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Chapter Text

Albus Dumbledore looked out across the great hall, he idly checked his watch. The students would be arriving for the feast in less than one hour. The train was approaching Hogsmeade, if he was right with his estimation.
“is there something on your mind Albus?” Minerva was studying him
“our exchange students have been delayed” he said “I received an owl early this morning”
“Oh? Whatever has caused the delay?” she asked
“the letter didn’t say” Albus produced a folded paper from his robe “just that they would be here in a few days” he opened it and handed it to her.

Minerva scanned the missive before handing it back to him.
“how peculiar” she replied, “I suppose we can only wait to see when they arrive if we are given a reason for their delay, you need to relax Albus, we’ve played host to other students plenty of times before”
“these are not just any students” Albus replied “they hail from….somewhere rather different”
“meaning?” her eyes narrowed
“My dear do you recall the muggle story of Snow White? How the girl was treated by her stepmother? The sorceress Grimhilde?”
“The girl who choked on an apple?” Minerva nodded “what has that got to do with anything?”
“Grimhilde has a daughter who is coming to Hogwarts” he replied
“I see, we should be careful?” Minerva folded her arms “you believe her to be a risk?”
“King Adam assures me she is not a threat…however it might stir up some unrest with the muggleborn students who know the story around her mother’s legacy. Especially considering who is coming with her” Albus smoothed out a wrinkle in his robe
“Albus you’re beginning to concern me, what have you gotten us into this year?” Minerva narrowed her eyes at him.

Unphased, he smiled
“five students from Auradon, the daughter of Grimhilde, the son of the Djinn Jafar, daughter of the Fairy Godmother, the son of Cruella De Vil…” he paused
“that’s four…” she glared “who else?”
“the daughter of the dark fae Maleficent” He said “Now Adam has assured me these children are not like their parents…they will be here for the year, and we have time to select the students for the reverse exchange programme, I wanted to see how they fit in before I made any contact with families” he tried to placate her.
“and the Governor’s went for this?!” Minerva asked “Djinns! Sorcerers and Faeries!” she said
“the Board do not know who was selected” he replied with a level stare at his Deputy “Adam’s confirmation letter stated he had reached out to five families and all had accepted”  

Minerva was staring at him
“You do know they will find out” she said, “what will Malfoy make of this?” she frowned “how can we be sure they are safe?”
“not my problem my dear” Dumbledore was smiling again “Lucius confirmed the Governor’s signed the paperwork without the names being provided” he said “besides, it will make the year most certainly interesting”

*

The students arrived not half an hour later and the bustling noise of the school began. Albus watched as new friendships began to blossom amongst the first years and old ones were revived. He wondered how the new students would fit in. Adam’s letter had stated all five teenagers were fifteen with the exception of the De Vil boy who was fourteen. However the letter he had been sent stated the boy was exceptionally gifted and would do fine in the same year with his friends. Albus took a drink of his wine and contemplated how this would affect the year.

Once the sorting was over with, he stood to give the beginning of year speech and looked out at the sea of faces looking up at him.

“A few days from now” he began “Hogwarts will be hosting five students from the United States of Auradon Preparatory School, it is my hope each and every one of you will welcome them with open hearts and open minds” he paused “they will be here for the academic year and if it goes well, we will consider sending students from Hogwarts to Auradon for the following academic year… and with that note, off to bed with all of you” he smiled.

The hall burst alive with noise at the announcement as students left for their dormitories.
“…where the heck is Auradon?” Ron was looking at his friends
“far away from here” Hermione replied, “I’ve only ever heard of it in some of the history books”
“oh?” Harry raised an eyebrow “why am I not surprised” He grinned at her glare “oh c’mon Mione you know you’re a walking encyclopaedia” he teased

She huffed and swatted him
“shut up Harry” she said as they made their way towards the stairs “I don’t know everything”
“there’s a surprise” Ron grinned “what’s the betting Malfoy smarms up to the new kids soon as they arrive?”
“we know he will” Hermione replied, “he made prefect this year, we don’t even know who’se coming, or what year they’ll be in” she shrugged
“what if they’re just as pompous as Malfoy?” Ron winced
“what if they’re not?” She shot back “hang on…”she was rummaging in her bag “I swear I put it in here…”
“what have you lost now?” Harry claimed a chair by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, Ron took another, leaving Hermione on the loveseat, bag on her lap whilst she rummaged inside it.

“ah ha!” she pulled a newspaper out of her bag
“a newspaper…” Ron raised his eyebrows
“shut up Ron” She said without looking at him “I could have sworn I read something in this on the train”
“you read the entire thing Hermione” Harry pointed out

She looked up with a grunt, returning her attention to the paper
“yes! There it is!” she pointed to a small article “but it gives nothing away, apart from the article says the exchange has been approved by his Highness King Adam Beast of Auradon and he hopes to broker peace between the magical worlds…whatever that means”

*

On the other side of the world, bags were being packed for the journey. Mal was sitting on her bed, looking at the bare dorm room.
“…talk to me” Evie turned
“about what?”
“you’re pouting” she crossed the room and sat on the bed “what’s on your mind?” She asked
“another new school in less than a year E” She said, “how long till we get kicked out?”
“we won’t, unless we do something stupid or dangerous” Evie replied, “which we won’t” she added
“How do we know that?” Mal was biting her nails, Evie slapped her hand out of her mouth
“stop it I just filed them for you” she glared “you know it takes ages to get them normal”
“not my fault E” Mal returned the glare
“if you wouldn’t bite them I wouldn’t have to spend all my time mending holes in your clothes” Evie replied “honestly you’re worrying over nothing…Ben said his dad’s sure they will love us”
“Until one of us turns scaly and burns down the school” Mal folded her arms “I still don’t believe they’re still letting me go after that”
“that was an accident Mal” Evie hugged her “no one was more surprised than Fairy Godmother”
“she didn’t have to spray me in the face” Mal grumbled “I swear she enjoyed it”
“you know she only did what she did because she was concerned about you…and it stopped the fire”
“I still maintain she enjoyed it” Mal pouted.

Evie sighed, she ran a hand through her hair and untangled the purple curls into a manageable state before tying them into a band out of her face.
“it was a minor miscalculation” she said
“Evie I turned into a dragon...how is that a minor miscalculation?” Mal looked up at her
“at least you didn’t kill anyone?” She replied “I mean that’s got to be a positive”

There was a knock on the door and it opened to Jay and Carlos.
“Still moping?” Jay asked, “have you dried out yet?” he smirked
“leave off Jay” Evie glared at him “Are you two packed?”
“yes we just dropped our bags off with Fairy Godmother…you girls ready? We have to go in like, two hours” Carlos replied
“we’re almost done” Evie nodded “just packing travelling bags” she pointed to the record bags open on the table “be gentlemen and take our cases?” she batted her eyes at them and Jay snorted
“how many are you taking?” he eyed the small mountain of bags by the door
“we’re away for the year Jay” Evie rolled her eyes “we need to be prepared for every event”
“I did stop her from packing the entire library” Mal grinned “and narrowed her down to only two cauldrons worth of poisons”
“oh which ones?” Jay asked in interest
“the run of the mill not going to murder anyone ones” Evie pouted
“I pointed out she’ll be able to make as many dangerous ones as she wants when we get there” Mal got off the bed and closed her own case “go on then boys…take those to Fairy Godmother” she pointed.
“yes your Royal Lizardness” Jay bowed with a grin “we mere mortals tremble before your grandness”
“you’re a moron” Mal kicked him “get up and stop it with the lizard jokes...no one at Hogwarts is to know I can turn into a dragon.”
“what? Why not?” Carlos asked
“Fairy Godmother said it’s not a talent most kids have at Hogwarts, she said there’s a teacher who can turn into a cat though so be mindful of any animals around the school. Anyway, I'm still not entirely sure I can do it on command, once was enough to give us all a very bad day” she shrugged
“Like I said M, it was a minor miscalculation” Evie pointed out “no one was expecting it”
“I know…we might get a little resistance from students who know of our parents…it’ll be like Family Day all over again” Mal shivered “I'm pretty sure the only reason she’s sending Jane is to be a peacekeeper”
“Jane’s hardly the mediation type” Jay said
“you never know she might be perfect for the job” Carlos pointed out “I forget she’s a faery”
“Half faery actually” Mal replied “unless her dad was a faery, she never talks about him”
“like someone else we know” Jay smirked “what is it with faeries and daddy issues?”

Mal rounded on him
“don’t even start Jafar” she glared; her eyes began changing colour
“Hey woah not in the dorm!” Evie pulled her away “calm down” she hugged her “He’s just being a moron” she said “we don’t need a dragon in the dorm…again”

Carlos winced
“so c’mon where is Hogwarts?” he changed the subject
“practically the other side of the world” Mal grunted “Fairy Godmother said it’s on an island called the United Kingdom, which isn’t run by a King it’s got a Queen as its figurehead so that is confusing” she explained “we have to go to a place called Hogsmeade which is between the English and Scottish border, Hogwarts is a five minute walk from there I think”
“who turned you into a walking knowledge machine?” Jay asked, Evie hit him
“be nice or be gone” she warned

Mal shivered and Evie frowned, idly handing her a jacket
“how much exactly do you think they know about us?” she asked
“No clue” Mal replied “but if we don’t get going now we won’t get there…so let’s move” she grabbed her bag and Evie threw the last few things in her case, closing it with a thud.
“c’mon then boys” She said, “adventure awaits!”

*

Minerva stood at the gates to Hogwarts to wait for the new arrivals. She saw them coming up the path and studied them intently. She idly wondered which houses they’d be sorted into and if there would be any problems.

She spotted Evie immediately and steeled her nerves, the girl looked a lot like her mother. Minerva, who had faced Voldemort himself during the first War had to force herself to remain calm. Albus maintained the heir of the sorceress Grimhilde would not be a risk. She turned her eyes to the others, feeling a peculiar air around them as they approached.

Minerva took a breath; a quiet portion of her mind reminded her two of the children were faeries which would provide its own issues within the school. Her eyes swept over them and she was brought up short by a pair of bright green appraising her, a blink and the colour changed back to a calmer blue colour. Minerva filed that away for later, she figured the girl in question was the heir of Maleficent, considering the only other girl was the perfect likeness to her mother who was with them.

“Minerva!” a cheery voice made her start and brought her out of her mind “oh my goodness how long has it been!” Fairy Godmother was walking towards her “I swear you do not age!” she smiled warmly
“Lucinda?” Minerva embraced the other woman tightly “it has been years. How have you been?” she asked “Albus didn’t tell me you were coming” she said with a smile
“very good, he didn’t? I did reply to his owl” She replied “He wanted to send a portkey and the students come on their own but Adam asked me to come with them to make sure they got here in once piece….shall we go inside? Come along children, Jay!” she snapped her fingers and the boy yelped, straightening up.
“leave off FG” He said “I wasn’t doing anything” he rubbed his hands.
“a likely story” she didn’t even turn to him “give Jane her cell phone back now”

He stared at her
“how-“
“just give it back” she tried not to snap, silently Jay handed over a small cell phone and Jane glared at him, sliding it into her pocket, ignoring how the others laughed.

Minerva saw her expression and chuckled.
“Long trip?” she asked
“very”  Fairy Godmother replied with an exasperated sigh “Oh yes! Introductions! My daughter Jane, Jay Jafar, Carlos De Vil, Evie Grimhilde and Malef-“ Mal growled at her, cutting her off “apologies, Mal Moors” Fairy Godmother stepped towards Minerva “children, meet Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts”
“a pleasure to meet you Professor” Evie smiled brightly
“the pleasure is all mine children, unfortunately Albus got waylaid with a meeting so he wasn’t able to come meet you himself” Minerva explained as they walked.

The group approached Hogwarts and Minerva opened the doors
“welcome to Hogwarts” she turned to the teens “…whilst you are here you will adhere to the school rules, as part of our school tradition each of you will be sorted into houses based on your magical abilities and your personality types. The four houses are named after our founders, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin-“
“the famed alchemist!” Evie said excitedly
“Yes” She replied, “good behaviour will earn house points, rule breaking will lose house points, the house with the most points at the end of year banquet will win the house cup for the year”
“fascinating” Mal wasn’t looking at her, her attention caught by the moving portraits as they ascended the staircase in the main hall.  She saw a small dog chasing them through portraits as they walked, yapping excitedly.

Minerva guided them into her office and sat them in front of her desk, she picked up some paperwork and looked over her glasses at their clothes.
“…Uniform is mandatory during classes” she said, “I trust it was provided?”
“yes” Lucinda nodded “I did not see the point in trying to get them to wear it before we got here” she told her
“I'm not wearing those robes” Mal was glaring
“she’s moody she tripped over them” Carlos sniggered

Mal turned
“one more word from you De Vil-“
“and you’ll do what? Turn me into toast?” he side stepped as she lunged for him but Mal caught his jacket, putting him in a headlock. Minerva looked mildly shocked as the teens wrestled beside the chairs. Mal dropped Carlos onto his back with a well-placed elbow to the stomach. The boy yelled, flipping her onto her back and pinning her down, somehow escaping from her headlock. Evie exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment, before turning to Minerva and giving her a tight smile.

“CHILDREN!” Fairy Godmother clapped her hands and separated them, hauling Mal up by the lapels “Mal you know better! Fighting is not appropriate for a lady!” she chastised her “Carlos…you know better than to antagonise her” she gave them both a stern glare. Mal shrugged, not looking directly at Fairy Godmother
“hmph” she said
“yeah sorry FG” Carlos was smiling over her shoulder and making faces at Mal, who snorted and hit him on the back of the head as soon as her back was turned.
“OW!” Carlos yelled
“MAL!”
“he started it” she smiled sweetly at Fairy Godmother, the woman pinched her nose and exhaled

“Apologies Minerva do continue” she said
“right…where was I…ah yes” she paused “here are your timetables” she handed them each a parchment.
“but they’re empty” Jane looked up at her
“they fill once your house has been decided” Minerva explained “speaking of which, shall we see where you will be staying?”

**

Hogwarts was a buzz with the anticipation of the new students. The castle was looking as impressive as ever, each student was in full school uniform to impress the newcomers.

Eventually, the doors opened and Minerva lead the group up the Hall into near silence, there was a low muttering beginning as the students took in their appearance, they hadn’t changed into uniform yet and still wore their travelling clothes. Albus stood
“Welcome to Hogwarts” he stepped forward and came to meet them at the steps in front of the dais

“sweet castle” Jay was looking around
“thank you” Dumbledore smiled “I trust your journey was long and tiring”
“you could say that” Jane agreed “Headmaster. My mother wanted me to pass you this” she handed him a letter.
“ah yes thank you Miss Godmother” he pocketed the letter into his robes “Minerva I trust we have concluded the Sorting?”
“Yes” She replied “I will leave you to announce it to the school” she handed some parchment over
“excellent” he smiled “well, with that said, we should complete some introductions”

He turned to address the school
“Students of Hogwarts!” he stretched his arms “I would like to introduce you to our guests for the year; Jane Godmother, Jay Jafar, Carlos De Vil, Evie Grimhilde and Mal Moors from the United States of Auradon Preparatory School. To make things a little easier for our guests, their sorting took place earlier this afternoon and will be as such, Misses Grimhilde and Moors will reside in Slytherin House, Mr De Vil will be in Ravenclaw, Mr Jafar in Gryffindor, and Miss Godmother will be in Hufflepuff house, I hope each and every student welcome you all with open hearts and minds”  he gestured to each house table in turn and Minerva walked them to the tables where they took a seat.

Each house clapped politely in turn and made room for them. Mal looked at Evie as the food appeared in front of them.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, I’m Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, fifth year prefect” the blonde Mal had sat next to was looking at her.
“nice to meet you” Evie replied “Evie” she put her hand out and Draco took it without hesitation.
“Mal” she nodded at him
“Moors right? Not a name I’ve heard of” he commented “…your parents are our kind aren’t they?”

Mal raised an eyebrow as a girl glared at Draco, hissing at him to be nice.
“Meaning?” she asked
“purebloods” Draco shrugged “you’re not a Mudblood...you know your parents were a witch and wizard right?”
“No” Mal replied, sharing a look with Evie “my mother is not a witch”
“your father then? Halfblood isn’t too bad”
“My father is not a concern of yours” she said with an irritated tone “if you are desperate to know, my mother is Maleficent” she pushed her food around on her plate as a few students made small noises of understanding “ah I see you’ve heard of her” she commented.

Draco blinked
“heard of her? Of course we’ve heard of her” he said “she’s documented as the mistress of evil”
“wonderful, it’s been quite a journey so, if you don’t mind I’d like to finish my meal” she glared at him.

Evie winced, yes, it was like Family Day all over again.

*

Over on the Gryffindor table, Jay had found himself sat next to a pair of identical red-head twins, who were giving him a rundown of the school and its teachers. They’d introduced themselves as Gred and Forge Weasley, or was it Fred and George? Ugh he couldn’t remember.
“…he’s one to watch, Snape” said George “he’s Slytherin’s head of House and he’s extremely strict, he teaches potions”
“but everyone knows it’s the Defence against the Dark Arts job he fancies” said Fred darkly
“is that so?” Jay  shrugged “potions isn’t something you mess with. I don’t blame him”
“he favours his own house” George said, “everyone knows he does, how Dumbledore lets him get away with it I don’t know”
“really?” Jay raised his eyebrows “how interesting..”

He saw Hermione looking at him and gave her one of his flirty smug smiles, she blinked and raised an eyebrow. Unbothered by the lack of reaction, he tried another tactic.
“names Jay….what’s your name foxy?” he leant over towards her
“Hermione Granger” she replied “pleased to meet you Jay” she smiled “this is Harry and Ron” she pointed to each boy in turn.
“hi” Harry was looking at him with a studious expression
“hey” he met his eyes and grinned, the boy was smaller than Carlos and probably wouldn’t survive a fist-fight, but he couldn’t help but notice the flicker of power around him, focused around his forehead where he saw a scar which looked like lightening, that was interesting..
“do you know what year group you’re in?” Hermione asked, dragging his attention from Harry
“er yeah your deputy head said we’re in fifth year” Jay replied, “so how does the rooming system work?”
“you’ll in our dorm then” Ron finally spoke “you’ll share with me Harry, Seamus and Neville”
“sweet, so do you have a gym or something on campus?” Jay asked

Hermione shook her head
“sorry no…you might find one in Hogsmeade though, but we’re only allowed there on the weekends” she said
“oh, okay, guess I’ll have to figure out other ways to exercise” he grinned at her

She rolled her eyes
“mature Jay, real mature”

*

After dinner was over, the students returned to their dormitories, for Evie and Mal this meant heading down to the dungeons, idly listening to the two girls who had sat with Draco explaining the fastest way to get to the dorms. They’d given their names as Pansy and Millicent and seemed to infer they’d be sharing a dorm room.
“…you don’t want to get lost down here” Pansy was saying “Oh and if you want to see your friends in other houses, do it outside of the dorm, we’re not allowed to go into each other’s houses”
“Why not?” Evie asked “that seems rather strict”
“it’s the rules” Draco opened a portrait “breaking the rules usually results in detention and loss of house points. Slytherin had won the house cup for years before St Potter arrived” he glared, “we don’t get a look in these days because he’s Dumbledore's best boy” he grimaced
“Saint Potter? Who?” Mal raised her eyebrows
“…you don’t know who Harry Potter is?”
“nope” Evie shrugged as they sat on a couch “should we?”
“Harry Potter is the reason for the downfall of the dark lord” Draco replied, “the one who was to rid the world of Mudbloods”
“there’s that word again” Mal commented “I'm going to assume it’s an insult”
“of course it is…Dumbledore lets in any old Mudbloods these days, just look at Granger” said Millicent
“again…who?”
“Hermione Granger, fifth year Gryffindor, she thinks she’s better than everyone else because she’s the first in her family to have magic” Millicent replied “she’s a disgrace”
“I see” Evie was looking at the other girl with a level stare “and you’re better because your parents are both magical?”
“exactly, my family are pure-blooded wizards, all the way back to the fifth century” she replied
“Fascinating” Mal was studying the room “at least this reminds me of home” she smirked at Evie “dark, depressing, pompous” she added, Evie snorted
“it could be worse” she said “we could have brought Chad”

Mal winced
“don’t” she said, “he would fit right in” she grinned
“who is Chad?” Pansy asked
“son of Prince Charming and Cinderella” Evie replied “he’s…interesting” she ignored how Mal laughed
“one way to put it” she giggled

Evie slapped her arm
“stop it” she said, “I wonder how the others are getting on?”

*

Carlos had been dragged into conversation with a boy by the name of Michael Corner as soon as he’d sat down and found the other boys pretty easy to get on with. No one batted an eye at his name here, for which Carlos was thankful.
“…so what’s Auradon like?” asked Terry Boot
“it’s cool” he shrugged “school is school really, we were made to take Remedial Goodness class when we arrived but other than that it’s pretty normal”
“goodness class?”
“yeah, all about how to be good citizens and not murder everyone” he grinned at their confused looks “we didn’t grow up in Auradon” he elaborated
“no?”
“No we lived on the Isle of the Lost…” he explained “with our parents…”
“is that a magical place?” Cho Chang asked
“No” he replied “the barrier holding the villains on the Isle stops magic from developing. I broke a small hole in the barrier once trying to get a better TV reception, it was interesting”
“….what?”
“yeah” he shrugged “it meant we found out about our magic” he picked up a drink “well it was a given for Mal anyway, considering her mom’s a faery” he replied, “but I assume you have faeries here?”
“not really” Cho replied “if we do they don’t come to Hogwarts, or they hide their nature whilst they’re here”

Carlos shrugged, he figured they weren’t so bad.

*

Jane looked around the Hufflepuff basement, she’d been greeted at dinner by a very blonde boy by the name of Flinch-Fletchley who had far too many teeth and ushered into a group of girls. She wondered idly how the others were doing and if she’d have to call her mother to do damage control. Jane hadn’t liked how they’d been split up; but was relieved to see Evie and Mal were in the same house. Her mother had been slightly concerned that there might be an issue with Mal turning into a dragon at Hogwarts and had tasked Jane with ensuring that didn’t happen, or if it did, she had to do something to stop the inevitable damage the girl might cause...  She wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to do much to stop her now they were all split up but she’d be dammed if the whole exchange programme would be ruined because of a VK who didn’t quite have a grasp on their magic.

She shivered, which was nothing to do with the cold as she was sat beside a roaring fire.
“…are you okay Jane?” asked Hannah
“oh yes…just a little tired” she tried to smile “In fact I might just go to bed, if you don’t mind?”
“course not” Hannah replied “c’mon I’ll show you to the dorm”

*

The smell was overwhelming, the sulphur in the air was thick. Mal turned, smoke pluming from around her whilst she tried to get away. The screaming was loud and made her panic, she didn’t want to hurt anyone but they wouldn’t listen to her, she tried again to tell them to stop screaming but her voice wouldn’t work. A belch of fire issued from her mouth and the school building nearest her erupted in flames.
“oh my goodness!” The voice of Fairy Godmother, she peered down to try to see where she was “Mal…don’t move dear” the headmistress was calm, wand in hand she put out the fire without a word “keep your mouth closed if you can” she was talking to her “that way we won’t have any more fire”
Mal tried to explain she was sorry. She didn’t understand what was going on, Fairy Godmother unleashed a torrent of water into her face as she tried to speak..

Mal woke with a jolt, she sat up in bed, breathing heavily
“…nightmares?” Evie was sitting on her bed across from her
“uh...yeah” she sighed “have you been to sleep yet?”
“not yet” Evie crossed the room “want to talk about it?” she sat on her bed
“just the usual” she shrugged
“you’re still worried about the dragon thing?” Evie studied her
“of course” Mal replied “….what if it happens here?” she voiced her worries to the other girl “what if I can’t control it E” she said, “I didn’t control myself so well the last time I accidentally dragon’ed”
“if it does it does” Evie hugged her “we’ll deal with it”
“that’s not comforting, what if I hurt people?” Mal asked “I don’t want to be like her”
“we won’t let you” Evie promised “you’re not like her M” she told her “you know that”

Mal sighed
“I know, I just…worry it’ll get out of control, like at Auradon” she rested her head against her shoulder “I don’t know how I did it in the first place, who’s to say it won’t happen out of nowhere again?”
“it happened because you got mad” Evie sighed “you know that, you got mad at Chad being Chad and then we had a dragon on the school grounds” she tucked her hair behind her ear “there’s no Chads here”
“unless you count Draco” Mal snorted “kids more stuck up than Audrey”
“okay I take that back, no murdering the little blonde shit” Evie shoved her gently “c’mon, we need to sleep” she moved and got under the covers
“this is my bed” Mal pointed out
“I know” said Evie “that’s why I’m in it”
“….didn’t we promise to behave at Hogwarts?” Mal rolled her eyes
“there’s nothing sinister about friends sharing a bed M” Evie said, “we did it plenty at home”
“you have a point” Mal agreed
“I know” she grinned “besides, you won’t sleep now if we don’t”
“I hate you being right” Mal shuffled down “it’s massively unfair”
“suck it up Moors” Evie teased “you love me really” She said, Mal grunted
“a likely story Grimhilde, I tolerate you” She yawned
“that’s a declaration of love right there” Evie wrapped an arm around her waist
“keep that to yourself blueberry princess” Mal grumbled
“always” Evie promised.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Pansy and Millicent woke to find Evie and Mal were already awake. Evie was in the process of drying her hair with a towel, having taken a shower.
“so where do we plug in the hairdryer?” she asked, “I don’t see any sockets…”
“…what?” Pansy was looking at the hairdryer with a high level of distrust
“don’t tell me you don’t have hairdryers?” Evie looked mildly alarmed
“is this some sort of Auradon thing?” Millicent asked
“you just answered my question” Evie groaned “Okay….I can’t walk around all day with wet hair”
“use a drying spell” Pansy yawned

Evie rolled her eyes
“I would if I knew one” she glared “In Auradon we have hairdryers”
“oh…um…right” Pansy got out of bed “try this” she waved her wand in a particular motion and a jet of warm air erupted from the end.  Evie nodded, copying the movement with her hand,  feeling the air successfully drying her hair.
“….you don’t use wands?” Pansy commented

Evie looked up
“Er no, I've never used a wand” she admitted “we have little use for them at home”
“then how do you cast spells?” Millicent asked interestedly.

“E are you done yet?” Mal suddenly appeared from behind her curtains, pulling on a sweater over her shirt, cutting off Evie’s reply.
“yes I'm almost done” Evie waved a hand at her “you need to wear your robe”
“I'm not wearing it” Mal glared
“it’s part of the school uniform” Evie grinned “I’ve even taken it up for you”

Mal hissed angrily
“I hate this uniform” she said
“didn’t you wear uniform at your school?” Pansy asked
“No we got to wear whatever we wanted” Evie replied with a shrug “we never really bothered with uniforms, and not so many layers”
“you’ll get used to it” Pansy said to Mal “you’ll get docked house points if you don’t wear full uniform”
“so not fair” Mal grumbled, sliding her arms into the black robe “I look ridiculous” she complained
“come here” Evie tutted

She straightened the robe and re-did her tie, considering Mal had knotted it into a mess around her neck with little idea how to tie it properly.
“there now” Evie was grinning “you just need to clip this bit here-” she pulled the closure together and snapped it shut.
“I'm warning you-” Mal immediately undid the clasp from her throat “not a chance that’s staying closed”
“why?”
“strangulation on the first day? C’mon E, I have standards” Mal glared

Evie laughed
“Later dear” she smirked, grabbing her own robe and putting it on “c’mon I want breakfast”
“something tells me we won’t get cheerios” Mal commented.

**

After breakfast, the fifth year Slytherins had transfiguration with the Hufflepuff's. Jane made her way over and joined their table.
“Morning! Did you sleep okay?” Evie asked, “how’s your house?”
“comfortable thanks, the Hufflepuff's are lovely” Jane replied, “how is Slytherin?”
“interesting” Evie commented “do you think they intended to split us up?”
“no idea” Jane shrugged “but I have to say you two certainly look the part” she added
“this uniform is a crime against life” Mal tugged at her shirt collar “c’mon, how tight does this thing have to be?”
“it’ll loosen up just stop messing with it” Evie chided

Minerva entered the room and eyed them cautiously before turning her attentions to the other students.
“good morning class, today we will be working on inanimate to animate object transfiguration, you will each take a button and by using your chosen spell, change the button into another object”  she passed out the buttons “I want to see diligence in your work.” She warned

Evie looked at her button with distain
“does anyone actually know any spells?” Mal gave Jane a side eye
“did neither of you read the schoolbooks?” She sighed
“er no? reading? Boring” Mal folded her arms “I have far more interesting things to keep my mind occupied” she added, Jane rolled her eyes
“try the incantation Avifors” she said, “it’ll turn it into a bird”
“right…”
“Evie try Draconifors, turns it into a dragon”
“very funny” Mal glared at Jane “don’t you dare” she said to Evie
“I mean it, I looked it up this morning” Jane grinned “watch”

She pulled a wand from her inner robe pocket and aimed it at the button on the desk
“Draconifors” she whispered

There was a flash and a tiny blue dragon sat on the table. Looking around the room the dragon gave a silent roar.
“what in the name of Evil-“ Evie swore “how are you so good at this?” she asked
“told you” Jane was grinning “I read, I read the transfiguration book on the way over, and the charms book, I wanted to get an idea of their magic, see if it would work for me”
“well obviously it works for you…hmph... Avifors” Mal poked the button with her finger and a moment later it turned into a green bird.

“very well done Ms Moors” Minerva was watching her “but may I ask where is your wand?”
“er…” Mal bit her lip
“did you forget it? Jane asked
“no” Mal didn’t look at her “I didn’t forget it”
“then what-“ Jane cut herself off at the glare from the other girl
“students usually use wands at Hogwarts, unless there is an exceptional circumstance in which one is not required” Minerva was frowning
“is it a problem Professor?” Evie asked “ neither Mal nor I use wands, whenever I've used them in the past I've never really gotten on with them” she explained “my Mom had one but…it never worked for me”
“I will speak to the headmaster” Minerva replied, turning to another table.

Evie raised an eyebrow
“trouble on the first day, that’s a record” Mal quipped, yanking at her shirt collar, Evie cuffed her on the back of the head
“quit it” she glared.

*

The afternoon found Evie and Mal heading to potions class in the dungeons where they met up with the Gryffindor's.

“Ladies! How was your morning class?” Jay grinned
“stunningly entertaining” Mal said dryly “what about you?”
“charms class, I aced it” he replied
“of course you did” Evie commented “I'm sure you won over the teacher”
“Flitwick, he’s cool, he’s Carlos’ head of House”
“how is Carlos? We haven’t seen him” Mal asked
“he was in charms with me, he’s loving it, already talking about extra credit”
“our little bookworm” Evie smiled “has he made friends?” she asked
“seems to, some boy called Michael and another one called Terry” Jay nodded “seemed nice enough”

All of a sudden, the door to the classroom flew open and Snape strode out
“In” he glared.

The students hurried past him and took benches in front of cauldrons. Evie grabbed Mal’s arm and pulled her to a bench behind Draco and Pansy. Snape shut the door behind him
“owing to the new students in class this year, todays lesson will be a refresher, we wouldn’t want anyone to be behind” he glared around the room “in pairs, you will brew a Draught of Peace. I assume this will not be massively out of your league” he swept around the classroom

Evie flipped her book open and found the page, she and Mal divided up the ingredients list and walked over to the store cupboard. Unlike their other classes, Potions was conducted in silence, apart from quiet mumblings of the students reading out instructions.

Mal took over stirring the potion for a moment whilst Evie finished chopping the last of the valerian root.
“….five minutes then it’s done” She was looking at the potion “it’s a little darker than usual, chances are the valerian's a bit old” she said
“think it matters?” Mal shrugged
“probably not” she replied

Snape stopped by their workbench and looked into their cauldron
“it seems” he said “our new students have done their homework. Five points to Slytherin” he turned away as Neville’s cauldron fell over, somehow a hole had burnt through the side.
“fifteen points from Gryffindor for stupidity Longbottom” he added

**

After dinner, Jay headed to the common room with Harry and Ron, Hermione had said something about going to the library. He was tired but also full of a nervous energy that he simply couldn’t shake. Deciding it would be better to go for a walk, he grabbed his favourite jacket and threw it on over his shirt, tugging it closed, Jay left the dorm.

He ambled down to the front doors and seeing as it was still light out, he figured it would be okay to go for a walk in the grounds. He walked down a winding path away from the school, meeting few students on their way back to their dormitories.

Jay continued to walk, his pace increasing until he was running, he took another route and climbed up the outside of a small hut. Jay sat down on the roof, hearing a dog barking nearby.

“….hush up Fang ya dafty! There int nowt outside” a voice came from below him. Jay froze as the door opened and a huge man walked out.

Hagrid turned, letting Fang out for a run. He was about to head back inside when he saw Jay sitting on his roof. He blinked in shock.
“ere… ow’dya get up there? Moreover what are ya doing up there?” he asked “students aren’t ‘llowed to climb buildings”

With a sigh, Jay jumped down, landing perfectly on his feet. He looked up and realised he only came up to Hagrid’s waist.
“…woah you’re tall” he commented
“names Hagrid…and you are?”
“Jay” he replied
“nice ta’ meet you Jay” Hagrid shook his hand, Jay wobbled on his feet. Hagrid didn’t seem to notice
“so, Jay, why were ye on top of my house?”
“you live here?”
“course, I’m the keeper of keys and locks of Hogwarts, which is a fancy title for a groundskeeper” Hagrid said “in’t seen you round here before…”
“No I…arrived yesterday, as part of the exchange programme” Jay replied

Hagrid nodded
“ah yes, Dumbledore did mention we’d have some new students, he’s a great man Dumbledore” he commented “how’re ya findin’ it?”
“different” Jay replied “a little strange, but I'm sure I’ll get used to it” he looked at his watch “oh man I’d better get back inside…er...thanks Hagrid” he began to jog back up the path towards the castle.
“no bother! Come see me any time” he waved.

Jay slid into the castle just as Filch was about to shut the door.
“lucky you got in, or you’d be locked out” he sneered, Jay shrugged
“wouldn’t be the first time” he commented, heading for the staircase.

He reached the portrait just as George was about to enter
“hey Jay, are you coming in?” he asked, seeing him wandering towards Gryffindor Tower
“uh yeah” Jay followed him through the portrait
“so how was your first day?” George asked
“not bad” Jay answered “you?”
“ah got a detention from Flitwick, I forgot to hand in my homework” he said, “but other than that a normal day”

Jay snagged a chair and sank into it. His mind wandered to how the others were doing. Hogwarts seemed like a pretty interesting place, and of course there was far too many rules in place for anyone to have any fun. Jay folded his arms, he couldn’t quite rest.  He felt the wrinkle of paper in his inner pocket and pulled out a note.

Curfew, Hall.

Jay grinned to himself and threw the note in the fire, watching it burn. Getting up from his chair, Jay walked straight back out of the portrait hole. He skirted around some of the prefects and headed down a few levels. He checked his wrist-watch for the time, curfew was about to begin. Jay continued down towards the Great Hall.

Upon reaching the doors to the Great Hall, he saw a familiar shadow disappear around a corner, snickering, he followed.

Down two staircases, and into a darkened corridor. Jay followed silently. A door was ajar a few classrooms down. He slipped around it to find his friends sitting on the floor around a small blue fire in the grate.

“…about time” Mal commented “what took you so long?”
“it’s a longer route for me than for you, my dorms like half the castle away from here” he sat down on the floor “neat fire”
“It is isn’t it” Carlos was smiling “you can put them in jars and they keep warm for ages.”
“oh, cool” he shrugged “so, how was your first day… I don’t see Jane?”
“classes were okay, as for Jane? Didn’t think she’d approve” Mal replied “besides, we don’t need to involve her in everything we do”
“true” Evie agreed “we should at least ward the room so we don’t get found”
“good point” Mal replied “so…we’re unsupervised in a magic castle…..anyone got any ideas?” she was lying on her back with her head in Evie’s lap.
“Not get found?” Evie replied, “I do not want to see Snape’s face if we get caught”
“c’mon E he’d probably award us House Points for ingenuity” Mal laughed
“or turn us into potions ingredients” she pointed out
“since when do you care so much?” Carlos asked, “you never cared about school before”
“since I’d rather not get expelled” Evie shrugged “besides, this isn’t ordinary school, it’s magic school, and I for one fully intend to make the best of it”
“alright Sabrina calm down” Jay teased “you’ve been here one day, they’re hardly going to expel you for being out after hours” He added

Evie rolled her eyes, a hand idly playing with Mal’s hair as they huddled on the floor near the fire. Jay led down after a while, lying his head on his jacket. Carlos leant against his legs, turning his body in towards the warmth. Jay curled his arms around the smaller boy, pulling him closer to the fire. Carlos  winced a little, he never really liked being too close to open flames, even if the warmth made him feel sleepy. As if sensing his discomfort, Jay pulled him closer to him. Carlos exhaled, resting against his chest.

“I’ve been thinking” Evie said after a while
“yeah?” Jay asked, not opening his eyes
“why do they segregate everyone? It seems a little harsh”
“probably to stop fights?” Carlos offered
“Harry and Malfoy seem the type to explode at each other” Jay agreed “wonder what that’s all about”
“no clue but Malfoy is definitely bitter about it” Evie said, “we need some throws or something” She was looking around “maybe some cushions”
“good idea E” Mal agreed “is anyone else really cold here or is it just me?”
“it’s not as warm as Auradon” Carlos agreed “here..” he rummaged in a bag next to him and pulled out a sweater, Carlos threw it to her, mindful of the fire.

Mal unfolded it, the sweater was a little old and worn but it was the warmest one he owned
“Carlos-“
“its fine” he told her “give it me back when its warmer” he shrugged with a smile “our dorm is roasting hot anyway. I take it yours isn’t?”
“it’s all leather couches and opulent enough to make my mom feel very at home” Mal mumbled, her head disappearing into the sweater.  She popped her head through the top and snuggled down into the material, returning her head to Evie’s lap.
“figures, the Slytherin’s seem the type for dark and depressing” Jay snorted
“oh and then some” Evie agreed

Somewhere, a clock tower rang for eleven and the group sighed
“we better get back to our dorms”  Jay began “it’ll take at least ten minutes for me to get there”
“do we have to move?” Mal whined
“not as far as the boys” Evie poked her shoulder “c’mon, up” she shoved the smaller girl off her lap

Mal grumbled, getting to her feet. Carlos put the fire out, watching the embers hiss as the light died.

The four of them headed out into the corridor, closing the door behind them before splitting off to their respective dorms. Reaching their destination, Evie gave the password to a section of wall hidden down the end of a nondescript corridor.

She stopped in the middle of the room. Mal walked into her
“E!” she hissed
“it’s too dark to see” she said quietly “what’s the damn light spell again?”
“Oh…er…Lumos” Mal replied

A small ball of light came from her hand, she moved forward, taking Evie’s hand in her free one
“c’mon, we better get to bed before we’re found”

The girls made their way to the bedroom, Mal extinguished the light in her hand before opening the door. She saw Evie climb into bed, pulling her drapes closed as she got undressed. Mal threw her uniform into a heap at the end of her bed, figuring she’d put it back on tomorrow. With a yawn, she put on Carlos’ sweater over her night things and fell asleep.

*

Carlos and Jay weren’t so lucky. They almost reached the corridor which branched off to their own dorm corridors when they were stopped by Professor McGonagall, looming out of the darkness with her wand lit.
“What are you two doing out of bed?” She was eyeing them suspiciously
“er we…couldn’t sleep” Carlos winced at her look “so, so we went for a walk”
“students are to stay in their dorms after curfew Mr De Vil, five points from Ravenclaw for misadventure” she did not look pleased
“Oh c’mon-“ Jay tried to protest
“for you Mr Jafar it will also be five points from Gryffindor house. Be thankful it isn’t more, get to bed” 

Jay snapped his mouth shut and nodded
“G’night Carlos” he said, turning to the Gryffindor corridor
“yeah, night”

*

Jay made his way through the common room and quietly up the stairs to the dorm. He sat on his bed and lead back onto his pillows, not bothering to change. He laid there for a while, staring at the night sky from the window. Finally about two AM, Jay managed to get some sleep.

