" Monika blinked innocently. "I actually noticed him myself this morning, after you were done with Herbology. How come he follows you around everywhere you go, hm?"

"I literally have no fucking clue!" Natsuki stomped, angrily. "The little idiot somehow got it in his head that we're 'the best of friends,' and now he won't leave me alone! He's even more annoying than Lockhart, all he does is talk about Harry Potter constantly and taking pictures of me! I got lucky when Scarhead passed by so I could slip away, otherwise he'd be right here with me! Stop laughing at me!"

With some difficulty, Monika managed to stifle her chortle.

"You should have brought him here, I'd love to meet him." She hummed teasingly. "Good job already finding a new candidate for the Club, Nat! I appreciate it."

"Fuck you."Natsuki stated blankly. "If Colin Creepy joins, I leave."

"Uh-" Yuri cleared her throat. "If you dislike his presence so much, h- how come you haven't told him to stop bothering you? You usually don't have any issues speaking your mind to anyone…?"

"Because it's impossible to tell him anything whatsoever when he talks non-stop!" The pinkette moaned. "And whenever I try kicking, hitting or cursing him, he just blinds me with that stupid camera again and runs off! I still have spots drifting around my vision, he's a literal nightmare!"

I tried keeping a straight face, but this was just too funny. Natsuki, the scourge of every bully and meanie at Hogwarts, terrorized by an eager first year? I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not funny!" She turned on me, voice rising in pitch. "Ugh, can we just start reading already instead of talking about Creepy and Schlockhart?!"

"Aww, hear that?" Monika winked. "She's already got nicknames for them!"

"Watch it…" Natsuki growled.

I wasn't really worried by her vague threat, since I knew no one was actually upset. It's hard to explain why exactly, but I'd always had this weird kind of "Meanie Sense" (a name I definitely hadn't stolen after watching an episode of Spider-Man!) that made it very easy to tell the difference between harmless banter and genuine bullying.

This current clash between Nat and Moni was so light hearted and jovial, it hardly even registered on the scale in my head. Therefore, no reason for me to interject at all.

Monika however seemed to take it way more seriously than me as she suddenly wiped off her grin and turned back to Natsuki.

"For real though, you don't have to worry about Colin joining." She said, now speaking with a distinctively more sober, gentle and professional tone. Her trademark 'President' voice. "That's actually something I wanted to bring up with you all today, regarding the recruitment thing."

Oh.

I perked up, feeling the lightest of tingles from the Meanie Sense. This was a dangerous subject Monika was approaching.

"…what is it?" Natsuki raised an immediately suspicious eyebrow. Behind us, Yuri stood attentive as well, extinguishing the flame and tapped the kettle with her wand. It promptly rose in the air and tipped, pouring boiling water into a cup she'd already prepared with a tea leaflet.

Monika went on, beckoning for us all to sit down.

"I understand some of you have doubts, and even strong aversions to getting new members." She said, glancing at Yuri and Natsuki in turn. "As the four founding members of this Club, I want you to know your opinion on the matter is very important to me, and I want to do my best to ease any worries you may have about the topic. I've thought about this for a long time, and I believe I've found a compromise."

I studied Natsuki's face, noting her skeptical impression. Still, she remained silent and allowed Monika to continue speaking.

"If there's anyone at Hogwarts that you have a genuine problem with, all you need to do is let me or Sayori know." She said, gesturing at me. "And then I promise you, they'll never set foot in our Club."

Natsuki blinked in surprise.

"You'll… let us veto students?" She asked, frowning.

"Yes. Well, uh- within reason." Monika hurriedly backtracked. "You'll have to make a good, compelling case for why you think the person in question would be a disruptive presence here, like you just did with the Creevey boy."

"Hmph." Natsuki grunted with another frown, crossing her arms. "So I can't just say everyone in this entire school annoys me and leave it at that?"

"Yeah, no. Nice try." Monika smiled softly. "But what do you think? Are those acceptable terms?"

She asked Natsuki, but her eyes glanced sideways at me, seeking my approval. I wasn't sure how to respond exactly.

It was a good first step, respecting the others' boundaries and all that, but… I still didn't like how she'd already started with Malfoy. As if she was just asking us to be nice, but was gonna go ahead with the plan regardless if we agreed or not. It… felt kinda dishonest.

