Xaden and Liam were the first two boys in their dormitory to be awake and functioning. Crabbe, Malfoy, and Goyle were still asleep, all snoring loudly, and Xaden rolled his eyes as he put on his regular day clothes. He was going to wear his Slytherin tie – show some allegiance – though, to be fair, he had absolutely zero allegiance to his house. Liam had even less. They just wore ties because the other students did. Liam and Xaden walked out of the dormitory and into their common room, noting the cold atmosphere.

Salazar Slytherin had really liked the idea of being underneath the grounds. He wanted no place a muggle-born could get into – well, he found it. Xaden sighed quietly as the two friends made their way out of the common room. "So, what's this I hear about Violet Sorrengail tutoring you?" Liam asked, smirking at his best friend, and Xaden stared at him.

"How did you hear about that?" Xaden asked.

"News travels fast in the castle," Liam reminded him, and Xaden rolled his eyes. Of course, news already got out about Violet tutoring him. Was nothing sacred anymore?

"Well, she is," he conceded after a moment. "But I don't want to make a big deal out of this. It's nothing to harp on about."

Liam laughed, holding his hands up as they climbed to the main floor. "Whatever you say, mate."

They walked into the Great Hall, noting the other students who were already in there. Violet and her best friend, Rhiannon, were already sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Xaden knew that societal rules in the school dictated that they sat with their housemates, but that didn't stop him from sending her a smile when she looked in his direction. She smiled back at him before turning back to the conversation with Rhiannon. Xaden and Liam sat down, pulling plates of toast and bacon toward them, and they ate silently but diligently. He watched Violet. She was moving slowly, rotating her wrists, and he frowned. Was she in pain? Not knowing, he kept an eye on her for the entirety of his meal.

When breakfast was over, he stood up, nodding at Liam. "See you." He headed towards the Ravenclaw table, keeping an eye out for Draco Malfoy. His father was a Death Eater and Xaden knew that Lucius Malfoy would love nothing more than to curse him into oblivion. It's best not to let Malfoy see him talking to a Ravenclaw. Though, to be fair, the idea set a thought of isolation aching in his chest. He watched as Rhiannon smirked at him.

"Bit far from your chums aren't you, Riorson?" Rhiannon asked.

He ignored the jab, looking at Violet. "That...thing I asked you about yesterday."

"Ah yes, the studying," Rhiannon laughed, waving goodbye at the pair of them.

"Is nothing sacred anymore?" Xaden hissed, causing Violet to laugh.

"Ron Weasley overheard it from Luna Lovegood, who was talking to me about it because she saw you approach me yesterday. She thought you might have been taken over by Nargles. Whatever those are," Violet muttered, shifting her plait to her other shoulder. "If you hadn't wanted people to know, you should have just sent me a letter by school owl."

Why hadn't Xaden thought of that? He was working his hardest to not let it fall into any Death Eaters ears that he was talking to Violet Sorrengail, a muggle born. With Voldemort back and steadily gaining power, they'd kill her and brutally. He still remembered what his parents had said the Longbottom's endured at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. The thought of his now-deceased parents sent the usual ache of pain through his being. He gave his head a shake, clearing it of his thoughts. "Well, I suppose that would have made more sense to do it that way...but Violet, I hope you know I'm not...not...embarrassed to be seen with you."

"To be quite honest, I could give a damn less if you were or weren't, Xaden," Violet said airily, rotating her wrists again, and he was momentarily distracted.

"Are you in pain?" Xaden frowned, but she shot him a look.

"Nothing I can't handle," she muttered, and his frown intensified. Not the answer he wanted but he would accept it. "So, if you're not having Quidditch practice, we can start tutoring tonight. The Room of Requirement."

He knew about the room, of course he did, but he didn't know that she knew. "I thought we agreed to the library?"

"No, I don't think that's best," she murmured. "Especially if you don't want to get caught. Hermione Granger is in there all the time – Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley sometimes with her. It wouldn't do us any good if you and Harry dueled each other."

Xaden didn't want to duel Harry; he didn't have a problem with the other guy, but he couldn't very well tell Violet that. He had an image to uphold. Especially if he didn't want dear old Draco running back to mummy and daddy. "Okay. Room of Requirement. Eight-thirty?"

"I can make that work," Violet agreed, rotating her wrists once more. Then she looked towards the entrance of the Great Hall. "Here comes Malfoy and his cronies. I better go. Make it not look like we were talking." And with those words, she departed, leaving Xaden to flush with pleasure at the fact that this was the second conversation with Violet Sorrengail in two days that hadn't erupted in hexes being thrown. Perhaps he was doing better than he thought he was.

He made eye contact with Malfoy, the pale, blonde guy smirking at him. Xaden sneered at him. He didn't want the prick to think they were in the same league because they knew Voldemort was back. Voldemort murdered his parents. Murdered Harry Potter's parents too. There wasn't much left for Xaden to do but join the right-side of the war they were inevitably going to the frontlines for. He could do this.