The ride back to school is quiet, as Ana ends up in a car by herself. She takes the time to finish the Grimm anthology and read ahead in most of her textbooks. She finds her mind wandering to her very first ride on the Hogwarts Express, and meeting Alasdair for the first time.

She wonders idly if she'd been sorted into Slytherin if he'd still be in the car with her today.

She shakes off the thoughts, as frankly they're not particularly useful. She's content in Ravenclaw and is even starting to make other friends. And she does still talk with Alasdair during the breaks, even if it's mostly during meals.

She's thankful to be distracted from her own musings as the train arrives at Hogsmeade station. She quickly replaces her books in her trunk before departing the train and heading for the carriages with the rest of the returning students.

"Ana! Hey, wait up!" Aidan hurries up to her from the crush of bodies, grinning broadly. "Wow you move fast. How was your break? I loved the gift by the way, my parents got a kick out of it too. I hope you enjoyed the Grimm tales?"

Ana smiles politely in return. "I did. I actually just finished the full anthology on the ride over, it's truly fascinating the things people can dream up."

Aidan perks up. "I was actually curious as to how many of the stories have roots in the magical world. Did you recognize any of them?"

Ana had figured as much - Aidan is the sort to try and learn something from every situation, even when the situation is supposed to simply be a Christmas gift.

"You would have been an excellent Ravenclaw." She observes dryly, and Aidan laughs.

"Maybe, but I wouldn't trade Hufflepuff for the world." He replies cheerfully. "So? Any links?"

Ana does indulge him, and they end up swapping childhood fairy tales for most of the short ride to Hogwarts.

Aidan splits off from her as they approach the Great Hall, calling cheerfully that he'd see her in Arithmancy the next morning. Ana nods noncommittally despite knowing that she will sit next to him in class. She doesn't know anyone else in the class after all.

She takes the open seat next to Sarah, who says a quick greeting before diving back into an ongoing debate with Hannah on what sounds like the viability of using shooting stars as predictive omens.

Ana, not being far enough into divination to fully understand the concepts being tossed between the two women turns instead across the table to where Eric is sitting awkwardly between Horace and Josie, who are resolutely ignoring each other.

Ana raises an eyebrow at the sight, but decides not to comment, not being nearly invested enough in Horace and Josie's relationship to care that it seems to be having trouble.

"Eric, you were raised as a Muggle." She says instead, and he gives a startled laugh before nodding.

"Yeah, why do you mention it?"

Ana is happy to find that Eric grew up with different fables than Aidan, as the latter had grown up mostly on Irish tales and Eric is from further inland. Eric also knows a bit more about how his childhood stories fit into actual wizarding history, and the two of them discuss the overlaps for the entirety of the return Feast, eventually roping Hannah and Sarah in as well, though Horace and Josie remain quiet.

Ana settles back into her bunk that night quite content. She and Amelia exchanged pleasantries when they first got in but Evie is apparently still ignoring her which is perfectly fine with Ana. She lets Dracula stretch his legs for a bit as she goes over her Arithmancy homework before heading to sleep.

The next morning she hurries to dress and get to the Great Hall, eager to see her midterm grades. While she's certain she's held her spot as top of her class, it's always rather nerve-wracking to wait for the confirmation.

Josie is already seated at the Ravenclaw table, and Ana uncertainly takes the spot across from the other girl.

"Good morning." She greets politely, and Josie smiles.

"Hey Ana." Josie grins wryly. "Never date in school."

Ana nods. "Wasn't planning to." She replies honestly. Then, reluctantly: "You and Horace not work out?"

Josie snorts. "Of course not. We never were going to, this was a temporary thing from the start and he knew that." She shakes her head. "I won't bore you and I don't much want to discuss it. Tell me about your break. I hear you've discovered the wonders of Muggle literature?"

Ana is happy to talk a bit more about the Grimm anthology, and Josie offers to let her borrow a copy of Hans Christian Anderson stories. Ana hasn't heard the name before but Josie assures her that it has a lot more links to magic culture than the Grimm tales do.

They're joined by the rest of the seventh year class shortly after, and after them comes Professor Flitwick with the midterm exam results.

Ana looks over her column of Os proudly as the seventh years compare results and either celebrate or groan at the amount of studying they'll have to do to pass their year-end NEWTs.

Sarah glances over at her sheet and grins. "Congrats on the perfect grades again Ana." She says, and Josie groans.

"You got all Os didn't you?" She whines pitifully. "You have to help me study for Transfiguration then, best friend code says so."

Ana tilts her head slightly as Sarah bursts out laughing, rather confused and assuming she's missing yet another inside joke. She chooses not to ask, instead focusing on finishing her meal and running arithmancy equations in her head.

Sliding back into the rhythm of classwork is quite easy for Ana and she soon finds herself in a steady routine of classes and studying, rotating between sitting alone in her corner of the library and occasionally working with Aidan or Amelia, who she's been speaking with more often.

Amelia is far from the top of the class, but she's happy to share notes taken during Care of Magical Creatures in exchange for Arithmancy help and Ana sees it as a fair enough trade. Aidan's notes on the subject are often unreadable so having a second set to study from is more than welcome.

Ana is surprised to find that once Amelia is done being shy she's actually pleasant company to keep around. She recognizes the need for silence during studying and doesn't feel a need to bother with small talk, two things Ana can appreciate in a person.

And so she finds herself unexpectedly making another friend her age, much to Hannah's excitement.

"I feel way better about graduating knowing you're not going to be alone next year." The chubby blonde admits one day when she and Ana are sharing an empty classroom to practice a few practical charms.

Ana sniffs. "You don't need to worry about me regardless." She points out, flicking her wand in hopes it will light up without the Lumos incantation being needed. She's been attempting more wordless magic in recent weeks and while she's had no success yet she's confident that she'll get there before the end of the year. "I'm top of the class and well on my way to graduating with honors and multiple OWLs and NEWTs. There's nothing to worry about."