*

Carlos fell asleep on the couch in the common room, curled up into a small ball. He was so tired he didn’t even notice when Professor Flitwick levitated him to bed with a small smile, chuckling to himself he knew the boy would be confused as to how he got to bed in the first place.

**

The next morning, Mal was last up. Evie tried to wake her several times without success. She poked her head behind the drapes to find the purple-haired girl curled up sleeping.
“M… we have twenty minute till breakfast…” she tried again “c’mon you need to eat before class” she needled, shoving her shoulder a little

Mal grunted, mumbling unintelligently. She shifted and attempted to awaken. She sat up, running a hand through her hair.
“did you even sleep?” Evie asked
“I'm fine” she shook her head “m’wake lessgo” she yawned
“you need to get dressed” Evie opened her trunk and started to pull clothes out “here” she handed them over “MAL!” she yelled, seeing the girl going back to sleep.
“EVIE I AM UP DAMMIT!” she snapped

Pansy shook her head
“not a morning person?” she asked Evie who ducked a pair of socks being launched at her with a grin
“oh no she is a morning person” Evie replied “just….not a waking up person” Evie waved a hand towards the bed and Mal fell out, hitting the stone floor with a shriek.
“EVELYN!” She growled, eyes flashing an emerald green as she got to her feet.
“you were warned” Evie folded her arms “go wash, you have ten minutes”

*

The girls made it to breakfast, Mal reached over for the coffee pot with a yawn.
“did you actually sleep last night?” Pansy asked in concern
“yes I’m fine” Mal snapped at her, tuning her attentions to her meal.

Pansy raised an eyebrow, beginning to eat
“so” she said, “what class do we have first?”
“Defence this morning” Draco replied, “then History”
“that’s good then” She replied, “Mal can sleep in second class” she grinned
“it’s not like Binns will care” Millicent agreed “most people sleep in his class”
“why?” asked Evie
“the only lesson taught by a ghost, it’s boring, even Granger struggles to keep awake some days” she replied with a shrug
“great” Mal replied “just need to get through Defence class first” she yawned, “whatever that is”
“defence against the Dark Arts” Pansy replied “basically defensive magic, a lot of its all troll-“
“Pansy” Draco said warningly “do remember where you are”

Evie raised an eyebrow
“what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, Pansy shrugged
“a lot of what they teach here is, definitely Good magic”
“I thought we’d dropped remedial goodness” Mal grumbled at Evie
“remedial goodness?!” Millicent asked, Mal nodded
“Fairy Godmother decided we needed to learn how to be good. Considering our parents’ legends. It was possibly the most obnoxiously boring class I’ve ever sat through” she growled a little, stabbing her breakfast with her fork.
“oh c’mon Mal it wasn’t that bad” Evie grinned “remember, teeth are for smiling not biting” she teased
“I’ll bite you in a minute” Mal replied with a glare “how was I supposed to know Doug would go running to her?”
“probably about the time you almost broke his arm, in his defence you got the jump on him, he had no chance” Evie patted her head patronisingly and Mal punched her in the side, Evie wrinkled her nose.
“that’s going to bruise” she said
“I’ll kiss it better later” Mal shrugged
“you better” Evie sighed “you know I hate getting bruised”
“I do” She continued to eat with an unrepentant grin
“I never did thank you for getting Doug of my case though, so I’ll let this one go” Evie said, a hand idly rubbing at her ribs where Mal had punched her.
“whose Doug?” asked Draco

Evie grimaced
“the son of one of the Seven Dwarves” she looked at him “he…was a little obsessed with me when we first arrived in Auradon City”
“I thought you lived in Auradon?” said Pansy
“oh we did, for a few months” said Mal “before that we lived on the Isle of the Lost with our parents” her eyes flicked to Evie, who was toying with her goblet, suddenly finding it more interesting than the conversation.

Draco looked at his watch, sensing the conversation had turned uncomfortable.
“we better eat up if we don’t want to be late” he said, “Lupin’s not one to dock points but we do need to get there”
“yes I agree” Pansy nodded, turning her attention to her own plate.

Mal nudged Evie gently, the blue-haired girl looked up at her. Mal cocked her head slightly, as if asking her question without words. Evie shrugged a shoulder; her breakfast was largely untouched.

She frowned and looked around the food stuff on the table, Mal discreetly pocketed some of the dried fruit as well as some granola. She looked around the table but nothing else seemed worth taking.

Suddenly the bell rang for classes to begin and the Slytherin’s began to move. Mal shifted her bag over her shoulder, taking another apple and some grapes as she stood.
“so, to Defence class” She took Evie’s hand, “lead the way Draco” she said

The blonde boy nodded
“it’s a few minutes’ walk from here” he said, “I think we have the Gryffindor's in our class”
“oh that’s good we’ll see Jay” Mal replied “you’ll get on with him I'm sure”

Draco winced
“he’s a Gryffindor”
“he’s a VK, Gryffindor or not he’s our brother” She snapped a little
“Understood” Millicent glared at Draco to interject, Wisely the blonde stayed silent.

*

Jay met them in the corridor to the Defence class
“hey” Evie smiled “you look happy” she commented in a slightly distracted manner. Jay raised an eyebrow and looked at Mal, seeing their interlaced fingers. Mal made a small gesture with her other hand as she adjusted her shoulder bag.
“hm” he shrugged, seeing the motion did nothing for his concern “We got caught by McGonagall last night, she took five points from both of us”
“harsh” Mal replied with a shrug “whatever will you do?”
“Hermione said we’ll be able to claw them back during class, so I guess it’s not so bad”
“oh did she now?” Evie was looking at the other girl as she approached with Ron and Harry
“Hey Hermione, Ron, Harry” he waved her over “come over here”

Shrugging, the trio wandered over
“hi” Hermione smiled at them
“Hermione, Ron, Harry, meet my sisters, Mal and Evie” he introduced them “ladies, Harry, Ron and Hermione”
“nice to meet you all” Evie gave them a small smile
“same” Hermione replied, “Jay’s told us a lot about you both”
“all evil I hope?” Mal smirked

Jay rolled his eyes
“of course my little Malevolency” he snickered
“not my name” she elbowed him in the stomach “ah so you must be St Potter” she eyed him
“apparently” he said, “you’ve spoken with Malfoy” he winced at the nickname
“why does he hate you so badly?” Evie asked
“I turned down his rather pompous offer of friendship in first year, he’s a snotty brat and, I’d already made friends with Ron so…yeah” he shrugged “besides, we probably wouldn’t have stayed friends anyway, considering our Houses hate each other quite badly”
“you’ve got quite the bitter feud going on” Jay shrugged
“I wouldn’t call it a feud” said Hermione
“No? then what would you call it?” Mal asked
“its war” She shrugged a shoulder “and we Gryffindor's love to pummel the Slytherin’s into the ground every year” She grinned “we always win the house cup, and the Quidditch cup”
“what in the name of Evil is Quidditch?” asked Evie
“YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT QUIDDITCH?!” Ron said loudly, Mal winced at his tone and the red-haired boy looked rather offended.
“er…not from around here…?” Evie reminded him, Ron blushed and cleared his throat. Hermione rolled her eyes. She’d heard plenty of comments from the Gryffindor boys about the girls and was thankful they’d had the tact not to voice their opinions in front of Jay.
“oh er yeah…well you see Quidditch is the best sport ever, there are seven players on each team-“ he began to explain to an amused Evie as the door opened and Professor Lupin walked out.
“Morning class, let’s get started shall we?”

*

It turned out Defence was not as exciting as Mal thought it would be. The teacher, Lupin had given them work relating to how to defend against something called a Dementor, whatever that was. She had noticed how Harry had stiffened at the mention of the creature and filed that away for later. History was not any better, the most interesting thing about it was the fact the teacher came through the wall to begin the class.

As they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch, Mal looked to the side to see Evie reading something on a spare piece of paper from her bag which was covered in writing.
“whatcha working on?” she asked
“magic math” She didn’t quite look up at her “apparently I have it after lunch, Hermione lent me her notes from the last class so I wouldn’t be too behind, what have you got?”
“um….” She looked in her bag and found her timetable “I have plant class with Jane apparently, herbology? Didn’t think it was a thing”
“sounds fascinating” Evie smiled “let me know what it’s like, I have that tomorrow with Carlos’ group”
“sure…hey er E?”
“mm?” she folded the paper in her hand and looked at her as they approached the doors
“Are you okay?” Mal asked
“fine, why?” she replied
“E…you didn’t eat breakfast”
“I wasn’t hungry” she replied with a shrug, taking a seat “I saw the granola and fruit in my bag, I had some after first class”

Mal frowned
“Evie” she began
“later” Evie replied, her attention on her compact as she checked over her make up.
“Eves-“
“not now M” said the blue-haired girl, snapping her compact shut as they were joined by the other Slytherin’s.

*

Hermione shouldered her bag and made her way across the hall, steeling her nerves, she prepared herself to approach the Slytherin’s table. Evie had asked Jay to ask Hermione to meet her before Arithmancy class so she wouldn’t get lost. She straightened her back as some of the Slytherin’s glared in her direction.  Hermione approached the fifth years and tried not to cringe as Pansy was the first to notice her.
“Do you smell that?” She said to Draco “oh, it’s only a Mudblood” she smirked as Hermione winced very slightly, even after five years of it, the slur against her parentage still stung.

Evie turned, hearing Pansy’s tone. Her eyes landed on Hermione
“hey Hermione, thanks for agreeing to walk me to class” she got to her feet
“oh-er-it’s no problem” she replied, “did you find the notes helpful?” she asked
“I did“ Evie nodded “very helpful”
“Hey Granger, I'm talking to you” Pansy cut in

Evie caught the slight flinch in her shoulders as Hermione turned to face Pansy. She saw Mal approaching, yet Hermione didn’t respond to Pansy’s comments.

“oi Granger, you should answer when a pureblood deigns to speak to you” Pansy dug in further
“Say Mal” Evie said loudly, purposely talking over Pansy “did you hear something?” she asked
“Dunno E, sounded like a whiny bitch” she replied “kinda squeaky, like one of those toys Carlos used to use to play tag with Dude”

Hermione snorted, adjusting her bag as Pansy’s face twisted.
“What did you-“ Pansy shoved forward
“you heard me” Mal folded her arms “do me a favour and shut up” she wrinkled her nose and folded her arms, Hermione swore she saw her eyes flash a green colour for less than a second, she wasn’t even sure she’d seen it happen afterwards.

Pansy looked enraged, she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Panicked, the girl began gesturing to Draco, who had no idea what she was trying to say.
“shall we head to class?” Mal asked with a frightening smile.

Evie grinned, taking her hand in her own.
“we better, c’mon Hermione” she gestured to the other girl to follow.

The trio walked out of the hall before Hermione finally turned to Mal.
“not that I particularly care but…what did you do to her?” she asked
“what makes you think I did anything?” Mal replied “hey er Hermione? which way is plant class?”
“Herbology is out of the main doors to the right, down the path to Greenhouse four, don’t change the subject” Hermione eyed her
“cool thanks, See you after class” Mal squeezed Evie’s hand and dropped it, walking out of the doors without looking back.

Hermione looked at Evie and was about to ask her if she knew what had happened to Pansy but the look on her face made her pause. Evie watched Mal disappear outside and turned to face Hermione, the dark look on her face disappeared almost instantly.
“so, talk to me about magic math…I didn’t quite understand the formula for question nine” She began as they started to walk towards the Arithmancy classroom. “I thought the answer was fifteen but, you had it as eight” Evie handed her the paper “I went over it a few times to see if I had it wrong but, I keep getting fifteen, what that meant I have no idea”
“oh, maybe I got it wrong, there was a few I struggled with” Hermione replied “we can ask Professor Vector once class starts” she added, shoving her bag on a table.

The other students began to walk in.
“hey Evie!” Carlos waved excitedly
“Carlos! Didn’t know you had math too?!” she waved him over to their bench “Hermione this is my brother Carlos, Carlos this is Hermione, she lives with Jay”
“Hi!” he gave her a big smile “nice to meet you Hermione”
“likewise” said Hermione “come join us” she moved her bag off the spare chair
“thanks, yeah I’ve got math then I've got Runes class apparently, what do you have next?” he replied “study break” said Evie “Hermione tells me there’s a fantastic library here, so I figured I’d get a few books out”
“Hogwarts has one of the largest libraries in the Wizarding World” Hermione nodded “there’s not much it doesn’t have”
“cool” Carlos agreed

Professor Vector walked in
“Afternoon class” she smiled “Ah I see we have some new students,” she spotted Evie and Carlos  “welcome to Arithmancy, may I take your names?”
“Evie Grimhilde”
“Carlos De Vil”
“perfect” she replied “class I want you to carry on with the work we began last lesson” she waved her wand and the chalkboard filled with numbers and shapes “remember, until you’ve confirmed all aspects of the equation, you won’t get an accurate read”

Vector walked over to their table
“do either of you have much experience with Arithmancy?”
“not in the strictest sense” Carlos said, “we did Math at home-“ he looked at Evie
“I had a look a Hermione’s class notes this morning” she shrugged “but this is pretty new to me”
“Ah well Miss Granger is a meticulous note taker” Vector smiled as Hermione blushed “how did you find it?”
“interesting” Evie replied “she and I got different answers for one of the questions”
“oh? Which one?”
 “Question nine” Hermione unfolded her paper “I got eight, which I think means something along the lines of trial and tribulation”
“What did you get Miss Grimhilde?”
“I got fifteen but I don’t know what that means; I did the equation six times” Evie was rummaging in her bag and removed several pieces of paper “each time I got the same answer” she unfolded them and Vector picked up both sets of notes.
“do you mind if I look this over?”
“be my guest” she replied
“excellent” Vector nodded “I had made up some catch up worksheets for you both to work through if you would? It might seem a little elementary until I know where your strengths are”
“sounds great” Carlos nodded, looking at the quiz sheet she put in front of them.

Evie took the paperwork with a nod, her eyes scanning the page as Vector walked back to her desk.

*

Over by Herbology, Mal leant against the fence by the greenhouse.
“Mal!” Jane waved, walking over with two other students
“Hey” she tried to smile, her mind was still on the previous encounter at lunch. She wondered if Pansy’s voice had come back yet, if not, well, it would give everyone a break.

“Oh! Hannah, Susan, this is Mal, Mal this is Hannah and Susan, we room together”
“A pleasure” Mal commented
“nice to meet you” said Susan “May I ask you something?“
“not now Susan” said Hannah with a glare “you’ve literally just met”

Jane winced
“So!” she said loudly “anything interesting to report?”
“No” Mal raised her eyebrows “so do you normally stare at people you just met or am I just so interesting you can’t help it?” She was looking directly as Susan.

The girl squeaked
“sorry-“
“Susan’s a little excited” Hannah shoved her friend “meeting new people makes her a little strange, she doesn’t get out much, you’ll have to excuse her stupidity”
“right” Mal chuckled
“Hannah!” Susan glared “you-“
“not another word” Hannah warned

Professor Sprout let them in to the greenhouse, Mal looked at Jane as they found a spare bench
“Explain what that was all about” she said, Jane sighed
“Susan has a rather…avid interest in…history” She replied slowly “I saw a book on her nightstand”
“a history book?” Mal shrugged “what does that have to do with me?”
“a collection of fairy tales” she replied “including one I'm sure you’re very well versed in”

Mal glared
“I see”
“Mal-“ Jane tried “it’s not as bad as you think-“
“really?” She sneered “I knew it! It’s like family day all over again”
“yes really” Jane said with a sigh “She was very excited about meeting you and Evie, I sort of told her not to bother, she would do to forget what’s in the book, history is written by the victors as we all know, it does not paint your family favourably, none of the versions in the book do actually”
“what do you mean ‘versions’?” Mal asked, Jane put her bag down on the table.
“I mean you know what happened, but the storybook version is somewhat different I’d expect” said Jane “much like my mother’s story is given as the best thing to ever happen to Cindy” she pulled out her notebook and set them on the table.
“I don’t understand” Mal replied

Jane didn’t quite look at her
“what I mean is; their world and our world are vastly different, to them" she gestured to Hannah and Susan “our families are legends, tales told to kids at bedtime”
“it’s a lot to live up to” Mal murmured
“it is” Jane agreed “I admit I didn’t think about it when we arrived”
“no?” Mal raised an eyebrow
“of course not, no one here knows me, I mean they’ve heard of Mom but…I didn’t think about it”
“believe me you get used to it” Mal gave a sarcastic smile “after a while you don’t even notice the people scurrying from you in fear” She added
“why…oh nevermind” said Jane “I forget, you’re totally evil” she grinned as Mal snorted
“you have no idea” she said “exactly how evil I can be” she teased, sliding a hand over her arm “I’m happy to…show you though” she leant towards her with a leering smile, Jane eeped
“I’d rather you didn’t” she squeaked, leaning back out of her space
“and whyever not?” Mal asked
“I don’t fancy being murdered” Jane replied
“ouch” Mal commented “you wound me”
“not like that you Islander” Jane rolled her eyes, Mal blinked
“that’s the worst insult you could come up with?” she commented in amusement
“sorry it just slipped out” Jane winced
“I'm sure it did” Mal sniggered
“MAL!” Jane stared
“what?” she said innocently “oh c’mon stop being such a prude” she shoved her shoulder.

Jane fell off her chair with a shriek
“oops” Mal winced as Professor Sprout came over
“Hello dears, are you alright Jane?” she asked

Jane struggled to her feet, wincing. She huffed at Mal, who gave her an innocent smile, making Jane roll her eyes.
“yes thank you Professor” She said “slipped off my chair, wasn’t watching myself”
“don’t worry we’ve all done it” She smiled “and you must be Miss… Moors?” she studied her
“Yes” Mal replied
“perfect, please both of you put these on during class” she handed them both a set of gloves and placed some shears on the table in front of them “we’re working with a particular plant today and handling it is somewhat problematic for those of fae heritage” said Sprout “I would rather neither of you have to go to the hospital wing so early in the semester” She explained

“what plant is it?” Mal asked, her attention on the large cutting shears now in her hand
“the venomous tentacular” she replied “the blades of the shears used to prune it are coated with iron, please take care”

Mal threw them down on the table with a clatter, she grabbed the gloves as Sprout returned to the front of class to begin her lecture. Jane sent her a questioning look.
“Mal?”
“what?” the word was snappy
“Are you okay?” she asked
“perfect” she almost growled “have you ever touched Iron Jane?”
“can’t say I have” she replied, “Mom was pretty meticulous about keeping me safe, um, I’m only half faery so I don’t know how I would react to it”
“wonderful” Mal didn’t smile
“by your expression you have touched it?” Jane queried. Mal grunted, Jane saw her hand touch her side for a minute, wondering what that was all about.
“it’s dangerous, that’s all you need to know” Mal told her, dropping her hand from her side
“how-“
“don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to Janey” Mal replied “half faery or not it doesn’t matter, just be damn careful”
“okay sure..” Jane raised her hands in defeat “you’re the boss”

Mal rolled her eyes
“not of you” She said idly “yet”
“I'm not sure how to take that” Jane replied, Mal just gave her one of those side smirks that had the dark haired girl worried for her life for the second time in a week.

Jane hadn’t spent too much time in the VKs company before Hogwarts, and she found their interactions somewhat confusing; The use of mild violence as a form of affection was something she definitely was not used to and it took a little while for her to see how the shoves and jabs Mal gave the others was a form of affection, which all of them returned with ease. Of course she’d heard plenty of innuendos being thrown about during their time at Auradon Prep, promises of things that made Jane turn red. She shook her head and tried to continue with her note taking. Her shoulder still stung a little from where Mal had shoved her, not to mention where she’d hit the floor , Jane grumbled, rolling her shoulders. She’d have to get used to it.

Jane’s attention was taken as Susan and Hannah came to work with them alongside their potted tentacular.
“it’s very violent” Hannah commented, ducking a vine as it swiped forwards, the plant snapped its pointed teeth angrily.
“wouldn’t you be if you knew someone was coming along to snip parts of you away?” Susan replied
“good point” Hannah agreed.

Mal was watching them wrestle with the plant for a few minutes, their stunning spells not having much luck at stalling the flailing limbs. Jane saw a slight smirk of amusement before she rolled her eyes.
“come on its not hard, just grab it”

Her hand shot out and wrapped around the tentacluar’s vine with a snap. The plant became very still
“woah” said Hannah “how-“
“cut the damn thing then I can let go” Mal replied

Swiftly. Hannah snipped the small protrusions off and once done, Mal let the plant go. It stayed still for a moment or so, before the vines began to shift a little.
“are we done?”
“two more tentacles to do” said Susan
“of course there is” Mal grumbled “alright I’ll hold it you cut it” she shrugged, snatching another one as the plant twisted threateningly beside them.  Susan snipped the pieces off and put them aside.
“right Janey your turn” Mal grumbled

She grabbed the remaining tentacle and Jane moved forwards, snipping at it carefully.  The tentacular thrashed as she cut a bit too much off and Mal tried to keep it still. She misjudged the swing and the tentacular knocked her backwards. Mal instinctively made a grab for Jane’s arm with her free hand, putting herself in front of the irate plant and throwing it back onto the table, having heaved it upwards in an attempt to keep it still. She used her other arm to brace against the thrashing tentacles.
“what in the name of Evil…” Mal replied “Are you okay?” she turned to Jane

Susan was staring in horror, Mal was about to ask what was wrong when she became aware of a sharp pain in her forearm.
“Oh my goodness….Professor!” Hannah called out
“whatever’s the matter?” asked Professor Sprout
“the tentacluar’s bitten Mal”

Mal looked down to find her shirt turning red, the stinging pain was quite something.
“oh” she commented, sharing a rather bemused look with a stunned Jane.

Professor Sprout winced
“let me see” She said, moving her hand towards her arm

Mal flinched back ever so slightly, something Jane noticed
“no it’s fine, it doesn’t hurt too badly” Mal replied
“nonsense Ms Moors, that plant is poisonous, and you’re bleeding onto the floor” Professor Sprout pointed out.  She pulled out her wand and used a cutting spell on her shirt sleeve, peeling it back from the puncture wounds with such practiced ease, Mal had a feeling she’d done this before. She started wrapping the puncture wounds in bandages before cleaning away the blood splatters from the floor.

“er…Professor Sprout?”
“Yes Hannah?”
“the tentacular…its acting odd” she replied, watching how the plant was twisting and retracting its vines, as if it was in pain.
“I’ll take care of it in a minute” Professor Sprout replied with a wave of her hand “Susan? please escort Miss Moors to the Hospital Wing, let Madame Pomfrey know what happened” she was now tying a sling around her neck. “keep your arm raised until you’ve seen the nurse” she said to Mal

Jane saw Mal looked furious for a minute, her eyes turning bright green, Jane swore she made a hissing sound, before her face blanked and her eyes changed colour again. Susan nodded and took their bags.
“it’s a bit of walk” she said “c’mon”

The pair walked out of the greenhouse and started towards the castle. Mal slowed her pace, feeling the movement jarring her arm causing pain to throb from the bite wounds.  Susan fell into step beside her.
“Madam Pomfrey will have you sorted in no time” she said, “she’s our school medi-witch”
“right” Mal replied “So, do plants often bite people at Hogwarts?” she asked with a grimace
“occasionally, or we have the Devils Snare which can strangle you if you get too close to it…” Susan shrugged
“now that’s a plant I want to see” Mal commented
“Professor Sprout keeps one in Greenhouse eleven, only seventh years are allowed in there”
“shame” Mal replied “I'm going to say plants are not my speciality, so it’s probably a good thing” she winced as Susan chuckled.
“Herbology is definitely the worst class for injuries” she said “aside from Potions, but Professor Snape can usually deal with anything that happens pretty quickly, he’ll send you to the hospital wing once he knows you won’t die”
“he’s my head of house isn’t he? Snape”
“Yes, he’s a strict teacher, but fair” Susan replied, “he never takes too many points from Hufflepuff but that’s probably because we get on with our work and don’t try to actively murder ourselves”
“a bit of self-murder makes the day go faster” Mal grinned

Susan raised an eyebrow
“what?” Mal asked “oh c’mon Susie, it was a joke” she rolled her eyes, then grimaced “ow, I mean….it was a little joke”
“I don’t think I want to know” She replied
“right, yes, I forget, be nice to everyone and no murder” Mal said to her “it’s almost like being back at Auradon Prep”

Susan shook her head
“what’s Auradon like?”
“stuffed to the brim with prissy pink princesses and perfect princes, it’s enough to make anyone gag” she replied, “not too dissimilar to Hogwarts”
“apart from we have no royalty attending our schools”
“yes what is that all about? you call yourself the united Kingdom yet you have a queen on the throne?” Mal asked
“we’re a monarch run country, her father was King before her, United Queendom just doesn’t sound right, I don’t know, I don’t take much interest in the workings of the muggle royal family” Susan replied, “my aunt works for the Aurors, she’s the head of magical law enforcement”
“sounds like the police” Mal commented
“that’s the muggle version yes” Susan replied “I live with her, since my parents were murdered in the first Wizard War against You Know Who”
“who?”
“you know who” Susan said “the dark lord, he was killed when he tried to murder Harry, but Dumbledore believes he’s not as gone as we think he is”
“wow…that’s….interesting”

Mal paused on the stairs, her head was beginning to pound, making it hard to concentrate
“it’s not too much further” Susan told her “it’s just down this corridor”
“hm okay…” She forced her feet to cooperate and move forward a few steps. Her arm was burning now, Mal swallowed thickly as Susan opened the door to the hospital wing.

“Madam Pomfrey?” Susan guided her to a bed and sat her down

Mal looked up through bleary eyes as a woman came towards them. The room smelt of antiseptic and seemed far too bright and clean for Mal’s liking. It reminded her of the assessment room at Auradon Royal Hospital, where they’d all been taken once they’d left the Isle. She grimaced, trying to shove those particular memories aside.
“hello Susan” she said, “and who might this be?” Madam Pomfrey asked
“Oh er this is Mal, she’s part of the exchange programme.” She replied “Professor Sprout had us working with Venomous Tentacular in herbology, She got bitten quite badly on the arm”

Madam Pomfrey winced, she headed to a cabinet and began pulling out vials.
“oh dear, well we can deal with that in a jiffy, although your arm will be sore for a day or so” she said “fantastic” Mal grunted, wishing the now constant nausea would stop.

She leant back in the chair, cradling her arm with her uninjured one
“here we are” said Madam Pomfrey “take this, swallow it in one if you can” she handed her a goblet
“…watssit?” Mal blinked several times, her speech was slightly slurred
“it’s an anti-venom designed to halt the effects of the tentacular bite” she replied

Grunting at the effort it took to move, Mal swallowed the potion, grimacing at the taste
“…disgusting” she said a minute or so later “tastes worse than a dinner at Ursula’s” she gagged
“unfortunately most medication isn’t designed with taste in mind” Madam Pomfrey smiled “lets lie you down then I can have a look at the bites and give you a pain reliever” she gestured.

Wincing, she led down as Madam Pomfrey banished the bandages with a wave of her wand. She looked at the bites, some of which were still bleeding. Mal’s forearm was dark purple, the skin was swollen and weeping a gross white substance that smelt foul where it wasn’t bleeding.
“oh deary me” she said, “you did get bitten badly”
“do you think I’ll have a scar?” Mal asked hopefully
“hopefully not” she replied, “there might be a slight one, some of the bites are pretty deep”
“it’ll be a good story to tell people back home” Mal shrugged her other shoulder “it ain’t every day you get eaten by a plant” She grinned at Susan “Hey, my arm matches my hair, that’s a first” she commented.

Susan didn’t quite know what to say to that, so she just winced
“it looks painful”
“you would be right” Mal replied as Madam Pomfrey cleaned and re-dressed her arm, she wriggled her fingers, thankfully everything seemed to be in order.
“the anti-venom will take a few hours to completely cleanse your blood, so I suggest resting for the remainder of the day, you will need to stay here whilst it does so I can keep an eye on you” she said

“I’d much rather sleep in my dorm” said Mal “you’ve given me the medication right? There’s no need for me to take up a bed I don’t need to be in”  she sat up, wincing a little.

Madam Pomfrey frowned
“I would prefer it if you stayed” she replied
“I’d prefer it if I didn’t have to” Mal insisted, she took a breath “I’d much prefer to sleep in my dorm bed” she tried “there isn’t much else you can do and I’d only be here bored” she turned wide eyes onto the matron. Susan swore they changed colour for a moment or so, Madam Pomfrey sighed.
“come back and see me tomorrow to have the dressing changed over and I’ll see what I can do about the bites. But take this now, it’ll give you some relief for a few hours at least” she said, handing her a small vial.

Mal threw it back, making a face
“gross” she said “….but works…wow”
“take this one before bed” Madam Pomfrey handed her a sealed vial “you should sleep well enough”
“cool, thanks” Mal got up “I feel better already”
“come back and see me tomorrow” Madam Pomfrey repeated “and if you feel any worse come back immediately”
“will do” Mal grabbed her bag, following Susan back out of the hospital wing.

The pair walked back down the stairs
“thanks Susan” Mal gave her a side glance
“no bother” she replied, “go back to your dorm and sleep or something”
“I fully intend to, if you see Jane tell her I’m fine, she’ll fret” Mal winced
“will do” Susan gave her a bright smile “get well soon!” she waved her off down the corridor to the Slytherin dorms.

*

Mal headed straight to her dormitory and threw the drapes shut around her bed. She exhaled, pulling off the sling and wincing with the effort, leaning back on her bed. Mal could still feel the venom creeping under her skin, she shivered. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long to stop. Mal tried to read her book from her nightstand but began to feel drowsy, soon enough she fell asleep.

She woke about thirty minutes later feeling a little confused, tired and cold. She grabbed Carlos’ sweater and yanked it over her head. Sliding her arms in awkwardly, Mal groaned as pain lanced through her arm. She figured the pain relief potion had worn off already.  She cursed her genetics, more specifically, her father’s genetics. Mal reached for her boots and pulled them on, favouring her other arm heavily. This would take time to get used to. Slowly, she got off her bed, looking at the time, classes were still in session for another half hour, but she recalled Evie had had a study session while she’d had plant class so there was a chance the blue-haired girl was in their hideout as she clearly wasn’t in the dorm.

Despite how ill she was feeling, Mal made her way to the classroom the four of them had commandeered as their own hideout and to her relief Evie was already there, a few benches had already been repurposed into comfier seating and a bluebell fire was roaring in the grate, over which a large cauldron was suspended, Evie was frowning at it.

“M!” Evie smiled upon seeing her and made her way over.
“Oh hey E” she tried to act natural, her head was pounding “How was magic math?”
“fascinating” she was looking at her “is everything okay?” Evie asked
“yes fine” Mal replied, groping for a chair with her uninjured arm.

Evie saw her holding her other arm into her side as she sat, her slightly flushed complexion did not reassure Evie that everything was fine.
“what happened?” she asked
“just a plant bite, nothing bad, had worse on the Isle” Mal shook her head, regretting the motion immediately, she hissed quietly “it’s taking a while to feel better that’s all”
“what sort of plant?” Evie asked
“a plant E, a big reddish green one” She rolled her eyes “ow..” she clamped her eyes shut
“let me look you moronic faery” Evie said with a smile
“leave me alone it’s just a plant bite, the professor sent me to the nurse, she gave me an antivenom potion and a pain reliever” Mal grunted, opening her eyes again “just gotta wait till it kicks in, damn thing got me good”
“what plant was it?” Evie asked in concern
“tentacled plant” Mal shrugged wincing “vemmaborus tapatula? I didn’t pay much attention, was too busy trying not to die” she sighed, the pain was increasing in her arm and she could feel it throbbing up her shoulder. Her head felt sore and her skin too tight, Mal grimaced. Stupid plant.

“I hope to Evil you didn’t just say Venomous Tentacula” Carlos replied, “cause they’re actually deadly, faery or not they’re deadly”
“hey Ca-rrhhlos” Mal yawned  “when’d you get over here? Why are there four of you?” She looked up blinking “maybe I should have stayed in bed…feeling a little weirder than normal”
“you need the nurse” Evie was rolling up her sleeve “holy evil Mal!” she saw how bad the swelling was and a shove of the sweater up to her shoulder confirmed the venom was not slowing down. She could see the tendrils moving up her arm and they had almost reached her shoulder.
“is jus’ a widdle bittey” Mal complained “geeffoff me” She tried to pull her arm back, swearing with the pain.

The door came open to Jay and a panicked Jane
“MAL!” she ran over “how bad was it? did the nurse heal it?”
“I'm fiiiiiiiiine” She glared “get off” she reared back out of her space, wincing in pain  “was given medicine and the nurse put on new bamdages” Mal winced “ba-bandages” she tried “talking hurts”
“tentacular venom is poisonous and faeries aren’t immune to it. It might take you a while to recover” Jane replied, “you don’t look so great” she added
“am fibe gewwoway” Mal groaned, her vision was beginning to swim, her mouth felt fuzzy, Mal stuck out her tongue, grimacing “bah blep ma feep”
“you’re not fine M” Evie said with a glare “How long ago did this happen?”
“Herbology class, so same time as you had Arithmancy. The tentactular we were pruning attacked me, Mal put her arm in the way” Jane explained
“dibt hupt madly” Mal said “wibble woosy” she attempted to sit up and fell off the chair with a confused yell.
“Mal you idiot. I don’t think you’re going to heal from this without further help” Jay said “how far’s the nurses office?”
“maw no eep burses!” Mal yelled “naw murses!” her eyes flashed green
“try not to talk and try to be calm, the last thing you need is to…well… change into a dragon” said Jane “somehow I don’t think this room is big enough to contain you”

Mal leant forward and retched, Evie side stepped as she vomited with a groan.
“evanesco” Jane had her wand in her hand, she rolled her eyes and the pool of vomit disappeared “Jay lay her on the couch” she pointed. Mal grumbled without making much sense as Jay and Carlos attempted to get her onto the couch and tried to keep her still.
“perfect. Let me look at her arm” Jane pushed the sweater up “yikes this is bad… okay…er…let me think a minute”

Mal grumbled, trying to pull her arm away. Jane grabbed her wrist
“stop moving” Jane snapped, she severed the bandages with a flick of her wand and threw them aside “Evie grab me a bowl or something? We also need some towels”
“oh. Sure here use this” Evie passed her a green chipped bowl from the table beside the cauldron.

Jane placed it on the floor beside her and pointed her wand at it
“aquamenti” water erupted from the tip of her wand and filled the bowl, she turned to her bag and began rummaging inside it, removing a small black tub about the size of her palm. Carlos handed her some strips of material.
“what are you doing?” Jay asked
“what does it look like?” Jane didn’t look up; her attention was on cleaning out the bites and trying to keep her arm still “Mal I swear if you pull your arm any more it’s going to dislocate” she snapped

Mal made several irritated noises, her eyes clamped shut. Jane beckoned Jay over
“hold her wrist, Carlos hold her shoulders”
“why?”
“because I need to get the venom out and it’s going to hurt and we don’t need a wounded dragon in school” she brandished her wand “now do it”

Shrugging, the boys held her down, Jane grabbed another clean piece of material and winced
“sorry Mal” she said quietly

Jane took her arm in her hands and squeezed the deepest bite wound, watching as the blood and pus began to ooze outwards. Mal yelled in pain, snapping her arm out of Jay’s hands and punching outward with the other, Jane ducked the fist.
“dammit Mal” She exhaled
“geddafuckoffme!” Mal roared, cradling her bleeding arm to her chest
“Mal I need to get the venom out” Jane told her “you’re going to have to trust me”
“day duh fuck away from me” Mal spat “gedda fuck out”
“no” Jane replied “so stop whinging” she grabbed her arm again “don’t make me spell you still”

Mal huffed, swearing in pain as Jane pressed down on the bites again. A few minutes later, she wiped her arm clean, turning to apply some of whatever was in the black tub and with a swish of her wand, Jane reapplied fresh bandages.
“there, that wasn’t so bad was it?” She ignored the glare coming from the purple-haired fae.

Evie snorted
“what?” Jane asked
“why do you care so much?” Carlos asked
“do I have to have an ulterior motive?” Jane folded her arms; Evie raised her eyebrows in silence
“Would you have preferred to try get her across the castle to the hospital wing? Or deal with it yourselves?” Jane tapped her wand against the bowl and the water evaporated “burn the bloody rags” she said, “that way there’s no evidence”
“Jane-“
“in the morning change the bandages, the spell to do it is ‘incartia’ and put some more of this on” she handed Evie the black tub “it’s a salve my mom made, it’ll draw out the rest of the venom from the bites and heal things up, I use it on most cuts and scrapes, works like a charm”
“right” said Evie “and what do we do in the mean time?”
“leave it alone, she’ll come round, the swelling will go down once that’s given time to work.” Jane pointed to the tub in her hand “just rest and don’t be running around school” She looked at Mal
“I'm going nowhere” she said tiredly, eyes closed “m’sleeping”
“probably for the best” Jane agreed “and on that note I have a catch up study session in the library with Hannah” she was looking at her watch.
“Jane-“ Jay was studying her
“what?” she met his eyes
“thanks” he said quietly

She shrugged
“you’re welcome” Jane turned on her heel “by the way…you might want to consider a password on the door” she smiled, opening it with a yank “see you in class” Jane closed it behind her.

“she’s such a Hufflepuff” Evie commented with a fond smile
“she’s not so bad” Carlos agreed “I mean she’s annoyingly perky but…actually nice”
“someone getting a crush on Jane?” Jay teased him
“I say once nice thing and you reckon I want in her pants?” Carlos glared
“don’t you?” Mal asked
“No, I mean, I don’t think so” he picked up her ankles and slid under her legs on to the couch, lying them on his lap. Mal snorted
“whad do you mean you don’t fink so?”
“well she's nice but...not my type”
“back to this again?” Evie rolled he eyes, turning her attentions to her cauldron “just tell her you’re friends only, let her down gently”
“why are we even talking about this?” Carlos threw his head back against the sofa “I don’t fancy Jane”

“she fancies you though” Jay crossed his arms “badly”
“she’ll find someone else” he replied, “she’s a good friend, and she’s very good at magic”
“yef fince when did miss bibbity bobbity ged so good with a wand?” Mal asked “confidering her own mom banned magic in Auradon” she made a face, her tongue was still swollen and talking was difficult. She saw Evie smirking and settled for glaring at her, Evie just grinned.
“that is something I’d like to know” Evie threw something into the cauldron, green smoke plumed out of it for a second, the potion hissing as she stirred it.
“what’re you making Evie?” Jay asked
“a little something for a friend” she replied, “that’s all I'm going to tell you” she gave him a smirk
“no murdering” Carlos wagged his finger
“who said anything about murder?” Evie looked innocently at him “I didn’t say anything of the sort”

Mal laughed, wincing a little
“at leaft do id domorrow when we can all fee the refults” she said
“of course M” Evie replied, “it’s not as though it’s an illegal brew”
“no?” she asked
“of course not” Evie said “but I’m not telling you what it does” she took the cauldron off the heat and let the potion inside cool down before decanting it into several bottles.
“dat’s my E” Mal yawned
“go to sleep Mal” She replied “you look tired”
“I am tired, and sore” Mal admitted, she swallowed several times “but it’s not so bad now. Whatever Jane put on the bites feels really good”
“oh?”
“mmhm, ifs numbed the pain a lot. Which if nice” She shifted to get comfortable
“at least your face isn’t so swollen now, whatever it is works quickly” Evie opened the tub “I don’t get it, why would Jane have this? More importantly why would Fairy Godmother make healing salves?” she sniffed the salve, raising her eyebrows
“cause she’s a faery?” Jay offered “even though magic is banned, she can’t deny Jane knowing her history, could she?”
“it’s possible” Carlos said, “Jane seems more confident here, like she's coming into her own a bit, without her mom breathing down her neck”
“you don’t think…her mom’s been teaching her in secret?” Evie looked up from writing something down “breaking the exact law she helped to write?”
“I expect she doesn’t see it as breaking the law” Carlos replied “if Jane’s had magic outbursts she’d have to control them. Control Jane, control the magic, win win” he shrugged, toying with the straps on Mal’s boots, he undid them and pulled the boots off, dropping them to the floor.

