January, Rajani decides, is the worst month of the year.

It's been two days since she's returned to Hogwarts and both days have been grey and cold and miserable. The fluffy blanket of snow that had enveloped Hogwarts in early December has since settled and compacted into layers of mush that always manage to soak through her boots and leave her toes numb and shriveled by the end of the day.

The only positive is seeing her friends again. They've taken to crowding around the Slytherin common room's fireplace and sharing stories of what they did over break. Mayra Byrne has several amusing stories from her Italian holiday, and Edward Poole dishes about a pickup Quidditch game that ended when his Gryffindor brother broke one of the other player's noses by flying directly into him. Everyone is quite amused by this particular story, and Patrick Poole finds himself heckled a bit more than usual in the hallways about his flying skills.

Classes are surprisingly easy to settle back into, but Rajani supposes that's because they'd had so much homework over the break that they didn't really have a chance to fall out of study habits. But it's nice to have her usual group to work with again - no one in her family is quite as enthusiastic about explaining History to her as Queenie is.

A few of the other houses try building snow forts and starting snowball fights but it never works out and Rajani often sees them traipsing back inside looking like drowned cats. For her part she has zero interest in even trying to find something fun about the weather. It's simply miserable and she'd much rather sulk by the fire and complain with her dorm mates.

Elspeth is particularly useful for this. Apparently something had happened over break with one of the older students and she's started talking more with the house, so although she's still a bit standoffish she at least responds when spoken to.

"Why does winter so much?" She grumbles, mostly to herself but loud enough that Rajani, who's curled up in the seat next to her, can still hear.

Rajani shrugs. "Because the world clearly hates us. There is no other explanation."

"You two are sure cheery." Eugene remarks from behind them. Rajani doesn't need to turn around to know that he's smirking. She can hear it in his voice. "Maybe it wouldn't so much if you weren't such downers about it."

"You were sulking just this morning about getting snow on your trousers Eugene, don't even go there." Finn counters as he enters the common room, shaking fresh snow out of his hair, which has grown past his ears since break.

"Eugene stop antagonizing people. Finn get a haircut. Raj scoot over so I can get at that fire." Queenie instructs as she slips past Finn and into the room. Rajani obligingly shifts her position so Queenie can plop down on the floor between her and Elspeth's feet.

"My hair is fabulous, thank you." Finn responds airily before he's off to his room to do who knows what. Despite being quite amicable he's never really been part of the group of people Rajani considers as her friends. She isn't quite sure why this is if she's honest, but as Finn hasn't made any attempts to rectify the situation Rajani doesn't feel too terrible about it.

Eugene eventually joins them in front of the fire and the four of them begin working on their newest Defense assignment. They'd had their first practical lesson of the semester about an hour before and it had been rather disastrous. Not a single person had successfully performed the general counter curse before class was over, so Professor Whits had assigned a foot long essay dedicated to the discovery and uses of the spell.

They're joined by Lenox and Nia shortly after, but Clary never appears. As they pack up their things and head to the Great Hall for dinner, Rajani decides to comment on it.

"Hey, where did Clary get to? She usually joins us during our study sessions."

Nia glowers at the empty space in front of her. "She has better friends to hang out with I guess."

Rajani frowns. She's obviously missed something.

Lenox tugs her gently to the back of the group.

"Clary is apparently best friends with one of the Ravenclaw girls and has been hanging out with her ever since they got back to school." He explains quietly. "Nia is really upset about it. She seems to be taking it as a personal insult."

Rajani nervously thinks about her own non-Slytherin friend Donaghan. She's so far successfully kept him away from the rest of her housemates, and she's not sure he's worth losing them as friends.

"I mean, she's still Slytherin though, right? Like the prefects said, we're all family."

Lenox shrugs. "We'll still look out for her, but I think things might be a little tense for a while."

Clary is already at the table in the Great Hall when they arrive, and she waves to them cheerfully. Nia ignores her and sits at the opposite end of the table.

Clary frowns, and then picks up and moves so she's sitting with them. "Hey, who poured itching powder down your shorts?"

Eugene makes a face. "That is vile Clary, learn some class."

Nia shoots him an annoyed look, and he gives one in return. "Just because you're giving her the silent treatment, Calligenia, doesn't mean I will."

Clary glances over at Nia in confusion. "Why am I getting the silent treatment?"

"Your Ravenclaw friend." Rajani says quietly. "You've kind of be ditching us for her."

Clary, to her credit, looks genuinely apologetic. "She's been having a rough time. Apparently her dorm mates are awful and she hasn't made any friends at all since arriving. And we've known each other for years but I kind of unceremoniously dropped her when we were Sorted into different houses. I guess I'm feeling a little guilty."

Nia frowns. "Well don't. If it was such a problem why didn't she say anything sooner? And a Ravenclaw of all things - ignoring our upcoming Quidditch match with them, they're all rather obnoxious." Nia was still decidedly steamed about certain comments about her parentage made by certain Ravenclaw students.

Clary frowns right back. "Not all of them. Amelia is just shy. And she'd never say anything bad about you!"

"Wouldn't she?" Nia challenges. "You know how the other houses all think they're so much better than us - like we're all evil and destined to be the next dark lord. Who says she's immune to the brainwashing, huh?" She pushes her plate away. "You know what, I'm not actually that hungry. I'm going to retire early." And with that she's gone, and a tense silence has settled over the table.

Clary is the one who eventually breaks it. "She... she wouldn't though. Really." But there's a trace of uncertainty in her voice.

Rajani wonders if Donaghan would ever believe those things. She can't picture it, but conversely she has been the target of glares from Hufflepuffs in the past. Nia's words can't be fully discounted.

Eugene coughs loudly. "Well, I for one hope tomorrow morning's Defense class goes better than today's. Perhaps we could find some way to practice the spell before bed tonight?"