Hannah frowns faintly. "Everyone needs friends Ana. Humans are social creatures after all." She points out, looking up from her wand. "You can't tell me first year didn't get a bit better after you met Eric?"

Ana hesitates, but concedes the point. "I'll admit things are more bearable with people around, but I still think with or without acquaintances in my year I would have been fine." She says briskly, and Hannah laughs softly and turns back to her charms.

"Alright then. Still, I'm glad you have other friends. Amelia seems like a sweet girl - possible Prefect material according to Sarah."

Ana doesn't react. "She can have Prefect if she likes, I honestly don't think having the title on my resumé would make up for having to break up couples after curfew for three years."

Hannah gives a proper laugh at that and lets the conversation drop.

Ana finds that most of her seventh year friends are happy with her increasing socialization, and while she still doesn't really understand why they'd been worried, she's glad that they aren't anymore. She even increases the amount of time she's spending with Aidan and Amelia just to prove a point.

Things get a little shaky when she tries to introduce the two however. Apparently putting Amelia's shyness has only dissapated with Ana, as she goes dead quiet when Aidan joins them on top of the Astronomy Tower one Friday afternoon.

Amelia's eyes widen when the Hufflepuff walks in, and she looks over at Ana with a mix of confusion, nerves, and betrayal warring in her eyes. Ana has always thought Amelia was a bit more expressive than she should be most of the time, but right now it's appreciated as Ana hadn't foreseen this reaction to inviting Aidan to study with them.

Aidan doesn't see the look, or perhaps he simply ignores it, as he sits next to Ana with a broad grin and pulls out his Arithmancy textbook. "Alright, this is really nice! I see why you girls study up here, it's quite peaceful."

Ana gives a vague reply, and Amelia says nothing, staring at her notes and fidgeting continuously.

Ana huffs irritably. They don't have time for this - she expects to get through most of the week's Arithmancy material in the next hour and that won't happen if Amelia is refusing to speak. "Amelia, this is Aidan, he's second in the class and I believe you should know him from Care of Magical Creatures as well. Aidan, this is Amelia, my roommate. She's apparently forgotten how to speak."

Aidan laughs slightly. "No worries, I get that." He smiles warmly at Amelia. "You're friends with Henry right?"

Amelia shrugs noncommittally, but at least she's responding. Ana takes the win and flips open her textbook.

"Alright, I wanted to go over Merlin's Proof, that was complicated and therefore almost certain to be on the final exam."

They go a bit over Ana's hour deadline, but they accomplish all that she had wanted to, and she excuses herself from the Tower once they're done, citing a tutoring session before leaving the two alone. Perhaps they'll become friends and she won't have to deal with being the middle man again next time she wants to study with them both.

Marcus Flint is waiting for her in the library, his head bowed awkwardly and his left foot kicking repeatedly against the table leg.

Ana shoots him a look that has his feet falling still as she sits down across from him, pulling out some quills and parchment and laying them out over the table.

"Alright Marcus, let's see your notes from this week."

As always the session is equivalent to smacking her head against a brick wall for two hours. She honestly wonders most days if the only reason Marcus is failing school is because he's decided to do so. Ana spends as much time trying to force him to attempt problems as she does actually helping him make those attempts.

Finally the session is over, and thankfully they have gotten somewhere today.

"Alright, there. You've shown improvement." She sighs. "I'll see you same time next week."

She watches her pupil leave and allows herself one frustrated sigh before pulling out her own work.

She's so focused on finding the right page in her Transfiguration textbook that she misses the person sitting next to her until he speaks.

"You should tell him about the Quidditch restrictions."

Ana is ashamed to admits she jumps. She quickly composes herself and turns to look at the newcomer. "Alasdair, good to see you." She greets dryly.

He nods at her distantly. "Quidditch. Marcus is really determined to make the team, but there are academic restrictions. You should look them up and tell him about them. Might encourage him to try a bit harder." He points out mildly.

Ana frowns. It's a good idea, but she's a bit confused as to what exactly Alasdair is doing sitting next to her in the middle of the library after months of ignoring her during school hours.

"I'll do that." She finally responds. "Thanks for telling me." She adds after a beat that's perhaps a hair longer than it should be.

Alasdair shrugs and stands. "You looked frustrated." He replies before heading to a different table, where he's greeted by a few confused Slytherins.

Ana stares after him for a long moment before packing up her things and making her way across the castle and out to the grounds.

She finds Coach Crowell in the broom shed, organizing things after a first year Flying class. She waits patiently for him to finish, clearing just before he turns so as to not startle him.

"What?" The old coach frowns at her, but she meets his eye with no nervousness.

"What are the academic restrictions on Quidditch?" She questions, and is almost amused by the surprise that momentarily flashes across his usually expressionless features.

He huffs. "What's it to you? I remember you, you're no player."

Ana tilts her head in acknowledgement. "I have no strong inclinations towards flying, no." She admits. "But my pupil does, and he's struggling in his classes. I wanted to know the academic requirements he'd need to fulfill to make the team next year, as a sort of motivation for him."

Coach Crowell eyes her critically before nodding. "He wouldn't be the first using Quidditch as the fire under his for schoolwork. Look, I'm not sure what or if there will be continued restrictions next year. I'm retiring and the new Coach can do as she pleases on that front. For me though, I require all classes be passed in order to be eligible for the team."

Ana is surprised at the rigidity of the requirements, but she's glad for them.

"Thank you for telling me. Hopefully my student will do better once he's made aware of this." She nods politely and then leaves the Coach to his organizing.

Hopefully this will be enough to get Marcus to start caring a bit more about his schoolwork. If she can manage that it will be at least one thing taken off of her ever growing list of responsibilities.

Watching Lenox play Quidditch is almost as good as doing it herself, Rajani thinks as she watches her friend sweep past the Hufflepuff Seeker to grab Slytherin's second crushing victory of the season.

She grins up at him as he waves the snitch towards the reserves bench, and she joins the team as they head back into the locker rooms afterwards.