Mal sighed quietly, Carlos began to rub her feet, pressing his thumbs into the bridge of her foot. Mal grunted as he pressed down on it.
“still a bother?” Jay asked, She nodded
“not as bad now” Mal exhaled “so Jane….doing magic huh?”
“don’t change the subject” Jay was looking at her “Fairy Godmother said to tell her-“
“m'not telling her anyfin” Mal scowled “Ow Carlos!” she dug her heel into his thigh in retaliation
“not sorry” He said, “it’s been over two weeks Mal” Carlos began
“so?” she cut him off “I just got bitten by a plant, a bruised foot is the least of my problems”

**

Jane threw her bag onto the table
“sorry I'm late” she said to Hannah
“oh no bother. Did you sort whatever it was?” Susan asked
“uh you could say so” Jane replied, getting her things out of her bag
“you seem a little stressed Jane” Hannah commented “is everything okay?”

She nodded
“yes, I’m fine” Jane tried to smile
“liar” Susan folded her arms “what’s on your mind Jane?” she asked
“getting this essay for Professor McGonagall done” Jane replied “I don’t understand any of it and she needs this in by tomorrow-“ she began to babble
“Jane” Susan put a hand on her arm “stop”

She jumped
“Jane, talk to us, what’s happened?” Hannah asked
“nothing why do you think somethings happened?” Jane tried to deflect the question
“because we can see for miles something’s upset you” she replied “talk to us”

Jane shook her head
“it’s nothing, honestly” she smiled a little “it doesn’t matter”

Susan and Hannah shared a look, Hannah quietly cast a privacy ward around their table. Folding her arms, she looked at her.
“it’s not nothing and we want to help”
“No one can help” Jane was looking at her book “so it doesn’t matter”
“how do you know that if you won’t tell us what’s wrong?” Susan asked

Jane sighed
“no one can help Susan,” she said, “because no offense but you’re not a faery”
“oh” she replied, “maybe not but we can try” she offered, Jane sighed
“I really don’t think you can” She sat back in the chair
“try us” Hannah said “we might not be able to help but we might know who could”

Cornered, Jane groaned quietly, she tried to think of a plausible lie
“Hogwarts is affecting my magic” she said, “and I’m not sure how”
“what do you mean?”
“when I was at home I never had problems with controlling it, but here it’s getting out of my control a lot and it’s a stress I don’t need” she admitted “using it seems to help but I don’t know how to get it back under control”
“Talk to professor Sprout” Susan replied “she will be able to give you some study time, the more you use it the better the control should be, lots of kids go a bit crazy when they come to Hogwarts for the first time”
“it’s common?”
“more than you’d think” Hannah smiled “it happened to me in first year for a few weeks, professor Sprout gave me some extra classroom time and it calmed down. You’ll be fine”

Jane exhaled
“oh” she said “thanks… yeah ill speak to her tomorrow” she smiled “now please can we get on with this essay?” she jabbed the papers with her quill. Hannah and Susan nodded, turning their attentions to the homework. Jane hated lying to her new friends, but this was necessary to keep things secret. She stared at the paper in front of her, her mind flashing back to the lesson earlier.

Why had Mal pushed her back away from the plant? She’d never made any effort with Jane when in Auradon, the pair of them had been cordial at best. The way in which she’d barely felt the plants attack was worrying. She’d never seen a reaction quite like that before. Her mother had warned her in case of problems with the VKs due to their parentage but this was something else. Jane discreetly pushed back her shirt sleeve and looked down at the bruise on her arm, she’d barely felt it happen but saw the indentation of one of Mal’s ring’s on her wrist. It still throbbed a little.  Jane rubbed a thumb over it, wincing ever so slightly. She figured it was better a bruised wrist than to suffer venomous tentacular bite.

Jane shifted her thoughts to her homework; she just hoped the healing salve she had made would be enough to heal the bites and not draw any undue suspicions from the VKs.

*

The teachers were in Dumbledore’s office, having their weekly meeting. The topic of this particular meeting was the exchange students.
“…I have no complaints” said Flitwick “I have Ms Moors and Grimhilde tomorrow for charms, but the others have shown no problem”
“I agree” Minerva sipped her tea “my only concern is the lack of wands” she looked at Albus
“Fairy Godmother confirmed only her daughter uses a wand” he replied, “Ms Moors had an unfortunate accident with a wand, for her own safety it is best she does not use one”
“I see” she replied, “and the others?”
“I do not think it prudent to force our ways upon them” he replied lightly “Pomona, you look concerned my dear” he turned away from his deputy. Professor Sprout nodded
“today we had an accident in herbology, Ms Moors was bitten by the tentacular” she winced “lucky for her the plant was a juvenile so the venom wasn’t full strength”
“did she see Poppy?”
“of course” the matron replied, “gave her the antivenom and some pain relief, then sent her to her dorm to rest”
“you didn’t keep her in?” asked Snape
“I didn’t see the point, she made a good case to be let go, I cannot keep students in the infirmary against their will” she replied “gave her instructions to come see me tomorrow for a bandage change and to make sure the antivenom has worked properly.”
“is there a chance it might not?” Minerva asked
“considering she is a dark fae then yes of course” Poppy replied with a shrug
“pardon?” Minerva asked, “a dark fae?” she turned to Albus “is this true?” He nodded
“her mother is the dark fae Maleficent” he reminded them “I informed you all to extend kindness to these children when they arrived”
“but dark fae-“
“are notoriously mischievous and chaotic” he cut her off with a smile “King Adam’s letter confirmed there is nothing to worry about. They are children, children who have been forced to live without their magic for almost all their lives.”
“what do you mean?” Lupin asked “how is that possible? Fae can’t live without their magic”

Dumbledore’s smile dropped
“allow me to perhaps bore you with a short history lesson” he said, clearing his throat “thirty years ago, a proud and somewhat spoilt prince refused an old lady refuge in a snowstorm. Not realising the old lady was a witch. In retaliation, she spelled him to become a great beast, to reflect his inside on the outside as it were” Dumbledore paused “the prince grew up as a beast, not understanding why he would not become a man again. Not until an elderly man trespassed onto his property and, the prince threw him in the dungeon as a prisoner. The man’s daughter begged for him to be set free and by so doing, traded places”

“whatever has this got to do with the children?” asked Pomona
“the girl who traded places, I believe you know her as her highness Queen Belle Marie” Dumbledore replied “King Adam was the beast” he folded his arms “he fell in love with her and the magic was broken. Adam; rightfully or wrongfully became fearful of magic after that. He began to plan to change Auradon, in his mind for the better”
“how?” Lupin asked
“with the help of the Fairy Godmother, Adam began to restrict magic use in Auradon. This caused problems with the other magic users of the country. However, his biggest plan did not come to fruition until six years after he was in control”
“and what was that?” asked Minerva

Albus made a gesture with his hand, an image appeared in front of them
“this” he said, “is the Isle of the Lost” 
“What?” asked Flitwick
“Adams greatest plan. He rounded up the villains; Maleficent, Jafar, Queen Grimhilde, Cruella De Vil, Gaston, Hook, the Tremaine family, Ursula to name but a few.” Dumbledore went on “and sent them onto the Isle, due to their crimes against the ‘good families’ of Auradon, the White family, the Sultana Ali etc. Once there, he enforced a barrier to hold them there for the rest of their lives without access to their magic. No way in or out. He arranged for supply ships twice a week to fund the Isle with food and resources, but in his mind, out of sight meant out of mind. He left the villains on the Isle without their magic. What he did not bank on, was the residents of the isle becoming parents. As he himself has a son, who to my knowledge shows no magic. Benjamin is sixteen and as part of his duties to his country, he decided to attempt to breach the Isle of the Lost and see if anyone there could be redeemed. He found out about the children of the villains and his first official proclamation was to bring them to Auradon, to give them a chance to live the life they should have had, if not for their parents’ actions” 

The office was silent
“for sixteen years these children have lived without their magic” Dumbledore continued “Adam was cautious, he had little idea of how things would progress, if the children would even show magic. He reached out to me when it became apparent all four Villain children did indeed have magic and would need guidance to develop it without causing a danger to Auradon or themselves” he took a sip of tea “do not pity them” he looked around at his staff “we do not know what their upbringing was like, Adams letters did not explain much, other than they needed help to control their magic and he hoped to bring peace to Auradon with his sons help.”

“so we’re to expect some adjustments” Snape folded his arms “at the very least”
“perhaps” Dumbledore replied “but allowances must be made, our ways are vastly different to theirs and we could all do well to learn from each other” he smiled a little “do not fear these children. Perhaps some bedtime reading might help to understand them a little better”

He waved his wand and a book fell into each of his staff’s laps.
“fairy tales?” Snape sneered
“History my dear boy” Dumbledore reprimanded him “I sourced these from a friend who has connections to Auradon, I have read it myself already, I ask you all to do the same” he opened the door with his wand, and clutching their books, the teachers left the office.

Chapter Text

Dinner that evening was uneventful, although Evie noticed Pansy’s glowering expression with endless amusement.
“I think we’ve made a friend” Mal snorted, waving sarcastically in her direction and watching the girls murderous expression darken further.
“so it seems” Evie replied, “how long do you think till she explodes?”
“give her a day at least” Mal rested her sore arm on the table “ow”
“still sore?” Evie commented
“a little, it’s better than it was” she replied with a shrug “so, plan for tonight?”
“I said I’d meet Hermione in the library” Evie said carefully
“oh really?” Mal gave her a look, continuing to eat one handed
“what’s that look for?” Evie asked
“what look?” Mal asked
“do you have a problem with Hermione?” Evie remarked “if you do, then say so” she added
“No problems here E” Mal shrugged “I might come with you though” she said “unless it’s a date-“ she grinned, Evie gave her a glare
“we’ve been here two days” she commented “you’re being a little possessive babe” she poked her arm, Mal grunted
“I am not” She replied “I just…want to see the library” she added in a slightly unsure tone.

Evie rolled her eyes, she’d heard that tone many times and knew exactly what Mal was thinking.
“M you have absolutely nothing to worry about” she said in a low voice “you know I’m yours, okay? No one else comes close”
“I wasn’t-“ Mal tried
“sure you weren’t” Evie replied “eat your beans”

*

Hermione sat back in her favourite chair in the library. She’d been reading a transfiguration paper for the last half hour but it was boring her. Like most students at Hogwarts, her attention was taken by the new exchange students. Being muggleborn, Hermione was well versed in the fairy tales of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to name a few. But she wasn’t entirely sure the stories she knew as a child were correct.  As soon as she’d learnt about the exchange programme, she’d tried to learn about Auradon, but frustratedly had not found out much information. It seemed the country was shrouded in secrecy.

Of course she’d recognised their names as soon as Dumbledore had announced who the students were and written home to ask her mother for her copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales under the premise of lending it to Ginny.  Her mother had sent the book back by return Owl that night and Hermione had spent the evening re-reading a few select stories, trying to decipher if Grimm’s version of events would be closer to the truth?  Hermione had thrown the book across the dorm room in frustration. There was little in it to tell her anything.

Her mind flashed back to the first night they’d arrived and she knew she had stared a little too long at the group as they’d walked in. Harry had elbowed her, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively as Jay came to sit with them. She’d hit him with her newspaper and resolved to be more subtle. Especially as it seemed Jay was now joining their trio and along with Jay came his friends…

She shifted in her chair, fiddling with the papers. Hermione exhaled; she wasn’t stupid. The Auradon students were intriguing and she knew if she wasn’t careful she’d become obsessive in trying to find out more about them.  She freely admitted to herself she thought both Mal and Evie were very good looking and the way in which the boys had stared at them made her grimace. Boys were so crass sometimes. Thankfully Jay had not heard anything Seamus had been saying, or the boy might have had his kneecaps broken at the very least. Hermione got the impression Jay was very protective of his sisters and woe betide anyone who said anything untoward in his presence.

Speaking of Jay; Ron had mentioned that morning he’d had been caught out of bed by their head of house last night and lost a few house points. Shrugging her shoulders, Hermione wasn’t too bothered by that. She’d easily bring them back and more by the end of the week. The son of Jafar seemed to fit in with his dorm mates, and Hermione was pleased to see he did not seem much like his father, if her memory of the story of Aladdin and the Genie was anything to go by.

Jay had turned to her over dinner and asked her to meet Evie in the library around seven that night. She had little clue as to why the daughter of Grimhilde wanted to meet with her, she figured probably to use her for helping with homework, that was mostly what people wanted her help for at school, and she was used to it by now. Hermione had enjoyed the girls’ company in Arithmancy, she was intelligent, and her thought processes challenged her own. The pair had had a very good conversation during group work and Hermione was looking forward to continuing to work with her. Hermione huffed; she had a sinking suspicion she was starting to have a bit of a crush on the blue-haired teenager. After all, Hermione was the first to admit she found her very pretty, and Evie was obviously an intellectual. Hermione grumbled to herself.

There was so many problems with this, not to mention how it would ruin her life if anyone found out. Hermione chastised herself, there was nothing wrong with being friends with the girl, and she knew there was also nothing wrong with same sex relationships. Her Aunt was married to a woman anyway, and she loved her Aunt and her wife. She was unsure about what the magical world thought about such things as this wasn't something that had ever come up before.

She sighed, toying with her papers, one thing she had noticed was that none of the Auradon students seemed to be bothered about the House Rivalries and seemed to consider their uniform just that, a uniform. Hermione found that a relief, all she needed now was for her friends to see past the house badge and maybe, just maybe she’d get herself some friends that weren’t boys.

Then there was the Ron problem. She had agreed to date him last year after he asked her to the Yule Ball. She did have feelings for the red-head but Hermione wasn’t sure he hadn’t done it just to spite Viktor Krum, the quiet Bulgarian Quidditch player who had tried to win her affections during the Tri-Wizard Tournament the previous year. Ron was known to be a little hot-headed and found it hard to understand why sometimes Hermione didn’t want to spend time with him, opting instead to spend time alone in the library, or with some of the other girls from other houses. He just didn’t get it and had told her so.

There was the whole kissing thing. Hermione grimaced, it wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy it, but kissing Ron felt a little wrong somehow. She often found his presence irritating in a way she didn’t find Harry’s. she wondered if it had anything to do with the slightly obsessive way he lavished affection onto her. She grimaced again. Ron’s possessive nature was sure to drive her to distraction. Lately, he’d been trying to move things forward and Hermione knew it was to do with pressure from other boys in their year, Seamus had listened to Ron's lamenting about the lack of forward movement within their relationship and teased the boy mercilessly. It was said the Irish boy had had more conquests in than most of the boys in their year and Ron was sick of the teasing. It was something she wasn’t interested in doing and it had caused more than one argument which had started to convince Hermione maybe Ron wasn’t the one for her? She knew that she would never sleep with him.  Hermione resolved herself to telling him she wanted to be friends instead. He wouldn’t take it well, but she didn’t want to ruin her friendship with the boy.

Hermione sighed, she realised she’d read the same paragraph five times and was about to give it up as a bad job when a voice cut into her thoughts.

“….Hey Hermione!” Evie waved “sorry I'm late, we did say seven didn’t we?” the blue-haired girl was making her way over with Mal, Hermione looked at her watch to see it was five past.
“Oh don’t worry about it” she said, “hi Mal” she smiled at the shorter girl, who seemed to be looking directly through her face.
“mind if I join?” it was not a question
“not at all” not phased in the slightest by the girls somewhat prickly nature, Hermione shoved her bag off the other empty chair “I was just reading a Transfiguration paper” she gestured “nothing exciting, the dorms get a little too rowdy for reading at this time of night with the whole house being inside”
“..how to transfigure golems…” Mal commented, her eyes roaming the paper with interest.
“normally we don’t do that sort of magic till sixth year but I like to read ahead” Hermione replied with a shrug.
“knowledge is power” Mal replied in a tone that reminded Evie of her mother. She cleared her throat as they joined her at the table.
“so” Hermione folded up her papers and put them aside “did you want to go over the notes for Arithmancy?“
“No” Evie replied, “I just wanted to ask you something” she said
“about schoolwork I guess?” Hermione asked, “my offer to help you get up to speed in Arithmancy still stands if you’re not sure you fully understand it”
“not about that” said Evie “I think I’ve got the fundamentals”
“oh” Hermione replied, “then, er, what can I help you with? Charms? Or Transfiguration? Potions?”
“I don’t need any help with schoolwork” Evie replied with a smile.

Hermione frowned
“then why did you want to meet? If not for tutoring?” she asked in confusion
“I just wanted to get to know you a little, is that such a bad thing?” Evie offered
“Slytherin’s don’t tend to typically want to be friends with Gryffindors” Hermione replied, “not unless there’s an ulterior motive” she explained “anyone who wants to spend time with me usually wants tutoring in some subject or other”
“we’re not your usual Slytherin’s” Evie shrugged “besides, Jay tells me you’re the brightest witch in our year” she added, grinning as Hermione turned pink.
“I wouldn’t go that far” she replied, “I just like to work hard”
“I’m sure you do” Mal commented with a smirk

Evie shot her a warning look and hissed under her breath to behave. She wasn’t sure how Hermione would take their particular brand of humour and she didn’t want to scare her off.
“ignore her Hermione” she said with a glare at her girlfriend, “M why don’t you go get that book Daphne suggested?”
“how to murder your friends and get away with it?” Mal replied
“No not that one” said Evie without batting an eye “the other one”
“oh you mean one thousand ways to skin an owl….yes I’ll go ask the librarian” she got to her feet

Hermione raised her eyebrows as Mal walked away.
“she’s joking” Evie replied with a wave of her hand, “…you don’t mind that she came with me do you? She's better at navigating new places than I”
“not at all”  Hermione said “it must be strange adjusting to a brand new school”
“second time in less than a year” Evie said with a nod “Hogwarts seems nice though”
“Hogwarts is great, most of the time” Hermione agreed

Evie leant back and studied her for a minute or so, taking in the girls slightly messy appearance and saw the light blush on her cheeks. That was interesting. She saw how her eyes darted from her face to something behind her. Evie tried not to grin, she’d seen how flustered the girl had been when they first met and how distracted she’d been in Arithmancy.  There was definitely something there, the question was, what?

“what?” Hermione asked, unknowingly breaking her concentration “do I have something on my face?” she asked
“no, I was just wondering something” Evie said
“go on..”
“are you always so flustered around everyone or is this a new development?” she smirked as Hermione winced, trying to ignore the blush creeping up her face. She turned her attention swiftly to putting her Arithmancy textbook away, which was seeming to be an impossible task as her bag didn’t seem to have enough space inside it all of a sudden.
“Hermione?” Evie laughed at her frustration
“yes?” she didn’t quite look at her
“what’s on your mind?”

Mal dropped a book on the table, Hermione flinched at the loud bang
“sorry” she said, sounding completely unrepentant “still trying to carry things in one arm” she winced.
“why what happened to your arm?” Hermione asked, latching onto a change of conversation with relief.
“stupid plant bit me in herbology” Mal replied “your medical witch gave me some medication said it would be okay by tomorrow” she shrugged
“ouch, the tentacluar’s are vicious this year” Hermione winced “I’m surprised she let you out”
“I didn’t give her a choice” Mal flipped the book open and began to read.

Evie rolled her eyes, she saw the title of the book and snorted
“dragon rearing for the uninitiated? Really?” she eyed her
“it looked interesting” Mal didn’t look at Evie
“if you’re interested in dragons you should talk to Hagrid” Hermione said to her “he kept one as a pet once, in our first year”
“whose Hagrid?” Mal tore her eyes away from the book for a moment and looked up at her.

Hermione swallowed reflexively, clearing her throat suddenly and breaking the eye contact; Evie had to look away lest she start to laugh, the girl was adorable and apparently a hot mess when in close proximity to any other females. She knew for a fact Mal’s fae heritage would have drawn the girls attention even if Mal didn’t exhibit any obvious fae tendencies, something she had learnt to hide from being a child, which had been a lot easier with the barrier smothering her magic. Auradon had been an entirely different situation for all involved, Dragons aside.

One thing she could not change or subdue was the intensity of her eyes. Evie loved to look at them and would often find herself lost in the blue pools. Mal’s eye colour tended to change in line with her emotions, it was one thing her mother hadn’t managed to force her to stop. Maleficent had told Mal endlessly her eyes were a weakness as they gave away her emotions.

Evie noted they were currently a dark green colour, and if she leant closer she knew she’d see gold flecks around her pupils. Evie had often used the colour of her eyes to tell her moods when they were younger, it had given her cues as to when to leave the girl alone, or when to try to gain her attention as a way to derail her anger. She knew the dark green colour meant she was calm yet curious.

Yes she knew for a fact Mal was taking in Hermione just as much as she was. The slight crease of her brow had Evie internally grinning, she knew exactly what that look meant, Mal was interested in Hermione, how far her interest went would be good to find out.

The fact Hermione seemed a little flustered had Evie wondering if she had a girlfriend or was she currently single? Mal wrinkled her nose, sharing a look with Evie that she had seen too many times to misread her intentions.

“the groundskeeper” Hermione replied, bringing the pair back out of their thoughts “he won a dragons egg in a card game, turns out Norberta was a Norwegian Ridgeback, they’re one of the largest dragon breeds. He had to give her to a sanctuary once she got too big to keep in his hut”
“fascinating, you can keep dragons as pets?” Evie was now trying not to laugh as Mal glowered at her.
“technically it’s illegal to keep them as pets” Hermione replied with a shake of her head “because they’re sentient beings in their own right. Ron’s brother Charlie works with dragons on a reserve in Romania, says they’re gorgeous up close but they’re highly dangerous, especially in breeding season”
“I imagine having a pet who could breathe fire would be a little dangerous” Evie was shaking with silent laughter. Mal was still glaring at her. Hermione raised her eyebrows
“…have I missed something?” she asked slowly
“nothing” Mal slapped Evie on the arm “quit it blueberry” she snapped
“Ow! Evil’s alive Mal” Evie grimaced “you watch them nails” she huffed

Mal smiled sweetly
“I’ll kiss it better later” she commented
“you better” Evie glared “I don’t want more bruises”
“you love my bruises” Mal folded her arms
“I love you, but your bruises? Not so much” Evie retorted with a grin; Mal rolled her eyes
“not what you said the other night” she quipped; Hermione coughed as Evie turned pink
“M!” she squeaked
“yes dear?” that wide smile did not reassure Hermione in the slightest that there wasn’t more to that comment than she was privy to. It did however confirm to Hermione that the pair were clearly dating. Her heart plummeted, which surprised her. There was no way either of them would be interested in her anyway. Hermione tried to push down her thoughts, not realising both of them saw her expression before she managed to hide it.

“…Hermione!” Ron’s voice travelled across the quiet of the library
“Hi Ron!” she waved, thankful for the interruption  “come join us…please” she yanked his arm, ignoring how Mal grinned.
“I thought we had a study session tonight” Ron asked
“did we? I don’t remember” Hermione replied
“you said you’d help me with charms” he whined
“I said no so such thing Ronald” Hermione glared “besides, it’s not my fault you slept through class”
“I had detention with Filch the night before” Ron huffed “I was tired”
“well if you’d have done your homework properly then you would have not had detention” She rolled her eyes.
“please Mione?” Ron pouted “help your poor suffering boyfriend?”

Evie raised an eyebrow at how Hermione winced, she had subtly moved out of his space, but Ron had closed the space again and was now almost on top of her.
“boyfriend?” she questioned
“yes we’re dating” Ron replied, “have been for nearly a year” he added “isn’t that right Mione?” he said, Hermione nodded
“yes Ron” she said flatly, although she tried to hide her tone “I’m just busy discussing Arithmancy studies with Evie so can we check your charms homework later? I told Professor Vector I’d tutor her till she was caught up a bit more” she tried to smile at him to take the bite out of her refusal.

Evie saw though her charade at once, a jab to her side confirmed Mal had seen through it as well. She raised an eyebrow silently at her, Mal was frowning, her eyes narrowed a little at the pair. Hermione could have sworn she heard her hiss at his closeness to her. She filed that expression away for later.

“uh sure but you did promise to spend tonight in the dorm” Ron said “I never get to spend time with you lately, you’re always finding some reason not to be with me” there was a tone to his voice that made her cringe a little, Hermione hoped the others didn’t quite catch on to it.
“I'm busy with studying Ron” Hermione tried not to grimace as he put his arm around her shoulders, sliding his arm around her, touching her chest for a second with his fingertips. She couldn’t quite stop the flinch as he hugged her.

Mal definitely hissed at that; Hermione saw the glare on her face before her expression cleared. For a moment she swore she saw her eye colour change to the colour of the killing curse. What was that all about?

“okay well be back in an hour? Then we can spend some time together” he said, although his tone brooked no argument.
“yes okay fine whatever” Hermione replied, suddenly feeling like she needed to get him away from the three of them as soon as possible “here” she handed him her finished essay “at least change some of the words to your own so Flitwick doesn’t know you copied”
“you’re amazing” Ron hugged her tightly and planted a rather wet kiss on her cheek.
“Ron!” she said with a wince “just go will you?”

Mal raised her eyebrows as Ron walked away.
“don’t say it” Hermione warned her, wiping her face with a look of disgust.
“he’s a delight” She commented, Hermione glared
“he means well” she said, “he’s mostly harmless”

“Mostly?” Evie asked lightly
“it doesn’t matter” Hermione shook her head “where were we?”
“wondering why you’re dating him” Mal said bluntly

Hermione winced
“he’s….a good friend” she said slowly “and I do like him”
“you missed the bit where you add a but” Evie commented
“You’ve missed my butt” Mal replied to Evie
“Mal!” Evie gave her a glare “not what we’re talking about right now” she added, Hermione sighed
“he asked me out last year at the Yule Ball, I said yes because I thought I was sure I fancied him, he’s like my brother, imagine kissing your brother” Hermione explained “it just feels weird to me lately”
“I kiss my brothers all the time, there’s nothing wrong with it” Mal replied with a shrug
“and the rest of us you harlot” Evie smiled fondly, using a finger to hook a stray curl out of her eyes, Mal leant towards her with a smile
“you know it” she teasingly snapped at her hand and Evie rolled her eyes, tapping her on the nose.
“No biting” Evie chided, Hermione shook her head, she cleared her throat, trying not to stare at the blatant display between the pair, yet thankful for the change of conversation away from her Ron Problem.

*

Hermione threw her bag onto her bed and started to get changed out of her uniform, feeling exhausted from playing the perfect girlfriend all evening. She sat down on the bed next to her bag and sighed. Her Ron Problem was weighing on her mind, but also she couldn’t quite shake the feeling she was getting into something way over her head which had absolutely nothing to do with the blue-haired girl she’d just spent her evening with. Not to mention the strange way Mal had glared at Ron. She resolved to do more research on fae in the morning and hoped Ron didn’t get himself killed.

“something wrong Hermione?” Lavender looked over, hearing the frustrated groan from the brunette.
“oh uh nothing Lav” she replied with a forced smile “just tired”
“you sure?” she asked, “you seem a little distant lately”
“I’m fine” she replied, “just had a hard session in the library.”
“Yeah Ron said you were tutoring those new Slytherins” Padma nodded

Hermione nodded
“Arithmancy” she said “we’re going over the basics, Evie and Carlos are in my group. I'm pretty sure Mal just came for moral support and to torment me” she pulled on a hoody and zipped it up
“what’re they like?” Padma asked “I mean, you’re in one piece so I assume they’re not killers-“

Hermione rolled her eyes
“you read way too many horror stories Padma” she laughed “they’re normal kids”
“but you know their parents-“
“I know the legends” Hermione cut her off “so does every muggleborn who happened to watch the Disney adaptations growing up” she added “I don’t think they’re as accurate as we think”
“oh?” Lavender asked, “why not?”

She crossed her legs, Hermione looked at the pair
“I don’t know, I just…get a feeling all is not as it seems” she said “none of us knew about Auradon until this year, then suddenly we’re taking in four transfers from Auradon; four very specific families as a matter of fact, it just makes me wonder how much we actually know about those stories”
“you said it yourself” Padma said “they’re just stories”
“apparently they’re not” said Hermione “I didn’t even consider them to be real, however I've just spent two hours with Maleficent’s heir and lived to tell the tale”
“why not ask them?” offered Lavender
“and get murdered in my sleep? No I’d rather not” she replied “besides, Jay seems nice” Hermione deflected the conversation “don’t you think?”
“nice? He’s gorgeous” Padma grinned “those arms…gosh” she laughed, Hermione rolled her eyes as she got into bed
“something tells me he’s going to be captive before the year’s out”

*

Evie put a book down
“what’s on your mind?” She looked over at Mal
“hm?” Mal didn’t quite look up from her sketchbook “sup E?”
“what’s on your mind?” she repeated
“nothing” Mal replied, “just drawing”
“can I see?” Evie shifted over towards her
“No” Mal snapped the book closed, Evie frowned, Mal usually let her look at her drawings so she wondered why this was so secret?
“you’re moody” She reached out for her hand “talk to me” she pulled her onto her lap, wrapping her arms around her. Mal shifted, hooking her arms around her neck and dropping her sketchbook behind her onto the table, leaning over a little to put her charcoals down.
“you’ll think it’s stupid” She rested her head onto her shoulder.
“try me” Evie replied, feeling the other girl press her face into the side of her neck.

“Ugh! Get a room you two!” Pansy sneered from across the way “no one wants to see you all over each other”
“why Pansy? Are you jealous?” Mal leant over to smirk “sorry, she’s all mine” her smirk turned vicious.
“nice and subtle babe” Evie sighed “you know I’m yours” She pressed a kiss to her shoulders and grinned as Mal tightened her grip on her.
“why would I be jealous?” Pansy glared “I’m normal” she sneered a little, Mal’s head snapped round at the insult
“what’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded
“You heard me” Pansy replied, “I don’t know what it’s like where you come from but I would be careful here” she said, “not everyone agrees with it, I’d keep it in the dorm if I were you”
“with what exactly?” Mal snapped
“she means not everyone agrees with us” Evie sighed into her back.

They’d been confronted with the same reaction in Auradon, but Ben had been quick to stop problems before things became dangerous for the pair. He had come down hard on anyone who had been less than welcoming to the VK’s, no matter who they were. Ben had wanted things to be easy for them, and when he had found out some of the students had been less than welcoming of Mal and Evie’s relationship he had not taken the news well. Evie remembered how he had raged at Fairy Godmother to ensure the girls were protected. He wanted to unite the Isle and Auradon and that meant changes had to be implemented.  Changes which had to start with the acceptance of LGBTQIA students, But what Evie hadn’t known at the time was there were more students in same sex relationships in Auradon who were scared to be seen in public due to societal pressures to be normal. Once she and Mal were seen openly dating without prejudice, slowly more students were seen together. Fairy Godmother took the time to organise a ‘safe space’ for those students who were struggling with being accepted and life was easier for all.

She sighed, it looked like they were back to square one in Hogwarts, she idly wondered if anyone else here was the same. She knew she’d have to nip things in the bud with Pansy swiftly, lest the girl unwittingly unleash the dragon. Speaking of dragons, Mal was glaring silently at the other girl
“there’s nothing wrong with us” She growled
“I know that” Evie tried to reassure her “and if Pansy wants to live to see tomorrow she won’t say anything else about it” she added with a glare at the girl. Pansy turned her attention to her game of chess with Millicent and said nothing else on the subject.

Mal got to her feet and grabbed her sketchbook
“M?”
“I'm going to sleep, my arm’s hurting” she said quietly and headed to the dormitory, leaving Evie to her book and a lot on her mind.

*

Evie found her asleep on top of her covers twenty minutes later; her bandaged arm laid across her chest. A bottle of potion was open on her nightstand, about a quarter full. Evie picked up the bottle and gave it a sniff, wrinkling her nose. She easily identified the components of the pain relief potion and noted nothing out of the ordinary. The pain must be bad for Mal to have taken it, even if she hadn’t taken a full dose, Evie knew for a fact Mal could tolerate most pain without needing any medication, but she was happy the girl was learning to accept help.

She placed the bottle back down quietly, replacing the cap. Leaning over to close the drapes around her bed, Evie’s eyes fell on the open sketchbook and she saw the half-finished picture. She turned the sketchbook towards herself but couldn’t make much out on the paper other than a background of a fireplace. Evie flipped it closed and placed the charcoals back in the packet. 

Evie grabbed a throw from the end of the bed and covered her with it. Mal exhaled, her eyes opened, the blue orbs were slightly unfocused and wary. Evie figured the potion was probably working to dull her senses. She pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“sleep” she whispered, “you’re safe” Evie promised.
“E?” Mal blinked slowly
“I'm right here, sleep,” Evie repeated. Mal’s eyes slid shut again, her breathing slowly evening out as sleep finally claimed her.

*

Pansy was about to head to bed, she walked down the darkened corridor and turned to her dormitory door. Out of nowhere she found herself slammed against the wall by an unseen force; her assailants hand wrapped around her throat. Her eyes widened as she saw the flash of a blade, the point of which was now digging into her shirt between her ribs, directly on top of her heart.
“wh-wha-“ She gasped, she tried to see in the dark who the figure was, but couldn’t see much, other than a dark cloak over a face.
“Consider this a warning” a voice said into her ear, the hand tightening on her throat “keep your opinions to yourself, you have absolutely no idea who you’re playing with”

A second later Pansy was let go and the assailant disappeared into the night as if they had never been there. She dropped to her knees, a shaking hand touched her shirt and she was startled to feel a wetness under her fingers.

Pansy got up from the floor and entered her dormitory. She saw the drapes closed around Mal’s bed, Evie’s bed currently occupied by the blue-haired girl herself, her attention on a book in her lap. Pansy crossed to the restroom. Closing the door behind her. Pansy looked in the mirror and stared, her shirt was slashed in a perfect line across her heart and was dampening with blood.

Panicking, she undid her shirt and grabbed tissue to press against the cut on her chest. Pansy shivered. It took a few presses to stop the bleeding and Pansy failed to notice the slight shimmer on her skin where she’d pressed the tissue. Once satisfied the cut was no longer bleeding, she cast a quick Reparo to her shirt and a spell to remove the bloodstain.

She re-entered the dorm room where she found Millicent getting ready for bed, Evie was still reading her book, but idly waved a hand in her general direction.
“…you okay Pans? You look like you’ve seen a ghost” Millicent queried

“I'm fine” she waved her off “it’s nothing” the girl closed her drapes to get herself changed.

Evie chuckled quietly from behind her book and got up to use the restroom. Locking the door behind her and turning to the mirror, Evie allowed herself a rather cruel smile. She deftly removed the remaining tissue from the holder and threw it away, then took a moment to wipe away any potion residue. If Pansy wanted to play games, then so be it, the dark haired girl had better up her game if she thought herself wicked enough to play with her.

She knew how hard it was for Mal to be open with her feelings thanks to her mother’s teachings about how useless it was to love anyone. Love made you weak, at least that’s what Maleficent said. It made you useless.  Her own mother agreed with this sentiment entirely. Queen Grimhilde was quick to point out her daughter’s flaws with a fierceness which promised pain if Evie did not correct them. She’d spent hours perfecting her make-up routine to please her mother, to ensure she was perfectly poised in every way so she would snare a prince as soon as she set foot in Auradon.  

Evie leant against the sinks, staring at her reflection. If only Mother could see me now she thought to herself. She’d hate everything about me.

Untying her hair from its braid, the dark blue strands free to cascade down her shoulders in a slight wave. Evie began the process of removing her makeup, watching with a sigh as the day’s worries disappeared with the smears on the flannel.  Rinsing her face clean and drying her skin gently. Evie prepared to head to bed.  She crossed the room and sat down, pulling the drapes shut.

She knew Maleficent had used Mal as a bargaining chip more than once in her deals with the other villains on the isle. It was in fact how the pair of them had become friends in the first place. Her mother had been tasked with teaching Mal basic Math when they were eight, in recompense, Maleficent’s minions would ensure she had protection from the more undesirable villains on the Isle. It was a power play and Evie knew her mother had never intended for her daughter to get caught up in any of it. Apparently the Heir of the Isle was not grasping the fundamentals fast enough for her mother’s liking and so Mal was forced to sit through hours of Grimhilde’s extra lessons after school.

Evie had tried to help her once and had been met with furious bright green eyes. Mal had yelled at her to leave her alone at first. She wasn’t a social person and Maleficent had impressed on her the fact she did not need friends, only minions to do her bidding. Having friends was not something Mal was familiar with, and she did not like the idea of anyone being better than her, even if it was at Math.

Slowly, over the course of several weeks, Evie managed to talk her into accepting her help, if only for to pass Math class. Grudgingly, Grimhilde had watched as Evie had calmly explained the work to her in a way Mal understood, and her grade finally began to improve, much to Maleficent’s pleasure.

Mal resented needing help and the girls would fight often. Mal’s temper was much like her mother’s and whilst she snapped and raged at Evie, the blue-haired girl kept quietly trying to win her friendship, even if Mal called her horrible names in temper and Evie was sure she would have bitten her if she had had the chance. The daughter of Maleficent was in a word, a brat who expected to have everything her own way.

Over the next few months, Mal and Evie were often seen together, Maleficent was not happy about it and demanded Grimhilde separate them. Grimhilde had simply responded Evie was a gifted child and was now tasked with helping Mal with Math, as the child was more equipped to deal with Mal’s temper tantrums than she was. Grimhilde had castle-schooled Evie herself, maintaining Dragon Hall was not good enough for her princess. Therefore the only socialising with her peers Evie got was with Mal, and the fae girl wasn't exactly great at socialising. Maleficent had not liked that explanation, and the evil faery had unleased her own temper onto the other woman in a bid to remind her exactly who controlled the Isle.

Getting into bed, Evie tried not to dwell on memories of the Isle. It was through Mal Evie had met Carlos and Jay, and the boys had easily accepted her into their little group. Evie fondly remembered the first time Jay had shown her how to use a knife.

Sighing and trying to get comfortable, Evie knew there was more to those ‘meetings’ Mal been made to attend with her mother, Evie never asked her about them, even though she knew something must have happened. Mal had been changed by the meetings, and Evie wasn’t entirely sure it was a good thing. She knew if Mal ever wanted to talk about it she’d be there in a heartbeat and had told her so. Mal had nodded silently, and the subject was never brought up again.

Evie scowled in the dark; she would be damned if anyone was going to undo all the hard work the four of them had done since leaving the Isle. Moving past the shadows of their parents was only the first step in claiming their lives as their own and no upstart little bitch who thought she knew better would stop her from claiming her happiness. Unable to sleep thanks to her melancholy thoughts of the past, Evie lay in bed watching the fish swimming around in the lake from her window.

**

The next morning, Mal woke up feeling a lot better than when she had gone to bed. She tore off the bandage and decided to head for a shower.  Under the hot water she took a look at her arm; It was no longer purple and some of the scabs from the bite wounds were gone, leaving fresh but sensitive skin behind. The salve had left a white residue on her skin which she swiftly washed away. 

Mal made a mental note to thank Jane if she saw her today. She washed her hair and decided she better wake Evie. Exiting the restroom, Mal tightened her bathrobe. She sat on Evie’s bed, finding the girl already awake, brushing her hair.
“You never sleep in do you” she commented
“curse of living with my mother” Evie shrugged “nice shower?”
“mm, warm” Mal nodded “oh and look” she showed Evie her arm “nearly healed”
“wow that stuff is good. Jane said put more on this morning” Evie traced the skin with her fingers. Mal winced
“maybe a good idea, it’s so sensitive it hurts” she said
“here” Evie leant over to her nightstand and pulled open her drawer, she pulled out the black tub, Mal’s eye was drawn to a flash of something silver inside.
“E-“
“put some on the tender spots” she closed the drawer
“I will in a moment….Evie was that-“
“go get dressed or you’ll be late. I’ll do your hair when you’re done” Evie folded her arms.