Maybe she'd been counting on us being immediately supportive, and it wasn't like I hated it or anything like that. It was just… a bit soon to decide something like this at the first meeting. I guess I just really wished she would have maybe talked to me about it first.

Deciding we were gonna have to discuss it later, I relented and nodded back at her.

"Ugh. I don't know." Natsuki shook her head with a conflicted frown. "I kinda just wanted some quiet reading time today. What happened to the free month you promised?"

"Nothing! Like I promised, there won't be any changes this month." Monika assured her patiently. "But that doesn't mean we can't make some preparations in the meantime. I mean, delaying progress doesn't help anyone, does it?"

Natsuki looked as though she disagreed heavily, but said nothing as Yuri seated herself beside her, with the steaming teacup and kettle she'd prepared following along, gently floating in the air behind her.

"I'm… uncertain as well." She admitted, raising a hand to gracefully pluck the porcelain cup from its levitating position and taking a thoughtful sip. "I don't wish to speak on Natsuki's behalf, but to me the daunting prospect is the idea of acquiring new members itself, not so much any specific students. I… don't know if I even have anyone in mind to be disallowed here."

"Really? No one?" Monika raised a jovial eyebrow. "Not even… Hermione Granger?"

Across from her, Natsuki snorted in barely contained laughter.

"W- what?" Yuri stammered and blinked, apparently perplexed. "W- why would I want to do that?"

"Duh, she's your competitor." Natsuki smirked, dishing out a playful elbow. "The two smartest students of our year are like, obligated to hate each other.

Yuri's face flushed up as she shook her head in exasperation.

"I'm sure I have no idea what either of you are talking about."

"I think you do." Monika smiled knowingly. "Don't think we haven't noticed your eyes twitching every time someone mentions her name. I mean, it's pretty obvious you have some kind of vendetta against her."

"Preposterous." Yuri took another sip of her tea, probably thinking this action would hide the way her left eyes gave a vaguely irritant twitch.

It didn't.

"She probably lies awake in bed at night, fantasizing about besting her in every class!" Natsuki snickered. "C'mon, Yuri. Just admit how much ya wanna prove to everyone that you're more intelligent!"

"D- don't be ridiculous." Yuri denied, her face flushing an even deeper crimson. "I have nothing but the deepest respect for H- Hermione Granger. She's obviously a very skilled, t- talented witch who's undeniably b- better than me at e- everything."

"Aw no Yuri, don't say that!" I hurriedly interjected, reaching out to place my hand on hers. "You're selling yourself short again!"

"Yeah," Natsuki nodded in surprisingly earnest agreement. "I'm in her House and trust me, you're smarter by a mile! Only thing she's better than you at is running her damn mouth!"

At that, the pinkette abruptly raised a stiff arm high into the air, sticking two front teeth past her lower lip.

"Teacher, teacher! Look at me!" She exclaimed, contorting her voice into an even higher pitch, mimicking a needy and annoying tone. With her hair in its current, bushier state, the impression was remarkably spot on. "I'm a huge nerd and I swallowed a textbook!"

Both Monika and even Yuri gave an unreserved laugh at Nat's antics. It was funny, and I wanted nothing more than to join them, but… I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable. Of course I knew they weren't doing it to be intentionally cruel, and my Sense wasn't even close to triggered, but still… This was kinda straying a bit into 'Meanie' territory.

"Ehehe, okay guys…" I gave a small chuckle, hoping to subtly steer us away from the topic of mocking Hermione. "M- maybe we shouldn't-"

But apparently my voice was much too low, seeing as Monika easily began speaking over it.

"Ahaha, oh man…" She shook her head chuckling, actually wiping tears from her eyes. "I have her in Potions and that is so accurate! It's like, every single question her arm shoots up like some automatic springlock!"

"She's so desperate to show off!" Natsuki nodded along enthusiastically. "I'm like, sheesh, tone it down a notch!"

"Sometimes I just wanna turn around in my seat and say 'look, we get it already!" Monika went on. "You've read every single book in the library, good on you! You're still just a Mudblood, all right?!'"

The change in atmosphere was so sudden, I almost got whiplash. I knew something bad had happened before Monika even finished the sentence.

All sounds in the room died abruptly as Natsuki and Yuri's broad smiles vanished, replaced by expressions of shock and disbelief. And, just as the deafening silence settled around us like a suffocating blanket, my Meanie Sense began blaring at full volume.