"Great job guys!" Mayra looks absolutely breathless, her hair a tangled mess as she pulls it out of the ponytail she throws it into for games. "That's two for two and we're firmly in the lead for the Cup!"

Rajani tunes out as the Captain starts giving individual reviews and makes her way over to the women's section of the change room to get out of her uniform and back into her school robes. She's just finishing when the female players of the team enter, and Mayra gives her a warm smile as Rajani exits the lockers altogether.

"Great showing out there." Ed Poole greets her cheerfully. He's taken to waiting outside the lockers after every practice and walking her to dinner, something she's not adverse to. He always has interesting insights into the game and she's happy to walk and talk.

"I didn't do anything, but I appreciate the credit." She grins back cheekily, and he laughs, elbowing her lightly.

"Hush you. That friend of yours is an absolute beast on the broom though. I somehow forget between games given he doesn't do much during practices, but he completely out-flew Lola and she's not exactly unimpressive. I'd say the best play this game went to Mayra though, she's really going all out in her last year."

Rajani nods. "Well Slytherin hasn't gotten the Quidditch Cup since her first year on the team, right? It makes sense she'd want a win before she leaves."

Ed hums in agreement. "She doesn't need it though. Rumor says she got another offer, this one from Wimbourne. The Slytherin team's stats and success rate have nearly tripled since she became Captain - that speaks to people more than wins do. I say whichever team she picks, she's off reserves within the year. Can't bench skill like hers for long."

They discuss Quidditch for a few more minutes before Ed steers the conversation around to the upcoming Hogsmeade trip.

"You're going of course?" He prompts, and Rajani shrugs.

"Maybe. Queenie and Eugene are making a date of it of course, and I'm not sure Nia or Els want to go. Clary said she's going to try and go with another friend if she's available, and I'm pretty sure Finn is going with Cad and Alasdair and those two don't exactly like me at the moment. I might ask Lenox if he's going, but if he's not interested I'll probably stay in the castle." She answers honestly. "I don't fancy going alone."

Ed nods in understanding. "Well you can come with me and my friends if you like. We're not doing anything dramatic, just walking around a bit, but you're welcome to join."

Rajani doesn't formally know most of Ed's friends, but she's seen them around and knows they're decent people, if a little coarse for her usual taste. "I may take you up on that. Let me check with Clary and Lenox first though, I wouldn't want to intrude if I have other options."

Ed grins. "Cool. Well, I guess this is where I let you go join your friends." He bows at the entrance to the Great Hall, and Rajani stifles a laugh.

"You're ridiculous." She informs him primly. "I'll tell you soon about Hogsmeade." She adds as she walks towards where she can see Queenie and Eugene already starting in on their dinner.

Queenie flashes her a mischievous smile as she approaches, and Rajani knows immediately she's going to be grilled about her walk over with Ed.

"We're still just friends. He offered that I could hang out with his friend group this weekend if I didn't have anyone else to go to Hogsmeade with." She preemptively announces, and Queenie's grin drops fractionally.

"It's still an invite to Hogsmeade." She offers after a moment. "Though I do think there's someone who wouldn't mind you asking him to go!" She adds cheekily.

Rajani rolls her eyes. "I'm going to ask Lenox when he gets here, yes. Just as friends, I don't think I'm much ready for relationships right now. I'm barely getting through school without the extra distraction." She adds pointedly, and Queenie holds up her hands in surrender.

"Fine, but when your schedule clears up I demand double dates." She declares, and Rajani laughs and agrees, starting to pile food onto her plate, ignoring the slight twinge that comes from the suggestion that she'll have more time in the future - as if she'll have fewer classes to deal with.

She knows it wasn't intended that way, so she lets it pass.

The rest of the Quidditch team arrives not long after, and Rajani quickly waves Lenox over.

"Amazing job today! You made Hufflepuff look completely incompetent." Queenie raises her glass of water in a toast, which Eugene is quick to follow much to Rajani's amusement.

"You were awesome." She agrees with a grin over at Lenox, who smiles bashfully back. Her new charm - a Fanged Frisbee in honor of the prank war - lays heavy on her wrist and she rubs it lightly as Lenox sits next to her.

"Thanks. It was a team effort though, and I'd say Mayra was the MVP."

Rajani nods. "Ed agrees, but you really are a beast out there. I've heard Ravenclaw's Seeker isn't even planning to try, though considering how poorly they've been playing this year I'm not sure it would really make a difference." She adds as an afterthought.

Lenox frowns at the mention of Ed, as he always does. "Well I look forward to an easy final game then." He replies smoothly, and Rajani frowns slightly, unsure of what made his good cheer drop away.

So she moves on. "Any way I was wondering if you already had plans for Hogsmeade next weekend? I can't seem to find anyone willing to go with me but I think it would be rather boring to go alone." She smiles at him hopefully, and he flushes faintly.

"I, um, sure." He agrees quickly. "I didn't have any plans, so yeah, I could go with you."

"Great!" Queenie claps her hands together ecstatically, and then laughs awkwardly when the other three look at her in confusion. "I'm glad you found someone to go with Raj!" She quickly clarifies, but Rajani knows there's more to it, and she's determined to figure it out.

She doesn't get a chance to for a while though, as schoolwork is piling up and she's continuing to struggle to keep up. Queenie can only help so much, and even with the rest of their classmates pitching in as well Rajani is slowly starting to accept that she may have to figure out how to tell her parents that she's dropping a class.

Her saving grace comes in a very unexpected form when Ed drops onto the couch next to her on a quiet Wednesday afternoon and scares her half to death, causing her to scatter her notes across the common room floor.

"So hey, Hogsmeade?" He prompts with the biggest -eating grin Rajani has ever seen. She throws some of her notes at his face in response.

"Help me pick these up." She instructs briskly, and he laughs but complies. Once everything is reorganized he tilts his head and sits on the couch again.

"So. Hogsmeade?"

She shakes her head. "Lenox and I are going, and I think Clary is coming too. Didn't work out with her other friend."