Knowing better than to argue, Mal got off her bed and began to find her clothes from her case. She dressed and rubbed her arm with the salve.
“what happened? That looks painful” Millicent asked
“dumb plant bit me in herbology yesterday” Mal replied, “still healing but it’s better than it was”
“you need to see Madam Pomfrey” she said, “she’ll heal it”
“she gave me some medication yesterday, said it’s just gonna take time.” Mal finished buttoning her shirt up as Evie turned her attentions to drying her hair.
“I thought later we might go take a walk in the grounds if you wanted to get outside for a while?” Evie spoke so quietly it was only thanks to Mal’s enhanced hearing that she heard her.
“hm sounds good” she replied, “just us?”
“well I was considering asking the boys to join” she said

Mal frowned a little, her attention on tying the clasp on her robe as Pansy appeared from the restroom.
“we don’t have to if you’d rather not see them” Evie said, “what’s wrong?”
“nothing” Mal smiled tightly “shall we get breakfast?”

*

Chatter in the great hall slowed over breakfast. Jay turned to the Slytherin’s table to see the focus of attention was Pansy; looking immaculate in her school uniform, however, her skin was as dark green as the snake on her robes.

Jay was about to comment when he realised that green tinge to her skin looked very much like the potion Evie had bottled up in their room yesterday.  He wondered exactly what the girl had done to risk Evie’s ire so soon in the semester?

“Mione look at the state of Parkinson!” Ron was howling and he was not the only one
“sit down Ronald!” Hermione yanked his tie “goodness you’re acting like an idiot, clearly she’s been spelled. She looks ridiculous” Jay didn’t miss the tug of a smile in the corner of her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

*

Evie was the perfect picture of calm, which was more to be said than her girlfriend, who was practically vibrating next to her in an attempt not to laugh. Pansy was eating breakfast as if nothing was wrong in the world. The girl had turned to Draco and asked him for the orange juice and the blonde had choked on his own drink.
“erm Pansy?” he cleared his throat “I think you might need to see Madam Pomfrey”
“why?” she asked, “I feel perfectly fine” her smile was strained
“your skin is green” he pointed out
“thank you for noticing” Pansy glared

“….Miss Parkinson what is the meaning of this?” Snape was making his way over
“I have no idea what you mean Professor” she said, “I woke up like this”
“you woke up green?” Snape couldn’t quite keep the confusion out of his voice “and you decided to…ignore the issue?”
“well I was rather hungry” she replied “I thought I would get breakfast and then see Madam Pomfrey”
“I see” he said “very well. I shall inform the medi-witch you will report to her at once as soon as breakfast is over”
“thank you professor” Pansy replied.

She looked around at her year mates, her eyes met Evie’s with a glare
“think its funny do you Grimhilde?” she spat
“oh no I think you look positively radiant” Evie replied with a sugar sweet smile “after all, you are showing your house pride in a rather, glowing way” she added, ignoring Mal’s snorting laughter beside her.

Pansy was now beginning to glow several shades of green, in an almost alarming manner.
“yes very funny” She ignored the jibe “I bet it was the Mudblood that did this!” She got up and stormed to the other side of the hall with the intention of taking her ire out on Hermione when she was apprehended by the Gryffindor head of House.
“…Miss Parkinson?” Minerva queried “goodness child! You must see the nurse at once”
“I am well aware of my condition professor” she said, “I believe Granger did it!”

Hermione looked up in shock
“What?!” she demanded
“you did this!” Pansy accused
“I did nothing of the sort” Hermione replied calmly “why would I?”
“Unspell me now you filthy Mudblood!” Pansy raged, ignoring the gasp from McGonagall
“Miss Parkinson! Fifty points from Slytherin for that remark” the deputy glowered. Pansy didn’t flinch
“I know you did it” she said
“I did no such thing” Hermione replied “if you don’t mind, I am eating” she turned her attention to her breakfast without another word, although her appetite was now gone.

McGonagall escorted Pansy to the hospital wing. Hermione felt someone watching her and looked up to see Mal looking at her, the purple-haired girl raised her goblet with a grin.  Slightly confused, Hermione nodded in her direction, toying with the rest of her breakfast
“…sup wi you?” Ron asked around a mouthful of toast
“nothing Ron” she winced , feeling his hand on her thigh, Hermione shifted away from him “I just realised I left a book in the dorm, if I nip back quick ill have time to get it before class” she got up, swinging her bag over her shoulder and hurried out of the hall.

Jay watched her go, he frowned a little. He’d overheard the boys in his dorm talking last night, whilst they thought he was asleep and had been slightly alarmed to hear how Ron complained Hermione was refusing to ‘put out’. Harry had sighed at that comment and told him maybe he should stop trying to push her into it, that if she wanted to take that step she’d let him know and to back off about it. Jay silently agreed with Harry, he mentally reminded himself to talk to the girls after class, he knew Evie sat with her in Arithmancy and the Gryffindor girl could do with some female friends from what little he’d heard from Lavender and Padma, Hermione’s friends were few and far between.  

He'd sighed and rolled over, hearing their conversation move on.  A boy named Seamus had made several comments about Jane and it took a lot of restraint for Jay not to rip down his drapes and strangle him.  Instead he listened as Harry snapped at him to shut up. That was interesting, Jay wondered if the boy fancied Jane to defend her honour so quickly. Ron had snorted at his defence and teased the fact Harry hadn’t yet asked her out. Jay heard the yelp as Harry clearly hit him with something. Shaking his head, Jay had tried to sleep. He was still trying to figure out the boys in his dorm and he didn’t want to cause too much chaos on his first week. Jay figured turning them all into bugs might be overkill for a few dirty comments.

Yes, Hogwarts was definitely better than Auradon.

Chapter Text

The days began to pass, Pansy’s greenery was removed by Madam Pomfrey within the hour and the girl returned to her classes although she earned a detention for the comment towards Hermione.

Whilst Pansy couldn’t prove it was Evie who had threatened her in the hallway, she seemed to be taking the threat seriously and made sure to bite her tongue in their presence.

It took a few days before Mal was comfortable enough in the common room to be affectionate with Evie again, the first few times they shared a chair her shoulders were tense, as if she was waiting for the next comment or remark. Thankfully none were forthcoming, although she had noticed the other Slytherin’s simply paid them no mind. Draco rolled his eyes at their displays of affection and continued his friendship with both girls. When Evie had asked if he minded or not the blonde had remarked with a shrug it was no business of his who they dated.

Mal and Evie often found themselves walking by the lake after eating their lunch as was their usual routine. The VKs had been at Hogwarts for almost a month by this point. Aside from losing a few house points for being out of the dorm after hours, there was little the teachers had to comment on.  

Potions class was a favourite of Evie’s; she enjoyed brewing and Snape was surprised to discover her talents lay within the art.  One afternoon when the bell rang, Snape looked up from his papers.

“Grimhilde, stay behind” he said

Eyebrows raised, Mal turned as Evie put down her bag again
“I’ll wait outside” she said, Evie nodded

The class filed out and Evie waited by her desk. Snape picked up some papers and crossed towards her.
“I’m removing you from this class” he said
“What?!” Evie asked in shock “why?!”

“it is clear to me you are exceptionally talented; this work is too easy for you. You seem bored” he said “I believe you would be better suited to the sixth year class; we are working on veritaserum next, it will be a lot more challenging for you”

“Oh er…okay? But won’t that clash with my other classes?” she asked
“I will speak to the headmaster and we shall adjust your schedule” he replied “unless of course you would prefer to stay bored? Or is it you would prefer to stay with your….girlfriend?” his nostrils flared as if he had smelt something unpleasant.

Evie narrowed her eyes, the insult against her relationship stung and before she reacted badly, she had to forcefully remind herself he was her Head of House and to harm him would be unwise. Evie relaxed her hand on the knife concealed on the small of her back and dropped her hand to her side with a bit of effort to make the movement look natural.
“With all due respect Professor Snape, as my Potions teacher I don’t believe you’re in any position to comment on my personal life” she began in an icy tone  “if you believe me to be more advanced than my peers I will of course take the chance to prove my ability” she continued, “I dare say veritaserum would be a good place to start”

Snape nodded, he hadn’t missed her reaction and watched how she moved her arm back slowly to her side, he stepped away a little, his eyes on her hands. Evie noticed him watching her and gave him a small cold smile. She knew he probably guessed she was armed.
“I will speak to the headmaster this evening and have your amended schedule to you before the next class” he did not turn his back on her, but made his way to his own desk, a clear dismissal.  Evie picked up her bag to leave.

“Ms Grimhilde?” he said as she reached the doorway
“Professor?” she turned
“it is unwise to bring weaponry to class, people may get harmed” he commented

“I have no idea what you mean professor” she replied, “I don’t own a wand so how can I have a weapon on me?” she pulled the door open and walked out without hearing his response.

Mal was leaning against the wall as Evie appeared
“that took a while” she said
“he’s dropping me from Potions” Evie told her “ he’s putting me in with the sixth years, he says I'm too good for the class” she explained hurriedly when Mal scowled in irritation.
“oh, uh, that’s good then?” she said “you were saying the class was a bit elementary”

“I know, it might mean I miss some other classes, he’s speaking to the headmaster” Evie shrugged a shoulder and put her free arm around her.
“so I get less time with you?” Mal looked up
“only during class time” Evie replied “besides, it’ll feel good to be challenged” she smiled

“you make an excellent point” Mal agreed “I’m sure you’ll appreciate the chance to wipe the floor with them all” She snaked an arm round her back and pulled her close.
“now you’re just trying to charm me” Evie grinned
“is it working?”
“you know it”

“good” Mal huffed, She kissed Evie hard, slamming her back against the wall, Evie gasped slightly, not exactly able to hide a wince.

“E?” she pulled back “what’s up?”
“it’s nothing” she said “c’mon let’s get some lunch” she began to walk in the direction of the Great Hall.

*

Hermione paced in the hall outside the Arithmancy classroom that afternoon. The subject was hard and she knew it would be a welcome distraction from her Ron Problem. She’d tried to break things off with him last night, but the boy had not wanted to listen to anything she was saying, instead he talked over her until she dropped the idea of them splitting up and allowed himself to be pulled into a conversation with Seamus and Dean about the most recent Chudley Cannons game. Hermione knew she had to try again to make her feelings clear soon. She heard voices and stopped pacing. Hermione saw Evie and Carlos approaching, talking animatedly between themselves and moved to let them pass, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.

“Hey Hermione!” Carlos gave her one of his big grins “you look happy…” he raised an eyebrow
“it’s nothing” she shrugged a shoulder and hoped it sounded truthful.

He shared a look with Evie
“sure it ain’t” he said “wanna talk about it?” he cocked his head to the side
“No, honestly, I'm fine” she replied “it’s nothing, I'm just tired, I didn’t sleep too good last night”
“how come?” asked Evie
“things on my mind, its nothing” Hermione said as the trio walked into the classroom and took their seats, Hermione pulled her notebook from her bag. Professor Vector entered the room and began the lesson.

Hermione knew her head wasn’t in the class as soon as she tried to get to work. She stared at the paper in front of her and knew she should be able to easily work out the equations. She jumped when someone touched her arm. Turning to see who had touched her, Hermione was surprised to find it was Evie.
“…Hermione?”  the blue-haired girl was looking at her “are you sure you’re alright? You seem a little off” she commented

“yes, sorry… I must be more tired than I thought” she gave her a small smile “sorry, right, lets get to work” Hermione picked up her quill and began to look over the equations again.

Reluctantly, Evie let her go and grabbed her own worksheets, Carlos shrugged
“if you say so Hermione” he said
“I do, thanks for your concern” she replied

*

After class, Evie and Carlos walked with Hermione back from classes where they met up with Mal, Ron and Harry. Evie gravitated towards Mal and put her arms around her.
“everything okay E?” Mal looked up
“debatable” She rested her chin on her shoulder
“oh?” she asked, “why what's the issue?”
“I’ll explain later” Evie wrinkled her nose and kissed her temple, Mal rolled her eyes and pulled her in for a kiss.

“n’aw how cute” Carlos commented “anyone would think you were trying to subvert the masses with that sort of display”

Mal snickered; her eyes flicked towards him
“you’d be first in line De Vil” she teased, leaning over to kiss his cheek
“I know where my place is” he replied with a laugh

Hermione shifted her bag onto her shoulder with a slight twitch. Evie frowned at the action but didn’t call her out;  she had moved her bag to the side Ron was currently stood at, effectively barring him from getting too close. However, the redhead simply moved the bag back around her shoulder and pulled her close. None of the Vks missed the flash of irritation on Hermione’s face as she tried again to get space from her overbearing boyfriend.

“What’s with you?” Ron asked as the group made their way towards the courtyard, he tried to grab her hand as she twisted out of his arms.  
“me? Nothing” Hermione replied, pulling her hand out of his “I don’t feel too good and the last thing I want is to be smothered” she took a step towards Carlos to give herself space from Ron.
“why not see Madam Pomfrey?” he asked, “I can-“
“No” She huffed “you know what? I think I’ll just go to the dorm for a lie down, I don’t need walking there” she glared at him and turned her back towards the group “I’ll see you later”

Harry watched her go
“she’s been moody for days” Ron griped
“I can’t think why” Mal commented
“what's that supposed to mean Moors?” Ron glared
“oh I don’t know, maybe you need to go take a swim in the lake?” she shrugged a shoulder “Maybe the cold water would help cool you off”
“what?”
“you’re being a bit much Ron” Harry told him in a tone that suggested this conversation had been had before “I’ve told you that before, you don’t need to cling onto her so much”

Ron scowled
“I do not!” he said “you’re just bitter you don’t have a girlfriend yet”
“you do” Harry replied “I'm going to forget you just said that, chill out will you, it’s like you’re acting like she's going to dump you for someone else at a seconds notice” he sighed “how about give her some space for a while? Instead of leaping at her as soon as she comes out of the dorm? Everyone knows you’re together; she will dump you if you don’t start to lighten up” Harry shrugged a shoulder “it can’t help to try it”

Evie looked over as Jay and Jane came walking towards them with Hannah and Susan, she split from Mal’s arms and hurried to meet them.
“Hey Eves” Jay smiled, opening his arms for the blue-haired girl to lean towards him “you okay?”
“I have a job for you” she murmured into his ear
“oh?” Jay queried “what sort-“
“watch out for Hermione” she pulled away from him “where we can’t see” Evie straightened up and yanked his hand, successfully joining the others, the light laughter of her friends in the early evening pushing away her darker thoughts. She knew Jay would look out for the brunette behind the dorm doors. Evie wondered if she was over-reacting, but something in her gut told her there was more to their relationship than she knew.

*

Hermione threw the door shut and crawled onto her bed, spelling her drapes closed, she got changed out of her uniform and dove under the covers. She tried to calm down. Hermione stared at her canvas for a while. Trying to ignore how her skin crawled where Ron had grabbed her. She knew she had to try again to break up with him, she was just not sure how to go about it.

Hermione rolled over, punching her pillow to make it comfortable, she wondered if she should talk to Ginny about Ron? His sister might have an insight into how to get through to him. The door opened to Lavender and Padma, the girls talking loudly made her shove the pillow over her face with a grumble. She’d have to talk to Ron later and hoped she could at least salvage her friendship with him.

*

Jay walked back to the dorms with Harry and Ron later that evening. Hermione had joined them for dinner but the brunette had had something on her mind, and conversation was stilted.  He’d noted how she’d barely eaten anything and looked at the table, seeing what food he could take with him, not doubt the girl would be hungry later on and Hogwarts didn’t seem to have a vending machine system or any sort of food which was accessible outside of mealtimes.

Carefully, he took what he could from the table and slipped the parcels into his jacket and caught up with the rest of the Gryffindor's.

Once back in the dorm, he joined Harry and the twins by the fire, putting his jacket over the back of the chair.
“so Jay have you thought about trying out for the Quidditch team yet?” Fred asked, “our first game’s against Ravenclaw on Saturday if you’re wanting to get an idea of the game first?”

“not sure yet” he said, “I think I’ll watch before deciding if its for me or not” Jay shrugged “it’s a non-contact sport right?”

“well yes,” said Harry “as long as you dodge the bludger’s, they’ll knock you off your broom faster than anything if given a chance”

“that’s why we’re beaters” said George, sitting down next to his brother “our job is to whack them back to the opposing team, not injure them too badly, and hope Harry finds the snitch and wins us the game”

“snitch?” Jay raised his eyebrows “I have a feeling that means something else to what it means in Auradon”

“golden snitch, it’s this big” Harry gestured with his hand “little golden flying ball, if the seeker finds it and catches it in the game, they win one hundred and fifty points for their team, which usually means their team wins”

Hermione joined them a few minutes later, her book bag in her hand

“hey Mione, how’re you feeling?” Harry shifted up on the sofa to make room for her
“Yes fine Harry” she said, “where’s Ronald?”
“talking to Seamus and Dean” Harry replied
“right. Okay” she opened her book “well don’t mind me boys” she looked up at them “just pretend I'm not here”
“are you sure you’re alright Hermione?” Jay studied her body language as the girl used the table in front of her to start working on an essay. She still seemed distracted.
“I'm fine Jay I just need to get this work for Arithmancy done, I bet Evie’s finished her portion of the work already, I don’t want to be the only one who’se not completed the work by next class”
“didn’t you only get that work today?” Harry commented
“shut up Harry” She rolled her eyes

An hour or so later, Ron joined their group, finding that Jay and Harry had swapped seats and the son of Jafar was working on an essay with Hermione’s help.

“…I still don’t get it” Jay looked sideways at her “how does any of this help? Wouldn’t it be easier to learn the invocation before writing about it? Master it then work on theory?”
“you need to understand the fundamentals before putting it into practice” she replied, “would you throw stuff you didn’t know what it was into a cauldron and see what happened?”
“well yeah, sometimes that’s the best way to come up with new ideas” Jay shrugged “one time Evie made a potion that disintegrated a wall which got splattered with the potion” he sniggered “we used it to sneak in to my dad’s private store at the back of his shop and covered the hole with a tapestry”

Fred and George shared a look
“…I don’t suppose she-“
“No Fred” Hermione cut him off without looking at the twins “don’t even think about it”

Jay just laughed at their crestfallen looks
“I’m not sure she remembers the recipe” he shook his head “sorry boys” he turned his attention back to his essay and continued to work.

After a little while, he could feel the weight of a stare and looked up, pushing his hair off his face.
“is there a problem Ron?” Hermione beat him to the punch
“problem?” the redhead blinked “no, no problem” he huffed, turning back to his quidditch magazine

Hermione sighed under her breath and turned her attention away
“hey er Hermione?” Jay looked over at her “I don’t quite understand this..” he leant over and pointed at a paragraph in the textbook they were sharing, he gave her one of his flirty smiles as he leant over the book.

She snorted
“nice try Jay” she commented “your flirting won’t work on me; I am taken remember” she gave him a gentle shove “although you are very pretty” she gave him a smile and Jay preened at the compliment

“why not come to the dark side?” Jay teased “we have cookies…and other things” he ran the top of the quill over her arm as he produced a small napkin of cookies from his jacket pocket.

“how-“ she stared at him
“took them from the dinner table, no one was eating them” he shrugged “say, Hermione, would you like to eat my cookie?” he smirked.

Hermione blushed at the double entendre, she realised he was doing this purely to enrage Ron, who was now watching them with rapt attention, his lips pursed in an uncanny resemblance of his mother, Harry was watching the interaction with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“sure” Hermione leant over to take one from the napkin.
“Hermione don’t eat that!” Ron blurted out
“erm why not?” she held the cookie in her fingers
“who knows what he’s done to it!” Ron replied “he’s probably spelled it-“

“it’s a cookie Ron, not cyanide” Jay rolled his eyes “if you don’t believe me, here, have one yourself” he offered the cookies to the others “I brought more” he reached into his jacket and opened out two more napkins filled with cookies

“why have we never thought of this?” Fred elbowed George as he took one “cheers Jay”
“no clue Gred” George replied

Ron was staring at his brothers
“well if you drop dead then I'm not coming to your funeral” he folded his arms
“oh Ron get over yourself” Hermione snapped “why are you so bothered about a cookie?” she looked at him and put down her quill.

He scowled
“why don’t you just jump into his bed!” Ron spat “don’t think I've not seen you buddy buddying up together!”

Hermione stared at Ron; Jay grinned beside her
“….what in the name of Circe are you talking about Ron?” she asked slowly
“you think I'm stupid?” Ron snapped “you think I don’t see how you run to partner him in classes! Extra lessons in the dorm?”
“Honestly Ronald you’re acting like a moron” Hermione said, “I happened to partner Jay in charms and yes he’s asked for help on some essays” she shrugged “I don’t know if you recall but Jay’s missed out on 5 years of Hogwarts education so yes, I help him! Just like I've helped you and Harry and Carlos and Evie-”
“YOU’VE GOT TO STOP ASSOCIATING WITH THOSE SLYTHERINS!” Ron exploded

The chatter in the common room stopped as Ron’s brothers facepalmed
“No” Hermione folded her arms “I happen to quite like them”
“they’re just using you!” Ron said, “I see how they look at you!” he said “they only want to be friends with you so they can get you to do their work for them”
“what? Like you do?” Hermione shot back
“that’s different!”
“How exactly?!” Hermione spat at him “How is me helping Evie with Arithmancy different to helping you or Harry or Jay with any other subject?!”
“they’re Slytherins!” he repeated “they’re the enemy! They’re probably plotting to make you join their harem or something! I’ve seen the disgusting way Moors stares at you-”

Jay was on his feet, he grabbed Ron by the shirt collar and slammed him into the wall by the fireplace and with a flash, Ron yelped as a knife was hovering just above his Adam’s apple. He looked up into furious yellow eyes and realised too late that Jay was not someone to mess with.
“say one more word about my sister and it will be your last” he growled

“I-“ he winced at the knife on his throat, Jay twisted the blade and Ron squeaked as he felt the edge touch his skin, the knife began to glow a sickly red colour as Jay’s magic reacted to his anger.

“…Jay let him go…” Hermione touched his arm “he’s going to apologise and that will be the end of it”

He looked at her, not moving his hands an inch
“please, Jay, don’t hurt him” she repeated “he spoke out of turn”
“if he says one more word-“ Jay’s voice had dropped to a thick growl, the thrum of magic in each word had Hermione slightly concerned for their lives.
“he won’t” She assured “will you Ron?” she eyed him, Ron shook his head slightly, very aware of the knife at his throat.

Nodding once, Jay pulled the knife back and let him go.
“Ron apologise for that comment” Hermione folded her arms “Now”
“s-sorry” his voice squeaked, Jay snorted

“I'm watching you” he whispered into Ron’s ear with a cold smile.

He stormed towards the chair he had been sat in and grabbed his jacket and slung it around his shoulders. Jay walked out of the common room; the portrait slammed shut behind him.

“alright shows over” Fred looked around “get back to whatever you were doing..” he glared at the crowd who were watching them with interest.
“shouldn’t we go after him?” Harry looked at Fred and George
“I think he can look after himself” Fred shook his head “besides, I don’t think he wants company”

*

Jay slammed the hideout door shut and a moment later he threw several large knives into a dart board with a loud slam as they penetrated the wood, shaking with the force.
“…who or what?” Mal raised an eyebrow

He looked over at her
“s’nothing” he grunted

“Sure it is JayJay” she said “c’mon, what's got you angry? Can I help plan retribution?” Mal crossed the room to where he was standing and put her hands on his chest.

Jay ran his hands through his hair and tied it back from his face in a messy bun, that made Mal frown. Jay was precious about his hair and it was never left a mess. The boy must be really irritated to let his hair be in such a way, even if it was in private with his family. She noted his bright yellow eyes in surprise. Jay looked behind her, his chest heaving in anger as his eyes began to dull, the colour not exactly disappearing. Mal simply waited for him to speak.

“Ron” he said after a moment of silence.
“ah what has the ginger idiot done now?” She asked
“he accused Hermione of getting with me, then made some lewd comments about you and…I lost my temper” he sighed “in the middle of the common room”
“how bad was it? Evie looked up from a mountain of paperwork, scribbling something in biro on a page.
“I…might have pulled my knife on him”
“Jay! I don’t think the firsties needed to see your junk” Mal winced “If you wanted a sizing contest maybe do it in the bedroom?” she told him
“not my dick you moron, my actual knife” He waved it in her face to make his point.

Mal rolled her eyes and batted his hand away.
“get that away from me” she glared “alright so he knows you have a knife, big deal”
“something tells me I’ll be in trouble with McGonagall tomorrow morning” Jay replied
“then make sure you don’t take it to breakfast” Evie offered “leave it here, come get it before class. They’ll definitely search you before then, to make sure you’re not armed”

Jay glared
“I'm not leaving it anywhere” he said tightly
“Jay….honestly, come by here in the morning and leave it on the table, then collect it before class. That way if they make you strip to show you’re not armed, you won’t get it taken from you” Evie crossed the room to where they stood by the dartboard.
“….think they would?” he asked in a low tone
“perhaps” Mal replied, running a thumb over the blade in his hand, Jay frowned, putting it away out of sight.

“did you hurt him?” Evie asked
“not really” he replied
“in what way not really? Like Auradon not really or Isle not really?” there was an edge to her voice that had him sighing.
“I shoved him against the wall and held the knife to his throat, I might have grazed him with it.” Jay walked away from the pair “he…is going to be a problem”
“you know what we do with problems” Mal replied
“We’re not murdering him” Evie shook her head “this isn’t the Isle and we don’t have our parents’ protection”
“none of us need our parents protection” Mal snapped “we are not children! We are more than they ever were!”
“which I totally get, but killing him is still out of the question” Evie levelled her with a glare “besides, this might just be the leverage we need”

Mal turned
“oh?”
“gets rid of one problem easily enough” she shrugged a shoulder “don’t you think?”
“Maybe” Mal replied “but we won’t know for a while”

Jay looked between them
“what are you plotting?” he looked at Mal
“never you mind” she told him as the curfew bell clanged loudly “ugh, time to go play nice with the snakes”
“I better get back upstairs” Jay sighed
“not looking like that you won’t” Evie chided

She swooped in behind him and tidied up his rumpled clothes with a practised hand. Evie twisted the band out of his hair and deftly tidied up the mussed strands, neatening them into a bun for him
“…thanks Eves” he smiled, turning to put his arms around her back in a brief hug.  
“my pleasure, now go and no murdering him!” she pointed to the door

*

The common room was emptier by the time he got back. Hermione was alone at the table, her homework still around her, but the girl was paying it little attention.

“...hey” he took a chair across from her “I um…about before-“

Hermione looked at him
“I broke up with him” she cut him off “the boys took him upstairs after you left.”
“Hermione-“ he began, she waved a hand
“it’s fine” she told him “he had it coming, I don’t blame you, not after what he said about Mal”
“and what he said about you” Jay pointed out “how can he be so rude? Heh, and people called my father cruel” he lent back in the chair.

“Was he?” Hermione asked
“who?” Jay blinked
“your father… is he as cruel as the story makes out?” she hesitated with the question. she knew none of the Auradon students talked about their parents. Jay exhaled, she watched as he shut down, his face turned blank as he stood.
“I'm going to bed…night Mione” he turned away from her and began to head to the stairs
“Jay-“
“goodnight” he closed the door to the boys dorm behind him without sparing her a glance.

*

He stopped at the door to the dormitory and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension. Jay pushed the handle and headed inside.

Harry was the first to notice him. Ron’s bed was suspiciously empty
“Hey, you okay?” he asked
“yeah, uh… night” Jay pulled off his jacket and changed into his nightwear.

The restroom door opened to Fred who made a beeline for Ron’s bed and sat on it
“Ron’s sleeping in my dorm with George” he explained

Jay nodded silently, turning to grab his wash things and headed into the restroom.

He threw his bag on the sink and ran the tap. Jay looked up into the mirror and scrubbed his face with his hand. He forced himself to exhale quietly and studied his reflection. Jay watched as his eyes began to shift colours and returned to the normal dark brown, instead of the intense yellow they had been a few moments ago. He watched for a few more moments, to ensure they stayed normal.

He looked down at his hands and saw they were shaking ever so slightly. He wished he had one of Evie’s potions for the tremors that came with his tempers.

With a sigh, he realised he’d have to get one tomorrow if they were still there. Jay opened the door and got into bed, spelling the curtains around him with a wave of his hand. What he wanted more than anything was to curl up with his family and not be stuck here with a bunch of wizards. His family understood him and they accepted who, or what he was.

Turning over onto his side, Jay saw a bulge in his jacket and sat up. He pulled the jacket over and slipped his hand into the concealed pocket. He pulled out a small vial with a soft smile, tied to the neck of the vial in Evie’s perfect handwriting, was a note that simply read sweet dreams x

Laughing quietly to himself, Jay popped the cork out and downed the vial in one. Lying back down on his side and let sleep claim him.

*

The next morning, Jay woke feeling a little bit anxious. He dressed for the day and made sure his hair was tied back before heading out of the dormitory and down to the common room.

“Mr Jafar” Minerva was standing at the foot of the stairs
“Professor McGonagall” he returned
“a moment of you time if you would?” she turned on her heel and walked through the common room to the door. Withholding a sigh, Jay nodded and followed her outside the common room where they took the short walk to her office.

“take a seat” she gestured with her wand and a moment later a tea set began boiling “would you like some tea?”

Somewhat thrown by the question, Jay nodded as he sat down
“uh yeah sure” he said awkwardly.

Minerva sat across from him
“Mister Weasley came to me last night after the altercation in the dorm” she poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him.

“Oh uh...right” Jay replied
“Mr Jafar, I will give you a warning…. I gave Mister Weasley a warning also” she said
“okay…”

“we NEVER use physical violence as a means to end squabbles. However I must impress on you the importance of ensuring our students are safe. Mr Weasley told me you pulled a knife on him?”
“I did” He replied
“is it on your person at this moment?”
“yes”
“why?”
“You never know when you need to defend yourself. Magic is all well and good but sometimes the muggle ways are far more effective” he replied “he insulted my family, and that I will not let slide. I will not be cowed into leaving my knife in the dorms either, it goes wherever I go”

Minerva sighed, she had to take a moment to remember Jay didn’t come under the Ministry’s jurisdiction and she needed to be careful how she handled the boy.
“May I see it?”

Shrugging, Jay moved his hand and placed the knife on the table between them. Minerva made no moves to take it but her eyes scanned it critically. Jay sipped his tea and waited for her to speak.
“it is an heirloom?” she asked
“it was my fathers” he confirmed “it was given to him by the Sultan of Agrabah for loyalty to the royal family years before the whole thing with Aladdin…I… won it from him when I was ten”
“you won it from him?”
“Yes”

Minerva nodded
“am I to assume your….friends are also likewise armed?”
“my family can take care of themselves” he said vaguely
“I see….this is not the Isle Mr Jafar; you are safe here” she looked at him over her spectacles as Jay snorted
“yeah, safe, from who or what exactly? from murdering plants and kids with more magic knowledge and teachers who place lions and snakes together in one room and expect them to behave” he glared and she saw how his eyes flashed yellow.

Jay took a very controlled breath and the colour died
“….Are we done? I could do with eating some breakfast” he stood and the knife disappeared

“yes, if I hear of any other misdemeanours, I will be writing to your headmistress”
“whatever” he flicked a hand towards the door and it sprang open, Jay let it slam behind him.

Minerva pinched her nose. So the teenagers were armed? This would not go down well with the Governor’s, she just hoped no one got stabbed. It was bad enough Dumbledore was getting heat from Fudge about the teens, he had had no more than seven howler’s in the space of the first week from concerned board members.

She finished her tea and banished the set, standing from her desk, Minerva wondered exactly what powers the boy had. She’d read the book Albus had given her in interest, no doubt the boy was part Djinn, his inherent manipulation of magic notwithstanding. He had refused to be tested for a wand, much as his friends had. He had simply said he preferred to use his hands to feel the magic, instead of forcing it through a conduit.

Walking out of her office, Minerva was caught up in her thoughts. She knew they’d have to be very careful with the four of them, at least until things calmed down.

*

Jay found Hermione walking towards the hall
“hey Mione” he jogged a little to meet her
“Morning…” she nodded “Lee said McGonagall cornered you this morning?”
“yeah uh, got a telling off for last night” he said, “can I ask you something?” Jay stopped walking
“sure” she turned to face him
“you saw what happened last night, but you’re not scared of me….why?”

She blinked
“I er…to be honest I haven’t really given it much thought. You reacted in anger, we all do things in anger that we’re not proud of, besides, if he had talked about my sister like that I would have done much worse” Hermione replied “why?”
“I just wondered” he gave her a smile and put his arm around her “thanks…”
“for what?” she asked
“being a friend”

They walked on and saw students heading into the hall for breakfast
“why do we have to have double potions first thing on a Friday?” Harry complained as they joined him at the table.
“because Dumbledore loves to torment us” she replied, “no Ron?”
“he slept in George’s dorm, I assume he’ll come down with them”
“how childish” she commented
“he was scared Mione” Harry pointed out “can you blame him?”
“can we not do this Harry?” Hermione suddenly looked up “Morning Mal” she turned to look over her shoulder as the fae girl smirked

“Morning gorgeous” she snickered as Hermione choked on her pumpkin juice, cheeks turning red; her eyes flicked to Jay “all good?”
“perfect” he replied, “where’s Princess?”
“restroom...” she replied, “Carlos wants to borrow you later”
“I’ll be free” Jay agreed with a smile “go find food” he pointed “or Snape might come fetch you”
“Snape can kiss my-“
“I would not finish that sentence Ms Moors” a low voice chided
“Morning Professor” Mal rolled her eyes and turned to see her Head of House “what have I done now? Is my tie wrong? Or wait, no I'm wearing shoes this time”

Snape glared, a tic in his jaw had Mal’s grin growing even wider. She wasn’t surprised when she saw his wand hand twitch ever so lightly.
“I would suggest you return to your house table at once” he said “Now”

“fine whatever, don’t get your panties in a twist…later” she grinned and blew a kiss at them both, sauntering back to the Slytherin table in time to see Evie taking her seat.

“what in the name of Circe was THAT about?” Harry demanded
“…..honestly Harry? I don’t think I want to know” Hermione poured another goblet of water and took a drink.

Jay laughed, he waved a hand
“if you have to ask, then you really don’t need to know” he sniggered as Hermione hit him with a napkin.
“stop it” she said
“or else what?” Jay asked, raising his eyebrows
“you’ll find out how powerful my hexes can be” she threatened

To her dismay Jay’s grin widened at her threat
“ooh now that is tempting” he began to eat “just save the really painful ones till we’re alone, or better yet show them to Evie, she’ll love you forever if you would teach her the really nasty ones, she’d love to use them on Mal sometime”

Hermione squeaked
“JAY!”
“what? Those two could do to refresh their repertoire” he shrugged a shoulder

He yelped suddenly
“MIONE!” he dropped his goblet
“yes?” her eyebrows raised
“a stinging hex to the butt? Really?” Jay eyed her
“first one that came to mind” she smirked “I understand certain places on the body it can be very painful”
“now you’re talking my language” He grinned. Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands, wishing she could go back to bed.

**

The tension between Harry, Ron and Hermione continued for at least a week. Hermione had had nothing to say to Ron after they’d broken up and their friendship was cordial at best. Jay continued to look out for her in the dorm but he admitted to Mal and Evie their friendship was strained.  After the warning from McGonagall, Jay kept his head down and his temper in check.

Mal had pointed out there was little the Hogwarts staff could do to him so he shouldn’t worry. Given the most they could do would be to send him back to Fairy Godmother. Jay had pointed out to her he was trying to at least complete one year of education before getting hauled back to Auradon.

One afternoon during Defence class, Professor Lupin paired each Slytherin student with a Gryffindor, which meant Hermione and Mal were put together to practice their shield spells.  Harry privately thought that was just going to ignite the tensions between his friends
“er Professor?”
“yes Harry” Lupin asked
“how about if I pair with Mal? Hermione could pair with Crabbe?”
“Honestly Harry it’s fine” Hermione cut in as Professor Lupin frowned

“is there a problem I need to be aware of?” he asked
“Nothing at all Professor” Hermione said quickly “I don’t mind pairing with Mal at all”
“course you don’t” Ron grumbled
“Ron-“ Hermione snapped
“remember Weasley” Jay whispered, “one word..” he crossed to work with Nott and Ron paled at the threat.

“c’mon then Granger” Mal had grinned from the other side of the classroom “come to the dark side” Hermione rolled her eyes and waited for Daphne to move to work with Pansy. She sat in the chair next to her as Evie went to partner Harry.
“don’t kill him Eves” Mal commented

“I prefer my targets alive M, you know that” Evie dropped into the chair next to Harry
“….thanks?” Harry offered

Evie laughed at his discomfort
“I’ll go easy on you Potter” she said “nothing lethal…not yet anyway”

Professor Lupin’s eyebrows raised
“as always children please keep to fifth year spells or below, we don’t want any accidents” he said
“ruin my fun” Mal muttered
“pardon Ms Moors?” he turned
“nothing Sir” she gave him a wide smile that had Hermione snorting
“I see” he said “very well, let us stand and we’ll begin”

He moved all the desks and bags to the back of the room. Hermione clutched her wand and turned to face Mal
“right…so…remind me, the spells Protego?” Mal cracked her knuckles
“yes” Hermione nodded “do you want to go first?”
“sure” she shrugged “Protego” she flicked a finger and a second later a shield shimmered in front of her.

Hermione twirled her wand in one hand
“depulso” she took aim and the spell fizzed out on impact  “hm” she frowned

“was that supposed to happen?” Mal asked

“no idea” she replied “locomortor mortis!”

The spell collided with the shield; Mal raised an eyebrow
“do I want to know what that was?”
“leg-locker curse” Hermione replied “oppugno!”

Mal yelped as a barrage of canaries flew forwards, her concentration wobbled with the shield and she noticed how Hermione smirked, and her attention was entirely not on the class at that moment
“Petrificus Totalus! Expelliarmus!” she stepped forward as the shield exploded in a shower of light, Mal was blasted backwards a few steps with the force.
“focus!” Professor Lupin called out “remember this shield could one day save your life”

“Dammit Granger!” she huffed “you gotta always be so sexy? Put a girl off you do” she straightened up and laughed at how the brunette was now blushing crimson, honestly it was way too easy to wind her up.

“er…thanks?” Hermione offered “I um…what?”
“stop flirting with my girl Granger!” Evie grinned from beside them, pelting Harry’s shield with spells of different colours with speed.

“I wasn’t-“
“oh c’mon Eves look at her she’s so cute” Mal said, “reckon she’s blushing all the way down?” she cocked her head to the side and looked her over.

Embarrassed, Hermione brandished her wand and fired a stinging hex at almost point blank range. Mal’s eyes widened as she felt it collide with her side. She grunted and a second later the hex was lifted.
“really now Hermione…what was that spell?” Evie asked, eyeing her girlfriend, who was panting just a little, her eyes flashed green. Mal pointedly did not look at either of them.
“stinging hex” She replied, watching as Mal rubbed her side with a hand a few times.
“you must teach it to me” Evie told her
“uh okay?”
“right…my turn” Mal declared She looked up and Hermione was surprised to note the light blush on her cheeks and her distracted manner.  She suddenly recalled what Jay had said the other day about teaching Evie some choice spells and tried not to wince. Maybe she should have stuck to non-pain spells? Too late now.

Hermione cast her shield and Mal smirked, her eyes narrowed

“lets see…” she raised her hand “bombarda, impedimentia, petrificus totalus”

The shield exploded with a loud bang and Hermione was thrown backwards at an alarming speed. Crashing into Draco and Ron, who had been working without arguing for once. She landed on top of Draco’s back, sending the blonde to the floor.

“Hermione!” Mal helped her up “Are you alright?”
“yes fine thanks, Sorry Malfoy” She got off him and shook herself hard “ow, I totally earned that bruise” She rubbed her backside.
“you’ll have to show me sometime” Mal quipped “I do love to see my handiwork”
“can't you think of anything else but sex Moors?” Draco glared, straightening himself up and turning his wand in his hand
“well let me think…no” she cackled as Hermione glared in embarrassment.

Professor Lupin coughed lightly

“if you’re all finished chatting ladies and gents?”
“yes Professor” Mal sighed “I never get to have any fun” she muttered
“I’ll give you fun later” Evie whispered

“Ahem Ms Grimhilde?” Lupin was looking at her “please leave that sort of talk outside of class”

Evie stared
“how-“
“oh yeah, he has excellent hearing, he’s a Werewolf” Hermione laughed at their stunned faces “did I forget to tell you that?”