"Am I right?!" Monika continued laughing at her own joke, completely oblivious to the tension that'd arisen. Slowly, Yuri and Natsuki's heads turned to glare in her direction.

…what's going on?! A tight knot at the very pit of my stomach was giving me the strangest sense of foreboding doom, like watching a train crash in slow motion. It was all so overwhelming I found I couldn't even speak.

Monika finally seemed to notice the obvious tone shift as her own smile began fading away. She looked between us all in turn, clearly bewildered by the reaction.

"…what?" She asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Uhm- Monika…?" Somehow, the sound of Monika's voice had given me the strength I needed to talk again, although my words sounded like the dry croaking of a toad that'd been left in the desert for a week straight. "Wh- what's a 'Mudblo-'"

"I knew it." A low, biting growl interrupted me. "I fucking knew it."

I looked at Natsuki, still staring intently sideways without blinking, her face locked in a silent sneer that bared each of her teeth including the small, extra sharpened fang in the upper right corner. Her hands were on the table, each clenched into fists so tight, the knuckles had gone a pale white.

"…knew what?" Monika asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You almost had me, y'know." Natsuki let out a quiet laugh completely devoid of humor, and slowly rose from her seat. "You almost had me believe you. Man, I must be the most gullible fucking idiot at Hogwarts for falling for it!"

"Anything you'd like to share with the rest of the class, Natsuki?" Monika asked tersely, crossing her arms. "Or are you just gonna keep being intentionally vague?"

Rather than responding, Natsuki flung her hand up, reaching into her robes.

"WOW, WOW, WAIT!" I exclaimed, recognizing the movement. Waving my arms distractingly, I jumped out of my own seat and scrambled to step in between the two girls just in time for the pinkette to pull out her wand and point it directly at my stomach. "Hey, let's just calm down here, okay?!"

"Not a chance!" Natsuki snarled back, refusing to meet my eye or lower the wand. "She's just proved herself to be the Slytherin supremacist piece of garbage I always suspected!"

She stepped sideways, trying to get a better angle. I mirrored the movement, blocking her. Behind me, I could hear Monika getting to her feet as well.

"This again?!" She asked, her voice conveying utter confusion. "What'd I do this time? I was just poking some harmless fun, same as you!"

Natsuki's left eye twitched in barely contained fury.

"…you really don't know, do you?" She said in a low, strained voice. "You're already so rotten to the core, you actually think what you just said was acceptable?!"

"What, 'Mudblood?' That's what's made you so upset?!" Monika exclaimed indignantly, and I glanced around to see her red face peeking over my shoulder. "Why the f- wait. You're not… are you…?"

"I'm half-blood, not that it fucking matters!" Natsuki exploded, and tried to sidestep me again unsuccessfully. "'Specially to the likes of you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Monika yelled back. "What's the issue here?! It's literally just what she is! You called her a nerd too, how is Mudblood any different?!"

Natsuki's eye twitched again.

"Sayori, move." She demanded through clenched teeth.

"Nuh-uh!" I shook my head defiantly. "I'm not gonna let you curse Monika! Please, can't we just talk this out-"

"NO!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs. "You can't defend her this fucking time, Sayori! Not for this!"

I stood my ground and braced myself, probably looking much braver than I actually felt. I'd seen some of the things Nat had done with that wand of hers, and I knew I wouldn't stand a chance if she decided to actually use it on me.

But then, in a moment I never would've believed unless I'd seen it with my own eyes, Natsuki actually lowered her wand.

"I'm gonna be sick…" She muttered, looking disgusted. Stiffly, she snatched up her bag and unopened Manga from the table and stomped towards the exit.

"Nat-" I began, knowing full well the fire I was playing with by calling her back after narrowly avoiding her cursing my nose upside down or worse. "-please, don't just storm away again! We can still sort this out-"

"It's just a fucking word!" Monika called from behind me, very unhelpfully. "Everyone uses it, get over yourself!"

Natsuki froze with her hand on the doorknob and snapped her head back towards us, messy pink hair whirling in every direction.

"Well, Monika." She said, grimacing in a vague parody of a smile. "Guess you don't have to wait a month to recruit new members after all! You must be sooo happy you no longer have to 'delay' your precious fucking progress!"

"Nat-" I yelled in a last ditch effort, but she'd already twisted the knob and stepped outside.