Ed shrugs. "Well alright. Maybe next time then, I require more pranking assistance and my friends are going to be my next targets so I can't exactly get them to help."

Now Rajani's interest is piqued. "Well you should have said that before. I can talk to Els for you if you want, she's a big fan of pranks."

Ed is already shaking his head. "She only targets other Houses, didn't you notice?" And Rajani hadn't but now that it's been pointed out she realizes he's correct.

"Huh, and here I thought she hated us." She jokes lightly. "Well, next trip then, I promise. For now I have to study - Ancient Runes is kicking my rear."

"You need to swear more, and also your note system is crap for studying in that class." Ed informs her, flipping over so his head is hanging off the side of the couch, and Rajani can't help laughing this time.

"You are ridiculous." She grins, and he smiles in return.

"So you've said. You still seem to enjoy my company though, so really that says more about you." He teases and she rolls her eyes, feeling her cheeks heating slightly but ignoring that in favor of responding to the second half of his sentence.

"So what did you mean about my notes?"

Ed turns out to have some surprisingly helpful advice on how to organize her notes for her trouble class - something she would never have considered as her process works perfectly for the rest of school. However, she does note a marked improvement in her class work even in the next couple days, and so when she and Lenox head for Hogsmeade she's determined to get Ed something to say thank you.

She just has no clue what would be appropriate. What sort of gift says 'thanks for helping me not completely disappoint my parents by being the first Misra in generations to fail a class'?

She muses on this as she and Lenox follow the crowd of students walking to Hogsmeade.

For his part Lenox isn't very helpful with her predicament. He notes that it's really Ed's job to help out the younger students so Rajani doesn't have to get him anything.

He's right of course, but Ed has been a friend since before he'd become prefect and Rajani thinks that she ought to treat him as such. And she hadn't gotten him a Christmas gift, so she feels she owes him for that as well.

So when they reach Hogsmeade she keeps an eye out for anything that might fit the bill.

It's a fun trip overall. She and Lenox get lunch at the Three Broomsticks and waste nearly all of their allowances on goodies from Honeydukes. She also purchases a few trick wands from Zonko's for Ed, carefully not mentioning this to Lenox as they check out.

"I admit I don't fully understand the appeal of pranks." He observes as they head back towards the castle, scarves pulled tight against the light wind that's picked up over the course of the afternoon. "They seem rather juvenile and unnecessary to me."

Rajani shrugs. "They can be fun among friends. The prank war was a bit much, I can admit to that." She smiles at the memory of the chaotic month at the start of the school year, thankful that her scarf is hiding it. "But as long as everyone is laughing, pranks are rather enjoyable. A good way to let off steam."

Lenox hums. "I suppose so, though that would mean labeling last year's war as having anything to do with pranks incorrect, wouldn't it? Very few of the targets found the pranks to be amusing."

Rajani tilts her head in acknowledgement. She'd had plenty of fun of course, but by her own definition Lenox isn't wrong.

"Regardless, I doubt anything like that could happen again any time soon. The teachers are more than prepared for it now, especially knowing how far some people are willing to go."

"It's something to mark the year by anyway." Lenox states, and Rajani laughs and twists her left hand, attempting to reach her bracelet and its new charm despite knowing her fingers aren't long enough to make contact. "Next year will have a hard time topping that."

Rajani nods. "True enough. Though I'd imagine some of the first years could have done without something so... exciting just at the start of the year. Imagine if our first year had been so hectic?"

Lenox shakes his head. "I believe I wouldn't have enjoyed my time here half so much personally." He responds distastefully.

Rajani nods. "I think I'm inclined to agree with you there. First year was quite overwhelming enough without the added stress the prank war would have brought on. Especially as first years don't know enough magic to really get involved."

"As you did?" Lenox responds wryly, and Rajani shrugs, unrepentant.

"It was only fair really. And as they say, if you can't beat them, join them."

Lenox raises an eyebrow. "Who says that? I've certainly never heard the saying."

Rajani frowns and thinks for a moment. "I believe Ed said it when he and Els were convincing me to help them with the wet fur prank." She concludes after a moment. "It must be a Muggle saying then. He is half-blood after all, I'd imagine he knows something about Muggle culture."

Though she still can't see his full face, Rajani can tell Lenox is frowning from the way his forehead creases. "Perhaps, but I'm half-blood as well." He points out. "And I've never heard of it."

"You were raised magical though." Rajani counters lightly, not wanting to argue. "Ed says his mother is a Muggleborn and they spend holidays with her family. He'd naturally have more exposure."

Lenox doesn't reply, so Rajani considers the topic closed. "Anyway, speaking of Muggles, how are you doing on the essay for next week? I'm stuck at ten inches and Professor Quirrel wants a foot. I'm just not sure how much there really is to say about football."

It does the trick, and the two keep up a steady conversation about school for the rest of the walk back. They're sitting in the common room, comparing Muggle Study essays, when the rest of their friends return from the trip.

"Hey! You came back early." Queenie observes as she falls onto the couch next to Rajani. Eugene quickly sits beside his fiancée, his cheeks still red from the winter air. "Is that the Muggle Study essay? Mind is nearly two feet, do you think Professor Quirrel will mind? I did some extra reading in the library, Muggle sports are really quite odd don't you think?"

Rajani recognizes that her friend is on a post-date high, meaning the day went well. She smiles softly and lets Queenie ramble, sharing and amused look with Lenox as she does.

They finish their essays - Queenie adds another three inches to hers and her handwriting is just as small and neat as Rajani's is and really Raj doesn't know how her friend does it - and spend dinner with the rest of their classmates, minus Cadfael and Alasdair who sit on the other end of the table, like always.

All in all, despite how exhausting life has become, Rajani thinks the day has been a pretty good one, all things considered.

They win against Ravenclaw, and thank goodness for that or Myr thinks Laurel might actually have changed the team lineup right at the end of the season.

It's a closer game than any of them would have liked, though, and Laurel gives them a pretty brutal dressing down afterwards before letting them hit the showers. Even Remi stays quiet this time, for once reading the mood and responding properly.