“I'm going to murder you” Mal growled
“promise?” Evie smirked at her “only if I get to watch”
“EVIE!”

“Ms Grimhilde that’s five points from Slytherin for lewd behaviour, I will not warn you again”

Evie glared at Mal who was grinning, she whacked her on the back of the head and turned to face Harry, aiming a cutting hex at his head with a split second warning leaving the boy to hurriedly cast a shield that banged on impact.

Hermione had never wanted a defence lesson to end quite so quickly.

*

Mal met Evie in the library after Potions class one afternoon the following week.
“something on your mind babe?” Evie saw the darkening tone in her eyes as she put her bag down on the spare chair.
“it’s nothing” She waved a hand “Potions is not my strong point; I mean I can brew okay but yeah” she sighed “Millicent is my lab partner now as you’ve moved into the other class”

“is that a problem?” Evie asked, “do you want me to go over some of the material with you?”
“no its fine” Mal replied, “I have much better things to do with you than stand over a cauldron” she smirked “then again maybe I could put you over a cauldron?”
“dangerous and sexy I like the implications” Evie agreed. Mal laughed, turning her attention to the textbook on the table
“maybe later”  she picked up a pen and huffed, reading over a paragraph before writing more of her essay.

“talk to me M” Evie said a little while later, “something’s clearly bothering my Mally”
“I reckon something’s going on” Mal said, “Hermione is acting weird”
“weirder than normal?” Evie commented
“Yeah” Mal sighed “I think I know what’s up”
“oh?”
“I….ugh” Mal leant on her shoulder “Hermione fancies you”

Evie choked on air
“what?!” she said
“you didn’t notice?” Mal asked
“I thought she fancied you” Evie replied, “she keeps staring at you, practically watches you all the time during meals, she's not subtle.” Mal paused
“no she's definitely looking at you” she said, “not that I can blame her” she grinned “thing is what we do about it?”
“why do we have to do anything?” asked Evie “she had a boyfriend until a few weeks ago, it’s probably a passing crush, I wouldn’t comment…”
“he’s a creep” Mal glared at the mention of Ron “he reminds me of Doug, just…ginger” she wrinkled her nose “I don’t like him”
“I can’t say I do either” Evie agreed “his brothers are nicer than he is, Fred and George are in potions with me, they’re pretty funny.”
“she’s cute though” Mal went on “I mean, if she’s into girls I wouldn’t say no” she smiled as Evie grunted.
“like that is it?” she teased her “one whisper of a potential new conquest and I’m out of your way?”

Mal looked offended
“Absolutely not” she said “you know how I feel about you E”
“I know I know I'm teasing” Evie assured her, “but you’re right she is cute” she added

The pair continued with their homework for a few minutes in relative silence
“....I'm going to say Hogwarts is not going to allow it” Evie said thoughtfully. “I don’t think there’s many here who would support us” Mal frowned
“if your suggesting what I think you’re suggesting” She began “that definitely won’t be allowed”
“who has to know?” Evie replied, “think of it as a challenge?”
“you’re serious?” Mal looked up at her
“only if you are” Evie replied.

Mal hesitated
“she’s single… but Ron might cause a problem…we get rid of the boy first” she said “properly”
“I'm not murdering him” Evie shook her head “that’s a given”
“we won’t have to” Mal said, getting out of her chair “we just….perhaps need to be a bit Isle about it if it comes to it” she wrapped her hand around the back of her neck, watching how Evie’s breath hitched a little as she dug her nails in ever so lightly.
“w-uh-what’s your plan?” She swallowed
“a secret, that way you have plausible deniability” She reached down and kissed her. Evie made a quiet grunt against her mouth.
“no time” Mal sighed, hearing the bell ringing
“we make time” Evie hissed “later”
“of course Princess” Mal tugged her hand “but first we have class”

Chapter Text

Minerva closed the office door as the rest of the staff took their seats for their weekly staff meeting after classes had ended
“I shall keep this brief” He said, “two things on the agenda today; one is the Halloween ball, I propose we hold a masquerade ball this year? It might help ease house tensions”
“an excellent idea” agreed Filius
“yes I agree” Pomona nodded “it’ll give the students a bit of free reign and allow them to be creative with their outfits”
“Severus? Minerva? Remus? Any objections?”
“None” Remus replied
“I don’t see a problem” Minerva agreed “Severus?” she looked over at him
“none” he replied
”Excellent, then I shall announce it at tonight’s meal. That way the children have enough time to prepare. The next thing we need to discuss is the board of Governor’s wish to come to inspect our school next week, I am sure you understand why”
“the transfer students?” Remus asked, Dumbledore nodded
“exactly.” He said, “I am going to assume they will be here on Monday morning”
“who is coming?”
“I am not sure yet” he replied, “but I have a feeling Lucius will be involved” he glanced in Severus’ direction “if only to ensure the safety of his heir”
“which is all well and good but Albus…we might have to take precautions” Minerva was pacing

Dumbledore frowned
“in what way Minerva?” he queried, his deputy stopped and turned to face him
“last night my one of my lions had an altercation with Mr Jafar” she paused “he pulled a knife on him in anger at a comment made about Ms Moors…I cannot speak for others but, I do believe after speaking with him this morning, all four of the students are armed, if someone like Umbridge was to come to speak with them… with her particular opinions, I daresay the outcome would not be favourable.”

Severus nodded
“I believe Ms Grimhilde is also armed, however I have not seen any weaponry on her person” he said slowly, “I advised her to keep any weaponry in the dorm, for safety, and her reaction was to deny she was carrying anything and pointed out she doesn’t even carry a wand” he folded his arms “we cannot stop them?” he looked at the headmaster.
“No” he sighed “they do not come under our Ministry jurisdiction, at least not fully. Whilst they are students of Hogwarts they are expected to follow our rules. If we have to punish them beyond house point removal or a detention, that has to go to Auradon. Cornelius was not happy to find that out. King Benjamin holds the ultimate responsibility for the students”
“I thought the King was named Adam?” Pomona asked
“Adam handed the crown to his son on his sixteenth birthday. Whilst his son is still in school, his father acts as regent. Ultimately all decisions are run by Benjamin for perusal” Dumbledore replied with a smile “we have little to worry about. If the Governor’s wish to interrupt out day with their needless questions, then let them”
“Albus-“
“what about Ms Godmother?” asked Remus
“I do not believe so” Dumbledore replied, “her mother would not see any reason to allow her to carry any form of blade, in any case, Jane Godmother was brought up in Auradon, not the Isle”
“should that matter?” asked Filius
“of course” Dumbledore replied “her upbringing was vastly different to the Isle children. She is not a concern”
“what about Moors?” Severus asked “are we to expect problems? She's a Dark Fae after all”
“I do not foresee any, we have had nothing concerning so far, she does not seem to be a concern at this point” Dumbledore replied, “have any students come to you with concerns?”
“my snakes tend to settle things in house” he replied, “I don’t get involved unless it’s of serious consequence”
“very well”  Dumbledore nodded “we shall leave it there”

The teachers began to file out, Remus hung back
“something on your mind Remus?” Dumbledore asked, He nodded

“I would be very careful with Ms Moors” he said
“oh?”
“she is exceptionally strong, magically speaking. That might come from her fae blood, she blasted Ms Granger across the classroom this afternoon during shield practice without even trying, I believe it was with a petrificus totalus, her casting is impeccable, considering she's been here only a few weeks, I am not sure if she was trained by her mother?” he said

Dumbledore frowned
“I see” he said “no, her mother would have had no access to her magic to teach her anything, theory maybe. But no active magic” he replied “I’m not sure if any of the children had any formal training prior to coming to Hogwarts. It is something to consider.”

*

At dinner that night, Dumbledore stood in front of the school before the meal began
“a few short notices before we eat” he smiled at the sea of faces looking up at him “Mr Filch reminds all students not to use magic in the corridors, the scorch marks do not come off the walls easily and the portraits are being damaged” he added “Madame Pomfrey reminds all students if they are in need of a cold remedy to come to her first thing before breakfast to get one, and finally, this year’s Halloween ball will be a masquerade theme, so I expect you all to be as creative as you wish.” He took a seat as the food appeared

“Masquerade….interesting” Draco commented
“in what way?” Evie asked
“well we always try to outdo the previous year’s balls, but I don’t remember having a masquerade ball. Of course mother and father have hosted them previously when I was younger but I never really got to attend for more than an hour or so”

“why not?” Mal asked
“father’s orders, apparently masquerades can get a bit…rowdy” he said delicately “if you’re into that sort of thing” She laughed
“your dad had sex parties? Nice…” she grinned, Draco glared
“no-!” he spluttered
“oh c’mon that’s the only reason he didn’t want his precious boy there, didn’t want you getting ideas” she rolled her eyes
“not everything is about sex Mal” said Daphne with a sigh “are you sure you’re normal?”
“I resent that Greengrass” Mal threw a bread roll at the blonde girl and Daphne winced as it caught her in the temple “I'm totally normal me” she smirked “isn’t that right E?”
“oh yes, totally normal babe” Evie patted her hand “just how I like you” she leant over and kissed her cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick mark behind.
“will you two quit it?!” Pansy groaned
“why Pansy? Does it make you all hot and bothered?” Evie raised an eyebrow “does it…turn you on?” she bit her lip as Mal grabbed her by the neck, turning her face to kiss her deeply.
“Snape incoming!” Draco said loudly

Mal grinned, pulling away as their Head of House appeared behind them.
“Ladies, act with a modicum of decorum” Snape was glaring
“don’t know her” Mal quipped
“Moors” he warned

“oh alright fine!” she huffed “no making out in the hall, fine. Got it” she turned her attentions to her meal and stabbed the beef with her knife so hard the blade squeaked on the china underneath
“now now lover” Evie chided “plenty of time for that later” she covered her hand with her own “alright?”
“fine” Mal whined a little, Evie pulled her hand back and began to eat her meal.

*

Over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione was talking with Ginny
“…we can go to Gladrags next Hogsmeade weekend, look for something to wear” Ginny was saying “it’s about time we got to dress up a bit”
“yes it’ll be delightfully uncomfortable” Hermione commented “so a masquerade? Should be fun”
“oh definitely” said Fred “you won’t know who’se who cause everyone masks up, it’s part of the tradition. All dates have to have a corsage or something so you know who your date is, but no-one tells anyone what they’re wearing”
“even better” said Jay “completely incognito, sounds awesome”

*

Evie began sketching outfits for the VKs as soon as they got back to the common room.
“whatcha thinkin?” Mal asked, leaning over her shoulder before sitting on the chair next to her
“not sure yet” Evie murmured “signature colours of course” she said without looking in her direction “got some ideas” she added
“wanna share?”
“not till I’ve finished” Evie smiled a little “you’re gonna love it”

*

Monday morning came with the arrival of the head of the Board of Governors. Albus wasn’t overly bothered at the arrival of Lucius Malfoy, but he was a little concerned with the arrival of Delores Umbridge. The ministry were clearly trying to intervene in Hogwarts’ business by sending the Undersecretary to the Minister.
“Good morning Governor Malfoy, Madame Umbridge” he met them in his office before breakfast
“Dumbledore” Lucius nodded “the governors and I are very concerned about these…exchange students. I do hope you don’t mind if we oversee their school day?”

“of course not, I have nothing to hide” he had replied “Have either of you eaten breakfast yet?”
“no we left early from London” said Umbridge
“then please follow me to breakfast in the Great Hall” Dumbledore got up from his desk “I daresay your son will be happy to see you Lucius…”
“oh?”
“he is currently the second highest student in his year, bested only by Miss Granger”  Dumbledore replied “you should be very proud of him, I daresay this will change before the year’s out. Draco is a very accomplished wizard for his age”
“bested by a Muggleborn?” Lucius wrinkled his nose “he needs to work harder” he sneered. Dumbledore noted his knuckles turning white on the head of his cane.
“Oh I believe he is working as hard as he can” Dumbledore chided
“as you say” He remarked “so, these exchange students…” Lucius’ hand relaxed a little on his cane
“ah yes” Dumbledore nodded “four students from the United States of Auradon; Evie Grimhilde, daughter of the Potions Mistress Grimhilde, Jay Jafar, son of the Djinn Jafar, Carlos De Vil, son of the sorcerer and fashionista Cruella De Vil…and Mal Moors, daughter of Maleficent… the dark fae”  his eyes flicked to Umbridge, who scowled
“faeries and genies?” she commented “this is a concern”
“the correct term is Djinn Delores” Dumbledore chided gently “you would do to use it in his presence…the boy will not take slights against his family lightly and I would be able to do little to stop him if he were to, take offence”
“Meaning?” Lucius raised an eyebrow

They reached the Great Hall and Dumbledore smiled
“ultimately, it comes down to the word of His Highness King Benjamin of Auradon to punish the students if he see’s fit. They are his subjects” he took his seat “ can I interest you in a coffee Lucius?”

*

Draco looked slightly worried
“Father’s here” he commented “that can’t be good….Umbridge too?”
“what have you done Draco?” Millicent asked
“Nothing!” he glared “that I know of” Draco continued to eat “I can’t think of anything I’ve done, we had report cards sent home last week and Mother was very happy with the scores I got”

“Who’s the woman with him?” Evie asked
“Delores Umbridge” said Daphne “she’s the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic”
“she’s also a right piece of work” Draco replied, “she’s Fudge’s lacky, what she's doing with Father means he wants to know what’s going on with Hogwarts”
“meaning?”
“the ministry’s trying to interfere” Daphne raised an eyebrow “I would be careful…”

*

Mal shouldered her bag and headed to class with Evie and Jane, they headed into Transfiguration as Minerva closed the door.
“come on girls…you’re very nearly late” She chided
“Apologies Professor, I lost track of time after breakfast” Jane gave her a smile
“Very well Ms Godmother, in this instance I won’t dock points from Hufflepuff, take your seats”

At the back of the classroom, Mal saw Umbridge sitting on a chair, a quill and parchment in front of her.

“right, class, today we will revise animals into water goblets….” Minerva scanned her eyes over the room “I trust this should not be too hard for you, however your OWL rests on the attention to detail of your transfiguration” she began handing out small mice.  “I daresay I will dock points if your goblet has whiskers Mr McMillan” Mal swore she saw her smile.

She looked at the little mouse in her hand and had the overwhelming urge to eat it. Mal hurriedly put the animal down and watched it scurry on her table.
“Ms Moors? Something wrong?”
“oh er nothing Professor” She said distractedly “I um…for a moment forgot the incantation” she tried to look mildly embarrassed, ignoring Evie’s questioning look.
“Vera Verto” She replied
“ah yes perfect thanks Professor” She cleared her throat “vera verto” the mouse disappeared with a pop and a goblet stood in front of her, silver in colour with no adornments
“attention to details Ms Moors” Minerva eyed her

“hem hem” A voice to her right had Mal turning with a raised eyebrow
“Delores?” Minerva’s voice was sharp
“Miss...Moors was it?” she was looking at her
“yeah…you are?”

“Delores Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic” She gave her a sugary smile that made Mal’s teeth hurt.
“er hi” she chanced a look at Minerva who met her eyes and Mal got the impression she was telling her to be very careful.

“Madam Umbridge is here to oversee some classes today, to…..confirm Hogwarts is operating to the correct curriculum” Minerva explained “Delores? Do you have a reason to interrupt my class?” her voice was brusque.

“I simply don’t see Ms Moors using a wand…. Yet she transfigured the mouse easily”
“I don’t use a wand” Mal replied with a shrug “the last time I picked one up it exploded in my hand, Fairy Godmother said it was probably not a good idea to try again”
“is that so?”
“I would know, I was there” Mal replied “I have a scar on my hand from the wand handle” she pointed to a pink mark across her palm  “six stitches”

Umbridge nodded
“you poor thing” she commented “that must have hurt”
“you would be right” Mal replied

“please Minerva continue”

*

“I'm going to kill her” Mal stormed out of the class
“you’ll do no such thing” Evie shook her head “just calm down”
“she's here to get us E” Mal threw her bag against the wall “I know it”
“then don’t give her any reason to get you” Jane picked up the bag from where it had collided with the wall “you have potions next, try not to murder anyone” she handed it to her.

Mal swore under her breath
“….Miss Moors?” Minerva’s head appeared out of her office door “a moment please?”

She groaned audibly
“yes Professor?”

Minerva closed the door behind her
“Delores Umbridge is not someone you want to cross” She said, “she will report to the Minister”
“right so what?”
“they are here to watch you and your friends. We are not sure of their motives. Give them what they want and they will leave…” Minerva was writing something down “give this to Professor Snape, and be mindful of your words and actions”

“no killing her, fine” Mal commented, her eyes flashed green “professor…may I ask you something?”
“of course” she replied

“Can many wizards turn into different animals? Like I know you can turn into a cat”

Minerva paused
“How-“ she began to ask, “do you know that? I do not believe I have demonstrated that particular skill in front of you”
“your magic feels feline” Mal shrugged “is it a known skill then?”
“to be an animagus takes time and patience, not to mention skill” Minerva replied, “but I sense that isn’t what you’re asking” she folded her arms “there are plenty of books in the library should you want to review the subject.” she said “now run along, you are late for potions”

*

Mal closed the door
“you are late Moors” Severus commented
“Professor McGonagall wanted a word after transfiguration …here” she handed him the parchment and took the remaining empty seat next to Hermione. Severus read the note and nodded
“you will work with Ms Granger on the swelling solution” he commented “even you should be able to complete this with help” he paused

Mal glared
“of course Professor” She gritted her teeth
“don’t let him get to you” Hermione was putting the ingredients down on the table “it’s an easy potion”
“for you maybe” Mal growled as Lucius walked in

Hermione blinked, her head snapping up at the sound.
“….Are you okay?” she asked slowly, Mal nodded, exhaling
“not enough sleep” She muttered “ok. Um…let’s get going”

Mal watched Hermione carefully, trying to follow the instructions. She felt there was more to the conversation with Professor McGonagall than she could fathom and her brain kept turning it over. Which was fine until…

“…wait!” Hermione grabbed her wrist to stop her from throwing the next ingredient in “what is with you today? That would have exploded”

“it’s nothing” Mal jerked her wrist out of Hermione’s hand, nearly unseating the other girl in the process.
“…is there a problem here?” Snape was standing behind her

“No Professor” Mal replied shortly
“I suggest you get on with your potion then” he stalked off towards the other side of the classroom.

Mal looked over at Hermione, who was stirring the potion quietly
“I er...sorry?” She offered
“for what?” Hermione asked
“you’re probably gonna flunk potions being my partner for the rest of the semester” she said
“I doubt that” Hermione looked up at her “you’re not a bad brewer…”
“I sense a but” Mal eyed her

Hermione laughed
“you’re better than Neville” she commented, Mal snorted
“that’s not reassuring” She said, “Longbottom’s skills do not lie in potions”
“Neither do yours” Hermione pointed out, turning out the flame under the cauldron “if you want I could give you some extra tutoring?” she offered

Mal paused
“what's the catch?” She asked
“there is no catch” Hermione replied “if you want to pass potions I'm happy to help you out”
“I’d appreciate the help” Mal agreed.

Snape watched their interaction warily; he knew Lucius was watching them but there was little he could do. His attention turned to Jay and Theodore, who were cleaning down their workstation diligently, thankfully the class had gone without incident.

As soon as the bell rang the fifth years filed out. Lucius approached his desk
“…Well?” he asked, “have you seen everything you need?”
“they are interesting children” Lucius commented

“Come now Lucius” Severus frowned “they are children”
“indeed, and yet you seem to have little regard for safety” Lucius gripped his cane
“What's that supposed to mean?” he asked

“I noticed Moors’ lack of a wand, also, she does not use the normal equipment for the class”
“I didn’t think giving an iron knife to a fae would be a good idea” Severus retorted “especially a dark fae”

Lucius blinked
“….A dark fae you say?”
“that’s what I said” Severus nodded “I have no desire to send the girl to the hospital wing due to iron burns”
“no, of course not” he replied “I was not aware-“
“Bullshit and lies Lucius of course you were” Severus snapped “what the hell are you planning-“
“Now now Severus” Lucius drawled “I am here to ensure the students are safe” he strode towards the door and left through it.

Severus sighed; he would have to watch himself.

*

Lunchtime came and Mal met with Evie
“…that Umbridge woman is worse than your mother” Evie commented
“oh? How so?” Mal asked

“I thought Professor Sprout might actually turn her into plant food” Evie commented “She was asking some strange questions”
“like what? She didn’t seem so bad in transfiguration, if not a little weird”
“kept asking about our schooling before Hogwarts” Evie poured a glass of water “wanted to know some weird things actually” she began to eat “wanted to know how long we planned to stay at Hogwarts, if we planned to stay here once done with school”

Mal frowned

“odd questions considering we’ve been here a month” she lowered her fork “hey Malfoy” she smirked

“Yes?”
“does your dad always look like someone’s shoved a broom up his ass or is this a special occasion?” she snickered

Draco glared

“shut your mouth Moors” he gritted his teeth and turned his attention to eating his lunch.

*

That afternoon the Gryffindors and Slytherin’s had Defence after History. When they got to the classroom, they noticed Remus was not his usual jovial self and it was quickly understood why. Both Lucius and Umbridge were standing in the room with Remus, who looked oddly angry.

“we will continue with the shield training…Same pairings as last week” He said as they filed in “quickly now, don’t dawdle”

“wonder what's got up his ass” Jay looked at Ron
“Umbridge isn’t a fan of Werewolves” he said “I don’t think Malfoy Senior is welcome either”

“probably not” Mal shrugged

The class got underway and Mal was counting down the minutes to the end of the class. She got a distinctly unnerving vibe from Umbridge and it made her nervous in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. She noted Jay had positioned himself between Evie and Hermione, his posture was defensive, idly taking turns to block spells with Nott.  She knew he would defend any of them in a heartbeat, but the conversation with McGonagall was still in her mind and she knew they have to act like teenagers, not soldiers who are ready at a moment’s notice to attack.

“alright class that will do” Remus called a few minutes till the end of class. “gather your things and you can go, great work today.”

Shrugging, there was a rush to get bags and the students filed out of the room.

“Miss Moors, Miss Grimhilde, Mr Jafar please stay behind”  Remus called as they reached the doorway.

“unlucky” Harry commented “don’t murder anyone” he grinned

“very funny Potter” Evie replied

The trio put their bags down
“Yes Professor?” Evie looked at him

“children this won’t take a moment, I don’t believe we have been properly introduced” Lucius stepped forward “Lucius Malfoy, head of Hogwarts’ board of governors” he offered his hand out to shake.  Jay made no move to do so; he simply looked him over, as if weighing up the chances of taking the man down. Evie gave him a small smile, gripping his hand in her own for a moment as to not appear rude.

“a pleasure Lord Malfoy” She said, “your son speaks highly of you” she dropped his hand quickly enough, Mal noticed the tone in her voice instantly; the falsely polite one she privately called Evie’s ‘princess voice’. The tone her mother had drilled into her as a child.    

Mal saw a chance and took it as Lucius turned to her. She gripped his hand tightly and watched his eyes widen ever so slightly at the crushing pressure from the diminutive fae.

“yes” she said “Draco speaks of you often” Mal squeezed a little harder and let his hand go, knowing she’d not broken his hand but it would be sore for at least a day.

“Indeed” Lucius cleared his throat “you know my son?” he queried

“is there something you wanted Lord Malfoy?” Evie asked, cutting him off without a smile

“the other governors and I are a little concerned about the lack of education for yourselves. We simply wished to understand why you had been sent to our esteemed school now” he asked

Mal folded her arms, deciding it was better to not answer the question than to lie, she took a moment.

“take the matter up with the King” She said “he will answer all your questions”

“I beg your pardon?” Lucius asked

“I said take it up with King Ben of Auradon” she replied, “he will let you and the governors know everything you need, now if you’ll excuse us, I believe it is time for dinner” she turned her back on them and started to the door, Evie and Jay fell into step beside her.

Remus watched them go
“well” he said “if that’s all? Lord Malfoy? Madam Umbridge? Please excuse me, I have papers to grade” he turned back to his desk.

*

Later that night, Mal grabbed her bag
“where are you going?” Evie asked, the blue-haired girl was lying on her bed on her front, with a book open in front of her.

“I have remedial potions with Hermione” she grinned
“oh really?” Evie sat up on her elbows “that’s a development” she commented

“I sort of made a mess of a potion in class, she offered to tutor me” Mal was smirking

“you are devious” Evie raised her eyebrows

“oh I know” Mal replied, “it’s all in the name of fun” She said “all part of my plan E”

“do I want to know?”
“of course you do” Mal nodded “in time, once I’ve figured it out”

Evie shook her head with a laugh
“what no love spell?” she teased; Mal glared
“not even slightly funny” she said
“oh come on it was a little funny” Evie rolled over onto her back and grabbed her hand, Mal rolled her eyes and leant over her face.

“you know….” she paused just above her mouth
“what?” Evie blinked at the closeness
“I’m late” She kissed her quickly “I’ll let you know how it goes!” she scooted out of the room with a laugh.

*

Hermione was looking through her first and second year textbooks when Mal arrived at the classroom she normally used to tutor students from other houses.
“I know I know I’m late!” Mal greeted “I got side-tracked”
“by who or what?” she asked with a smile
“Evie” She shrugged
“of course you did” Hermione replied “so I know where you’re at, I thought we could try to brew something easy, see what it is you’re having problems with” she looked up at her

“sure okay” Mal put her bag down “I hope you know what you’ve signed up for” she chuckled

Mal watched as the brunette began to set up the cauldron and unpacked some ingredients.
“right, so one of the easiest potions is one to cure boils. We learnt that in first year” she explained “here’s the recipe and the instructions.” She pointed to the book

“right” Mal said “okay that doesn’t seem too hard”

She crossed to the desk and rolled up her sleeves
“so how much do I owe you for your time?” Mal looked over the recipe and then up at her

“I don’t charge” Hermione replied with a shrug

“that might change when you see how hopeless I am” Mal commented with a grin

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at the transfiguration book on the table as a means of gathering herself, trying to calm down her racing heartbeat. She refused to get flustered around Mal, even though she was struggling to think of even the simplest of spells or enchantments to keep her mind off how pretty she found the purple-haired girl.

Mal snickered quietly, she saw the slight flush on her face as she picked up the ingredients and began to boil the water in the cauldron.

Hermione watched her working in silence. She took in the way in which she read through each step, cautiously optimistic that Mal’s brewing skills were better than in class. Perhaps it was the teacher who caused her to make errors?  Mal didn’t seem the type to be offput by someone such as Snape but Hermione realised she knew so little about her that maybe the Slytherin’s Head of House was the issue?

“should it look like that?” Mal was peering into the cauldron “the book says it should be blue…that’s not blue…its more of a cyan”

Frowning, Hermione got off the stool and looked down
“oh! That’s right but you need to add in the porcupine quills” she said

“alright” Mal picked them “all of them or?”
“yes but you’ve missed a step” Hermione replied

Mal frowned, she read over the book again
“oops…I'm going to say that would have been explosive…” she quickly turned off the heat and waited a few minutes before throwing them in.

The potion hissed and turned a bright blue colour, bubbling a little as it cooled
“so Ms Granger, am I completely hopeless?” Mal grinned

Hermione blinked, trying very hard not to stare
“n-no” she cleared her throat “not entirely” Hermione added “you need to focus your attention more on the directions and slow down with your brewing. If you can do that you’ll get a decent grade, Potions might not ever be your best subject but you’ll pass the OWL”
“OWL?” Mal queried
“Ordinary Wizarding Level” Hermione replied, “we have them at the end of the year, if you don’t pass the OWLs then you resit fifth year”
“so magic exams….great” Mal commented “I’ve never been great at being patient” she poured the potion into several vials on the table “I blame my mother” she smiled slightly
“oh?” Hermione frowned

“she's not exactly a patient person, and unfortunately for me neither am I” Mal replied, focusing on cleaning down the workstation “but I take your comments seriously”
“right” Hermione replied

Mal paused; she raised an eyebrow as she saw Hermione watching her wiping down the table.

“something on your mind Hermione? Aside from the disaster of having me as a potions partner?” she asked

“nothing” She forced a slightly panicked smile

“are you sure?” Mal dropped the cloth into the sink and washed her hands, drying them on a towel.

She crossed back to the desk where Hermione was putting her books away, the brunette turned

“if you want to borrow this” she was holding the first year potions book “it goes through the fundamental dos and don’ts of potion-making. It might help you to uh-um-understand it” Hermione explained, stumbling a little as she came close to her. Hermione tried not to panic. She didn’t need to act like an idiot. She could do this.

Mal shrugged a shoulder and took the book, making sure her fingers touched Hermione’s hand to get a feel of her magic, the touch lasted less than a second before she pulled away. Hermione frowned slightly, not entirely sure what that touch meant.  She’d felt the slight sting of something against her fingers but couldn’t work out what had happened before Mal pulled her hand back, her fingers closing around the book.
“sure, thanks” she gave her a smile “thanks a lot” Mal put the book in her bag
“no problem” Hermione replied “I um…I better get back to the dorm, curfew is in ten minutes”
“wow were we that long? Time flies when you suck at potions” Mal laughed

“you don’t suck” Hermione said “you just need to focus a bit better, That’s all”

*

Walking back to the dorm, Hermione shifted her bag on her shoulder. She crossed the main staircase and found Carlos coming the other way. Her mind replayed the last few minutes in detail, she knew for a fact something had happened between them at the end of the lesson but the question remained what was it? Hermione tried to rack her brain for anything informative about fae but found it increasingly frustrating she couldn’t remember any useful information.
“Hey Mione” he smiled “you er...look confused” he commented

“oh hey Carlos” She said, “I er…no I’m fine” she brushed him off “I’ve just come from tutoring Mal in potions”
“you like to live dangerously” he said, “she's a nightmare near a cauldron”
“actually she's pretty decent at potions, she just needs to focus” Hermione replied
“yeah that’s like asking a Cerberus not to eat you” He grinned
“very funny” she rolled her eyes “with a bit of help she should pass the OWL without a problem”

“unless she blows up the lab” he laughed, hearing the curfew bell, he sighed “I’ll see you tomorrow in Arithmancy”
“don’t be mean” Hermione replied, “she’ll do fine with a bit of extra help” she headed down to the portrait. “goodnight!” she waved

“Bye!”

*

Smirking, Mal found Evie on her bed still reading.
“well?” she asked
“apparently I'm not totally useless and with a bit of help I’ll pass my OWL” Mal threw herself onto the bed next to Evie “She's cute when she's in teacher mode” she added
“yeah?” Evie snorted
“you know it” Mal agreed “she told me I need to focus better”
“I could have told you that” Evie jabbed her with an elbow in her side

Mal grunted

“I uh…touched her magic” She winced at Evie’s glare

“MAL!”
“I couldn’t help it! I'm pretty sure she noticed”

“well yeah of course she did it’s pretty obvious Mal, it stings when you do that” Evie replied
“I can’t help that!” Mal sighed
“I know you can’t” Evie replied “well…what’d it feel like?” She asked

“not sure” Mal looked at her “I didn’t get enough of a touch to tell, she lent me a book on potion making and as I took the book I touched her fingers. She felt it I know she did and she's going to have questions” She bit her lip “don’t look at me like that” Mal pouted

“you’re a hellion” Evie kissed her forehead “you know you’ll have to tell her why you did it”
“oh yes that’ll go down swimmingly” Mal glared “Oh Mione just so you know I touched your magic cause I think you’re fit“ She snorted as Evie laughed
“she’ll run a mile” She rolled her eyes “even if you did manage to get that far into explaining it...at least tell me you didn’t mark her…”

Mal froze
“I don’t think so” she said slowly
“MAL!”
“what?! Like I said I barely touched her!” she growled and winced
“calm down” Evie replied “if you did you did and you can’t take it back”
“thank you for reminding me” Mal grumbled “I'm going to shower….. you want to join me?” she sat up, idly carding a hand through the blue hair.
“thought you’d never ask” Evie shoved her with a laugh.

*

Hermione closed her drapes around her bed and sat down, pulling a book from her cupboard she flipped open the cover and looked through the contents. Hermione idly rubbed her thumb and fingers together, trying to ignore the slight throbbing in the digits.

She looked down and with a slight jolt of alarm, saw what looked to be bruises forming across her fingers.

“what in-“ she whispered to herself, wriggling her hand experimentally, noting how the bruising didn’t hurt per se, it was more the skin felt oddly sensitive.

looking at the book on her bed, Hermione tried to find something to explain why her hand was bruised where Mal had touched her. Annoyed she couldn’t find anything; Hermione threw it to the bottom of her bed and resolved to asking Jay what the hell was going on in the morning.

*

The next morning, Hermione got dressed and hurried to catch up with the boys. She pulled on her sweater and yanked the cuffs down.
“….you okay Mione?” asked Lavender

“yes thanks, I overslept a little” she picked up her bag and tried to ignore the sensitivity in her hand.

She made it downstairs
“Mione!” Jay was waiting “Ron and Harry already headed down to breakfast, I did wonder if you we’re going to come down or not” he grinned

“I overslept” she explained
“that’s unusual” He commented

She shifted her bag onto her other shoulder

“Jay?” she looked at him as they walked out of the portrait hole and down the corridor
“Yeah?”

“um…do you know what this is?” she showed him her hand
“looks like a bruise, what’d ya do? Slam your hand in a door?” he asked with a raised eyebrow
“no” she replied “I…er….”

She stopped walking and Jay paused

“what happened?” he asked
“I was tutoring Mal in potions last night; I leant her a book. She touched my hand and…left this behind” she said “it doesn’t hurt but it is really sensitive”

Jay’s eyebrows raised as he looked at the marks, his expression changed suddenly.

“oh right” he said “well, no I have no idea” he shrugged “you’ll have to ask her yourself” Jay continued to walk “what lesson do you have first?”
“Arithmancy with Evie and Carlos”
“lucky you” he replied as they reached the table “morning” he looked at Harry

“morning” he nodded in their direction “Morning Mione”
“morning Harry” she sat “I don’t see her till this afternoon when we have defence”
“who?” asked Harry
“Mal” she replied “I er…need to talk to her about something” she busied herself with getting breakfast.

"....bloody hell Hermione! What have you done to your hand?” Ron was staring as she reached forward for the pitcher of water on the table.
“oh um, I trapped it in the bathroom door” she waved him off “slipped on the wet tiles, it’s fine”
“that doesn’t look fine” Ron replied, “why didn’t you see Madam Pomfrey?”
“I’ll go see her later, nothings broken” Hermione replied. “now I need to eat before class” she turned away from him slightly, her attention on her breakfast.

*

Evie watched as Hermione joined the line for Arithmancy, the girl was reading a small book as she navigated the corridors. Evie couldn’t quite make out the title of the book before it was stuffed away.
“hey Mione” Carlos waved her over “you okay?”
“yeah fine” she replied, snapping her book shut and shoving it in the bag “how about you? She asked
“oh yes fine” Carlos said, “did you get the answer to whatever was on your mind last night?” he asked
“annoyingly no” Hermione replied, shoving her hair out of her face
“that looks painful” Evie saw the mark on her hand and tried not to wince
“it’s not actually” Hermione yanked on her sleeve to cover the majority of the bruising “I don’t suppose you would know anything about it?” she asked “I asked Jay but-“
“let me guess he told you to ask M” Evie shook her head

“annoyingly yes”
“then ask her about it” she replied “I can’t say I do know anything about it” Evie glared at Carlos as he opened his mouth to say something, she shook her head and dropped her bag on the table, beginning to pull out paperwork as Hermione made a frustrated sound beside her.
“I’m never going to get an answer am I?”
“we have defence next” Evie replied, “you can talk to her then”

*

Mal met them outside of Remus’ room
“hey you” She sidled up to the pair and wrapped her arms around Evie’s waist
“Hey yourself” She replied, “how was Herbology?”
“no plants were harmed” Mal grinned “How was magic math?”
“thrilling as usual” Evie said “M…Mione needs to talk to you” She dug her thumb into her shoulder and turned her to face the brunette.
“oh about what?” Mal asked

“it. Er. Doesn’t matter” Hermione replied, feeling a little flustered at the close quarters with the two girls. She desperately wanted the door to open so she could get into class.
“I beg to differ” Evie said “show her Mione” she pointed to her hand

Sighing, Hermione lifted her hand and turned it to show her the bruises
“that happened after our tutoring class last night” she said, “any idea why?”

Mal swore under her breath several times, she nodded

“it’ll be gone by the end of the day” she told her “it...er…it’s a reaction to faery magic”
“a reaction?” Hermione ignored Evie’s snorting laughter
“yeah” Mal nodded “I should have said something last night….”
“I don’t understand”
“not here and not now” Mal told her “does it hurt?”
“no”
“good” she turned “oh no…not good”
“wh-“

Umbridge was standing by their classroom door.
“come on in children” she smiled widely “your class will begin shortly”

Hermione shared a look with Harry as they took their seats
“Er… Madam Umbridge? Where is Remus?” She asked
“your…. teacher is unwell at the moment” She replied “the governors and the minister have decided I will take the rest of the classes until the end of the term”

“what’s wrong with him?” Harry asked

Umbridge didn’t answer. She took a moment to distribute books to each student
“now, I have reviewed your work so far this year and there are some gaps which we will begin to fill in with this new textbook, please turn to page one and begin to read”

Hermione raised her hand “Professor-“ She said “we were working on defensive shields-“ she addressed her as respectfully as she could
“there will be no more ridiculous displays of magic in my classroom. Now, you will read for the remainder of the class” Umbridge snapped

Mal flipped the book open and began to read the first chapter when she heard her speak again
“….Yes Mr Weasley” Umbridge asked

“there’s nothing in this book about being able to defend yourself…” he said, “isn’t that the point of the class?”

“defending yourself Mr Weasely? From what exactly?” She asked in a sugary sweet way

“oh I don’t know, maybe Voldemort?” he said “if not him, there’s plenty of evil creatures out there”

“detention Mr Weasley” Umbridge glared “tonight at 8 sharp. There will be no more talking”

The minutes crawled by; Mal turned pages idly, reading the chapter without really reading it. She shifted a little in her chair and realised Evie had stopped reading. She felt a hand on her thigh and caught her eye.
“sup?” she asked quietly
“chapter two..” Evie replied

She turned the last two pages of the chapter and looked at the title on the next page. She stiffened, turning the page back over.
“M-“ Evie whispered “don’t rise to it” she squeezed her hand in her own “remember what McGonagall said”

“….is there a problem ladies?” a voice from behind them had Evie flinching. Mal turned to look at her
“Nothing Madam Umbridge” she said calmly “nothing at all” she placed a hand on the book as if to turn the page.

“then I suggest you continue with your reading” she moved away
“I suggest you stay well away from me” Mal snapped in a low tone

Umbridge turned

“pardon?” she asked, “Miss Moors?”
“I didn’t say anything Madam” She gave her a mocking smile
“You will address me as Professor whilst I am teaching your class” she reprimanded
“I’ll call you professor when you teach something” Mal replied, she saw a few students trying to hide grins “this.. is not teaching” she threw the book off the table where it slammed the floor loudly.
“Mal-!” Evie winced

“Detention Miss Moors you can join Mr Weasely!” Umbridge snapped “I will not have this disrespect from anyone”
“no” Mal folded her arms “you’re not my teacher and I won’t be serving detention”

Thankfully the bell rang and Mal grabbed her bag, She kicked the textbook across the room and the door flew open before her.  Wisely the other students watched her leave before following.