And just like that the tension is broken again and they're able to converse comfortably. Even Elspeth stays for most of the meal, which is a first for her.

As they head back down to the dungeons, Rajani falls into step with Elspeth.

"So hey, it's nice being able to talk with you now." She offers, hoping the other girl's decision to walk with them indicates an openness to conversation.

Elspeth shrugs. "Talked with the head girl over break. She made some good points."

Rajani frowns. She honestly has no idea who the head girl is, only that she's a Gryffindor and that most of the older year seem to be scared of her. "Well, that's good. If you ever want to talk about it or anything..." She trails off as Elspeth shakes her head.

"It's fine." And that's that. They remain quiet for the rest of the walk, although Rajani does cycle through several possible conversation starters that she ultimately discards. Elspeth doesn't seem as keen to talk anymore.

Nia is in the common room when they arrive, and while she doesn't say anything she also doesn't leave when Clary sits beside her, and Rajani figures that's as good as it's going to get for now.

The rest of the month blurs by in a grey fog, and all at once it's time for their next Quidditch game. The first years decide to get decked out in bright green and silver everything, and Clary even paints her face in solidarity. The game is as intense as the match against Gryffindor, and it's clear Ravenclaw has been practicing hard since losing to Hufflepuff.

They lose by ten points, and Rajani can't remember a time she's ever felt so crushed. The worst part, she thinks, is how ecstatic the rest of the school is. Losing is bad enough without feeling like everyone was rooting for you to lose.

The atmosphere in the common room is gloomy that night, and Rajani decides to go for a walk before curfew to try and clear her head. She promptly manages to get herself lost when the stairs change directions while she's still on top of them.

She's found thirty minutes after curfew by a Gryffindor prefect, and she just knows the girl will report her and probably get her a detention. It's what Gryffindors do.

However, the prefect just looks at her curiously. "What are you doing out of the dorms after hours?" Her voice is unaccusing, simply curious, and Rajani is stunned at the show of kindness from someone wearing scarlet and gold.

"I just wanted to take a walk and I got lost." She admits, omitting the reason for the walk. She doesn't need a Gryffindor mocking her.

The prefect smiles in understanding. "That happened to my brother a few times. Don't worry about it, just stay with me. My route passes the Slytherin common rooms."

Rajani can only follow behind, stunned that she hasn't been turned in yet.

"I'm Petra by the way. Head girl. If you ever need anything don't hesitate to come find me and ask."

Rajani blinks. Elspeth had mentioned talking to this girl over break, and a niggling curiosity as to what might have been said urges her to speak up.

"I'm Rajani. You talked to my roommate Elspeth over the break. She said you made good points."

Petra smiles faintly. "Elspeth is going through a lot of the same things I did a few years ago." She leaves it at that. "Did you want to talk about anything?"

Rajani shakes her head quietly. "Not really. The war didn't affect my family that much. We left for India before it got too bad." She doesn't know for sure the war is what was discussed, but she has a hunch, and Petra's momentary frown confirms it.

"Well count yourself one of the lucky ones. Very few people here were unaffected by it, even if they don't show it as obviously as others." Petra's response is raw in its honesty, and Rajani finds herself wondering how it touched the head girl.

"Well, here we are. Again, if you ever need anything don't hesitate to come find me or the head boy. Dylan is a Ravenclaw though and I know there's extra tension between your houses at the moment." She gives a small, amused smile.

Rajani chuckles a bit as well. "Thank you for not reporting me."

Petra shrugs. "It was an honest mistake. They happen. Goodnight Rajani."

Rajani continues to contemplate Petra's words for the next few days, and she would have for much longer if it wasn't for Valentine's day interrupting her thoughts on Thursday.

The entire school seems to have been hit by a bright pink explosion and honestly it's making Rajani a bit nauseous.

"Did they have to go so all out for this? It's not even a real holiday." Clary groans as she punches a heart-shaped balloon out of her path on their way to breakfast. In the past few weeks she'd been working hard to stay in her Slytherin friends' good graces and was spending significantly more time with them.

"Agreed." Nia makes a face.

Eugene smiles. "I think it's nice! Romance is something that should be celebrated I always say."

"When have you ever that?" Queenie teases, poking him lightly in the side.

He grins sheepishly. "Well I think it a lot."

At breakfast, the mail is accompanied by a needlessly large number of flowers and chocolates, deposited on the tables in front of the lucky few who aren't alone for the holiday.

Rajani spots a box landing in front of her sister and raises an eyebrow.

"She told mom there wasn't any romance in her life." She observes wryly to Lenox, who's sitting beside her and trying to pick petals out of his oatmeal.

"Perhaps it's new, or not serious enough that she wants to tell your parents yet." He suggests, finally giving up on his food and grabbing a new plate.

"Maybe it's a torrid affair!" Clary grins. "An older man, or worse, a Gryffindor."

Both she and Nia burst out laughing as Rajani pulls a horrified face. "Merlin no, my sister has more class than that!" She pretends to gag on her cereal, and then joins in on the laughter. She wonders if she should ask her sister about it, but ultimately figures it's Sahana's business, and that she'll say something if it does turn out to be serious.

Rajani is startled out of her mirth when Lakshmi flies down and drops a note in front of her. Rajani stares for a long moment at her owl before shaking of her shock and picking up the envelope.

"Oooh, Raj has got a boyfriend!" Clary sing-songs teasingly, and entirely too loudly as far as Rajani is concerned.

"Oh hush you. Read the note! Who's it from?" Queenie is much more excited, and she leans across the table to get a better look.

Rajani pulls out a single sheet of parchment and unfolds it. A silver hair pin in the shape of a flower falls onto the table, and Queenie's eyes widen.

"Oh wow. That's so pretty! Alright boys, who sent it?" She grins at their male friends, who all quickly deny any involvement.