It's not exactly the best atmosphere for Myr's last night in the castle before heading home for Easter, but at least it is a win. He can't imagine how much worse things would be if they'd lost.

Normally he's rather excited around this time of year, packing up his things and hunting for Owen around the castle to head home for an entire week. But this year there's some trepidation mixed into his excitement. He knows that he has to talk to his mother and Uncle about getting a new wand over the summer.

He hadn't said anything over the winter break, telling himself he'd wait to see what his midterm grades looked like before doing anything as expensive as ask for a new wand. It was a flimsy excuse but it meant the three weeks spent back home were less daunting.

Now that his grades are back - and bordering on failure - he knows he has to confront the problem head on. Not that knowing is going to make it any easier.

Holly is as ever a huge advocate, and he's subjected to several dissertations on the usefulness of a properly selected wand and is even given a few suggestions for which ones to try first when he gets his new wand over the summer. Holly is a big fan of Willow or Larch wood as his 'best match', though she also says he could be a Hazel. Myr doesn't understand most of it, but he smiles and nods anyway. She is giving him a discount after all - it's the least he can do.

Laurel has offered some more solid advice on the matter, as has Willow who cornered him in a hallway two days before Easter break began and handed him a list of reasons he needs to be present when selecting a wand.

The list, he thinks, is the most useful item he has at the moment, as it puts things in terms even his Muggle mother will understand. He once again regrets thinking that Willow was the stuck up Kiddell sibling for two years.

The train ride home is tense and quiet, as he's still one of the only students to actually go home during the break. He takes the time to go over Willow's list and attempt to study, though he gives up on that endeavor rather quickly, too nervous to properly focus on his notes.

Ultimately he just lets Owen out of his carrier and plays with him for the majority of the ride. His mother is meeting him at King's Cross for a change, as Cadi is checking out a few Universities in the city and they've decided to take the holiday to explore London.

Cadi is with Aster when Myr arrives, and she instantly launches into a rant about LSE - the school she'd visited that day - and how amazing it is.

Aster laughs brightly. "I think Cadi has found her dream school." She tells Myr with a smile. "She may be the one picking you up from school in the future, especially if she lives off campus."

Myr thinks that actually sounds like fun - crashing with his sister for a few days before going home. Plus the city is quite nice, when it's not raining.

Cadi eventually finishes reciting her love letter to LSE and asks Myr how his schooling is going. He responds by making a face that has Cadi laughing and his mother looking concerned.

Myr smiles reassuringly at his mother. "It's fine, my grades are just not where I'd like them to be." He explains quickly. "I actually wanted to talk to both you and Uncle Cyril about it though. Is he going to be around this week?" A small part of him hopes the answer is no, but he knows that he'd rather have the conversation now rather than have to put it off again until the summer.

To his (mild) relief, his mother nods. "He's going to be down sometime tomorrow afternoon, depending on the trains. Are you sure there's nothing I can help with in the meantime?"

Myr shakes his head. "Honestly I just want to relax and not think about school for a while. The season has been rough and classes have been hard - can we just go to museums and eat some proper fish and chips? Goodness knows they don't make them very well at school."

Cadi laughs again, and Myr is quite pleased to see her so upbeat. He hadn't gotten to speak with her much during the winter holidays, as she'd been with her boyfriend Dylan for a lot of them, and when she had been around she'd been rather moody.

The family of three takes dinner at a small pub and Cadi happily fills Myr in on her senior project, which she'll be formally starting over the summer but she's already planned out almost entirely. Myr is happy to sit and listen quietly, not completely understanding everything Cadi is saying but he's happy to see her so enthused.

Aster however wants to hear from her youngest. "So Myr, you mentioned the season is going poorly?" She prompts gently, and Myr mentally sighs, knowing he'll have to talk if he wants his mom to not pry later.

"Yeah, Laurel knew going in that this year's team was going to be weaker, but knowing something and actually experiencing it are two pretty different things." He shrugs. "We've lost one, won one, but the loss was to Mayra's team - I've mentioned her, she and Laurel have a pretty heated rivalry on the field." He's careful to keep his terminology vague so that if anyone overhears them they could mistakenly think they're talking about football instead. "I'm glad I'm on the team this year though. Laurel is graduating and I'm learning a lot from her. I doubt whoever takes her place is going to be half as good, no offense to the current reserves team." He has a pretty good idea who the new Beater will be, and as much as he enjoys playing with Fiona she's definitely not Laurel.

"Well you've got what, four more years on the team? It's bound to improve in that time." His mother smiles sympathetically.

Myr shrugs. "I could be switched out if someone better comes along in the future." He points out. "And a lot of the older students drop out to focus on school in fifth and seventh year, since those are the major exam years. If my grades don't improve I'll probably be doing that as well."

Aster frowns but doesn't comment. Cadi isn't quite as tactful.

"That's the second time you've mentioned your grades. What exactly is the problem? You were telling us over Christmas that some of the older kids are even helping you study. Is the material that complicated?"

Myr hesitates, glancing around at the other customers. "Can I tell you later? It's... complicated." Complicated to talk about without blatantly breaking the Statute of Secrecy anyway. "And it kind of concerns Uncle Cyril so I'd like him to be around as well."

Aster's frown deepens but she nods. "Fair enough. So tell me dear, how are your friends doing?"

Myr is only too happy to change the topic to Holly's continued futile quest to get Charlie to go on a date with her.

"I honestly think she sees it as a challenge at this point. She always arranges to hang out with some of the Hufflepuff girls before even asking most of the time so it's not like she's expecting him to even say yes."

Cadi snorts. "Sounds like Holly. What about you little brother, no lady in your life?"

Myr flushes. "No! No way, dating is weird and I'm totally with Charlie on this." He says, making a face.

Both Cadi and Aster laugh. "You do realize," His sister giggles. "I'll be reminding you of this moment when you bring a girl home, right?"

Myr glares at her petulantly, but reluctantly grins after a moment. "Yeah, I know. I'll just have to hope you don't scare her off then."