*

The group made it outside where they huddled under a brazier

“….no Mal or Princess?” Carlos was looking at Jay
“they’ll be along soon” He replied, “I suspect Princess is trying to calm her down”
“why what happened?”
“Umbridge” Harry sighed “she’s taken over defence class, Mal didn’t like that”
“it’s not that” Hermione replied “that book is vile” she said “I don’t blame her”

“who’re we blaming?” Mal appeared arm in arm with Evie, their uniforms looking a little rumpled.
“….that was fast even for you two” Jay commented, Mal grinned at him
“sometimes fast is best” She snickered, looking up at Evie as she winked

“ahem ladies” Carlos groaned “did you at least get to the dorm?”
“of course not” Evie replied, “there’s plenty of empty rooms in this place” she pushed her hair over her shoulder and Carlos saw a darkening bruise just under her shirt collar. Evie tied her hair out of the way, and pulled her shirt down, seeing his look, she grinned.
“you’re going to get into a load of trouble” Harry was looking at Mal
“so?” she shrugged a shoulder “they can’t expel me for having sex Potter” she replied, tugging Evie close.
“you know what I mean” he replied “Umbridge isn’t someone you want to cross, she tried having me expelled earlier this year. She’s dangerous”

“why what did you do?”
“someone sent Dementors to my Uncles house, I defended myself and almost got kicked out of Hogwarts.” He explained “we’re going to learn nothing this year, and we have our OWLS”
“hopefully Remus will be back sooner rather than later and we can get rid of her” Hermione replied
“or we make her leave” Mal said with a dark smirk
“no murdering” Evie chided
“who said anything about murder?” Mal replied “I was just saying, it would be really inconvenient if she was to…have an accident or something” she said slowly. Jay watched her for a moment

“don’t get caught” He said, Mal looked mildly offended at his words

“as if I would” she said

“Miss Moors?” Snape was making his way towards her
“Professor snape” She turned

“A word” he stopped a few steps away from the group and Mal let Evie go with a sigh

She sidled up to him

“you are to attend detention tonight at 8PM. This is not negotiable”

“I did nothing wrong” Mal retorted “so I won’t be going”

Snape glared at her
“You impudent child you have no idea who you’re playing with” he said, “you will adhere to our rules whether you like it or not, Madam Umbridge has given you a detention and you will appear at the Defence classroom at 8PM” He sneered a little “do I make myself clear?”

She growled lowly, exhaling
“fine” she spat “whatever”

He turned on his heel and stalked off back into the castle

“…what was that about?” asked Harry
“detention tonight. Told me I have to attend even though I did nothing wrong” Mal shrugged “so I suppose I will have to attend….Can’t promise Umbridge will be alive by the end of it though”

*

The classroom door was open when she arrived as the clock ticked over to 8PM. Ron was already there, sitting at one of the benches.  She noted the ginger boy looked a little worried.
“sit next to Mr Weasley if you will” Umbridge pointed
“whatever” Mal shrugged and took a seat

Umbridge retrieved two quills and two parchments from her desk
“you will both write lines for the next hour” she said “it will ensure you both get the message”

Ron exhaled beside her, clearly he’d been thinking their punishment would have been more than lines. Mal refrained from rolling her eyes, barely.

“what are we to write?” Ron asked “Professor” he added as she glared

“I will not disrespect authority” she said primly, placing the quills and parchment in front of them.

“Professor there isn’t any ink?” He blinked
“self-inking quills Mr Weasley” she replied “now. No more talking”

Shrugging, Mal picked up the quill and began to write, wondering how long it would take to fill the parchment. Writing lines was hardly a detention, scrubbing castle floors with a toothbrush was a detention, Mal snorted inwardly.

A few minutes into the detention,  she became aware of a painful feeling in her hand and realised the words were being etched into her skin in a perfect copy of her own handwriting. Blood was congealing on the top of her hand already. Fury flooded her senses and not for the first time she felt the dragon stir under her skin, not enough that it would break free and cause her to transform but it was close. She took several quiet breaths to try to calm down. Letting out a quiet snarl of anger helped to calm herself a little.

“Weasley” she said quietly, without looking at him “stop writing”

Ron put his quill down slowly, she gave him a sideways glance and saw him rubbing his hand and wincing with the effort.

“put that in your bag” She told him, eyeing his satchel beside him “the quill too”

“wh-“
“don’t ask questions do as I tell you” She snapped. Nodding, Ron shoved the items in his bag. Mal pushed her stool back so fast it fell to the floor with a clatter.
“is there a problem?” Umbridge looked up “what are-“ she began

Mal stalked towards her; eyes glowing bright green as she let out her dragon just a little, not enough to trigger her transformation but enough that Umbridge was rendered mute.
“torture quills? On students? Honestly, I thought you would have been more subtle” she rammed the desk into the wall, pinning Umbridge there without breaking a sweat
“I-“ she squeaked “ho-“
“Silence” Mal snapped “you have made a grievous error Umbridge. I daresay the Minister would be VERY interested to find out what his Undersecretary has done on her first day; attacking students no less an exchange student who just so happens to be the heir of the Dark Fae” she was smirking cruelly. “my mother would be proud, well… maybe. Actually I think she’d kill you on the spot for attempting to harm her heir”

Ron watched worriedly as Mal barely raise a hand, Umbridge yelled as a spell connected with her chest. He had no ides what it did but it made the woman shriek for several seconds before falling silent.
“we’re done here” Mal dropped the spell “Weasley, come with me” she folded the quill up into the parchment and opened the door with a wave of her hand “oh and Umbitch? Dare to mention anything of our detention and you’ll wish you’d never been born”

Hurrying after her, Ron closed the door behind them, leaving Umbridge pinned to the wall by her desk..

*

Mal threw the door to the den open and crossed to the table
“….detention ended quick……oh no what did you do?” Evie was on her feet “Weasley?”

“get him a blood replenisher” Mal demanded “and wrap his hand it’s bleeding badly” she threw the parchment on the desk and refused to look at them.

Evie was already looking through her potion selection. She picked up a vial and sat Ron down
“take this” she told him “it’ll stop the bleeding”
“what is it?”
“a modified blood replenishment potion, it’ll help”
“Modified? How?” he asked
“ask questions later when you’re not bleeding so heavily” Evie glared “take the damn potion!” she pointed to the vial in his hand

Numbly, Ron did as asked; he grimaced, rubbing his hand in pain as the potion took effect, the bleeding began to stop and scab over.
“what the hell happened M?” Evie asked “Carlos watch him”

Mal turned, snarling in rage
“she used a fucking blood quill” she spat, Evie swore under her breath “I may have retaliated” she exhaled angrily through her nose with a snort, pacing back and forth.  

Evie watched her worriedly for a few minutes as Mal tried to calm down, she noticed the blood on her shirt cuff and the drops on the floor.
“M….” she took her fingers in her own, Mal jerked back but didn’t pull her hand totally out of Evie’s
“I'm fine” She waved her off
“bullshit” Evie held her tighter “you’re bleeding still….let me look at it”  She pulled the cloth back, and dabbed the blood away with a rag
“you need a potion too” Evie forced her into a spare chair “don’t argue with me”

“….what the hell is that?” Ron demanded pointing to the quill thrown on the table with the parchment, Carlos had finished bandaging his hand and the redhead was wanting answers.
“its called a blood quill” Jay spoke up “they’re Illegal in Auradon, didn’t expect them to be legal here”

“…..blood quill? That’s dark magic!” Ron said aghast, “she could be sent to Azkaban!”

“Azkaban?” Mal queried
“yeah, prison, its guarded by dementors. Voldemort’s followers were rounded up and shipped there once he disappeared trying to kill Harry’s parents. Everyone of them will be insane by now”
“sounds like a lovely place” Mal drawled “can’t they just use magic to escape?”
“no, there’s spells in place to stop magic being used” Ron replied “apparently its like you can feel your magic but its just out of reach, it would send anyone mad”

“sounds like the barrier” Jay looked at Mal “we have to alert Dumbledore or someone-“
“give it a few days” Mal leant back in the chair as Evie cleaned her hand “besides, she’s not going to be any trouble”

“M what did you do?” Evie eyed her girlfriend
“pinned her to her chair with her desk” Mal tried to look innocent and gave her a wide smile

“and the rest?” Evie asked

Mal snickered
“alright fine, I hit her with a nightmare spell, I read about it in Mom’s book, it causes the victim to have nightmares for a week, nothing more nothing less. It’s untraceable.”
“are you totally mad?” Evie smacked her upside the head “that could send her insane!”
“she's already almost there” Mal defended, rubbing her head where she’d been hit “she used a blood quill on students! Who knows what else she’d do if given the chance?”

The curfew bell rang, Carlos got up

“I hate to say it but Mal’s right with this one” he said “never liked the woman since she walked in with Malfoy’s dad”

“he’s a slimeball” Evie cringed “like father like son”
“Draco is tolerable” Mal replied “in small doses”

Ron got up, grabbing his bag
“you good Ron?” Jay asked
“uh yeah…” he rubbed the back of his neck with a hand “thanks-“
“don’t mention it” said Evie “truly…don’t mention it.”

Chapter Text

Jay took Ron back to the dorm in silence. He looked at the redhead as the portrait closed behind them.

“keep it wrapped up till the morning “Jay pointed to his bandaged hand “and say nothing to anyone about what happened in detention.”

“right” he replied awkwardly

“you’re back early” Fred commented as they joined them “we figured old Umbridge would have you there for hours”

“change of plan” said Ron “She, er, wasn’t feeling well so we were let out early. Think she went to see Madam Pomfrey”

“oh okay” he shrugged.

Harry looked between Jay and Ron, clearly something had gone on but he wasn’t sure what…

*

Delores finally moved the desk enough to get out from behind it. She walked unsteadily into her office and sat on her chair. She had no idea what magic the girl had used on her, but she didn’t feel any different, so maybe the spell failed?

Taking a few deep breaths, Delores decided to read one of her books for a while to take her mind off things, she’d deal with the half-breed brat tomorrow.

*

The next morning, Mal was up first, she showered and unbandaged her hand in quick time, watching as the remaining pink marks began to fade away, hopefully they’d be gone by the end of the day.
“you okay babe?” Evie was looking at her from behind her compact, one hand deftly applying a perfect slash of eyeliner over her left eyelid
“mhm yes” Mal turned towards her as she dropped her nightshift to the floor.

Evie grinned
“We don’t have time” she wagged a finger
“Says who?” Mal asked innocently, walking to her bed and leaning over her shoulder
“I do, not that I am complaining at the view, but babe get dressed” Evie kissed her cheek “we have ten minutes if we want to eat before class”
“ugh fine” Mal grumbled

She sat on her bed and began to dress, Mal buttoned up her shirt and looked around the empty dorm room.
“something happened last night….in detention”
“Oh?” Evie put her makeup away “what happened?” she asked, Mal wrinkled her nose
“I felt the dragon again” she exhaled “it…. was right there under my skin E, like if I had got any madder at Umbridge I would have changed, but it was different than in Auradon”
“different? How?” asked Evie, throwing her a hairbrush
“its kinda hard to explain,” Mal began to brush her hair “but, I felt so angry, and I wanted to hurt her for what she did and the dragon shifted inside me and….E I grew fangs again, and….and I’m pretty sure I had claws for a second or so but they disappeared” Mal began to pace “whatever it was felt…right though, like…normal”  she sat on her bed “not gonna lie I was a little worried when I calmed down, but they disappeared again, definitely not there this morning either” she gave her a wide smile “see…normal”

Evie nodded
“could be another fae trait from your mom, something we have to figure out” She sat next to her “wish you’d shown me when you came to the den”
“we had company” Mal grimaced “hope his hands better than mine” she wriggled her fingers “thankfully it should go by tonight”
“yeah….c’mon, we need to eat and we need to get to class, tonight we raid the library for books on faeries and see if we can find out what happened” she looped their arms and with a wave of her hand their bags were levitating beside her.
“Thanks E” Mal kissed her neck, smirking as Evie huffed
“stop that you sex pest” she half-heartedly warned her “we have class”

*

Delores was late to breakfast; she hadn’t slept well and when she had slept, she had had awful dreams about being chased by dragons! She put it down to something she’d eaten the night before and hurried to the Great Hall.

She slipped into her seat next to Minerva
“good morning, Delores” the deputy commented “I thought you were an early riser?”
“yes normally” she replied “I’m afraid I didn’t sleep well last night, and I did not hear my alarm” Delores began to fill her plate.

“I see” Minerva replied “I do hope you are well enough to teach today? If not I’m sure-“
“yes I will be fine” she snapped a little and began to eat.

Over the other side of the Hall, Ron was eating quietly. He’d taken the bandage off this morning and amazingly his hand was totally healed. There was a discolouration where the marks had been, and the writing was still visible, but it was fading slowly, soon there would be nothing to suggest he’d been hurt.  He had no idea how that happened. Clearly Evie had done something to his hand with whatever potion she’d forced him to take?

He finished his breakfast in short order and poured another goblet of pumpkin juice. He’d have to ask her about it later.
“you okay Ron?” Harry asked, seeing the redhead so subdued was out of character.  
“Huh? Oh yes fine thanks” he said “Just stuff on my mind that’s all”  
“…. Umbridge looks ill” Fred commented “think Pomfrey refused to treat her? I wouldn’t blame her” he looked at the diminutive woman in pink at the teachers table
“she can’t refuse to treat her” Hermione shook her head “it’s against the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm” she picked up her bag
“How do you know this?” asked George
“I read” She rolled her eyes “right I’m off to Ancient Runes, see you later for History” she waved at Harry and Ron as she left the table.

*

After Runes, Hermione, Ron and Harry met up with Jay and Mal for Potions.

“Hey Hermione, ready to fail yet again?” Mal grinned from where she leant against the wall
“I’ve never failed a class Mal” she replied, “I’m sure even you can’t make it happen” she returned with a small smile.
“Oh Mione you wound me!” Mal gasped dramatically

“you’ll live I’m sure” Jay punched her in the shoulder

Mal barely flinched at the contact, instead she returned fire and hit him hard in the ribs, making him grunt.
“ooft” Jay glared “you bitch”
“you hit me first” Mal laughed “don’t give if you can’t take JayJay”
“I can take you anytime Malicious” He slammed her into the wall with a hand on her shoulder, leaning close to her so their bodies connected “just remember that” he whispered into her ear. Mal chuckled darkly. She could feel his heartbeat through his hand on her shoulder, his posture was tense, as if he expected someone to intervene or for her to hurt him.

“that’s an empty threat Jafar” she taunted “you wouldn’t dare”
“wouldn’t I?” she saw the flash of yellow in his eyes
“you know Princess would skin you alive” she replied, putting a hand over his and yanking it off her shoulder “besides” she grabbed his neck and brought his face an inch from hers “you couldn’t handle me” she squished his cheeks in her fingers and let him go with a laugh.
“you’re so your mothers child” he rubbed his chin
“aw why thank you Jay” Mal cackled, batting her eyelashes at him.

“….. are we quite done with this monstrous display of obscenity?” Snape was glowering at them “why am I not surprised to see you involved Moors?” he sneered “get inside”

Mal shrugged a shoulder and tried not to laugh too much as she took her chair next to Hermione
“you’re going to get into trouble with him you know” the brunette warned
"Oh, I know” Mal snickered, putting her bag down “I just wonder how much”
“you have a death wish” Hermione sighed

“silence!” Snape slammed the door shut “you will begin to brew the potion on the board. I suggest you get a move on” he pointed his wand at the board and the instructions appeared with a flash.

*

There was a usual buzz in the hall as the group headed for dinner, the headmaster was notably absent, as was his deputy.  
“…what’s going on Fred? George?” Ron made his way to his brothers

“Umbridge” said Ginny
“what has she done?” Hermione asked, “I mean apart from the obvious?” Ginny started grinning
“she fell asleep in class” she said “we were reading that awful book and she fell asleep. The next thing we knew she was screaming and throwing spells around the room. Dennis hit her with a stunner, and I got McGonagall… she undid the stunner, gave her a strong cup of tea and took her to see the headmaster, told us to go to the library and read up on defence spells for the class time”

Ron’s eyes flicked to Jay who was looking across the hall as if searching for someone.
“I er… I’ll be back in a few” he spied the girls coming in and hurried to meet them

“Hey Jay” Evie smiled “how was…. What’s happened?” she eyed him
“Umbridge…been taken to the Headmaster” he said quietly “she fell asleep during a class and freaked out, started waving her wand around and shooting off spells”
“how unpleasant” Mal commented “couldn’t have happened to a nicer maniac”
“Mal!” he warned “what did you do to her?”
“Nothing” she said “I did nothing”
“don’t lie” Jay replied

Mal groaned, she yanked them both out of the Hall and into the antechamber
“as far as both of you know I did nothing alright?” she said “tell Weasley to keep quiet” she told Jay
“Mal- “ He sighed
“I’m serious” she said “they can’t trace anything to me. Besides, I have the blood quill, leverage”
“what if Weasely squeaks?” said Evie
“He won’t” Mal replied, “Because Jay will ensure he doesn’t” she glared “won’t you?”
“of course I will” He said “but only because I love you”
“yeah yeah whatever now let’s go eat” She shook her head

*

Dumbledore steepled his fingers together and let out a sigh
“has Cornelius been informed?” he looked at Minerva
“I have not sent the Owl yet.” She replied “I was waiting for your thoughts before bringing his wrath over our heads Albus”

He nodded
“a wise idea” he said “however, unless Delores will talk to us, we have no other option but to inform Cornelius his Undersecretary is unwell and a danger to the students”

The door to the office opened to admit Poppy
“Headmaster?” she said “I have given her a light sedative potion to calm her down, she seems lucid and is demanding to speak to you”
“then I suppose I best acquiesce to her demands” Dumbledore smiled softly “come Minerva, let us see what she has to say”

They followed Poppy back across the hospital wing from the office they had been occupying to the bed at the end of the row. Delores was reclined against the pillows and looked up as they walked towards her.

“Dumbledore!” she moved to try to get up
“Now Delores please don’t exert yourself” He chided her gently “Poppy will throw me out if you get over excited” Dumbledore sat on the end of the bed and studied her intently for a moment “I would like to know why you endangered your fourth year class this afternoon” he asked
“I…what?” she looked blankly at him for a moment
“Miss Weasely informed me you fell asleep in class” Minerva said “you began screaming and throwing spells around, Mister Creevey managed to hit you with a stunning spell to keep their class safe whilst Ms Weasely could come to inform me of the situation”

Delores’ eyes widened
“it was….it was the dragon!” she said “it…it wants to kill me!”
“what do you mean my dear?” asked Dumbledore “what dragon?” he looked at Minerva “did you see a dragon in the classroom?”
“No” she replied “only terrified students”

Delores shook her head
“it chases me in my dreams” she said, “it must have been that half-breed!” she scowled “she spelled me!”

Minerva raised an eyebrow
“who are you referring to Delores?” she asked
“that Moors brat!” she said, “she did it! She must have! It’s the only reason I can think of! She needs to be expelled! If she’ll spell me who’s to say she wouldn’t do it to others?”

Dumbledore sighed
“please get some rest Delores” he stood “I will speak with Miss Moors after dinner” he walked to Poppy “ensure she is kept comfortable and alert me if there is any more unpleasantness”
“of course Headmaster”

*

Mal had just gotten comfortable with Evie in one of the high winged-backed chairs near the fire. She was curled up on her lap, reading a book whilst Evie ran her hands through her hair. The girls didn’t look up when the door opened to the common room, however the hush that descended as Dumbledore appeared did get their attention.
“ahem… Miss Moors?” he stood a little to the right of their chair “may I intrude a moment of your time?”

She felt Evie still under her, her hands slowly withdrew from her hair and tightened on her waist.
“of course Headmaster Dumbledore” Mal replied, giving him a one-armed shrug. She got up off Evie’s lap and picked up her jacket that had been discarded over the arm of the chair. Mal followed the Headmaster out of the room.

Evie watched her go, trying to ignore how her gut twisted. She would not panic
“….. Wonder what she’s done to get Dumbledore involved” Daphne said looking at Evie as if she would tell them anything. “bet it something to do with Umbridge”
“Nothing” said Evie “She’s done nothing at all”

*

Mal was escorted to Snape’s office where they met with McGonagall and of course Snape.

“Headmaster? Have I done something wrong?” Mal queried
“innocent until proven guilty Miss Moors” Dumbledore replied, “I understand yourself and Madam Umbridge had a heated exchange in class yesterday, is that correct?”
“you could say she and I had a difference of opinion regarding her teaching methods” She replied “I was given detention for my actions…as was Weasely”
“Mister Weasely also received detention?” Minerva asked
“he asked her how we were supposed to learn to defend ourselves if all we were to do was read that book” Mal shrugged “he got detention for asking a question”
“I see” Dumbledore nodded “Minerva, please collect Mr Weasely from the Gryffindor dormitory. I would like to speak to him also”
“of course” she replied, walking straight to the door.

A few minutes passed in silence, for the lack of anything else to do and no one seemed to be talking, Mal looked at her nails, seeing her polish was chipped again, she idly scraped at some of it on her thumb and saw the marks on her hand catch the light a little.

“is there anything you wish to tell me Ms Moors?” Dumbledore was watching her. Mal looked up at him.
“like what exactly?” She shrugged a shoulder, she didn’t trust the headmaster at all, much less her Head of House. Mal felt something brush against her magic and growled, the pressure disappeared fast and she knew it hadn’t come from the headmaster.
“I wouldn’t do that I were you” she warned “you do not want to do that again”
“Ms Moors?” Dumbledore queried
“Professor Snape should keep his magic to himself, unless probing student’s minds is allowed here?” She turned angry eyes on the headmaster.

“Severus cease this behaviour at once!” He glared at the potions master, who nodded his head, seemingly chastened.
“a slip of control I assure you, it was not in my intention to cause you harm Ms Moors” he replied

Mal snarled quietly
“don’t do it again” she bit out “or I will repay the favour and it wont be as innocent”
“Miss Moors-“ Dumbledore chided “Professor Snape has apologised, we do not use violence as a means to control at Hogwarts, I will not warn you again”

She exhaled through her nose firmly, turning away to look at the door as it opened again to admit Ron and Minerva.
“Ah Mr Weasely, thank you for your attendance, relax dear boy you are not in any trouble” Dumbledore gestured for him to come to stand next to Mal.
“er…why am I here sir?” he asked, keeping his attention on the headmaster and not sparing her a glance.
“I simply would like to know what happened in detention last night with Professor Umbridge” said Dumbledore “Miss Moors informed me you attended detention last night for speaking out in class”
“yes” he nodded “I asked her how we could possibly learn any defence if all we were doing is reading, she gave me a detention” Ron shrugged

Dumbledore nodded slowly
“what is wrong with your hand Mister Weasley?” he asked kindly, seeing him rubbing the back of his had subconsciously 
“Oh uh, nothing” Ron put his hands behind his back “sir” he added
“Then you won’t mind me taking a look then?” Minerva gestured to him to show her his hand

Wincing, Ron did as asked, he showed her the scarred skin on top of his hand. Minerva frowned
“What is this? It looks like writing… Mister Weasely why would you use a quill on yourself in this manner?“  the tone of her voice was oddly caring and calm. Ron fidgeted
“I didn’t” he said, “I’m not like that” he said, “I didn’t do this!”
“Ronald-”
“No I didn’t! I don’t do that!” he said hurriedly “its not what you think”

Mal snorted, she composed herself a little as Ron glared at her.
“You tell them then!” Ron gave her a look “go on! Show your hand!” he demanded. Dumbledore looked between the children in concern.  She shrugged and turned over both her hands, the blemishes almost gone.
“how-“Ron stared
“I heal fast” she said to him “well, faster than most”

“Children what has happened?” Minerva asked, Mal grumbled
“Madame Umbridge used a blood quill on us both in detention” she put a hand into the pocket in her jacket and removed both quills and parchments, she placed them on the table in front of the shocked Headmaster “When I realised what this was, I told Weasely to stop using it immediately and took him to get it healed….”
“you did not see our medi-witch?” this came from Snape, she eyed him
“obviously” Mal replied “the marks will have faded away by tomorrow”

Dumbledore was looking at Ron’s hand in concern, he stepped forward
“Then I ask you, how did you heal this?” he turned to face Mal, she stood back a little from him, backing into the desks.
“Wrapped it in bandages to stop the bleeding and gave him a blood replenishment potion combined with a painkiller” she said “they were pretty deep I didn’t think he wanted to pass out before he got to the hospital, if it hadn’t healed over Jay would have taken him to see your nurse” she tried to sound unruffled by the question and ignored the indignant snort from her Head of House.
“You cannot combine both those potions’ Moors…” Snape shook his head “they cancel each other out when used at the same time”
“I know what I gave him Professor” Mal glared “it works fine, as you can see, he didn’t die from blood loss” she gestured to Ron beside her “or did you get revived?” she raised an eyebrow.
“No, no death here” Ron remarked “I did sleep very well though”

Snape narrowed his eyes
“your potion skills are deplorable Moors, how did you do it?”
“who said it was my potion? I simply gave him what I knew would work” Mal replied with a smirk “it’s surprisingly really, what you can do in a magic school”
“Meaning?” He stepped forward and towered over her “give me the recipe Moors, lest he die from an accidental overdose”

Mal glared
“get out of my space Professor” she told him “Weasely won’t die” She straightened her back and her eyes flashed green, she balled her fists as he sneered at her “get out of my space” she repeated

“Severus” Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder “leave the girl alone”

“Headmas-“
“We have far more pressing things to consider, Miss Moors may I take a look at your hand for a moment? I understand your faery healing has taken most of the trauma away, but I’d still like to check it”

She rolled her eyes
“Yes” she showed him her hand for a moment “can we go?”
“In a minute” he replied, taking her hand in his as he looked at the healing marks “very impressive” he commented, letting her go “you may both return to your dormitories. I have a floo call to make to the Minister of Magic”

*

Ron gave her a side glance as they left Snapes’ office

“don’t die on the way back” she commented as she walked away
“I won’t” he replied “er…thanks by the way”
“What for?” Mal turned to look at him
“Not letting me pass out, I suppose as Slytherin’s go, you’re not too bad” he hurried forwards out of the Slytherin territory and across to the Great Hall.

Laughing a little under her breath, Mal headed back down to the common room, where she found Evie watching the fire in the corner chair, a chemistry book open on her lap.
“hey” she pulled the book off her knee and sat down
“So how’d it go? I’m assuming you’re not expelled” She tugged her close
“Well I didn’t really get the chance to explain, gave them the Quills and parchment, told them I gave Weasely something for his hand and that was the end of it. Nothing more nothing less” she replied “Dumbledore left by saying he had to call the Minister, something tells me Umbridge won’t be a problem soon”

Evie smiled into her hair, resting her head against her temple. Taking a deep breath, she sighed in relief.
“good” she said, “that’s…good”
“E?” Mal shifted, hearing the slight slur to her words “bedtime”
“no-“
“You’re tired, I’m tired, it’s bedtime” Mal got up off her lap and pulled her up, watching as the taller girl swayed just a little before gathering herself. Mal grabbed her books and took her arm, glaring when it looked like Evie would protest.

The pair made it into their dorm room and Mal sat her down on the bed
“strip” She told her “Get comfortable”
“how forward” Evie grinned
“and you call me the sex pest” Mal rolled her eyes “you need to sleep E” she said
“I sleep” Evie groused “I just…I had a long day” she fell back against the pillows with a soft sigh
“What time did you get up?” Mal handed over her night shirt
“Does it matter?” Evie winced at her look
“of course it matters” Mal replied “so, answer me”
“uh…. I think it was five” Evie pulled on the nightshirt “why?”
“we went to bed late last night, it was after midnight…you got four hours sleep E, that’s not good for you Princess” Mal picked up the hairbrush and ran it through the long blue strands, the repetitive motion beginning to calm her down.

Evie leant her head back towards her, feeling the soft brush running through her hair. She closed her eyes and took a moment to relax. Mal slowly braided her hair back out of her face and tied it in a band at the end.
“you need to speak to the nurse about the lack of sleep” She said “maybe they can give you something to help you sleep a little more”
“I’m fine M don’t worry so much” Evie tried not to snap, she opened her eyes and sat up “I need to wash my face” she yawned, getting up to go to the restroom.

She returned a few minutes later and climbed into bed
“Get some sleep E” Mal sat down beside her “you need to sleep”
“I do sleep” she replied, “just not as much as you”
“Evie I don’t want to fight you on this but only getting four hours sleep on a regular basis is not going to be good for you” Mal tucked her in “please Princess” she snuggled up to her “please get some sleep”

Evie nodded
“fine” she said “if it bothers you so much, I’ll speak to the nurse”
“thank you” Mal leant over to kiss her “sleep dammit” she ordered
“yes dear” she laughed, rolling onto her side to get comfortable, grabbing her hand in her own. Mal stayed perched on the side of the bed until Evie was asleep. She watched her for a little while, stroking her hand with her thumb. Once she was sure Evie wouldn’t wake up. Mal slipped her hand out of hers and crossed to her own bed to get changed.

*

Ron shut the dormitory door and crossed to his bed
“what’d Dumbledore want?” asked Harry
“oh er nothing” he shrugged “just…asked me about detention last night, apparently Umbridge has gone mad. He’s flooing the Minister” Ron saw Jay coming out of the restroom with wet hair “at least we won’t have to read any more of that awful book” he grinned
“good point” said Seamus “anything would be better than that”
“let’s just see what happens tomorrow” said Harry “gnight” he was closing his drapes with a yawn
“yeah, night” Ron got into bed, putting his wand on his table. His eyes caught the fading marks and he shivered, he dreaded to think of what would have happened if he had had detention on his own.

*

Dumbledore shared a look at his deputy over a large cup of tea

“…. Cornelius is sending a representative to collect her in the morning. It is his wish for her to be transferred to St. Mungo’s for evaluation” he said “which leaves us without a teacher for Defence until Remus is well”
“what about…. Black?” Minerva eyed him “disguise him perhaps? I’m sure he would appreciate the time out of the house” she lowered her cup
“perhaps” Dumbledore agreed “I will speak to Sirius in the morning…”

Minerva got to her feet
“Albus, you don’t think she did anything do you?” she asked hesitantly
“Do you?” he deflected “Poppy said there is no spell or enchantment on Delores that she could see to remove, no ingested potion….”
“has she looked for fae magic?” Minerva asked

“I believe so, but her spells picked up nothing out of the ordinary. I do not believe Miss Moors is a threat, Minerva. I do however believe if she had done anything to Delores, it would have been in self-defence owing to the use of the Blood Quill” Dumbledore’s tone was a little chiding “now I believe it is time for bed” he looked at the clock on the wall

*

The next morning, Dumbledore explained over breakfast all Defence classes were temporarily cancelled until they found a stand in teacher to take over until Remus was well enough to teach again.

“Well that’s a turn up” Mal commented as they headed to Transfiguration
“What is?” asked Jane
“More free periods” She replied “might have half a chance to get on top of my homework”
“How are you behind already?” Evie asked
“Pure laziness” Mal grinned, yelping when Evie smacked her on the head “ow E!”
“You deserved it” Evie said “you need to get your homework done”
“Yes princess” She grumbled “I don’t have much, just some potions essay and one for Charms”
“Charms is due tomorrow” Hermione pointed out “Flitwick will take points if you don’t turn it in”
“Relax Granger I’ll write the essay tonight” Mal rolled her eyes “I’m not totally inept”
“Only moderately” Evie quipped with a smirk
“Very funny” she replied “see you later Granger” she waved her off towards Herbology
“Yes, later” She hurried towards the courtyard doors

Mal saw Evie watching the brunette leave the castle
“What?” She asked, squeezing her hand in her own
“nothing” Evie replied “it’s of no consequence”

*

Harry was concerned, his two best friends had finally started talking again properly but he had a feeling that things could never go back to how they had been before they’d started dating. Ron had tried to ask Hermione to the Ball, but she had turned him down, and the redhead was now going to the Ball with Lavender.

Hermione had confirmed she would not be going with a partner to the Ball, citing her reasoning as not wanting to rock the boat. Harry had offered to go with her as friends, but she’d told him to find a date. When he pressed her about it, she’d gotten angry with him.

“Look Harry,” Hermione had glared “I don’t want to go with anyone, so go find yourself a date. I might not go at all”
“oh c’mon Mione” He replied “you’ve never missed a ball yet-“
“yes well, I have a ton of homework to do which I have let slide so if I don’t get it done I will be missing it to catch up” Hermione flipped open a large textbook, propped it up in front of herself and started to read.

Harry sighed, he let the matter drop and watched her working for a few minutes. He hadn’t thought ahead and now it seemed everyone had someone.  
“…you could ask Jane” Jay was leaning by the fireplace “I know for a fact she hasn’t got a date”
“you make it sound easy” he had grumbled “she’ll be going with someone from Hufflepuff I'm sure of it”
“that Harry is where you are wrong” said Fred “I overheard her talking to Susie Bones today, she has no date and was lamenting about it”
“oh” he blinked
“oh just ask her Harry” Hermione rolled her eyes from behind her textbook “ask her before classes tomorrow”
“maybe I will” he folded his arms “who are you going with?” he looked at Jay
“I'm going stag” he shrugged a shoulder “that way I can dance with everyone and not be seen to be ignoring a date” he grinned
“sounds terrible” George laughed
“absolutely” Fred agreed “all the girls throwing themselves at you…must be hard to choose just one”
“it’s a cross I bear” Jay replied with a grin “who are you two going with?”
“I'm going with Alicia” said Fred, pointing to the girl in question “I asked her after Quidditch practice the other week”
“I asked Katie” George pointed to the girl sitting across the way next to Alicia, the pair were in deep conversation about something.

“Nice choices” Jay nodded “It’s been a while since I’ve blown off some steam”
“Did your school have parties?” Harry asked

Jay shrugged
“Auradon did host a ball once whilst we were there” he said “but it was the big traditional sort, you know? The girls in big ballgowns looking like prissy princesses, and the guys had to wear full tuxes. We only went to one”
“how come?”
“We made too much of a statement the first time we attended, that and we were told we’d be coming to Hogwarts before the next one was being held” he replied
“statement how exactly?” Fred asked

“We turned up in our finest outfits, Evie spent weeks on them, but they didn’t go down so well with the stuffy royals. Ben said it was fine but…there’s only so much you can stand being glared at by others, also I think Mal threatened to bite someone…yeah… Chad” he laughed at the memory “they took us way too seriously there, she wouldn’t have done it, not without provocation”

“Are you sure about that?” Hermione asked
“oh I’m sure” he replied “biting is a love language for the fae, just ask Evie” he grinned as she glared from behind her textbook.
“I don’t want to know” she said hurriedly
“course you do” he said “I know you do” he teased

Hermione cleared her throat and gave him a death stare.
“so anyway-“
“why Miss Granger’s blushing” George commented
“I am not!” she huffed “shut up George”
“oh… oh I think she is!” Fred looked over the book at her “oh yes, why Miss Granger…. doest, thou have a secret?!”
“I swear I'm going to send both of you to the hospital wing if you don’t quieten down” Hermione threatened, her wand in her hand. Fred and George looked mildly worried.

“I’d take her seriously boys” Jay shook his head in amusement “she looks angry”

Hermione put her wand down on the table next to her and picked up her quill, hiding behind her textbook again. She took a breath and continued to write her essay. She did not want to give the boys any more ammunition to tease her, and she knew if they figured out her newest developing crush, she’d never hear the end of it. It was bad enough she had to spend her days in class desperately trying not to be an idiot around her. She didn’t want to think what would happen if Ron or Harry found out.

“…. you know it’s not a bad thing right?” Jay was looking over her shoulder
“what isn’t?” she asked slowly, turning to look at him
“you know what I'm talking about” Jay replied “it’s totally natural”

She put down her quill
“what in the name of Circe are you talking about?” she asked, feigning ignorance

Jay smiled
“being gay” he said in a quiet tone “it’s not a bad thing”

“I'm not gay Jay” she defended “I’ve had boyfriends!”
“that means shit and you know it” he pointed out calmly “I've had both, still do actually” he shrugged a shoulder.
“What?” she asked in shock

“Oh yeah” he slid into the chair next to her “I honestly like people. Gender isn’t a problem for me if I like you, I like you. Know what I mean? You shouldn’t be so uptight about these things”
“who said I'm uptight?” She raised an eyebrow

“You seem a little conflicted” he said, “why not try it and see if it’s what makes you happy?”

“Because that’s social suicide?” she didn’t look at him “besides, there’s no way I can…. it’s not exactly accepted here”
“Mal and Eves don’t have any problems”
“that’s because they’d murder anyone who would say anything” She pointed out “I'm pretty sure Pansy said something to them, then she was spelled green so… yeah”
“so go on, who’s on your mind? Maybe I could help- “
“nice try Jay but I’m staying away from the whole thing” Hermione said “It’s messy and I don’t think it's worth killing anyone over…no I’m keeping it to myself"

He looked at her for a moment or so
“talk to her” he said quietly “it’ll work in your favour”

Hermione glared
“stop talking” she said “how-“
“it’s a bit obvious” he shrugged “if you know how to read people”
“wonderful” her head hit the desk “ow”

Jay chuckled
“Oh Mione, your secret’s safe with me” he promised “I won’t say anything to her…on one condition”

Hermione grunted

“what's that then?”
“get properly dressed up for the ball, go the whole way with it and you’ll see for yourself if you get anywhere with this person…or people” he grinned as she slapped his arm
“stop it Jafar” she hissed at him

“Do we have a deal?” he asked rubbing his arm where she’d hit him with a small wince. She could give Mal a run for her money with the strength thing.

She swore under her breath
“fine, whatever” she said "never mention this again" she glared at him
"of course" Jay nodded "your secret is safe with me"
"it better be" Hermione turned back to her homework with a groan.

Chapter Text

After breakfast the next morning, Jane was about to leave the hall with her classmates when she heard her name being called.
“J-Jane?” Harry was making his way towards her
“Hi Harry” she waved “don’t you have Divination?”
“yeah I er…wanted to ask you something”
“oh, go on?”
“will you come to the Halloween ball with me?” he winced “you can say no-“
“I’d love to” Jane smiled widely
“great thanks!” he seemed relieved “well, bye!” he hurried off to catch the throng of students heading to their classes.

Amused, Jane shook her head
“…. he fancies you” Hannah grinned
“he’s adorable” Jane replied “c’mon we’re going to be late” she shouldered her bag, and they left the hall.

*

Saturday morning came with the hustle of a Hogsmeade visit. Students from third year and up were able to head into the village to stretch their legs away from the castle. With the upcoming Masquerade ball for Halloween, there was much talk about outfit planning from the student populous.
“…meet you at the Three Broomsticks at one o’clock?” Hermione said to Harry and Ron “I promised Gin I’d help her with dress shopping”
“okay sounds good” Harry agreed “catch you later!” he hurried off with Ron through the crowd to meet Jay and Carlos, who were waiting for them in the entrance hall.

Hermione and Ginny walked through the corridor
“…. that’s okay right?” Ginny asked
“sorry Gin I completely zoned out, what did you say?”
“I said I told Evie she and Mal could join us, they’ve never been to Hogsmeade” the redhead replied with a roll of her eyes “told them to meet us down by the gates at 11”
“oh, right, okay yeah sure” Hermione replied

Ginny gave her a sideways look
“something wrong with that?” she asked
“no, why?”
“you seem a little…confused Mione, is something wrong?”
“why would there be something wrong?” Hermione asked quickly
“you tell me” Ginny stopped in front of her “something on your mind?”
“a lot of things” Hermione moved to step round her friend “can we just not talk about it right now?”
“sure” Ginny agreed “but I want answers”
“later Gin” Hermione tried to smile.

The pair met Mal and Evie by the school gates, Hermione found herself taking a breath. She could do this. She had to, for the good of the wizarding world. She snorted to herself; she was over-reacting just a little. Besides, she knew for a fact there was less than zero chance of anything coming of it. She would just have to pretend she wasn’t crushing on anyone, especially blue-haired teenagers she was about to spend an entire day with.
“…hey!” Evie waved “morning”
“you’re far too perky” Mal grunted at her excitable girlfriend.
“you’re a grumpy faery” Evie took her hand and pulled her over towards them “what’s wrong?”
“didn’t sleep well…Morning” She attempted a wave.