Rajani just rolls her eyes and picks up the pin, securing it in her hair before picking up the note again.

I thought you might like this better than real flowers. Happy Valentine's Day.

The note is unsigned, which of course makes Queenie needle the boys even more aggressively. Rajani just rolls her eyes good-naturedly and puts the note back into the envelope, which is then deposited into her bag.

But for the rest of the day she keeps unconsciously touching the pin, and wondering who might have thought of her.

It seemed the break had made certain dorm mates of his bolder than they had been before.

After Slytherin flattened Hufflepuff in their late February match, Charlie and Brandon had tried to sneak into the Hufflepuff locker rooms and charm their uniforms silver and green. Of course, neither boy was able to complete the charm accurately and both lost the house twenty points and were stuck with multicolored hair for a week. That didn't stop them from continuing to make mischief however.

Their Hufflepuff friend Aidan was in on a lot of it as well, so Myr was seeing a lot more of the Irish boy now than he had before. The whole house has started to figure out that when Aidan is in the common room it's best to make oneself scarce or risk being the target of whatever new juvenile prank the trio has come up with.

"It'll be a nightmare when they're able to get things from Zonko's in third year." Nabila mutters one afternoon after yet another prank gone wrong gets fifty points taken from the house. "They're bad enough when they don't have professional jokes at their disposal."

Myr hums his agreement, quill scratching rapidly over his History essay. The two Gryffindors are parked in the library near the front doors. "At least Remi hasn't figured out where any of the secret passages are yet. I can't imagine what it would be like if he was able to actually set up any of his pranks before getting caught."

Nabila rolls her eyes, not looking up from her own Herbology assignment. "I imagine someone would end up in the hospital wing more than likely."

Myr sighs. "More than likely." They work quietly for a few more minutes before Nabila finishes and heads out without so much as a goodbye.

Myr doesn't mind. Nabila isn't really a people person, and it's rare for her to speak to anyone about anything beyond schoolwork. The fact he's managed to establish something of a repertoire with her at all honestly astounds him. He likes it though - she's a great study partner when you're looking for peace and quiet.

He writes another inch on his essay before he rolls it up and deposits it back into his bag, deciding he's done enough for the afternoon. The sky outside the window is murky and gray, and there's slush clinging to the sill as well as the ground beyond it.

March is really a disgusting month. Myr can almost forgive the urge to cause mischief - it's not like going outside is particularly fun at the moment and there's only so much chess and gobstones one can play before going stir crazy.

Still, he wishes they'd let their energy out some other way. Preferably one that didn't threaten physical and emotional harm to the rest of the populace.

He heads out of the library and almost immediately runs into a grinning Aidan.

"Where should I avoid."

Aidan smiles innocently. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about!"

Myr frowns. "You guys were just busted for trying to sneak into the Prefect's bathroom, should you really be risking even more detention? I'm not sure how much it takes to get expelled but I'm not sure you should be testing it."

Aidan's grin falters. "Wait, you can get expelled? But it's magic school!" He seems genuinely distressed by the revelation, and a moment later he's rushing down the hallway, probably to confront Brandon and Charlie.

Myr decides the safest bet is to go in the opposite direction of the Hufflepuff boy, so he makes his way towards the Charms classroom, which is close enough to the Gryffindor Tower that he'll probably be able to tell if it's a "avoid at all costs" zone or not, and far enough from it to not get caught up in the fireworks if the trio of destruction had set something up there.

It seems safe enough, so he finishes the trek to the tower and gives the Fat Lady the password - only for her to shake her head.

"New password today dear, did you not check the notice board?"

Myr groans. He'd been so busy trying to avoid having to walk to breakfast with Remi he'd forgotten to check. And it was just his luck that the one day he forgets is the day there's a new password.

"I'll just wait here then." He sighs, sitting down. "Someone will have to come by eventually and I don't really fancy carrying my cauldron around until dinner."

The Fat Lady smiles sympathetically. "We all have bad days."

He smiles up at her, realizing for the first time that he's never really spoken to her before, beyond the usual exchanging of passwords.

"So um, what do you do up here all day?" He asks. "I imagine it can't be very interesting having to sit and wait for students to come and go."

The Fat Lady smiles. "Well aren't you a dear, worrying about me. No, I've been watching this door for centuries so I have plenty of things to keep me occupied! I've been practicing my opera lately, would you like to hear?"

Myr agrees out of curiosity. He doesn't really know all that much about paintings and the magic behind them, and he's never heard one sing before.

He regrets it moments later when the Fat Lady releases an ear-piercing shriek. When she stops he has to check that his ears aren't bleeding.

"I can't break glass yet unfortunately, but that's the ultimate goal!" She says cheerily, oblivious to Myr's disorientation.

"That was quite something." He offers weakly, and she beams.

"Oh that's too kind of you dear. Now then, what happened that made you forget to check the notice board? You're usually quite good about that - I've heard you scolding that Remi about it more than once."

Myr is surprised by the question. "Oh, well, I woke up late and I..." He hesitates, "Well I didn't want to have to walk all the way to the Great Hall with Remi, so I sort of ran as soon as I had my things together." He pauses again, and then can't resist asking, "How did you know about me reminding Remi so much?"

The Fat Lady laughs. "I see a lot more than people realize. I like knowing what the Gryffindors are up to - it is my house after all."

Myr smiles. He'd have to remember that. "I bet you know more secrets than anyone else in the school."

She smiles knowingly. "That's for me to know. Now then, I believe I hear someone else coming."

Sure enough Petra Rosier, the Gryffindor head girl, turns the corner moments later. Myr stiffens awkwardly, not sure, as always, how to act around her.