"Goodbye!" She announced, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Stunned silence was left in her wake. Hardly able to even believe what'd just happened, I turned around to see Monika shaking her head, seemingly at a loss for words as well.

But my attention was quickly pulled away from her by the sound of a zipper as the last remaining girl at the table rose from her seat, flinging the rucksack over her back without saying a word.

"…w- what are you doing, Yuri?" I asked hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"I think I will be taking this opportunity to leave as well." The lavenderette replied pleasantly, confirming my worst nightmares as she too headed towards the exit in a perfectly calm and dignified stride. "Thank you for having me, and I wish both of you good luck with the Club's future."

"Seriously?! You too?!" Monika found her heated voice again. "What, because I said a 'bad' word?! I might have expected Natsuki to throw a childish fit, but I'd hoped you would have been a bit more level headed!"

Yuri raised her head, meeting Monika's gaze head on. The look in her purple eyes was so hard and full of disdain that I had to flinch, and it wasn't even directed at me!

I watched in disbelief as Monika actually took a step backwards in shock.

"I hardly think it's 'level headed' to utter outdated, bigoted slurs, Monika." She said in an icy voice, completely different from her usual gentle stammer. "Let me be clear- If you wish to hold onto antiquated, hateful beliefs against minority groups, then that's your business and I won't stop you. But I want no part of it."

"I- I don't-" Monika sputtered lamely. Yuri moved on, opening the door before looking back one last time.

"Just a piece of advice- perhaps you'd like to educate yourself on who the people in your social circle actually are." She said, directing a pointed look at… me? "Good afternoon and, good luck."

And with that, she too left the room.

I stared at the closed door, still struggling to understand what had just happened. In just a few seconds, two of my best friends in the whole world had stormed out of the Club, my entire world had collapsed, and I had no clue why. How was that even possible? Where was I even going to begin to fix it again?!

Fighting back the tears threatening to emerge, I turned towards Monika whose face betrayed the very same type of astonished shock I felt. But still, she had to have at least some idea as to what had just happened.

"M- Monika… I asked, hearing my own voice cracking. "Wha- what does 'Mudblood' mean?"

It took her a few seconds to answer.

"It's- it's just a word for… for Muggleborns." She replied automatically without looking at me, voice monotone as she explained. "Y'know- those witches and wizards who pop up in a completely non-magical family? I- I've no idea why they reacted like that, my parents use the word all the time!"

"A… family without wizards?" I repeated dimly, feeling my insides tightening even harder.

"Yeah…" Monika confirmed with a vague nod. "Mudbloods are the reason Squibs exist, they somehow steal the magic from real wizards and give it to themselves. It's common knowledge where I'm from!"

"B- but Monika…" I said hesitantly, my lips quivering. I could already tell it wouldn't be much longer before I'd start crying, but it'd have to wait a little longer. This was more important. "…I'm Muggleborn!"

Her eyes widened even further in shock, surprise, and unless I was completely mistaken, horror. She slowly turned her head, looking as if she'd just noticed me for the very first time.

"…what?" She said in a hushed, miniscule voice. "B- but I thought… you just lived with a Muggle uncle? W- weren't your parents… like us?"

"No, I- I don't think so?" I shook my head uncomfortably. The men from the Ministry hadn't said much about my mum and dad, and I could remember even less about them. But one thing they had made sure to tell me was both were 100% Muggles.

I'd never told anyone before, not because it was some deep secret I was trying to keep, but simply because no one had ever asked about it. I'd just thought it wasn't that big a deal.

Although clearly, judging from Monika's gaping expression, I'd been dead wrong.

"B- but- tha- that's…" She stammered, unable to communicate even a single sentence.

I looked away, not liking the weird way she was staring at me.

"D- did I steal my magic…?" I asked, glancing down at my hands.

She didn't answer, and I wasn't sure if it was because she couldn't, or wouldn't. It didn't really matter. I couldn't just stand around, waiting for her to find her voice again. I had to do something, now!

To think I'd been worried about something as stupid as homework when I'd gone in here and now, our entire friendship was at risk!

"I'll… go find Nat and Yuri. Try and talk to them." I told Monika, having no idea what I was going to say. "W- wait here, okay?"

She still said nothing, and I didn't look back when I left the room. I was so close to my limit already. I only just barely managed to suppress my feelings enough not to burst out crying.