Ginny gave them a bright smile
“Morning” she grinned “ready for your first Hogsmeade trip?”
“yes definitely” said Evie “Pansy mentioned a few choice stores we should check out”
“oh really? Did they happen to be dark magic shops?” Ginny asked
“if you count a dress shop and apparently there’s a joke shop? Oh and a sweet shop?” Evie replied “I’m sure we can find other places to go” she added

Hermione snorted
“well if we don’t lose you in Gladrags we’re meeting the boys at one o’clock in the three broomsticks for lunch” she said
“they have the best butterbeer” Ginny agreed
“butterbeer? What in the name of evil is butterbeer?” Mal asked
“sugary sweet non-alcoholic drink of choice for most Hogwarts students” Hermione replied “I would think the closest comparison would be…maybe a root beer float? Do you have those in Auradon?”
“you’re saying words and I don’t have any idea what they mean” Mal shook her head
“rooted beer?” Evie wrinkled her nose “that sounds disgusting”
“could be worse” Mal gave her a side glance “could be the ‘soda’ from the ships” she replied

Evie winced
“I hope it’s better than that” she replied
“Anything is better than that” Mal rolled her eyes “at least we don’t run the risk of being ill” she smiled.
“you have a point” Evie dropped her arm around her whilst Hermione was rummaging in her bag
“Oh Gin I need to go get some money changed” she said, “mum sent me some for a dress and things but didn’t have time to go to Gringotts, I don’t think they’ll accept muggle money”
“muggle money?” Evie asked, “oh you mean they won’t accept dollars?”
“why didn’t we think of that?” Mal said to her “the boys won’t have any either”
“what's a dollar?” Ginny asked
“Muggle currency Gin, Evie you’ll need to convert it into galleons sickles and knuts” Hermione replied, looking at them both.
“say that again?” Evie said, slightly confused
“magical currency” she replied, rummaging in her purse, she pulled out a small bag “the large ones are Galleons, the silver ones are sickles, and the bronze are knuts” she handed them each one of the coins in turn.

Evie and Mal shared a look
“right so…er…is there a money change place nearby?” Mal asked, “cause we…don’t have that money” she handed it her back
“yes we can go to the local branch of Gringotts, they just opened a small bank on the high street, you can change money there” said Ginny, pointing to a large white building.
“that’s a small branch?” Mal raised her eyebrows
“small compared to the one in Diagon Alley” Ginny nodded

“Diagon Alley? What’s that then?” She asked, Ginny facepalmed

“I forget how little you know” she said
“should I be offended?” Evie teased
“not likely” she said, “I tend to assume you know things, sorry that’s on me” she added, “you okay Mione?” she turned to the brunette who was looking over towards the bank.
“huh? Yes fine” she forced a smile “let’s go, it doesn’t look too busy in the bank right now so we shouldn’t be too long”

Evie shared a look with the girls

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she caught up with Hermione, reaching forward to touch her arm. Hermione jumped at the sudden contact.
“Yes fine!” she said quickly “I er...yes…sorry” she stumbled on her words. Evie raised an eyebrow, folding her arms
“Liar” she commented “what's up?”

Hermione exhaled, refusing to meet her eyes.
“it’s nothing, I'm…. really bad at buying dresses and this whole ball thing freaks me out” she couldn’t quite manage a full lie to the blue-haired girl, but she was sort of telling the truth, she did hate all the pomp and circumstance that came with the Hogwarts’ balls. You’d think she’d be used to it after five years; but Hermione hated it every year.

“Well you’re in good hands” Evie told her with a smile “I happen to be very good at buying dresses and knowing exactly what will work” she linked their arms and clasped their hands together “so you’re going to look absolutely deadly” she promised

Hermione nodded mutely, trying to calm herself down due to the close contact with Evie as Mal and Ginny caught up with them, Mal saw their hands and smirked at Ginny.
“Watch this” she whispered
“wha-“
“cheating on me already E?” Mal teased “I’d be offended if she wasn’t so cute”
“What?! NO!” Hermione said quickly, dropping her hand as if burnt by fire, making the blue-haired girl sidestep as she span round to face Mal.
“she's winding you up Mione” Evie rolled her eyes “Mal stop it” she whacked her round the head with a slap

“E!” Mal rubbed her head “that’s twice this morning already, you’ll knock me out and give me concussion” she complained
“I’ll give you CPR” Evie winked

Ginny was laughing, she turned to Hermione who was not blushing, no sir she was not!
“oh Mione your face was priceless” she giggled
“yes very funny, I have no desire to be murdered in my sleep thank you Ginerva” Hermione said, wondering not for the first time that morning exactly how she was going to get through the day.  She was too busy convincing herself to calm down, she missed the dark look Evie gave Mal and the way she hissed at her to stop winding Hermione up.

The foursome walked into the bank
“oh it’s not too busy, great” Hermione beckoned them to a line “this won’t take too long”
“we need to get to Gladrags before all the good dresses go” Ginny sighed
“can’t buy a dress without money Gin” said Hermione “neither can Mal or Evie”
“good point” Ginny replied

Ten minutes later, the group moved forward to a free goblin
“can I please exchange this” Hermione handed over some notes “any denomination is fine” the goblin grumbled, nodding.
“Wow he seems happy” Mal commented “what even is he-“Hermione slapped a hand over her mouth as the goblin stopped counting money to glare in her direction.
“Quiet!” Hermione snapped

The goblin sneered as it handed over the requested amount in a bag.
“please excuse my friend, she's not from around here” Hermione yanked her hand back with a yelp.

Mal grinned innocently, licking her lips. Evie glared
“stop it Mal, you’re being such a handful” she warned, turning back to face the goblin “apologies, can I exchange this into your currency?” she handed the goblin a bunch of notes from her purse.

The goblin looked at them, then up at the pair
“is there a problem?” Evie asked politely, the goblin turned to the side and weighed the notes she had handed over, muttering under its breath before handing over a large bag of coins.
“thank you” Evie took it from him and turned away.

Hermione ushered them outside
“what in the name of evil are those things?” Mal asked
“Goblins Mal, they look after our money and they’re very proud creatures” Ginny replied, “I don’t think they liked you much”
“I have that effect on a lot of people” Mal laughed “curse of my mother, they look nothing like the Goblins on the Isle, how was I supposed to know what they were?” she asked
“anyway” Evie cut in “shall we get to the dressmakers before we lose any more time?”
“yes, let the torment begin” Hermione quipped, rubbing her hand and glaring at Mal.

The group walked down to the main street in Hogsmeade. Ginny spied Lavender and Parvati heading out of Gladrags clutching bags and waved at them.
“let’s get the torture over with” Ginny laughed at Hermione’s grimace
“I need to go to Scrivenshaft’s afterwards” Hermione said “I'm running low on ink, and I could do with some more quills”
“sure, we’ll go there next” Ginny replied

Luckily the dress shop was rather empty when they arrived. Evie looked through the rails with excitement.
“you make better stuff than this” Mal pointed out, picking up a vile pink number and showing it to her.
“aw thanks babe” Evie smiled “put that down it looks terrible” she glared at the offending dress
“wish you’d let me know what outfit you have planned for me” Mal grumbled
“I will when its finished so stop whinging” Evie replied

Ginny was standing over by the sale rails, hunting for something in her size.
“…hey Gin what about this?” Hermione was holding a teal dress “definitely more you than me” she added. Ginny walked over to look at it
“Oh its gorgeous!” she said “and my size”
“try it on” Hermione told her “go on” she urged.

The redhead saw the price tag and shook her head
“it’s way out of my price range” she said quietly “I won’t have any money left for shoes or anything”
“well I have-“
“No” Ginny sighed and went to put the dress back “I'm not taking money from you Mione”
“I wasn’t going to suggest it” Hermione told her “I was offering to buy your shoes if you buy the dress”

“oh Ginny that would look killer on you!” Evie was eyeing the dress in her hand “it’s perfect”
“oh uh thanks” Ginny glared at Hermione “but it’s way too expensive” she put it back “I’ll keep looking for something a little more in my price range” Evie watched her put it back and frowned
“how much is it?” she turned to Hermione
“um…thirty Galleons” she replied
“So? Are you going to get that dress or not?”

Ginny shook her head
“this one’s nice” she held up another dress in a similar colour “and much cheaper” She glared at Hermione “I'm going to go with this one”
“then try it on” Evie told her “see what you think”

Shrugging, Ginny headed into the changing room and a few minutes later she came out in the dress
“hmmm” Evie frowned
“what?” Ginny asked “is it too much? It’s too much” She sighed “Mione you need to find a dress!” she glared
“I'm looking!” Hermione rolled her eyes

“Humour me and try this one” Evie handed her the teal dress
“Evie I can’t afford-“
“try it on” Evie turned her round and shoved her towards the dressing room “that one is not you”
“oh so you’re a dressmaker now are you?!” Ginny groaned
“as a matter of fact yes” Evie threw the curtain closed “do as I say”

Mal snorted
“be nice E” she said, “she’s said she can’t afford it”
“who said she was going to buy it?” Evie replied as the curtain came open and Ginny reappeared
“now that is perfect” Evie grinned
“and way out of my price range” Ginny said, folding her arms, Evie tutted and pulled her arms open
“just humour me for a minute” she walked round her “okay fine you can take it off” she shrugged

Ginny shared a look with Hermione
“no clue” she replied, “oh I like this” she held up a red dress “what do you think Gin?”
“yes I like that try it on” Ginny agreed “whilst I get out of this”

Hermione disappeared to the changing room, leaving Evie and Mal in the waiting area
“er….no this isn’t me at all” Hermione replied
“come out and let us see” Ginny returned pulling on her sweater
“no” she said instantly “definitely not, I look ridiculous”
“oh c’mon Mione” Ginny said “I bet you don’t”
“no. no I do”
“I'm going to open this curtain-“
“Ginerva Weasely you do and I swear it won’t be your mother you fear” Hermione threatened from behind the curtain.
“lies Granger you wouldn’t dare hex me” Ginny laughed

Mal smirked, she inched towards the curtain and yanked it open with a cackle.
“Here she is!”
“MAL!” Hermione yelled angrily “you little-!” she grabbed the curtain to hide behind “not funny”
“come on out of there” Ginny pulled her forward and made her stand in front of them.
“no I-“ she tried to hide
“wow Hermione that looks awesome” Ginny said
“yes it does” Evie agreed “you’re buying it”
“no I don’t thin-“
“yes you are” Evie glared “that’s a gorgeous dress on you and if you don’t buy it you’ll regret it”

Hermione sighed, feeling more than a little self-conscious, the dress had a lowered back and seemed to stick to her in all the right places, if the appraising look Evie was giving her was any indication. She turned and saw Mal was also looking at her with a grin. She forced herself not to curse the fae girl in the middle of the dressmakers, that wouldn’t go down well.
“I…. have nothing to wear with it” she said flatly
“we can sort that” Evie grinned “now go get changed” she pointed
“you sound like my mother” Hermione sighed

Mal was smirking as Evie looked at her
“that’s going to cause a stir” she said
“oh I know, and I live to see it” Evie replied, “you know I love to cause drama”
“don’t I know it” Mal said in amusement
“don’t think I didn’t see what you were up to in the bank by the way” Evie glared
“whatever do you mean?” Mal asked innocently
“did you have to bite her? I thought we’d agreed to be gentle”
“she slapped her hand on my face, she was lucky she escaped with a nip” Mal glared “I didn’t break the skin, besides, it’s an instinctual habit you know that. She tasted nice” she didn’t bother to defend herself too much.
“you better not bleed her Mal, you know that’s not allowed” Evie said with a dark look “remember, mouths are for smiling, not biting” she hit her on the nose “she tastes nice huh?”
“shut up or I’ll start calling you Fairy Godmother” Mal stuck out her tongue “also, yes. Nice in a different way to you, hard to describe, you should try it”
“don’t call me that” Evie glared “I'm not biting anyone I'm not a fae” she added
“you bite me plenty…..why what you gonna do to me if I don’t?” She teased
“make you resit remedial goodness” Evie replied “with extra homework”

Mal glared
“you wouldn’t dare-“
“wouldn’t I?” she snickered “just wait till we’re back at the dorm” Evie put her hands under her shirt and yanked her close, pulling her chin upwards to kiss her. Mal mewled quietly against her bottom lip.
“ahem!” Ginny coughed from behind them “ladies please…” she was giggling “I think the shop keepers going to have a heart attack” she pointed to the lady behind the counter who was watching them in slight horror.

Evie grinned and let her go, Mal grumbled quietly and adjusted her shirt, heading to look at the shoes. Ginny had returned to looking through the clothing rails.
“Ginny?” Evie crossed the room
“yeah?”
“that dress is not worth thirty galleons” she said, “how much do you have to spend on your outfit?”
“er….about fifty in total but that will have to include shoes and anything else I want, like jewellery” she said awkwardly.
“okay” Evie nodded “I can work with that”

Ginny looked at her as Hermione joined them
“what do you mean?” she asked
“find some shoes and other things, let me worry about the dress” Evie turned on her heel and walked across the shop to the rolls of fabric.
“did I miss something?” Ginny looked at Hermione “I think I missed something”
“honestly Gin, it’s probably best not to ask” Hermione replied.

Once done with Gladrags, and laden with their purchases, the girls headed to Scrivenshaft’s for more school supplies before meeting up with the boys.
“Successful trip?” Harry asked
“in some cases” Hermione dumped her bags “what about you? Did you get your dress robes?”
“yes we went to Malkins” said Jay “poor woman who served us nearly died”
“why what’d you do to her?” Mal asked
“nothing, much” Jay replied “oh after here we need to go to the bank-“
“No need” Evie replied “I already went, Ginny and Hermione took us earlier”
“I’m sure they did” Carlos quipped

Hermione slapped him upside the head with a glare, Mal laughed as Carlos rubbed his head gingerly
“they wish they took us-“she leered at Hermione
“MAL!” Evie groaned “Evils alive quit it” she set her with a glare, not missing how Hermione turned pink at the inference, her attention suddenly on her bags as she tried to fit them under the table.

She caught Jay’s eye and he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, she laughed quietly.
“well we owe Harry for our dress robes to go with our suits” He said, “I only have Auradon dollars, didn’t think on it till I tried to pay, they couldn’t take the bank card Ben gave us either…”
“what's the damage?” Evie asked, opening her purse.
“about a hundred and fifty gallons?” Jay looked at Harry
“Galleons” Harry corrected “like I said, its fine if you don’t have-“

Evie placed several large coins on into a bag and put it on the table in front of him
“that should cover it?” she asked, ignoring how Ron stared at the amount of money being passed around between his friends.
“er yes sure” he slid the coins into his pocket “thanks, so, what are we having for lunch?” he handed out the menus.
“What in the name of evil is buttered beer?” Jay looked over his menu
“not alcoholic” Mal replied, “so don’t bother”
“butterbeer, its great” said Ginny “very sugary though” she added
“well I have to try it” Jay shrugged

Madam Rosmerta came over to take their orders and returned a few minutes later with foaming tankards.  Evie eyed hers suspiciously as the others dug in.
“wow that’s…. different” Mal lowered her tankard with a grimace “not terrible though”
“here” Hermione handed her a napkin “you have foam on your face” she explained, Mal wrinkled her nose, scrubbing it clean.
“Oh baby no” Evie tutted “here” she wiped her face “there, all better” she smiled and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Mal grinned, pulling her in for a proper kiss, ignoring the rest of their group.
“horndogs quit it!” Jay rolled his eyes and flicked foam in their direction.

Mal growled, throwing a hand up and the foam shot back at Jay hitting him between the eyes
“hey no fair! No magic!” he whined, wiping his face with a spare napkin
“alls fair in war JayJay” Evie said in a sing-song voice.

“Do you know something Harry…” Ron was looking a little nervous
“what's that Ron?” he asked
“they’re mad, all of them” he said, Evie just laughed
“you have absolutely no idea” She purred, leaning over to stroke his face, Ron’s ears turned red.                                                                                                                        

*

The Halloween Ball came round too quickly for Hermione’s liking. She’d told the boy’s she was going to get changed over an hour ago, the Ball started in three hours, and she’d only just gotten out of the shower. She looked at the dress on the hanger and sighed. She had to do this; she’d promised herself she would. Not only that but she told Jay she’d do it or lest he spill her secret. She opened  her shoe box and looked up as Ginny came into the dorm in a pair of pyjamas with her hair and makeup done.
“Hey… you okay?” she asked, “you look sad”
“oh hey Gin” she tried to smile “you look good, which dress did you go for in the end?”

“Funny story that” Ginny said “you know that dress I tried on in Gladrags? The teal one with the V neckline? The one I couldn’t afford?”
“Yeah….”
“last night I went to go to bed and lo and behold a package on my bed, opened it to find a teal dress inside with no label, it’s not the same one I tried on. A damn perfect fit too” She looked at her “you didn’t-“
“nope not me” Hermione replied “your mum perhaps? Did you tell her about it in your last letter home?”
“she wouldn’t have approved of it Mione”
“one the boys then? Harry maybe?”
“I got a note with it” Ginny shook her head “it just said, ‘enjoy the ball’ and that was it”
“you don’t think perhaps Evie-“
“I think exactly that, how the heck am I to pay her back?!” Ginny said, “it must have cost her a lot-“
“I don’t think you need to worry about paying for the dress Gin” Hermione said to her “didn’t she say to leave the dress to her and get your accessories?”
“yes but-“

“Then leave it…I on the other hand need a heck of a lot of help…. I don’t even know where to start” Hermione sighed “I'm rubbish at makeup”
“come to my room I’ll sort you out” Ginny said “we have time” she smiled

“Thanks Gin” Hermione got off her bed and tightened her robe.

Forty minutes later, Hermione crossed the stairwell and saw Jay walking down the stairs from the boy’s dorm in a vest and a pair of jeans
“Mione” he nodded “how does the prep go?”
“slowly” Hermione said “Gin’s my fairy godmother, I am not blessed with infinite patience for makeup and my hair… well less said about this half dry birds nest the better” she tugged on a damp curl and grimaced.

Jay gave her a smile

“Let me go get someone who can help”
“don’t you dare bring Evie in here” She glared

“Who said anything about Eves?” he jogged down the stairs “back in five!”

She watched him go and wondered what insane idea the boy had had now. Whilst she waited, Hermione grabbed one of her favourite books and sat on the loveseat by the fire. Content to ignore the bustle of students getting ready.

“…. here we are” Jay reappeared with Carlos, who was carrying a black bag over his shoulder.
“hi Carlos” she waved at him “Why?” she looked at Jay
“Jay mentioned you need some help with your hair” he said “I’m pretty good at hair…. if you want me to help” he offered

“Yes, please look at the state of it” Hermione winced “my mum never really was good at teaching me to control it, so I just tie it up most of the time”
“yes I do see” Carlos tutted “we are going to need some serious equipment”
“if you weren’t so right id be offended” Hermione replied with a snort

“c’mon we’ll go to your dorm; this might take a while”

Hermione paused

“You can’t go into the girl’s dorm Carlos”
“why not?”
“the stairs…turn into a slide to keep boys out” She said
“what? That doesn’t happen in Ravenclaw” he attempted the stairs two at a time “huh…whaddya know? it let me up!”

“How-“
“probably knows you’re not my type” He laughed from atop the stairs
“…what?” Hermione looked at Jay
“he’s into men” Jay replied “he ain’t gonna touch any girls” he laughed at the shock on her face

“What?!”
“JAY SEND HER UP AND STOP OUTING ME!” Carlos yelled from the dorm corridor “C’MON HERMIONE! WE HAVE WORK TO DO!”
 

Shaking her head, Hermione ascended to her dormitory.

*

Evie and Mal had taken to changing in their hideout away from the madness of the common room and dorms.
“perfection!” Evie was lacing up the back of her dress, a dark blue one shoulder number with deep red and purple accents “M you look stunning, I knew it would work”

Mal was standing at a mirror; She was wearing a dark purple three-piece suit with a white shirt and a dark blue tie which matched Evie’s dress perfectly. She’d tied her hair back out of her face, the purple curls hidden underneath a full-head mask resembling a dragon’s skull that finished just above her mouth, the horns made quite the statement.

She had pointed out to Evie, she imagined it was how her mother’s skull would look, should she ever die, Mal would be interested to see it. Evie had shaken her head and whacked her arm, telling her not to be so crass. Her eyes rimmed with black kohl was the last touch to the outfit.

“Well you designed the outfit” Mal commented “it’s hardly subtle E” she smiled at her “although it does feel a lot better than wearing a dress” Mal smoothed out the waistcoat, looking at herself in the mirror one last time before turning to pull on her fingerless gloves to finish off her outfit.

“Who said we had to be subtle?” Evie straightened her layered skirts “I’ve been planning a suit for you for years darling, it just had to be the right time to inflict it on you” she grinned
“you are right as usual” Mal replied, Evie tutted, smoothing out her shoulders as Mal closed the jacket.
“I know I know” she agreed, leaning down to kiss her, Evie grinned
“you better not sleep with that on” she said “its…a turn on but yet I don’t want it in bed” she flicked the horn nearest to her, Mal batted her hand away, adjusting the mask over her face
“I promise nothing Princess” She remarked “everyone’s going to know it’s me, how exactly am I supposed to put the plan in place if everyone knows it’s me?”
“everyone’s in masks Mal.” Evie shook her head, “no one will know who’se who, mostly people have kept their ideas to themselves. A few people will know what each other’s wearing but the idea is no one knows who’s who, that’s the tradition”
“I hope so” She sighed.

Evie rolled her eyes
“How much chaos are we going to make tonight?”
“looking like this? People will die” Mal sniggered as Evie adjusted her hair.

The door opened to Jay and Carlos, who were wearing two-piece suits with robes instead of tux jackets. Jay had left his hair down for once, instead of being tied up in his usual bun and gone for a little eyeliner. Carlos wore a white robe over a black suit with a teal tie. The robe matched his hair, the curls had been left to grow out a little whilst in Auradon and he hadn’t had his hair cut before heading to Hogwarts, so the black and white curls now came down to his ears.
“wow...you two actually look good” Mal teased
“says you” Jay replied, “look at you fancy butt” he appraised her outfit “killer mask”
“thanks, my own work of course, yours are on the table” She pointed behind her
“what time does it kick off?”
“we’ve got ten minutes” Carlos was securing his mask to his face “I said I’d meet Ginny at the hall doors”
“I'm still impressed Ron hasn’t tried to kill you for asking his kid sister to the ball” Jay said
“oh he tried” Carlos said “Ginny hexed him”
“what?!” Mal asked, “when was this?”
“oh a week or so ago” he replied, “she hit him with the bat-bogey hex, it was quite something”
“I like that girl” Mal snickered
“you like all girls” Jay rolled his eyes “you’re a perpetual horndog” he said fondly
“No, I just like this girl” Mal yanked Evie towards her, she felt the taller girl flinch slightly and turned in concern.
“you better” Evie wasn’t smiling
“what’s that supposed to mean?” Mal frowned “are you having second thoughts?”
“about what?” Carlos asked
“no” Evie replied “I…it doesn’t matter” she pulled away from her and started to put on her own mask. Mal’s eyes narrowed as she saw Evie not quite manage to tie the clasp shut, a slight jerk to her movement had her concerned.
“Boys give us five?” Mal ordered
“leaving” Carlos yanked Jay out of the room.

She crossed the floor and unhooked her mask, pulling the top apart, Mal took it off.
“E? talk to me” she said, “we don’t have to go through with the plan if you don’t want”
“I have no problem with the plan” Evie replied, “the plan is good”
“then what’s the problem?”
“what if we’re wrong?” she said “what if….what if we make our move and it’s not accepted?”
“then we move on, no harm no foul” Mal kissed her cheek
“true” Evie sighed “I guess I’m….nervous…”
“you really don’t need to be” She said “you look deadly, and I’m looking forward to putting the plan into action” Mal shrugged “if she's not into it she's not into it, I like the thought of chasing her though, not gonna lie that’s hot”
“I love it when you’re devious” Evie smiled slightly “my Malevolency”

Mal snorted, putting her mask back on, she helped Evie to fix hers in place and attached a pin to her dress inlaid with a dragons skull.
“you know that’s not my name”  she tugged her hands “c’mon lets go” Mal exhaled, casting a spell over herself, she turned to her
“she won’t recognise me” Mal explained “a charm to disguise my voice, at least until the plans underway”
“good idea M” Evie nodded “c’mon or the boys will think we’re up to mischief”

*

The VKs met up with Ginny, Jane, Harry and the others outside the Hall
“wow you guys surely turn it out” Ginny commented “love the outfits”
“thanks Ginny” Evie smiled “your dress looks perfect”
“yeah I uh, thanks” Ginny didn’t quite look at her “I don’t know when you bought it, or how it got into my dorm” she said “but thank you”
“A witch never divulges her secrets, besides, it suits you” Evie replied “the colour is gorgeous with your skin tone” she added “a girl should always have a killer dress in her wardrobe”

Mal touched her arm as she heard arguing in the hallway and disappeared behind the group as if she was heading to the restroom.
“…if you had only gotten dressed when I suggested we wouldn’t be late!” Hermione sounded irritated.
“I said sorry Mione, slow down will you?” Ron complained

The pair turned the corner, and she finally slowed her steps. Hermione descended, wearing a dress of dark blood red she’d spotted in Gladrags. Her hair had been left down around her shoulders, although clearly had been tamed by some products as the curls fell in soft waves and the top layer was pulled back out of her eyes with a shimmering barrette. She’d opted for a cat’s eye style mask, which matched the dress perfectly.
“Woah, talk about a glow up” Evie commented quietly “girl looks good”
“Evie!” Mal commented from behind her, now hidden under a disillusionment spell
“Where’s the lie though?” She teased
“stop it or I'm rethinking this entire idea” Mal replied, “Ron looks thrilled” she commented
“no murdering him” Evie warned “it’s not worth being expelled”
“so you tell me” Mal huffed “As long as he’s civil we have no problems”

“Hey Mione, you look gorgeous” Jane was already talking, taking the girl by the hand and leading her over to their group. Jane had been instrumental in getting Hermione some more female friends ever since she had split up with Ron and things between the trio had been strained. Jane had known how hard it was to fit in with others and had encouraged Susan and Hannah to be friends with her and Hermione was grateful for the faerie’s interference.
“oh uh thanks” She said awkwardly “I had a lot of help. I love your outfit; the blue looks lovely. Right, shall we go inside?”

Mal was studying her body language. Hermione had instantly moved to Jane’s side, putting space between herself and Ron. The redhead was distracted by talking to the boys after taking less than a second to tell Lavender she looked nice, but Mal couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Everyone knew they were no longer together regardless of how Ron tried to win her back. Evie tugged her hand behind her back
“c’mon we’re going in” she said

The hall was in semi darkness, with light from over a two hundred pumpkins on tables casting shadows across the walls and floor. Dropping her spell as to make it look like she had simply joined the group behind Evie, Mal looked around in awe, watching as live bats swooped around above their heads, but seeming not to hit anyone or each other.  She smiled a little. Hogwarts surely turned it out when it came to balls. Auradon should take notes…

After eating, the students were free to mingle. Mal had been roped into conversation with someone she assumed was Millicent and she guessed Pansy for a while and once she could make her escape, she headed back across the hall.  She couldn’t recognise anyone, and no one had recognised her either.

She saw Evie was sitting across Jay’s lap talking to Hannah about something in a rather excited manner. Harry was dancing with Ginny, Carlos and Jane. Mal was about to interrupt the conversation when she spied Hermione sat alone. She was about to head to talk to her when Ron appeared and tugged her hand, the pair walked off towards the side of the hall and Mal lost them in the crowd.

Unbothered by this complication. Mal moved on and joined their table. Sitting down with her back against the wall, her eyes on the door.  She saw Hermione return ten minutes later, looking furious yet somewhat upset as she took a chair by an empty table.

*

The music turned slightly slower as the ball went on; some couples had begun slow- dancing. Hermione found herself watching them with a sigh.  In the darkness of the hall, she was convincing herself to head to the dorm. She didn’t want to sit watching everyone canoodling.

“…May I have this dance?” a voice made her look up and blink. Mal was leaning against the table with one hand, her other one occupied with a goblet.
“I er…what?” Hermione asked dumbly, “did you just ask me to dance?” Mal smirked
“I did” she said, putting the goblet down on the table and extended her hand towards her.

Hermione nodded; she’d seen this person around the hall but couldn’t identify who they were.
“Sure, why not” she said
“excellent” Mal took her hand and lead her to the dancefloor. Grinning inwardly, Mal slid her arms around her, pulling her close. Hermione hesitantly put hers on her waist, up close she realised her new dance partner was female, the voice had been indistinct, which was clearly a spell to disguise their natural cadence. 

She tried not to panic, she’d danced with her female friends before, this would be no different. There was something about this person, whoever they were that made Hermione’s stomach flip nervously. She wasn’t sure why.
“red suits you” Mal commented
“thank you” she replied “I love your outfit; the mask looks very realistic”
“I made it myself” she said
“very impressive” Hermione commented

Mal cocked her head to the side as they danced “…you deserve much more than him you know, Weasley didn’t deserve you” Hermione blushed darkly, she didn’t look at her, instead she looked over her shoulder
“I er…thank you?” she said awkwardly.

Mal looked over and saw Evie watching them with a small smile. Phase one of the plan was going well. Evie turned to talk to Carlos and Ginny, leaving it to Mal to make the moves.

Back on the dancefloor, Mal was more focused on trying not to give the game away. She looked at Hermione and wondered if she could steal a kiss before the girl ran away? Maybe she shouldn’t tip her hand too soon. She reminded herself this was not the Isle, she had to play it carefully, lest she move too fast and scare the girl. Also she wasn’t entirely sure she would be happy to make out with her in the middle of the Hall. No, Mal figured it would be better out of sight from others.
“Do I get to know who I’m dancing with?” Hermione asked, disrupting her thoughts.
“maybe, or maybe I like the anonymity” Mal replied, “it’s rather freeing, wouldn’t you say?”
“I suppose” Hermione offered

Mal saw Ron approaching and signalled to Evie behind Hermione’s back. A second later the redhead was intercepted by Jay and Carlos and pulled away from the dancefloor. Hermione was none the wiser, she’d found herself leaning against Mal’s shoulder, her eyes drawn to the detailing on the mask as they danced.

The music started yet another slow number
“has anyone told you, you have gorgeous eyes?” Mal asked, Hermione blushed at the compliment
“I can’t say they have” she admitted
“Not even Weasley?” Mal gave her a side glance
“Ron is…not one for compliments” She replied
“his loss” Mal commented with a shrug “you do have gorgeous eyes”
“thank you” Hermione replied “yours are very intense, in a good way” she added

Out of nowhere, she saw a flash of green under the mask, the reaction made Hermione inhale sharply and stand up straight. There was only one person in school whose eyes flashed that colour…

Fuck! Hermione thought wildly how the hell did you get yourself into this mess Granger?  Hermione tried to keep calm. As far as she knew Mal had no idea about her current crush on her girlfriend and she was desperate for the fae girl not to find out.  

Not only that, she couldn’t help but feel attracted to her either. There was something about Mal she couldn’t quite put her finger on and yet she had a sudden urge to do something that would likely get her murdered…

“Is there something wrong?” Mal asked idly
“n-no nothing” she replied, trying not to panic

Hermione saw the smirk as Mal tightened her arm around her waist, her other hand was idly playing with her hair. Hermione squashed her panic down and a small portion of her mind realised how gentle the other girl was being with her and how nice that was compared to her exes’ fumbling hands.
“Won’t Evie be bothered we’re dancing together?” She finally asked, Mal snorted; she knew the game was up, yet she made no move to let the other girl go. Mal had figured Hermione might storm away or at least glare; however the Gryffindor was simply looking at her expectantly, with her hands still on her waist.
“she’ll be jealous I danced with you first” She replied, dropping the charm disguising her voice “but you’ll dance with her before the balls over”
“will I?” Hermione raised her eyebrows “says who?”
“says me” Mal whispered into her ear, feeling her shiver against her breath on her neck, watching as she swallowed.
“o-oh” Hermione replied, trying not to stumble over her words too badly “I see”
“I hope you do” Mal gave her a smirk “it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to dance with a real live princess…at a ball no less” she chuckled “it’s the stuff of fairy tales after all”
“I wa-was under the impression her mum was stripped of her title before sentenced to the Isle, Evie can’t be a princess if that’s the case...” Hermione stuttered a little, Mal watched in amusement as she tried to hold it together.  She knew the brunette was trying to act calm, but her racing heartbeat told Mal otherwise.
“Your history books are so wrong its hilarious” She replied “EQ was never stripped of her title. None of the villains on the Isle were stripped of their titles before being shipped off there”
“they’re not history books Mal, they’re fairy tales, designed for girls to ascribe to the idea we need a prince to be happy and looked after. In order to have our own happily ever after, they don’t even mention the Isle” Hermione shook her head.

Mal sneered
“no one mentions the Isle” she said in a dark tone that surprised Hermione “and that is for the best” she cleared her throat as the song ended “I... need a drink” she dropped her arms from around her waist and took her by the hand.

They veered through the crowd and found Harry at the punch bowl talking with Jane.
“…hi Harry” Hermione smiled
“hey Mione…and friend” Harry eyed their entwined hands, Hermione glared at him to say something
“Potter” Mal smirked, reaching for a goblet of punch and handing one to Hermione before taking one for herself.
“having a good night?” he asked lightly
“yes thank you, you?” Hermione asked
“yes its great” He replied, “shall we go find the others?”
“sure…” she looked sideways at Mal
“after you” she gestured with the goblet in her hand

*

Evie looked over as the group approached their table, she saw Hermione drop Mal’s hand as they neared, Mal simply put an arm around her waist instead, yanking the girl close to her side.
“I wondered where you’d gone too” Evie commented
“dancing” Mal replied with a grin “weren’t we?”
“er yes” Hermione cleared her throat “dancing”

Mal laughed at her discomfort and sat down beside her, sandwiching the girl between herself and Evie, who smiled, raising her goblet at Mal before taking a drink.

Hermione found herself drawn into conversation with Harry and Evie about trivial matters and became rather enthused in the conversation, feeling happier than she had done for quite a while. So much so it took her a little while to realise Mal still had her arm around her as she talked with Jay about something else. Her touch was still as gentle as when they were dancing, but Hermione noticed a few times over the evening how she would tuck her a little closer. The fae girl was ignoring their conversation entirely, but the fact she had not let her go was something Hermione was beginning to worry about, considering Evie was sat on her other side.

She knew the blue-haired girl had seen their touches and wondered if she should ask Mal to let go? She got the impression Evie was not someone to cross, and Hermione didn’t want to find out what would happen if she did, regardless of if it was by her own doing or a misunderstanding. Hermione startled when she felt a brush of a hand on her hip as Evie got to her feet.
“I want to dance” She told her “so, Mione, we’re dancing” an expectant hand reached forward for hers.
“oh uh…okay” Hermione turned to put her drink on the table and saw Mal grinning.
“told you” she smirked, Hermione rolled her eyes
“you win” she said, “what you win I don’t know..”
“oh I can think of plenty I want to win” Mal commented with a leer that had Hermione taking in a breath. She knew that expression was reserved solely for Evie. Speaking of which…
“Mione!” Evie was pulling her hand “c’mon I want to dance”

The blue-haired girl yanked her to the dancefloor where she took her hand in her own, using her other arm to pull her closer, Hermione tried not to react to the hand now on her back, whilst the touch was warm against her skin, Hermione hadn’t missed the slight flinch as she’d put her hand on her shoulder and wondered what that was about?

How exactly Mal had known Evie would want to dance with her? Why her when she should be dancing with her girlfriend? Come to think of it she’d hardly seen them together all evening.
“something on your mind Hermione?” Evie asked, breaking her concentration.
“er...nothing” she shook her head and looked at her “Just wondering why you’ve not danced with Mal all night and yet here you are dancing with me” she said

Evie grinned
“how long did it take for you to figure it out?”
“I saw her eyes go green, that happens to only one person at Hogwarts” She replied
“ah the eyes have it” Evie commented, “well you didn’t run screaming so I take it you didn’t mind?”
“why would I mind?” Hermione asked
“oh you know” Evie said, “some people don’t approve of people like Mal and I, girls get weird around us”
“you mean the fact you’re gay?” Hermione asked
“that’s one word people use” Evie replied with a small smile “you don’t seem particularly bothered by our relationship”
“I have a gay aunt” Hermione replied, “she got married to her wife over summer, I've never been bothered about it, I've grown up knowing it’s a normal part of life, if people have an issue with it then that’s their problem not mine.”
“how nice” Evie said “that clears that up then”
“besides” Hermione said “I do find the idea of having a girlfriend interesting. Considering my dating history…Viktor was not exactly boyfriend of the year and less said about Ron the better” she grimaced.
“whose Viktor?”
“Viktor Krum, Bulgarian international Quidditch player” Hermione replied “he came over for the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year and we had a brief thing, until just after the Yule Ball when Ron asked me out”
“I see” Evie replied

The closeness to the other girl was driving Hermione dizzy, Evie slowly moved her into resting her head on her shoulder and Hermione caught the smell of her perfume, it filled her senses and  Hermione had to focus not to swoon. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but she felt right now like she’d agree to anything Evie would suggest. Hermione idly wondered if she’d been spelled to feel so unbothered by the rather close contact to the taller girl and how she’d freely admitted she’d like a girlfriend. That was not something she wanted to get out into the school population purely because it would cause issues. Especially if someone like Parkinson was to find out. The last thing she wanted was to lose the friends she had, and if this meant hiding these new feelings towards girls then she was going to have to try.  So she continued to slow dance with Evie and fought to push her feelings into a smaller portion of her mind wherein she could happily relive the evening over and again without hurting anyone. Reminding herself quietly that Evie had a very possessive girlfriend and there was no way in hell Hermione stood a chance.

“…Hermione?” Evie’s voice was quiet
“yeah?” she made no attempt to move
“Are there any rules in Hogwarts about sleeping in other places than the dorms?”

Hermione frowned, she pulled on her knowledge of Hogwarts; A History
“not that I know of” she said after a moment or so “why?”
“good” Evie sounded amused. Hermione looked up to see her smiling
“why?”
“oh you’ll see” she said, “at least I hope so” she added
“What do you mean?”
“you’ll see” Evie repeated.

The song finished, Hermione felt a presence behind them and looked up to see Mal.
“you owe me a dance” She was looking at Evie
“of course my love” Evie replied easily “Hermione? would you mind?”
“not at all, I... uh… want a drink anyway” She said in a rush “enjoy!” she hurried off the dancefloor in the direction of their table.

Mal turned to her
“well?” She pulled Evie into her arms
“she’s open to having a girlfriend” Evie shrugged a shoulder, putting her hands around her waist “and there’s no rules about us sleeping in the hideout that she knows of”
“good” Mal brushed her lips against Evie’s neck “you two look very hot together”
“you think so?” Evie asked
“mmhm” Mal snickered, she slid her hand up her back, pulling the taller girl closer, peppering her neck with kisses.
“Nuh-no bruises M” Evie complained quietly as she felt her bite down
“not even a little one?” Mal asked, pulling away very slightly

“ahem”
“Professor McGonagall” Evie suddenly tensed, Mal turned slightly to see the deputy looking at them with a stern expression and tried to smile innocently.
“Children, keep it clean” she said with a glare “any more of that behaviour and you will be ejected from the hall”
“understood” Mal ducked her head, mainly because she was grinning.

Evie watched the deputy head disappear back into the crowd
“well now that’s us told” she commented
“hardly” Mal looked up at her “just means we gotta leave”
“not without her” Evie shook her head “unless you’re rethinking it?”
“absolutely not” Mal replied “I've been watching you both all night for evils sake” she grumbled.

*

Hermione was flustered, and very confused. She headed for the punch bowl and grabbed a goblet.  She made her way towards Jay and Harry who were sat with Ginny and Jane.
“hi” she sat down and took a big drink.
“hey Mione” Jane waved “you look bothered by something, everything okay?” she asked. Hermione nodded distractedly. She had no idea how she was supposed to feel right now, and most importantly she wanted time on her own to make sense of things.
“I think so…. you know what? I'm going to the toilet” she hurriedly got to her feet and made her way to the doors, ignoring the pain in her feet from the heels she was wearing.

She shut herself in a cubicle and tried to breathe. What in the name of magic was going on?! She wasn’t stupid, she had a feeling Evie had been flirting with her earlier. But she was in a relationship with Mal. She didn’t think the purple-haired fae would take kindly to anyone coming between them even if she wasn’t sure that’s what was going on.

Hermione lent against the cubicle wall with a groan, she realised Mal had given her several compliments over the course of the evening, and she’d noticed how she’d been looking at her with a weight in her stare that made Hermione nervous. If Evie had been flirting with her, then clearly Mal knew about it? Moreover it seemed like the fae girl was encouraging her girlfriend?