He's never spoken to Petra himself, but he knows from whispers around the common room that she's the daughter of a Death Eater and rumor has it she was planning to take the mark herself before the fall of the Dark Lord. He isn't sure if it's true, but Petra is certainly an intimidating person so he opts for caution whenever she's around.

She smiles at the Fat Lady. "Good evening. I hope you had a nice day ma'am." She greets her politely before turning to Myr. "Forgot to check the password?" There's no mockery or disdain in the question, but Myr can only shrug awkwardly, still feeling rather pinned by the sharp gaze locked onto him.

Petra nods. "It happens. Try to avoid doing it more than once though, or I will take points." She then turns back to the Fat Lady. "Leonis." She speaks clearly, with an almost over exaggerated enunciation, and the Fat Lady swings forward.

The head girl gives him a smile before she clambers into the portrait hole, and a moment later Myr follows.

Petra has already vanished up the stairs to the girls' dorms when he gets into the common room, so he makes a mental note to thank her the next time he sees her. In the meantime he retires to his own room, dropping off his bag and picking up a whining Owen. The kitten is kept in the boys' room for most of the day, and is allowed in the common room when Myr or someone he trusts is around to keep an eye on the disastrous ball of fur.

He carries Owen downstairs and as soon as he's set down the kitten pounces on top of a game of chess being played by two third years - one of whom Myr knows.

Bill Weasley grins and scratches Owen between the ears. "Hey little guy. Did you want to play?"

"Ugh, I was winning! Dang it kid, control your cat!"

Bill laughs. "Have you ever tried telling a cat what to do Thomas? It doesn't work very well."

Owen has made himself quite comfortable on top of the board at this point, and with an annoyed grunt the other third year - Thomas - stands up and storms back up the stairs to the dorms.

Bill gestures for Myr to sit in the newly free seat. "Hey Myr, long time no talk. How have you been doing?"

Myr shrugs awkwardly as he settles into the chair. He hasn't really spoken that much with Charlie's older brother, so he's not quite sure how to react to his sudden interest. He distracts himself by petting Owen, who had quickly relocated to Myr's lap as soon as his owner had settled down.

Bill grins. "Hey, I don't bite. Charlie seems to like you, and I'd like to know the sort of people my little brother is associating with."

Myr smiles wryly down at Owen. "We aren't that close, his best friends are Aidan and Brandon."

Bill laughs. "Yeah, they call themselves the ABC club. Aidan's idea apparently. But I didn't ask about them. I'm serious, how are you doing Myr?"

Myr shrugs again. "Decently enough. Schoolwork is a slog but that's true for normal school as well so it's not exactly new. Honestly I'm looking forward to next year. I think things would be much more exciting if I had Quidditch practice to look forward to."

Bill laughs "You may regret that you said that when you've actually been through one of Laurel's training sessions. So you're planning to try out then? Charlie mentioned that you're an incredible flyer."

Myr can't help beaming, just a little. "Yeah well, flying seems to be a talent of mine. Coach Crowell says I'd make a fair beater so I've started working on flying one-handed recently. It's a lot harder than I'd expected but it's a lot of fun!"

Bill is smiling warmly, and Myr continues eagerly talking about everything he's been doing in flying class, including the now weekly races they hold. Charlie and Remi usually come in first but he's managed to edge them out a few times, which he's rather proud of as he's definitely not as fast as they are.

"Skill will always be more important than speed in a game like Quidditch. It doesn't matter how fast the broom is if the person flying it has no idea what they're doing." Bill nods. "It sounds like you'll be a real contender next year though, Laurel doesn't have anyone in mind for the new Beater after Smith graduates."

"Maybe she could come watch us sometime!" Myr suggests. He knows a lot of the first years are planning to try out, so it would be good for them as well to have an extra chance to impress the notoriously tough Quidditch Captain.

Bill nods thoughtfully. "That would actually be a good idea. Are you still on Tuesday afternoons right after lunch?" At Myr's nod he grins. "Great! I think she's free then. I'll bring it up at practice tonight - maybe she'll go easy on the one leg dead lifts if she's in a good mood."

Myr isn't sure what exactly Bill is talking about, but from the older boy's grimace he gets the feeling he won't enjoy it much either if he manages to make the team next year.

Owen chooses that moment to loudly declare his presence and demand attention, so Myr drops him onto the floor and lights the tip of his wand for Owen to bat at.

Bill laughs as the little black cat makes a particularly ambitious leap for the wand and manages to go flying past, do a full 360 flip in the air, bounce off the wall, and land on his back just in front of the fireplace.

"Does he do that often?" The third year asks with clear amusement.

Myr rolls his eyes fondly. "At least once a day. He's not the most coordinated cat in the world."

Owen takes no offense as he bounds back up and once again makes an attempt at the pinprick of light pulsating at the end of Myr's wand.

Bill has to excuse himself to study after a few minutes, and his seat is quickly taken by Holly, who Myr hadn't noticed had entered the room.

"Oh my gosh I will never get over how cute he is!" She squeals happily as Owen once again trips over his own paws and face plants into her leg. "You are so lucky Myr! I want a pet so badly."

He just grins and mutters the incantation to turn off his wand. He then picks up Owen and deposits him straight into Holly's lap. The kitten instantly calms down and curls up, snuggling happily into her robes.

She squeals again. "So. Cute!"

They're joined by Fiona and Evera about thirty minutes later and the girls fuss happily over Owen until it's time for dinner. Myr tells them to go on ahead as he gathers a thoroughly exhausted Owen into his arms and takes him back to the dorms.

The kitten snuggles happily into the sheets and Myr flicks off the lights as he exits and double-checks that the door is closed before heading down to the Great Hall.

He spots Remi heading up and he lets out a mental sigh of relief that he won't have to deal with having to sit with him during the meal.