They retire to their hotel not long after, skipping desert in favor of sleep. Myr isn't sure how sitting on a train for seven hours is as exhausting as it is, but he's firmly passed out only minutes after falling into bed.

He wakes up to Owen nosing at his ear, demanding belly rubs. Myr sleepily oblidges him, and then reluctantly gets out of bed and snags a random pair of jeans and shirt out of his trunk, slinking to the bathroom and changing quickly.

Probably too quickly for his still waking brain as he manages to smack his hip rather hard again the bathroom sink when he overbalances trying to pull on his jeans.

Mumbling a few choice swears under his breath - learned courtesy of Cassidy - he finishes changes and exits the bathroom, rubbing gently at his probably-bruising side.

His mother and sister wake up not long after that, and once they've gone through their morning routines the three of them grab breakfast in the hotel's attached restaurant and then head out into the city for some sight seeing. It's just after two when they return to the hotel and find Uncle Cyril has arrived.

Myr feels something catch in his throat as he realizes that he'll have to talk about the wand situation sooner rather than later now, especially gives how worried his mother had been the night before.

However, Aster doesn't press immediately, instead dropping off their leftovers from lunch in the hotel room and bustling them all back out to go look at one of the castles.

Myr has a hard time enjoying the rest of the day though, and he knows that his family has noticed. Finally, just after dinner, they return to the hotel room and Aster sits him down on the beds.

"Alright Myr, I know something is bothering you and you wanted to wait until your Uncle was here." Aster smiles gently, and Myr takes in an uncertain breath, wondering how exactly to start.

Finally, he leans over and rummages through his chest until he finds his wand. Placing it on his lap, he takes another breath before starting to speak.

"My grades have never been great, and my magic is pretty weak. That's something I've known since I started at Hogwarts. After all, if I had impressive magic, someone should have noticed before I turned eleven, right?" He doesn't look up, but he can see his Uncle shift out of the corner of his eye. He ignores it and continues.

"But this year... this year it's pretty bad. I can barely keep up and even when I'm doing the spell perfectly it doesn't always work. I failed a couple of my midterm exams." He in another breath and clenches a fist around his wand. "Holly... has a theory. One a lot of people agree with, or I wouldn't bring it up. But she says that I should have been present when Uncle Cyril picked out my wand. The wand chooses the wizard. And, well," He finally holds up the Chestnut wand. "This one didn't pick me. It's possible I'd be better at magic if I got a different wand - one that's actually mine."

He very quickly continues before either of the adults can say anything. "I know wands are super expensive, and I'm sorry this one turned out to be a waste but I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't really think it was a good idea-"

Aster cuts him off with a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looks up to find her smile is equally soft.

"If you need a new wand Myr, we'll get you one." She promises. "Your education always comes first, you know that."

Myr smiles shakily back. "Holly says if I visit the Kiddell shop between noon and one this summer she can give me a discount." He offers, and Cadi coughs to get their attention.

"He can come down with me." She offers. "Two birds with one stone; I have to be back for uni stuff anyway."

Myr is so relieved that things have gone over so well that he nearly forgets that his Uncle hasn't said anything yet. Then he remembers and the knot in his stomach returns.

"Um, Uncle Cyril? I know you probably spent a lot on the wand and I really do appreciate it-" He starts, but his Uncle holds up a hand and looks over at Aster and Cadi.

"Could you ladies give us a minute." It's phrased as a question, but Myr can tell his Uncle isn't really asking.

Cadi frowns in confusion but Aster seems to understand something that isn't being said, and she guides Cadi out of the room, leaving Cyril and Myr alone.

Cyril lets out a low breath. "I was hoping... well, I guess it was a silly thing to hope really." He looks up at Myr then, and Myr has never seen his Uncle look as haggard as he does in that moment. "I didn't buy the wand."

Myr looks down at the stick still clenched in his fist. "You didn't...?" He turns it over in his hands. It seems to be professionally crafted, but it's not like he knows that much about the processes so maybe his Uncle has even more secret talents Myr didn't know about.

Or maybe he's being purposefully dense in the hopes that the obvious conclusion isn't the right one.

Cyril is shaking his head. "It was your father's."

Well. There goes that hope.

Myr stares at the wand in his hands, feeling at once like his emotions are going into overdrive and being completely drained out of him.

Uncle Cyril shifts uncertainly after what must be several minutes of silence, though Myr's having a hard time noticing the world around him through the ringing in his ears. And why is this affecting him so much? It's a second-hand wand. A wand that had belonged to the man who had lied to his wife and walked out on his two young kids to fight in a war none of them knew about. Died in a war none of them knew about.

Why should it affect him?

He finally looks up. "Oh. Well that explains it then." His voice sounds hollow. His chest feels hollow. But why should it affect him? It doesnt' affect him. "We should probably go catch up with mom and Cadi. I'll get a new wand over the summer. Should fix things up, right?"

Uncle Cyril looks pained as Myr carelessly drops the wand into his trunk and kicks the whole thing under the bed.

It shouldn't affect him. So he gets up and walks out the door and pretends that it doesn't.

Maybe if he pretends long enough it will be true.

There's an awkward stretch of time between the end of Easter break and the start of final exams where studying too much means you'll probably burn out before exams start, but the shiny newness of the year has more than worn out it's welcome.

Needless to say, Franziska is often quite bored during the end of April, as is most of the school from what she can tell.

Unsurprisingly then, there are more Hogsmeade weekends scheduled in the early days of spring, and while the ground is still wet and muddy from the slowly melting snow most every student able to go is in the village from mid morning until supper time, Franziska among them.

She of course always goes with Brandon, but the outings now are no longer one-on-one and often include Brandon, Aidan, Holly, and some mix of Franziska's friends as well, depending on what they're doing.

The first weekend in May sees the group, this round including Leona and Henry as Franziska's tag-alongs, heading out to the village the second they've all finished with their breakfasts, eager to get out of the castle.