He joins the girls, who had saved him a seat, and Drake at the table and they spend the meal discussing classes and the upcoming Easter holiday. They all try to convince Myr to spend the break at school but he repeatedly declines, having long ago made up his mind to spend the week at home.

The comfortable atmosphere continues until they reach their dorm, and Myr finds the door wide open.

His stomach drops, and sure enough, when he checks his bed, Owen is gone.

"Is that a cat on top of the Training Grounds Tower?"

Ana, and the rest of the Ravenclaws she's sure, have long learned to tune out Evie's endless whining during their Friday morning flying class. However, this particular comment gets some attention.

"A cat?" Jerry frowns and glances up towards the tower looming over the open area they use to practice flying. "Merlin's beard she's not kidding! There's a cat up there!"

Amelia shakily flies over as well, worry b in her eyes. "Is... is it safe for it up there?"

Ana scoffs. "It's a cat, they're incredibly agile. It's fine."

By this point the whole class has clustered around to see the cat on the Training Grounds Tower. It peers down at them through huge yellow eyes, as curious about them as they are of it.

"What is going on over here? Keep practicing your dives, there are cats all over this school." Coach Crowell flies over to break them up. "There's nothing special about this one."

"But what if it falls?" Amelia keeps glancing worriedly up at the cat.

Ana shakes her head. "It's fine Amelia, it's a cat. It won't-"

Naturally the cat picks that exact moment to trip over air and flop headfirst over the side of the tower.

Ana can only sigh as the unwieldy things flails around in the air, surprisingly unworried despite it's current predicament.

"It will surely land on its feet? Cats always do, right?" Shaun speaks up, a rarity for him, and Ana only shrugs.

"Cats usually don't trip over air either." She points out. "This seems to be a rather stupid cat."

Below them Evie is running to catch the falling fur ball, but Finnigan is faster. The lanky brunet swoops down from where he'd been hovering a few meters above them and grabs the cat out of midair. He cradles it close to his chest as he drifts in increasingly slower spirals back towards the ground, the rest of the class close behind him.

Evie grabs the tiny thing away from Finnigan as soon as they touch the ground, and while he frowns at her he doesn't verbally protest. "Oh you poor thing! You must have been terrified!"

The cat seems perfectly content however, and it wriggles in an attempt to get away. On closer inspection Ana realizes the black cat is actually a black kitten, with wide golden eyes and paws that are a touch too large for its body.

"Lovely, the cat is fine. Back in the air, all of you."

Evie perks up, and Coach Crowell quickly rephrases.

"All of you who didn't blow up a broom during their first lesson get back in the air. Evie do what you please so long as it doesn't interrupt my flying class or involve any of my brooms in any way, shape, or form no matter how tangential."

Evie sags, pouting heavily as the rest of the class takes off, but to Ana's surprise she actually turns to head back inside, carrying the still squirming cat with her. Ana spots Coach Crowell pulling Finnigan aside but doesn't think much about it and spends the rest of the period dutifully practicing her dives, pulling up several meters earlier than she's supposed to but preferring to risk a scolding than a broken nose.

When they get back inside they're met with a bright-eyed Evie, which is never a good sign in Ana's opinion.

"Guys we totally have to figure out whose cat this is!"

Immediately Finnigan walks away, and Ana thinks he has the right idea. But before she can turn away the kitten lets out a squeaking attempt at a mewl, and something inside her melts just a little bit.

Maybe this fur ball is worth dealing with Evie for a little bit.

"I'll help, but I'm holding him." She declares, and Evie lights up and eagerly passes the kitten over.

The cat blinks up at her, yawns, and settles happily in her arms.

Amelia smiles. "I think he likes you." It's the longest Ana has seen Amelia willingly spend time with a group of people. The cat really is a little miracle worker.

"I've got homework but keep me updated." Fitzwilliam looks highly apprehensive and he quickly vanishes down the hallway.

"He's allergic." Jerry offers. "Shaun and I will help you though! Right Shaun?"

Shaun shrugs, which is taken as agreement by his enthusiastic roommate.

"Alright then, I guess it's the five of us! The kitten rescue squad!"

Ana glances around. "Four. Amelia seems to have vanished."

And sure enough the mousey girl has at some point made her exit. Evie frowns.

"Oh, well, four then! Still good!" Her smile quickly returns and she grabs the boys by their arms and starts tugging them down the hallway. Neither looks thrilled with the situation but they have little choice but to follow. Ana trails close behind them, keeping one eye on the kitten in her arms.

"We should probably find him some food." She speaks up. "Who knows when the last time he ate was, and going all the way up to the Training Grounds Tower probably tired him out."

Evie grins over at her. "Awesome idea! Does anyone know where the kitchens are?"

"Somewhere on the ground floor on the opposite side of the castle from Potions." Shaun offers. Ana frowns.

"Okay, maybe scratch that idea then. I'm not going to be late because some irresponsible pet owner let their cat end up on top the Training Grounds Tower."

Evie looks disappointed by the change in plans. "Okay. Well, maybe one of the Gryffindors will know who it belongs to."

"Should we even take it to Potions tough? I mean, what if it knocks something over? Professor Snape told us on the first day that if we do things wrong we could get seriously hurt." Jerry frowns.

Shaun raises his hand. "I could lock him in our room for the hour."

Jerry shakes his head. "Fitz is allergic, remember?"

Evie rolls her eyes. "He's 'allergic' to everything. The guy is just over dramatic. Let's do it! Come on, with all four of us the door doesn't stand a chance."

Thankfully Evie's overenthusiastic prediction had been correct and they hurriedly drop the kitten off in the girls' room before running back down to the dungeons for Potions class.

They get to their seats only moments before Snape enters the classroom.

There's a sharp tension permeating the air around the Gryffindors, and Ana notices that they've switched partners, leaving Jerry, who's usual Gryffindor partner is sitting with a sour-faced blonde, stuck with the one Gryffindor without a partner.

Ana admittedly doesn't really pay attention to the other houses or their students, but even she knows Remi Longbottom, who's essentially the Evie of Gryffindor house. She almost feels bad for Jerry having to work with him - there hasn't yet been a Potions class that Remi and his partner didn't get into trouble with Snape for doing things incorrectly.

"Wonder what's got them so wound up? Gryffindors usually get along pretty well." Shaun observes curiously as they copy down the recipes Snape has written on the board.

Ana honestly doesn't care, so she doesn't reply and Shaun lapses back into silence.

As they file out of the classroom twenty minutes later, an argument that seems to be a continuation starts up between Remi and one of the other Gryffindor boys.

"Just admit you left the door open and help look! It's your fault in the first place!"

Remi rolls his eyes dramatically. "It's a cat Myr and I didn't do anything wrong. It'll show up when it wants to."

Ana can see Evie perk up out of the corner of her eye, and she knows the other girl is wondering the same thing she is. Unlike Ana though, Evie has zero tact and she bounds right up to the arguing boys.

"Is it a black kitten? Because we found one of those during our class this morning! It fell off the Training Grounds Tower!"

The boy that isn't Remi goes pale. "T-that sounds like Owen."

"He's fine. Finnigan caught him well before he hit the ground." Ana quickly intervenes before Evie gives the kid heart failure. "He's in our room right now, I can go get him if you like."

The boy nods in relief, and then glares at Remi again.

"The Training Grounds Tower. Owen nearly died and it's your fault." He snaps. Behind him several of the girls look just as furious, but Remi doesn't falter.

"Well he's fine so no harm no foul, and that's not even one of the taller towers in the castle! And again, I didn't do anything."

Ana just sighs and starts heading for Ravenclaw Tower to get the cat - Owen had the boy said? Good name.

Evie is close on her heels. "That was so much easier than I expected! Aren't you glad this worked out so well?"

Ana ignores her. Now that Owen's owner has been found she has no obligation to put up with her roommate's nattering.

A seventh year gets them into the common room (and Ana is quietly thankful for his presence as the riddle admittedly would have stumped her) and the two girls fetch Owen from their room.

He's made an absolute mess of the place, and Ana lets Evie have the honor of returning the kitten to his owner so she can reorganize her trunk.

She only just makes it to lunch, and she ends up grabbing a sandwich to eat on the way to Defense class.

After the cat-based excitement of the morning, the rest of the day seems rather bland. Herbology is spent reviewing puffapods and the rest of the afternoon is wiled away in the library working on essays.

Ana enjoys the monotony however. If every day was as high energy as that morning had been she would have no time to do homework or read.

The next day, however, is just as energetic. When Ana first wakes up to the sounds of excitement she's a bit disoriented. Then she remembers that it's Saturday.

Today is their Quidditch match against Gryffindor.

Groaning, she turns over and pulls a pillow over her head. As much as she actually doesn't mind watching the sport, her housemates all seem to collectively become stupid for the day whenever there's a match. Which in turn makes her own enthusiasm for it decrease.

Eventually she gives up on returning to sleep and gets up to see that Evie has already departed the room. She gets extra intense on game days, and Ana is once again thankful that Coach Crowell had the foresight to stop her from every actually playing. Ana is certain it would result in multiple hospital visits for members of both teams and probably some audience members as well. Nothing good ever comes from Evie being excited about things.

She dresses as slowly as she can and privately envies Amelia's ability to sleep through anything on the weekends. During the week the quiet girl is always up by seven, but on Saturday and Sunday she doesn't budge until at least ten.

Eventually Ana has to join the cacophony occurring in their common room and she takes a steadying breath before heading down the tower stairs.

The Quidditch team is at the center of the room, being encouraged and lectured by everyone at once. Ana spots Eric Hobbes lingering on the outskirts and looking rather overwhelmed by the noise and she makes her way over to him.

Since Halloween she's been seeing more of the prefect, and she's found in him a kindred soul of sorts. So she doesn't hesitate to tap him on the shoulder and tilt her head towards the door in a clear invitation.

He smiles and they head out of the tower together.

"Excited for the match?" He asks as they walk towards the Great Hall.

She shrugs. "I suppose, but Gryffindor has proven to be quite a tough team. They played incredibly for a team that was only just put together this year."

Eric nods idly. "Laurel is definitely something else." There's a hint of something that Ana can't quite place in his voice, but before she can ponder on it he continues. "Though given that Slytherin beat Gryffindor, and we beat Slytherin, we certainly have a fighting chance."

Ana scoffs. "That hardly matters. Slytherin flattened Hufflepuff, who, may I remind you, we lost to." She pauses. "I do hope we win though. That would move us up to first in the tournament and since the only other match remaining is Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff we'd be almost guaranteed the win since Slytherin would be in second. It would put us to first in the total points for the House Cup as well." They'd been struggling in the cup prior to Christmas Break, but the new year had seen an increased effort by every year to earn points, and even Evie had quieted down, lowering her point losses significantly. They now rank just below Slytherin, and a win for the Quidditch Cup could pull them over the edge into first.

Eric grins. "So pragmatic. I see why you were put in Ravenclaw."

Ana rolls her eyes. "Nonsense. I'm here because I asked to be."

He blinks, and then gives the faintest of smiles. "I sort of did as well actually. What are the chances?"

Ana laughs. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had to ask to make Ravenclaw. Being confident in your own love of knowledge is the key component of our house after all."

Eric hums. "One could make the same argument for any of the houses though. Personally, I'm of the opinion that the Hat puts you where he thinks you can become your best self."

Ana nods thoughtfully. "That certainly has some merit. I wonder if anyone has done any research on it before?"