"Coach Crowell says the new coach will be choosing the announcer next year." Leona is saying mournfully to Brandon and Charlie, the only two people present who haven't already heard her bemoan the failure of her 'bribe Coach Crowell into letting me be the new Quidditch announcer' plan due to the Coach's impending retirement.

Charlie pats her shoulder supportively. "I'm sure you'll still get the job Leona. What's your competition?"

"It can't be that  much, I think most people want to be in the stands." Brandon observes. "I certainly would be."

Leon sticks her tongue out at him. "I don't know who the competition is, that's the problem. What happens if another Slytherin gets the job? We'll be subjected to at least another year of horrid announcing and bias towards the worst team."

"Worst team is winning this year." Charlie says flatly, clearly frustrated with the truth of that statement. "If Slytherin gets both Cups this year I'm rioting."

Gryffindor's final match against Hufflepuff is coming up, but even with a win they'll be third overall thanks to Hufflepuff's crushing defeat of Ravenclaw the previous fall, and Franziska has noticed that all the Gryffindor Quidditch players have been taking it rather hard.

"Isn't calling them the worst team being biased yourself Leona?" She points out with a small smile, and Brandon laughs.

Holly giggles as well, though when she whispers something to Charlie with a pointed look at Brandon, Franziska thinks she may be amused by something other than her comment.

Leona sticks out her tongue. "Oh I'd never say that when announcing, obviously. Unlike the current announcer. Really, what Coach was thinking picking him." She shakes her head.

Henry pats her shoulder comfortingly. "No way anyone other than you gets that job, you want it way more than anyone else." He smiles encouragingly.

That sets Leona off on another rant about the importance of good announcing, and Franziska is just glad that she missed the subtle insult Henry had slipped into his sentence. She's never sure if he intentionally does it or if it's more of a habit he can't quite shake, but a lot of Henry's attempts at comfort are backhanded in some way.

Brandon had picked up on it though, and he slides a bit closer to Franziska, snagging her hand and leaning in. "Did he just imply she's too excited about what's really just a silly job?"

Franziska giggles. "I don't think he meant to, but yeah it kind of sounded like that, didn't it?" She whispers back with a grin, letting him keep a hold of her hand. They still haven't quite labelled whatever it is they're doing, but it's starting to feel pretty official and hand-holding is part of being official after all.

She's just glad they're doing this on a trip when Tonks has detention and Kiera is spending the day with Evie from Ravenclaw. Franziska isn't exactly sure when the two girls had become friends, but Evie's destructiveness has declined ever so slightly since it started so she's not exactly going to complain.

She does know that if she'd allowed the hand-holding when the two girls were around, she'd never hear the end of it. Leona will probably have a few choice words herself once she notices, but she's still caught up ranting to Henry, who's stopped really listening and is looking around at the scenery.

Charlie and Holly have also made themselves conspicuously scarce, dragging Aidan into a conversation about school so that she and Brandon are left mostly alone for the rest of the walk.

"So how's your week going? I hear Remi nearly blew up another cauldron in Potions." She offers after a minute of just quietly enjoying each other's company.

Brandon groans. "Of all the things to ask. Yeah, thankfully it was only a nearly this time. And he wasn't my partner. And Snape only gave him detention instead of the entire class."

Franziska can't help but giggle at Brandon's distress. "Sorry, sorry. It's just what I'd heard from Fitz in Charms yesterday so it's what came to mind. Any less destructive happenings I don't know about?"

Brandon grimaces slightly when Franziska mentions her Ravenclaw friend, which she finds odd given that Fitzwilliam is Brandon's friend as well and they'd gotten on just fine during Winter Break. But she doesn't push and the expression is gone so quickly she's not quite sure she didn't just imagine it.

Brandon thinks for a moment, and then perks up. "Actually, there was a pretty funny incident in Care of Magical Creatures yesterday! I'm kind of surprised you didn't hear about it, some of the other teachers got pretty mad at Professor Kettleburn for endangering students." He grins at Franziska's concerned look. "Overreactions, I promise. So we were working with fire crabs this week-"

Franziska listens raptly as Brandon spins the tale of the escaped fire crab rampaging around the hollow where Care of Magical Creatures is held. Thankfully the thing didn't set anything or anyone on fire, but the ultimately had to get Hagrid to come in and catch the creature before it actually did some damage.

Charlie has inched closer as the story has gone on, and as they reach Hogsmeade he pipes up with his own two cents on the matter.

"Everyone is talking about child endangerment but I mean really, what did they expect? I personally think a fire crab is no more dangerous than learning how to make poisons in potions, or hexes in charms." He points out loftily, and Brandon laughs.

"Yeah but if you screw those up that's your fault - no blame can go to the school."

Franziska tilts her head in alarm. "That is a good point though. Everything we do here is pretty dangerous."

"Which is why they need to take off the kid gloves for everything, not just certain classes or teachers." Brandon nods sagely. "If you treat people like delicate glassware then of course someone will get hurt."

Franziska frowns. "I suppose. Though considering our class's penchant for rule-breaking I sort of get if they're being extra cautious about us." She replies wryly, and Brandon ducks his head slightly.

"Okay, fair point."

Charlie and Holly exchange a glace at this and both grin broadly. Franziska practicedly ignores them and lets go of Brandon's hand so she can turn properly to talk to Leona, who's still bombarding Henry with facts and statistics of the fine art of announcing.

"So hey, anyone have anywhere specific they'd like to go first?" She asks, raising her voice slightly so Leona can hear her as well.

Charlie immediately nods. "Aidan and I are hitting Zonko's. Brandon, you're welcome to come but I know you might have other plans." He grins teasingly and Brandon rolls his eyes.

Franziska laughs. "Okay then. I wanted to go check out the Shrieking Shack actually. We haven't been down there yet." She nudges Brandon lightly, and he perks up immediately.

"Heck yeah! You two are on your own, creepy haunted shack wins."

Franziska giggles again. "Henry, Leona, Holly? What do you guys want to do?"