The conversation continues easily through breakfast, and Ana is once again grateful that she'd sat beside Eric on her birthday all those months ago. He's easily one of the most bearable members of her house, which is both unfortunate and wonderful since she's quite sure he feels similarly about her.

When the time comes to head out to the Quidditch pitch, Ana follows the hoard. The game may lower the general IQ of the people around her, but it is still fun. She can admit that much.

"Two Galleons that Gryffindor wins." Eric grins as they settle into their seats. Ana is keeping a careful eye out for Evie, not wanting her roommate to try sitting next to her.

Ana raises an eyebrow and breaks away from her surveying of the crowd. "You'd bet against Ravenclaw?"

He shrugs. "I like living on the edge."

She just shakes her head. "Oh what the heck, sure. I'm going to be a good loyal Ravenclaw."

They don't talk much during the match. Ana has to admit that the Gryffindor team looks good. Their Seeker's turns have gotten sharper since the first match and the Keeper is much better at covering all the hoops.

It's still a very close game, and Ana finds herself holding her breath as the minutes tick by and the Seekers drift in circles, neither moving much but their gazes sharp. It's anyone's game and they know it.

Then there's a glint of gold and both Seekers are shooting for it, hands outstretched, neck in neck on the dive.

Ana leaves the field two Galleons poorer than she'd entered it. She wonders if betting against your own team might have some merit after all.

The start of April also sees the start of Easter break, and Franziska is glad when significantly more people decide to stay at school for the week. In fact, the only Hufflepuff first year who does go home is Kiera.

Naturally, Kiera's absence means that Dora starts spending more time with the rest of them which, while Franziska certainly doesn't mind, additionally means that the rest of them are pulled into the borderline dangerous shenanigans the two girls are often getting into.

It's a warm Wednesday afternoon when a small group of them find themselves traipsing uncomfortably close to the Forbidden Forest during what Dora is calling an "exploration" of the castle grounds.

"Maybe we should get closer to the castle." Franziska speaks up uncertainly. She's gone the full year without once getting in trouble or losing points for Hufflepuff, and she doesn't want to ruin that streak right at the end of the year.

Dora grins. "Don't be such a stick in the mud Frannie, it's all good fun! Hey Henry, I dare you to go into the woods!"

Franziska bites down hard on the inside of her cheek as the Muggleborn enthusiastically agrees and trots towards the edge of the forest. They're going to be in so much trouble if they're caught.

Henry vanishes into the underbrush for a long moment before bounding back out, grinning proudly.

"It's just trees as far as I can see." He reports. Next to Franziska, Leona looks rather disappointed.

Dora tilts her head. "Maybe you have to go further in to find the good stuff."

"Maybe we shouldn't do that. Dumbledore says it's dangerous." Franziska repeats tensely.

The other four just look at her, and she realizes she won't be getting any backup on this. She had hoped at least Aidan would agree with her - he's a model student when not with his Gryffindor friends after all. But apparently Dora is as bad of an influence on him as Charlie and Brandon are.

"Fine, kill yourselves if you like. I'm going back to the castle." Maybe she can find some of her friends from the other houses to spend time with. She hasn't really gotten to talk to Nabila or Fitzwilliam since Christmas break anyway.

The hallways are mostly empty as she arrives - a majority of the school is enjoying time outside or studying for finals in the library, but a few do linger around the hallways. She doesn't recognize anyone though, so she makes her way towards the owlery, thinking she might send her parents a letter.

She doesn't write often since international mail is quite expensive and Hogwarts doesn't have an international owl so the process of actually getting her mail to its destination is a bit more complicated than just popping up to the owlery, but she figures she has time. It is Easter break after all.

She hasn't written the letter just yet, but she needs to send one of the local owls out to Hogsmeade to request use of one of their international flyers. She scratches out a quick note using one of the windowsills and attaches it to a little owl who hoots indignantly at being woken up, but it ruffles out its feathers and takes off moments later.

If past experience is anything to go by, she knows to expect the international owl within the hour, so she hurries back to the dorms to start writing.

On her way, she runs into Donaghan departing the library. After narrowly avoiding a collision she pauses and smiles over at him.

"Heading to the dorms?" She asks. He nods and falls into step beside her.

"I'm writing a letter to my parents. I need to get it up to the owlery before the international owl arrives." She states in an attempt to explain why she's walking much faster than normal, though Donaghan hadn't asked.

He nods in understanding. "You're from Germany right? Must be quite a trip getting out here for school." He doesn't ask, but she can see in his eyes that he's curious as to why she's here and not at Durmstrang.

Donaghan has always been quite pleasant, so she doesn't see the harm in explaining. "Well my mom went here, and she always wanted to move back after... you know, the war... but her and Da's works never really gave them the opportunity. But when I turned eleven she wrote Headmaster Dumbledore asking if I might be able to attend anyway and he said yes. So here I am." She knows it isn't the full story, but her mother had never really given her a full answer as to why they were going to such lengths to send her to Hogwarts. "I don't mind though, I really do like it here. You should stay over Christmas some time, it's lovely seeing all the decorations."

He grins ruefully. "I think my mum would miss me too much, but maybe sixth or seventh year I could swing it. After Halloween I'd imagine it would be rather stunning though."

They've reached the dorms at this point, and after doing a quick scan to make sure no one from any other houses is around (there never is - no one comes this far down into the basement during the daytime) Franziska taps the barrel that lets them into the common room and crawls through.

She waves over her shoulder at Donaghan as she races straight to her room and grabs a blank parchment and sharp quill. She probably only has ten or so minutes to write the letter if she wants to get back up to the owlery on time, so she sits down and smooths out the edges on the desk that sits beside each of their beds.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Sorry I haven't written sooner, school has been quite hectic since the end of Christmas break. I've been doing quite well though! I got an E on my last Transfiguration assignment so I'm feeling much more confident about our end of term exams. Of course, there are still almost two months left but it all goes by so quickly it seems. I'm looking forward to coming home, but I admit I'll miss my friends. They can be a little irresponsible at times, but they're really wonderful people, I think you would like them.

Missing you dearly,

Franziska Lida

She performs a quick proof-reading spell that they had been working on in class, and then she rolls up the parchment and runs back through the common room, waving distractedly to Donaghan once again as she passes him.

She slows to a brisk walk once she's crawled through the barrel. She still doesn't fancy getting in trouble this close to the end of the year, and running in the halls is strictly prohibited. Which of course makes sense - if someone were running on a staircase when it started to move it wouldn't end well.

She gets back up to the owlery just as one of the large international owls lands, and she quickly fishes five Galleons from her purse to pay it and then attaches her letter to it's leg harness.

"Heinrich and Pannida Reinhardt, Dusseldorf, North Rein-Westphalia, Germany." She states, and the owl hoots loudly before launching back out the window.

"Thank you!" Franziska leans out after it. She knows her thanks probably don't matter, but she feels it's polite. After all, it is quite a long trip, even for such a large and powerful flyer.

The little owl she'd used to make the delivery request chirps at her in annoyance and she quickly deposits two Knuts in its sack.

She may ask her parents for an international flyer as an early birthday gift. Using the school owls will surely start to get expensive after a while.

She heads back downstairs and runs into the exploration group as they come back inside from their forest adventures.

"We survived!" Dora waves at her cheekily and Franziska can only sigh.

"And you weren't caught I hope? We're barely hanging onto third place for the House Cup right now, and really, I'd hate to be last place. That's just embarrassing."

Leona grins wickedly. "I think Gryffindor has safely secured that spot thanks to certain over enthusiastic first years."

Franziska shakes her head. "But if they win the Quidditch Cup then they get an additional fifty points. That puts them only six points behind us." She points out. "I'd just rather be safe than sorry."

Leon frowns. "Point Frannie. But do you think they'll win for sure? They'll need to beat us by over a hundred points to secure it away from Ravenclaw since their match was so close." She points out.

Dora looks disappointed. "Yeah but our team isn't that great this year. Frannie might actually have a point."

Leona makes a face. "I wish I was a better flyer sometimes. Then I could go make our team better."

Franziska smiles as she falls into step next to the small brunette. "But then who would be our new announcer?"

The group ends up returning to the common room and joining Donaghan in one of the clusters of couches that are scattered throughout it.

"Did you send your letter?" He asks as Franziska picks a seat directly across from him.

She nods happily. "Made it just in time. I think I might ask my parents if they could get me my own international flyer for next year to make it easier to communicate."

"Those things are expensive though." Dora remarks. "I wanted one this year but my parents said the cost wasn't worth it."

Franziska shrugs. "It can't hurt to ask anyway. I've spent a lot sending them letters already this year so i think they might consider it."

They continue chatting in the common room for hours, occasionally slipping into the realm of schoolwork but mostly chattering about Quidditch and summer plans. Franziska finds herself in multiple side conversations at once, and it only gets more convoluted when Jemma joins them after spending most of the day with her Gryffindor friends and demands detailed explanations of everyone's days.

They're still clumped together and chatting when they head for the dining hall later that night. There aren't any decorations for Easter, which disappoints Franziska, but the Hall is as cheery as ever and hey're joined by the rest of their year as they sit down.

"And where have you boys been all day?" Leona grins as Cian and Tyler join them. "I know Cian has been in his room being anti-social, because that's what he always does, but you, Tyler always have stories to share." She grins. "Dish."

Tyler grins. "Remi and I snuck down the potions lab to see if we could find any rare ingredients. It was locked though, and Snape nearly caught us which would have . Imagine getting detention with him during the holidays!"

The whole group shivers at the thought. It's a fate they wouldn't wish on anyone, and certainly not a housemate. Even if that housemate probably deserved it after everything he and Remi have gotten up to during the year.

"I swear, you two have lost more house points then even Charlie, Brandon, and me." Aidan remarks cheerily. "Which is impressive since I think we've actually done more than you guys have managed."

Tyler shrugs. "Don't let Remi hear that, he'd be devastated. Sees you three as rivals or something, especially Charlie."

Franziska perks up. "Oh, that's because they both want to be Gryffindor Seeker. Holly was telling me about it last week."

Holly Kiddell had successfully transferred into the Hufflepuff Flying class a week before Christmas break, and it was common for her and Franziska to drift along a meter above the ground, chatting casually for most of class. Coach Crowell had long since stopped dealing with the flyers who showed little passion or skill and was working only with the students who showed potential and an interest in the more complex maneuvers of flight.

Jemma shakes her head. "Evera and Drake are both insistent they'll be on the team as well. The whole Gryffindor class seems pretty Quidditch minded this year." She remarks. "I predict there will be a lot of disappointed people next year. Second years almost never make the school teams. They get reserve at best."

Tyler nods. "That's all I'm hoping for myself. The current Keeper doesn't graduate for another two years so I figure fourth year will be my time."

"The current Keeper ." Dora groans. "If you can out fly her you'll get on next year no question. This year was an embarrassment for Hufflepuff in Quidditch. Lola is the only one worth her salt out there."

"Captain Jones is a good Beater." Donaghan notes. "I think he's hindered by the fact Boyle is iffy at best."

They devolve into a debate about whether Beaters should be counted individually or as a pair when discussing their merits, and Franziska quietly finishes her lunch, happy to simply listen as she doesn't honestly know that much about the statistics of Quidditch and its players.

The rest of Easter passes smoothly, and Franziska bounces between her housemates as well as her other friends, sharing stories and studying for the rapidly approaching final exams. But despite the pressure of school, it's the most relaxed she's felt since Christmas.

She's going to miss this when its time to go home.