"I'm going to Honeydukes Sweet Shop." Henry replies. "But I can go any time, so I wouldn't mind seeing the shack again. It's pretty creepy."

"I'm going to Zonko's with the guys." Holly says firmly, and Franziska sees Charlie shaking his head behind her.

Leona shrugs. "I guess I'll go look at the shack with you guys then." She decides. "Meet back here in an hour?"

Everyone agrees and they split up.

Leona hops ahead of their group, grinning and walking backwards as they make their way across town to where the Shrieking Shack is located.

"So do you all know the story of the Shack?" She asks, purposefully putting on her creepiest voice.

Henry grins. "I've heard it, but I'd love to hear your version."

Leona sticks her tongue out at him before promptly launching into the fable that Franziska is sure she picked up from one of the Prefects.

"For decades the old shack on the edge of Hogsmeade had sat empty, falling into disrepair and neglect even as the town around it thrived. For decades it sat silent, watching," Leona grins wickedly. "Perhaps even waiting?"

Charlie groans and rolls his eyes but Holly elbows him and he falls silent. Leona doesn't spare him a glance.

"Then one night, in nineteen seventy one,"

"Wait, really? I was almost alive by then." Brandon interrupts in surprise. Franziska nudges him pointedly and he grins sheepishly over at her. "Sorry."

Leona turns her creepy smile onto them. "Oh yes, this isn't some tale from centuries past. This takes place in our century." She says lowly, her eyes gleaming. "Which means that even though the Shack has stood silent in recent years, it could very well awaken again at any moment."

Now she has everyone's attention, and she soaks it in for a moment before continuing.

"As I was saying, one night in nineteen seventy one, a young man was walking home. He walked the same path every night, passing the old shed with no notice, and expected this night to be just the same. But as he passed in front of the shack, it emitted a scream from within, so loud and agonizing the man swears it rattled in his bones." She leans forward. "He raced home, the sounds following him all the way there. The next morning, every person in the town shared their stories of the shack. All had heard it's cries. Finally, one woman stood up and bravely made her way into the shack." She pauses for effect, grinning wickedly at each of her friends.

"What she found inside was horrific. Blood covered the floors and the walls. Scratch marks marred every corner. But the worst part?" She leans closer still, somehow managing to keep her footing as they walk. "There were bones. Scattered all along the floor, some still hosting torn fragment of flesh."

"Ew." Franziska can't help muttering, her stomach turning at the image.

"The woman ran back to tell the other villagers what she'd seen. But when a group went back they found the place completely clean. No blood, no scratches, no bones." She leans back. "But every once in a while, the townsfolk would hear the screams again. To this day no one knows what causes it. Only the bravest of souls dare venture close for fear of the specter that surely haunts its halls. And if you listen at night, you can still sometimes hear that terrible screaming."

"Well that sounds like a fairy tale." Henry squeaks out after a long moment. "And also is different than what I heard."

Leona scoffs. "Is not, I just told it better. That's the bonified true story. And anyway, I hear that Dumbledore himself says it's real so how about that?"

Franziska leaves them to their bickering as she and Brandon walk up to the fence blocking off the path up to the Shrieking Shack. Leona had perfectly timed her story, so it had ended just as the group had arrived.

"So what do you think? Haunted shack or nah?" Brandon looks over at her with a grin, and Franziska shrugs.

"I mean, if Dumbledore believes it maybe. But it does all seem a bit dramatic."

Brandon laughs. "Bet I could get inside. See some of those bones." He laughs at her grossed out expression. "Okay, sorry, too far. I'll stay out here. Still, kind of cool to be so close to one of the Wizarding world's biggest mysteries."

Franziska tilts her head. "Is it really? Maybe one of England's." She concedes. "But I'd never heard of it until now. I suppose I can ask my parents when I go home."

Brandon nods. "No way they haven't heard of it. So you wanna go to Honeydukes now?"

She grins and the drag the still quarreling Leona and Henry back into town.

All in all, it's a fun day out, and Franziska is rather disappointed when the sun starts to drop and the prefects present begin telling the students still lingering around town to start heading back to the castle.

"Well I'm happy." Charlie grins, hoisting his bag of tricks up over his head.

"Filch will have confiscated them all by next week, guaranteed." Holly whispers to Franziska, and both girls giggle as Brandon eagerly looks over Aidan and Charlie's purchases.

"Most likely." Franziska agrees easily. "But they're so excited, I can't take that away from them."

Holly grins knowingly. "So you still insisting there's no label for you and Brandon? You've been going on dates since the start of the school year."

Franziska shrugs. "We haven't talked about it." She says honestly. "I'm happy with how things are now, but I suppose with the end of school coming up we probably should figure out where this is going."

Holly rolls her eyes. "You sound so stiff about it. Do you like him? If yeah then start calling him your boyfriend. If no, then stop stringing him along and let other girls have a shot."

Franziska raises an eyebrow. "Your sister tell you that?"

Holly laughs. "Willow, yeah. She was complaining about Charlie though, so maybe it's a slightly different situation. Still, I think you two need to 'talk about it' before exams start."

Franziska looks ahead at where Brandon and his friends are laughing about something, and she smiles faintly.

"Yeah, you're probably right. You mind steering everyone off to the Great Hall when we get back?"

Holly beams. "You got it."

She makes good on her word, effectively driving everyone away as she launches into one of he rants on wand making and Ollivander's refusal to sell the unused space in Hogsmeade to the Kiddells.

"She's more self aware than I realized." Franziska laughs as she tugs Brandon into a side hall. "So hey, I think we need to talk. About us. And well, what exactly we are."

He looks nervous. "I, um, I thought we were dating?"

Franziska nods. "But I mean, I'm thinking I'd like to call you my boyfriend. If you wanted."

Brandon's entire face lights up, and the next thing Franziska knows she's being tugged forward.

It's a sloppy kiss, especially as she wasn't ready for it, but they try again after they stop laughing and it's much better the second time around.

Franziska is rather glad they finally talked about it.