What the hell where those two playing at? Were they trying to entice her? she sighed and exited the cubicle, heading to sit by the window to cool off. Not exactly wanting to return to the ball in case she misread their attention and made a fool out of herself.

*

Concerned when the brunette didn’t return to the Hall, Ginny headed into the bathroom. She found Hermione sitting on the window ledge by the sinks.
“Mione?”
“Oh hey Gin” she smiled “bit warm in there isn’t it?” she commented

“Yeah, you feeling okay? You look a bit flushed” she touched her head with the back of her hand. Hermione nodded
“fine thanks, just a bit warm.” She replied “I’m considering heading to bed soon, its early I know but I’m tired”

Ginny frowned
“I know you don’t like balls Mione but heading out this early is very not like you…talk to me” she sat next to her on the sill
“I’m fine honestly Gin” Hermione tried to wave off her concerns “just warm and tired”
“Are you sure?” the redhead asked
“Yes, why?”
“Oh I don’t know…saw you dancing with Evie earlier, you two got something going on?” she asked, “I’m pretty sure she’s taken…but I don’t blame you for a second”
“NO!” Hermione said quickly “don’t even joke, imagine if Mal found out she’d slit my throat for even thinking of Evie that way, I mean not that I do think of her like that” she was babbling and forced herself to stop talking.

Ginny folded her arms and looked at her for a long minute
“you fancy her” she said
“Ginny!” Hermione squeaked, “no I don’t!” she added quickly
“well if you don’t, you’re an idiot” Ginny replied, “c’mon you must be blind to not see what's been going on tonight” Hermione gave her a side glance
“what are you talking about?”
“you hadn’t noticed? Oh honestly Mione for all you’re the brightest witch of your age you’re totally dumb sometimes” she said with a smile
“I feel offended” She shot back without her normal smile of amusement
“Hermione they’ve been playing with you…” she said “and you’ve completely played their game”

She eyed Ginny, if she had noticed then surely others had…
“w... what?” she asked
“I overheard Jay talking with Carlos, he said something about Evie was playing one of her games, but he figured Mal knew about it. When I saw you two dancing together, I figured that’s what he meant. Was she doing it to rile Mal up? He didn’t seem sure”

Hermione shook her head
“Mal asked me to dance earlier tonight, I didn’t know it was her under the dragon mask” she exhaled “although it seems rather obvious once you think about it”

“I see” Ginny nodded “well, was it awful?”
“no it was nice” She replied, “she was very respectful”
“meaning?”
“she didn’t try grope me, unlike your bloody brother” Hermione sighed “thanks for telling me” She got off the ledge “I…I’ll see you back in the dorm, go on and enjoy your night” she swallowed and shut the door behind her.

*

Feeling wounded that she’d clearly been played for a fool, and it had been seen by her friends, Hermione crossed the entrance hall with the intention of hiding in Gryffindor tower for the remainder of the night. Belatedly realising she’d left her handbag with her wand on the table, she straightened her back and re-entered the Hall.

On her way in she spied her bag on the table next to Jay and made a beeline for it. Wanting nothing more than to grab it and run. Hermione reached the table.

“Hey Mione” Jay pulled her into the spare chair next to him “Are you okay? You look a little upset”
“fine look let me get my bag I'm heading to the dorm” she turned to pick it up.
“woah why? What's happened?” Jay asked in concern
“oh like you don’t know!” She glared
“…wanna connect the dots?” he asked, shoving his hair out of his face

Hermione sighed angrily , it wasn’t him she was angry with, it was herself for being caught up in her own mind and not realising she was getting in over her head.
“hey look at you two being cuddly” Mal appeared from the dancefloor, Hermione tensed
“just doing my job” Jay smiled
“hm” Hermione didn’t look at her, Mal frowned
“Hermione?” she shoved Jay out of the chair and sat next to her “is something wrong?”
“you tell me” she said stiffly, watching Jay get to his feet and find a spare chair.
“I don’t follow” Mal replied, “has someone upset you?” she asked as Evie joined them
“Whose upset?” she asked, sitting on her other side so Hermione was now completely stuck between them.
“Mione” Jay pointed “not sure why”
“oh”
“is it Ron?” she asked, “do we get to kill him?” Evie offered “I know a variety of ways, it’ll look like an accident”

Hermione couldn’t help it, she laughed at the slightly possessive tone in her voice.
“no murdering my friends Evie” she said, “he’s only tried to grope me once tonight, I think that is a record”
“he did what?” Mal asked sharply
“it’s nothing” Hermione replied with a wave of her hand “just, earlier we were talking and he…got a little handsy, I slapped him, Fred took him outside to cool off. I think Seamus smuggled in some fire whiskey; he seemed a bit drunk”

“asshole” Mal growled softly, Hermione saw her eyes glow green, her top lip curled back over what Hermione realised was a pair of prominent canines. How weird. She’d never noticed them before. She wondered if it was a faery thing.

Mal’s eyes met hers and for a second Hermione forgot how to breathe, she was sucked into the bright green orbs, magic began flickering around them. Mal touched her arm without breaking eye contact. Hermione couldn’t look away, her chest began to constrict at the lack of air in her lungs, yet she couldn’t breathe in, she could feel the rage coming from the other girl, and an audible low noise began.

“…Mione? Hermione!” Evie was suddenly talking loudly “it’s too hot inside shall we got for a walk outside?” she was on her feet, leaning against the blue-haired girl. How she’d gotten to her feet was anyone’s guess. She blinked several times and realised Mal was nowhere to be seen, neither was Jay.
“Oh uh yeah” she said confusedly.

What in the name of magic was going on?

*

Jay and Carlos sandwiched Mal between them, Jay cut the way through the throng of people and out into the antechamber where he slammed her hard against the wall.
“easy Jay” Carlos winced
“let me go!” Mal growled, she hissed at them, baring her fangs in anger. Jay and Carlos took a moment, they hadn’t seen her grow fangs before, but Jay stood firm.
“No” He replied, “you need to calm down” he pushed her shoulders back and grunted when she dug her nails into his arms, he knew she’d draw blood at any rate, at least she hadn’t bitten him this time, especially with those fangs, they’d do serious damage that he wasn’t sure he could recover from.
“fuck that!” Mal tried to get out of his grip “he’s a prick! Let me go!”
“I know but murder isn’t the fun plan for tonight” Jay shook his head “c’mon Mally” he pushed her back against the wall more gently this time “where’s your brain? Turning evil on him isn’t going to win her over to our ways”

Mal hissed angrily again, still consumed by her rage, Jay winced as she gripped his arms and tried to push him off her. He slipped on his feet a little but quickly regained his footing lest she get free.
“think about it” he carried on talking “what's the plan? Seduce her? If so, you’re both doing very well at it. Think about how mad Eves will be if you get sent home because you murdered the ex” he tried to plead to her rational side, which he wasn’t sure would work but, he had to try.
“Who are we talking about?” Carlos asked
“Hermione” Jay gave him a side glance “they want her”

Carlos hmmed, Mal grunted, pushing Jay back a little
“ah” he said, “and you’re annoyed at…Ron?” Carlos asked her

Mal growled, nodding, she turned away in Jay’s arms and rested her head on the wall, obscuring her face with the mask. She took a few deep breaths.

“Let me go” she said quietly “…I’m good”
“sure?” Jay turned her back round “Mal?”
“I said I'm good” she snapped at him, pushing the mask back into place “I just need to find E”
“she took Hermione outside” Carlos replied

She took another breath and straightened her back, turning towards the doors without looking at them. Jay looked down at his arms, his shirt was beginning to stain red in places.
“…at least she didn’t bite you” Carlos offered with a wince

*

Evie had her hand in a vice-like grip and the arm around her shoulders was all that was keeping her upright, Hermione wasn’t sure what was going on and couldn’t make her voice work. As soon as she hit the outside air she took in a shuddering breath, the air rushed into her lungs and caused her to cough and splutter.
“easy Mione” Evie rubbed her back “just breathe, you’re okay, just keep breathing” she pulled her into her arms as Hermione’s knees buckled.
“wh-wh-what the heck?!” she tried to ask “what-“
“don’t talk right now just breathe” Evie said, “you need to get oxygen back in your blood or you’ll pass out” she sat her on a bench where Hermione continued to heave in breath for a few minutes.
“feeling better?” Evie finally asked
“y-yes, what the hell Evie?” she asked “wh-what was th-that?” she coughed, her chest still felt a bit constricted, and it made her wheeze.
“one second and you’ll have the answer to that” Evie was beckoning someone over.

They heard the crunch of boots on gravel as someone approached, Hermione didn’t look up, too focused on trying to breathe and not pass out. She exhaled slowly, feeling the burn of bile at the back of her throat from her panic at the lack of oxygen in her body.
“She okay?” Mal didn’t sound happy, if anything Hermione noticed she sounded concerned.
“just a minor disorientation, nothing major, are you okay?” Evie asked
“as well as can be expected” Mal sat down.

Hermione leant back on the bench, taking in deep breaths seemed to help clear her head.
“What in the name of heck just happened?!” she demanded; Evie winced at her tone
“let’s just say I had a lapse of control” Mal said awkwardly “I er…. sorry”
“a lapse of control?” Hermione looked at her, but Mal looked down at the floor. Evie sighed
“Hermione” she said “try to calm down”
“I am calm” Hermione replied “I want to know what happened” she said “Mal? At least look at me and tell me what happened?”

Mal took a breath before turning to look at her.
“Mione, I…. apart from Weasley, who upset you tonight?” she deflected the question “you seemed fine when you left the dancefloor”

Hermione scowled, remembering why she had been so upset in the first place.
“Ginny” she said, and exhaled.

“What did she do?” Evie asked

Wand in hand, Hermione quietly cast a privacy ward. She decided to call them both out on their actions in a bid to make sense of what had been going on tonight. Not entirely cursing her Gryffindor bravery in times such as these “she overheard Jay say something and figured I should know she thought you were both playing with me and I admit I hadn’t given any of it much thought, I got upset when I realised she was right”
“what?” asked Evie “Ginny said that?” she looked at Mal
“she told me you were both playing me for an idiot and I walked right into it”
“we weren’t playing you for an idiot” Mal said to her “not in the slightest”
“No? then what would you call it?” Hermione snapped; she didn’t know why she was so angry, but it felt good to get the anger out. Anger at Ginny for being so ridiculous and anger at both Mal and Evie for playing this stupid game making her feel things she wasn’t sure she could identify.
“we wanted to see if you were interested in us” Evie replied “as in… both of us…”

Hermione took a moment to process her words
“huh?” she finally said, swallowing and clearing her throat “you…what?”

Mal folded her arms
“we both like you Hermione” she said “we want to add you to our relationship” she looked over her shoulder and Hermione realised her eyes were still glowing that eerie green under her mask, her pupils were elongated. Mal blinked slowly, looking away towards the castle.
“we understand if you’re not interested” Evie said “it’s fine, we won’t make it weird”

Hermione blinked
“you….why me of all the people at Hogwarts?!” she found herself asking, “there are many girls here who are far prettier than I”
“I don’t think that’s true” Evie shook her head “you’re very pretty, and intelligent, and we’d love to have you” She put a hand on her arm, Hermione noticed again the slight jerk as she touched her “I kind of got the impression you’d be open to it but if you’re not that’s fine, we won’t be offended…and we’ll stop flirting with you”

Hermione was blushing now; she did feel a bit of a fool after as she realised how oblivious she had been to the whole thing. She realised too late that both Evie and Mal had been flirting with her, yet she hadn’t even noticed.
“No- no I…I would” she said quietly, ducking her head as to not look at them “it’s just-“ she cut herself off with a cough, wincing.
“just what?” Mal asked, cocking her head to the side
“I’ve never….” She trailed off, studying her shoes
“we know” Evie said, “it’s fine” she put an arm around her, another flinch at their touch had Hermione wondering if the blue-haired girl was alright and looked up as if to ask her the question but her attention was broken as Mal got up suddenly, standing in front of them.
“M?” Evie questioned
“sh” she held up a hand and the privacy barrier broke without a word.

A moment later Lavender came round the corner looking visibly distressed.
“Lav?” Hermione got to her feet and approached her
“uh-oh hey Hermione” she sniffed “you er…haven’t seen Parvati, have you?”
“not for a while, what's wrong?” she asked
“n-nothing” Lavender replied “it’s nothing”
“lies Brown its clearly something” Mal pointed out, Hermione noticed her tone was a little sharp and raised an eyebrow.

Lavender winced, she took a few breaths, wiping her eyes on a tissue from her bag
“Ron’s drunk” she said, “and he…. well…he’s being an ass to everyone, it’s disgusting really” Lavender winced “he…tried to make me…. well… you know-“ she looked at Hermione “when I said no, he got angry and upset so I left him on his own to calm down.”

“Laav!” Ron’s voice suddenly came from behind them “there you are”

 
“Soberus!” Hermione’s wand was in her hand and the blast knocked Ron off his feet “Ronald Weasley you should be ashamed of yourself!” she yelled at him, hitting him with another spell that had the boy howling in pain.
“easy Mione don’t murder him” Mal was grinning, sliding her hands into Evie’s.
“I’ll do more than murder him for this!” She was storming forward to where Ron was trying to get to his feet, holding his head in one hand. He slipped on the gravel and fell back to the floor with a groan
“...ugh Mione?” he looked up from the floor
“don’t Mione me!” she spat “your parents would be ashamed of you!”

There was the sound of feet running in their direction, Harry was followed by Jay and Jane
“Ron-!” Harry tried to go to him
“Stay out of this Harry” Hermione told him; her wand pointed directly at Ron’s forehead, an arm around Lavender’s shoulders “he deserves it”
“what's he done this time?” Harry asked flatly.
“being a drunken asshole” Hermione replied, “not content with groping me earlier tonight he’s done it to Lav, and I dread to think who else”
“it was just a bit of harmless fun Harry!” Ron winced

Harry muttered angrily to himself, Mal snapped her head to his direction, she tried to keep a straight face at his words, not realising Harry wasn’t speaking any language anyone else could understand.

She chuckled darkly, turning her side into Evie’s and resting her head against her neck, breathing deeply.
“what's so funny?” she asked
“tell you later” Mal pressed her lips to her chin, smirking as Evie huffed
“horn dog” she commented
“you know it” She agreed

“…Mione lower your wand” Harry was trying to deescalate the situation
“don’t tell me what to do Harry” she spat at him “don’t defend him”
“I'm not defending him, I see you’ve already hit him with the sober spell, that’s going to hurt him a lot” Harry explained
“he deserves it” Hermione shook her head

She lowered her wand and watched as he got to his feet, looking rather grey and ill
“Mione-“ he said weakly
“don’t” she held up her hand “just don’t, I’m never getting back with you, I don’t care how many times you beg” she turned away “your behaviour is deplorable, and ridiculous….you need to get over yourself”
“but Hermione I love you!” he wailed “please give me a chance?” he grabbed her hand
“I don’t love you Ron!” she yelled, snapping her hand back “there is no chances left to give! You and I are over! Maybe we could still be friends if you weren’t such a moron!”
“Please Mione-“ he tried
“No means No Ron!” she said angrily “your whining is pathetic; you need to grow up!” Hermione was angry again.
“I’m pathetic?!” Ron said angrily, “you know something? Forget it! Maybe I don’t want to be with a bossy little know-it-all! I’ll find someone else! At least I’m not the one who would tease and wouldn’t put out-!”

Hermione span round as Ron was blasted across the walkway by a sickly green light, landing awkwardly against the wall. She heard a low growl as Mal vaulted over it and grabbed Ron by the front of his dress robes, dragging him across the floor.
“get off of me Moors!” Ron was yelling in confusion and anger, but he couldn’t get his feet to co-operate, they kept kicking out under him as he tried to get up.
“say one more word to her and this will be the last thing you ever see” she snarled at him, raising her fist, which was now glowing a bluey sort of green.

“Mal….drop him” Jay was moving towards them “he’s hungover he hurts, let him go”
“No” Mal replied, not looking up at him “he deserves it, you know where I stand on disrespectful behaviour”
“I do but don’t do it Mal” Jay shook his head “c’mon you know it’s not worth it”
“it’ll make me feel better” she growled
“no it won’t” Jay replied “you know it won’t”
“Jay’s right M” Evie spoke up “let’s go back inside and we can all calm down”

She took Hermione by the hand and approached Mal and Ron
“baby please” she put her free hand on her shoulder. Mal flinched at the touch, she looked up at her as the flames around her hand died away. Slowly, she dropped her hand to her side.

“Let him go” Evie said quietly, moving her hand from her shoulder to the one holding his robes; Mal growled quietly
“Mal…” Evie warned “let.him.go” she urged, slipping her hand over hers and pulling at her fingers fisted into his robes.

It took a few moments, but Mal’s grip on Ron’s clothes loosened for a second before she let him go completely, and the redhead straightened his robes.

“There now” Evie’s attention was solely on Mal “that’s my M” she tugged her hand towards her and tried to put space between Mal and Ron to stop any further issues.

Ron let out a squeak of relief as he realised she wouldn’t hit him.

Mal’s attention snapped back to the redheaded boy, Suddenly, she snarled and headbutted him, knocking him out, the crack against her mask echoed in the night. Silently, Mal watched him drop to the floor and turned to the girls.
“Jane? make sure Lavender finds Parvati and the other girls, Jay, he will need to see the nurse when he comes round” Evie sandwiched Mal between herself and Hermione “we’ve got her” she held her hand in her own and the other was clasped on her upper arm, she motioned for Hermione to do the same.
“you sure-“ Jay was looking worried
“sure” Evie nodded “just maybe don’t come to the den tonight, stay in the tower, tell Carlos too”
“understood”

*

Severus watched from the shadowed corner as the teens dispersed. He’d been mildly impressed by the way in which Hermione had hit Ron with the sobering spell, the teenager had power behind her that was for sure.  He was concerned the Weasley boy needed medical attention, but he watched as Jay sat him up against the wall, waving his hand over his face. Ron came round with a groan and promptly vomited.

He stepped into the light and approached them
“what is going on here? Weasley? Potter?”
“it’s nothing to concern you Professor Snape” Jay didn’t turn to face him

“I’ll be the judge of that Mr Jafar” he sneered “ten points from Gryffindor for cheek”

Jay shrugged
“whatever” he pulled Ron to his feet and vanished the vomit from the front of his robes “if you have to ask, you should have come forward before, instead of hiding in the darkness like an overgrown bat” Jay told him “I don’t appreciate being spied on”

Severus hid his surprise; the boy had known he was there all the time?
“I beg-“
“if you don’t mind Professor, I need to get Ron to the nurses office, he’s had quite the knock to the head as I'm sure you saw” Jay shoved past him with Harry taking Ron’s other arm and they headed into the castle.

Chapter Text

Once in the safety of the den, Evie closed the door behind them and waved her hand to lock it, several flashes of colour went up against the wood. Hermione had no idea what any of the spells meant but the ease in which Evie threw them against the door gave her the impression she’d done this before. The pair of them sat Mal in the wing backed chair nearest the fire, which had set aflame once the door had closed behind them. The fae girl was quiet, aside from a few growling sounds she’d made on the way down to the den, she was entirely mute.

As soon she was sat down, Evie crossed to a desk and put her things down on it. She looked at Hermione.

“Are you okay?” she asked

“Er-yes” She replied, “those spells-“
“oh, I locked the door from the inside, no outside unlocking spell will open it, technically there is no door outside right now” she explained
“you removed the door?!” Hermione said in surprise
“only to the unobservant” Evie nodded, “we don’t need anyone coming in and disrupting the peace, I also put up a silencing ward, no one needs to hear anything from in here” she smiled.

She took off her mask and threw it onto the table, kicking off her shoes. Evie crossed the room and knelt beside the chair. Slowly raising her hands, she found the clasp holding the mask over her face and flicked it open.

Mal let out a warning growl, pulling her head away from her.
“don’t you dare” Evie chided “nuh uh don’t look at me like that, it’s coming off and you’re getting comfortable” her tone was entirely business and Hermione marveled at how calm she was. She realised Evie had probably dealt with Mal in these sorts of situations before and knew exactly how to handle the faery girl.

She pulled the mask open and slid it off her head, handing it to Hermione, who dumped it on the table next to her handbag. Mal shifted on the chair, letting out a small sigh.
“You good?” Evie asked after a moment, Mal nodded quietly
“all good, nothing to see here” she commented
“I doubt that” Evie replied, “Jay’s taken him to the nurse”

Mal glared at the wall
“he deserved it, prick”
“we know” Evie assured her swiftly “but twice in one night is a concern…we might need to speak to f-“
“we’re not getting her involved” Mal replied snappishly, cutting her off
“getting who involved?” Hermione asked

She looked up at her
“Hermione!“ she looked at Evie in shock “Oh no-“
“calm down” Evie replied “Mione’s not going to say anything”
“but she-“
“Mal please calm down” Evie repeated “breathe”

Hermione joined them by the fire.
“I was about to hit him with an impotency spell, but you got to him before I could, so that’s probably for the best” she explained, Mal smiled briefly.
“Well it’s done with now” said Evie “Are you calming down yet?” she looked at Mal with raised eyebrows
“hm” Mal nodded “headache” she winced
“thought so” Evie got up and grabbed a bottle off the shelf “take it, it’ll help”

Sighing, Mal took the potion, grimacing at the taste
“it’s good for you” Evie told her, taking a minute to untie her hair from the band at the back of her head, she ran her fingers through the purple curls, it took her a few tries before Mal began to relax.

Hermione got up and walked to her bag, she kept her back to the pair for a few minutes, feeling a little like she was intruding on something intensely private.
“Hermione? Are you okay?” Evie beckoned her back to the fireplace
“yes fine, just...feel a little like I'm intruding” she said awkwardly
“nonsense” Evie replied “c’mon over, I think we were in the middle of a conversation before Ron ruined things”

Mal shifted in her chair, folding her legs under herself. She looked at Hermione as the girl took a seat
“where were we?” she asked
“just wondering what happened earlier, you said it was a lapse of control?” Hermione folded her arms.

Mal grimaced
“yes er…can we talk about that later?” she asked
“M she needs to know”
“No one needs to know E!” Mal glared
“if it happens again-“
“it won’t”
“you don’t know that” Evie replied with a level tone, “it would be a lot easier if you told Mione, especially since she's our girlfriend now” she added
“Tell me what?” Hermione asked, trying not to blush at how casual Evie had reminded Mal she was now their girlfriend, that would take getting used to. “Look if it’s something private that you’d rather not talk about then that’s okay” she said, “is it likely to happen to me again? Is there a way I can defend against it? A spell or a potion or something?”

Mal shook her head with a sigh.
“I don’t know of anything that would work against it” she said “you won’t get affected…not unless I get mad” she said, “most of the time I can control myself” she pulled a water bottle from her bag by the chair and took a drink, toying with it.

Hermione shrugged
“whenever you want to tell me, I’ll listen” she said, “it’s clearly a big thing for you” she smiled a little “you look tired Mal, maybe you should go to the dorm to sleep, and we could catch up in the morning?” she offered
“or we could all sleep in here” Evie returned, “that way we can stay together and get comfortable, you said it yourself there is no rules about not sleeping in the dorms.”

 “there’s one flaw in that plan” said Mal “we don’t have anything to sleep in”

“didn’t think of that” Evie groaned

“you could ask a house elf to get things from the dorm” Hermione shrugged “come to think of it, I don’t think I'm going to be welcome at the tower tonight” she winced “not if Ron’s back from the infirmary, and I don’t trust the other girls not to try something, lord knows what Lavender has said to everyone by now… maybe staying here would be safer”
“I doubt he’ll be back tonight” Mal replied “unless the nurse is able to fix him up that quickly”
“you’d be surprised” Hermione said “she managed to regrow the bones in Harry’s arm in one night when Lockhart removed them…and I only had to stay two nights when I accidentally turned into a cat person”

Mal choked on a mouthful of water
“you…. what?” she asked, “when did this happen?”

Hermione made a face
“okay so in our second year we tried to sneak into the Slytherin dorms to see who was causing students to be petrified when someone unleashed Slytherin's monster from the Chamber of Secrets. We figured Malfoy was up to something, what with his obsession with blood purity. So I brewed some Polyjuice potion, and I thought I had one of Millicent’s hairs” she grimaced “it was not hers, it was a cat hair, Polyjuice isn’t for human to animal transformations.”

“I’m going to assume that was painful” Mal replied
“very” Hermione nodded

“….did you have a tail?” Evie was giggling
“and paws and ears and yes, a furry face” Hermione nodded, “luckily Madame Pomfrey didn’t ask too many questions and had me back to normal within three days, I spent two nights in the infirmary because it took a while for the counter potion to be effective enough so I didn’t have a tail or paws”
“wow that’s impressive” Mal replied, “did you ever find out what was petrifying people?”
“yes, a basilisk, a huge great big snake” Hermione said “unfortunately I got petrified, Harry managed to kill it and turned out I missed two weeks of school because we had to wait until the mandrakes were mature.”  She said, “didn’t help we didn’t believe Harry when he said he was hearing a voice in the walls, turns out he’s a parselmouth”
“A what?”
“he can talk to snakes” she replied, “and heard the snake’s voice in the walls, we just thought he was crazy”

Mal was frowning
“what's on your mind Mal?” Evie asked
“hm? Oh nothing” she yanked off her tie and threw it behind her “I really would like to get changed, we’ll have to nip to the dorms for clothes, the balls still on right?”

Hermione shook her head, she had a feeling it was a bad idea to let Mal out of the room right now, regardless of how calm she seemed to be.
“we don’t have to go anywhere…Dobby?” she called quietly

A pop sounded in the middle of the room, Evie and Mal jumped in shock as the house elf appeared
“Misses Granger!” he excitedly squeaked “How can Dobby serve?”
“I need you to get me my pyjamas from the dorm, and then go to the Slytherin dorms and do the same for Evie and Mal” she explained, gesturing to the two girls “we’re staying here tonight, it’s not safe for me in Gryffindor tower…can you do that?”
“of course Misses Granger” he popped out of sight

“What in the name of the Isle was that?!” Mal asked
“Dobby’s a house elf” Hermione replied, “Harry freed him at the end of second year and now he works at Hogwarts” she explained “he’s probably the only one I would trust at the minute, his loyalty to Harry is a little extreme.”

Another pop later and Dobby put several piles of clothing down on the table beside their bags
“perfect thanks Dobby” Hermione smiled “that’s a great help”
“you’re welcome Misses Granger, any friend of Harry Potter is a friend to Dobby” he disappeared into the air again without a sound.
“how-“
“house elf magic” Hermione laughed at their dumbfounded faces
“seems like there’s much to learn here” Mal commented “just when I think we’ve seen everything…” she exhaled
“who do you think keep the school tidy?” Hermione asked, “house elves, they do all our washing and cleaning”
“woah, that’s kinda cool” Mal replied
“unlike many families who own house elves, Dumbledore pays them each a sickle a week, a lot of the elves are free and if they didn’t work for a family or for Hogwarts they’d die” she went on “it caused quite a stir when people found out apparently”
“why?”
“a lot of the old families, like Malfoy’s, Parkinson’s and the Bullstrode’s keep them as servants, and they don’t treat them well, Dobby was abused by the Malfoys until Harry freed him” she shrugged
“oh, right, wow” Evie replied “right well if it’s alright with you ladies I'm dying to get out of this dress”
“you and me both” Hermione agreed

She crossed the floor and grabbed her clothes; Hermione saw a privacy screen in the corner of the room and headed behind it to change.

Mal yanked Evie towards her and kissed her forcefully, making her sigh.
“gentle M” she whispered against her mouth “not too many bruises, kay?”
“I know” she replied, “was it bad?”
“not any worse than the other times” Evie began unbuttoning her waistcoat and pushed it off her shoulders, starting on her shirt “you need to talk to Mione”
“Evie-“ Mal whined
“I mean it, she's our girlfriend now” Evie shook her head “she has the right to know” she pushed the shirt off her shoulders, leaning over to kiss her neck with a grin

Mal huffed
“n-not fair E” She gasped a little “th-that’s sensitive”
“I know” Evie teased “here” she handed her clothes “or I'm going to strip you and give Mione the shock of her life”
“I don’t think we want to scare her off E” Mal said wryly “she only just agreed to be our girlfriend”

The pair got changed and threw their clothes aside. A few minutes later, Hermione appeared, holding her dress in one hand and her shoes in the other, she was limping just a little.
“are you okay?” Evie asked
“my feet hurt” she winced “I hate heels”
“you poor thing” Evie replied “c’mon over here I have just the thing to make it better” she sat down on the couch as Mal flopped down beside her.

Evie was rummaging through a box on the table
“I swear it was….ah ha!” she pulled out a tub from the bottom “here, put some of this on your feet then put your socks back on” she handed it to her “your feet will thank you in the morning”
“oh okay” Hermione replied, “how exactly do you have so many potions and things?” she rubbed the cream on her feet with a wince, pulling her socks back on once done.
“necessity?” Evie offered with a shrug “to be honest I just enjoy brewing, it kinda keeps my mind occupied”
“did your school have a potions lab?” Hermione asked
“Auradon? Heck no” Evie replied “Auradon is….rather muggle” she said
“oh?”
“well not exactly muggle. But magic is retired, not used openly” Mal shifted on the sofa, lying her head in Hermione’s lap and throwing her legs over the side of the couch in order to get comfortable “anything we did we had to keep secret”
“sounds hard” Hermione said, looking down at her, she began carding a hand through her hair, Mal exhaled, shifting a little to get into a better position.
“our head teacher is the Fairy Godmother, from Cinderella… Janes mom” she said, “but she doesn’t use her wand anymore”
“why not?” Hermione asked
“No one knows” Evie replied, “I mean, she uses it for public functions, and the coronation” she added “but as a rule magic is retired”
“coronation?”
“yes Ben’s now King, he’s a friend…his father stepped down and decided to give his son the Kingdom at sixteen” Mal replied “Auradon is just weird” she yawned.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she looked down and saw her canines, they were larger than normal human teeth but didn’t seem to bother her.
“I can’t see it being any stranger than being whisked away to Hogwarts at eleven, having never understood why things happen to you all the time” Hermione replied “my parents were considering putting me in a psychiatric hospital at one point. They realised to keep me happy stopped the weirdness, so I suppose they indulged me a little. Then when I got my Hogwarts letter, they were thrilled. Of course the Statute of Secrecy means they can’t tell anyone, according to my parents, they told the neighbours I go to Oxford”
“what's Oxford?”
“a very prestigious school in England” Hermione replied with a shrug “it’s a boarding school for the upper class, you must be exceptionally gifted, or have lots of money to attend…. I fall into the former category. I did get accepted to Oxford before I got my Hogwarts letter”
“oh right” Evie said “so, wait, you can’t do magic at home?”
“not unless I want to be expelled, our wands have a Trace on them which breaks upon our seventeenth birthday” Hermione sighed “I mean we get homework over the summer but most of it is essays and things. I don’t usually get to use my magic until I go….” She trailed off “nevermind”
“go where?” Mal asked

“I usually spend the last two weeks of summer at Ron’s with Harry” she said, “because his parents are magical the statute doesn’t count any magic use as underage wizardry because there is a higher concentration of wizards so the trace can’t identify if its being used by an underage wizard or witch or not” Hermione winced “after tonight I'm going to assume I won’t be welcome at the Weasley’s home any time soon”
“well this summer you should come with us to Auradon” Evie folded her legs under herself on the sofa “I mean we don’t have laws against magic being used and I don’t think your statute would hold up there, Ben’s working things out so it’s a little more accepted and we’re not planning on hiding anyway”
“oh yes I still owe him a painting” Mal commented “better get on with that at some point”
“a painting?” Hermione asked
“yes, he…pulled some strings for me” Mal didn’t quite look at her, “so I said I’d repay him somehow”
“what sort of strings?”

Mal sighed
“I er…sort of…. made a mess before we left for Hogwarts”
“what kind of mess?” asked Hermione
“the big kind” she replied with a wince

Hermione continued to run her hand through her hair, listening to the crackling of the fireplace. Evie shifted over on the sofa, leaning her head on her shoulder and after a brief hesitation she scooted her arm around Hermione, who leaned a little into her embrace.

She’d never dreamed this would be a thing, that either of them would be interested in her, and yet here she was. Their conversation earlier that night confirmed both Evie and Mal wanted a relationship with her, and Hermione was floored by the fact they’d managed to get her to so easily agree, not that she would have resisted in the first place. She’d just have to get used to their somewhat strange way of showing affection. The playful slaps and shoves she could tolerate, but something was bothering her a little about why they chose to show affection in this way and how long it would take for them to be comfortable with each other.

Thinking about it, she had seen how close Evie was with only a select few people, mainly Mal. But Jay and Carlos were very dear to her. It was obvious she was used to them touching her and she would openly hug the boys.  Over the weeks they’d sat together in Arithmancy, she’d noticed how Evie would occasionally become animated about the subject and she’d tug her hand to get her attention, or she’d touch her in some way.

Hermione smiled to herself; she’d been an idiot not to realise that those touches were the blue-haired girl’s nonverbal signs of trust. She supposed to a point it was her way to communicate when she didn’t have the capacity for speaking. The first few times Hermione had tried to get her attention in class, or had touched her by accident, Hermione had noticed how Evie had flinched away from her, becoming slightly wary and defensive, and it took a little bit of work for the blue-haired girl to become calm in her presence.

If this happened in Arithmancy, Carlos would be there at her side, gently talking to her quietly and after a minute or so, Evie would be calm. Sometimes one of the other VK’s would take her away from the group if this happened outside of class and when they would return a few minutes later, Evie would be back to her normal bubbly self. Often when this occurred Hermione was left wondering what had happened to her but dared not ask.

Mal on the other hand was a lot more direct with her actions and her words. Hermione was unable to ignore how possessive Mal was of Evie, but she couldn’t blame her. It seemed the shorter girl spent a lot of time ensuring Evie was comfortable, Hermione supposed it was due to their upbringing, she’d gotten snippets of their life on the Isle of the Lost through things that had been said over the weeks, but she got the impression the subject was not one to broach.

Regardless, Hermione looked down at Mal who seemed to be sleeping. She had her eyes closed, breathing deep and even. She knew she would keep their secrets if they decided to share with her.

“So, how much trouble do you think I’ll get in?” Mal asked in the silence, Hermione jumped, clearly Mal wasn't asleep.
“for what?” She asked
“headbutting him”
“depends, don’t think any teachers saw” she replied “even if they did, he’ll be in trouble for being drunk. I think the worst you’ll get is a detention and a letter back to Auradon”
“you make a good point” Mal agreed

She opened her eyes, blinking lazily and turned her head to look at Hermione.
“something on your mind M?” Evie asked in amusement, she knew exactly what the faerie was thinking, finding it very easy to read her expression.
“oh I'm sure you know” She said idly “but the question is, does Hermione?”
“do I know what?” she asked
“you know I won our little wager tonight” Mal was now openly smirking
“I didn’t think we were actually betting on it” Hermione replied with a chuckle
“well you told me I’d won but you didn’t know what I’d won” Mal went on
“true I wasn’t entirely sure” She said, “why what are you thinking?”
“well…as I won, it’s only fair I get to choose my reward” Mal shrugged, not managing to look quite as innocent as she’d like, pointedly ignoring Evie’s snort.
“….dare I ask?” Hermione raised her eyebrows as Evie chuckled quietly.

“I think it’s only fair I get to kiss you first” Mal was grinning as Hermione blushed scarlet
“oh? is that right?” Evie rolled her eyes
“Absolutely” Mal sat up on her elbows “I won the bet”
“What bet was this that I wasn’t aware of?” Evie asked
“I told her you’d dance with her before the night was over, she didn’t believe me, I won” Mal replied, “well? do I get my reward?” She batted her eyelashes at Hermione.

She laughed
“I think that’s a fair reward” she ignored how her face flamed, cheeks turning pink. “But I have one stipulation”
“oh?” Mal eyed her a little warily
“before you get your reward, I want you to kiss Evie” she folded her arms
“our Mia has a voyeurism fetish?” Mal commented “I like it” she grinned

Mal got up off the sofa and straddled Evie’s lap, the blue-haired girl wasted little time in grabbing her waist and pulling her in for a searing kiss that left both a little flustered. Smirking, Mal turned to Hermione.
“Well?” she asked, “now can I get my reward?”
“I suppose so” Hermione nodded with a shy grin.

Chuckling, Mal leant over towards her, entwining one hand into Evie’s. She put her other hand on the side of Hermione’s face, stroking her chin with her thumb. Mal moved her hand into her hair and closed the gap between them, kissing her softly.

Hermione couldn’t quite stop the gasp that escaped as their lips met. Her mind turned blank for a moment before colours exploded behind her eyes.  Kissing Mal was nothing like she’d experienced before, it felt entirely different to Ron or Viktor and Hermione decided she preferred how gentle the kiss was compared to the boys of the recent past.  She was a little concerned Evie would be jealous as they broke apart.

“Well now that was a reward well rendered” Mal commented with a smile. Hermione blushed; she didn’t quite know how to respond to that.
“glad you think so” Evie retorted “you two make a very hot couple” she commented, giving them both a heated stare that had Mal wriggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“not as hot as you two” She replied with a shrug “and I get to watch” she sniggered
“of course you do my love” Evie shoved her off her lap and Mal fell to the floor with a yelp
“Evie!” she whined, “Not fair”
“I'm sure you’ll survive” Evie rolled her eyes as Hermione laughed

Mal hissed at the pair as she got up, baring her fangs playfully
“No biting!” Evie chided “I mean it! Not with those!”
“you’ve never minded before” Mal grumbled
“that’s beside the point Mally” Evie replied “I’m not sure our Mia can go back to the dorm in the morning covered in dragon bites” she pointed out “so no biting”

Hermione blinked, that was the second time in a few minutes they’d called her Mia instead of Mione, she found she didn’t mind it, it seemed more intimate somehow. But that was the least of her concerns.
“dragon bites?” she questioned

Evie winced
“Oops” she said “er…maybe forget I said that?” she looked at Mal worriedly
“thanks E” Mal sighed
“okay now I'm confused” Hermione said “what do dragons have to do with anything? I don’t know much about fae but I'm pretty sure you’re fae” she looked at Mal
“oh yeah that’s well and truly noted” She nodded “my mom is a dark Fae,”
“right…”
“M you have to tell her the truth” Evie said “it’s not fair on her if you don’t”
“I know E” Mal glared, her eyes flashed and she grunted, closing them for a moment
“you don’t have to tell me anything if it’s going to upset you” Hermione said quickly
“If I tell you then you have to swear not to say a word” Mal sat on Evie’s lap, facing Hermione
“okay…you have my word, I won’t tell anyone” Hermione agreed

Mal ran a hand through her hair, mussing up the purple strands
“I can turn into a dragon, well, I mean I did it once recently and when I turned back I had these for about an hour afterwards” she pointed to the fangs “they come out when I get really mad now and tend to stay for a while, there’s a few other things that I'm sure you’ll see in time, but the thing is I'm not supposed to tell anyone at Hogwarts”
“why not?”
“Fairy Godmother’s orders, my mom was infamous for changing into a dragon when she tried to destroy Auroria and the whole nearly killing half the country thing over not being invited to Aurora’s christening. Fairy Godmother didn’t want me going round telling everyone, also, I’ve only done it once, I can hardly do it on command” Mal explained with a tired shrug.
“but why would that be a problem?” Hermione asked, “why do I have a feeling Fairy Godmother isn’t as nice as the stories?”

Evie grimaced
“oh no she's just as nice, she's perfectly the same, just ask Jane” she said, “it’s just….Auradon is….different”
“I see” Hermione nodded “but if you went back to Auradon in control of the power then surely that’s a good thing?” she looked up at Mal
“I guess” she replied “I don’t know how I did it in the first place, I got so mad at Chad for….well….being Chad that I lost control” she leant against Evie, who wrapped her arm around her
“whose Chad?”
“The son of Prince Charming and Cinderella” Evie replied “he reminds me a bit of Draco, proud pompous yet stupid”
“he sounds a treasure” Hermione said wryly, Evie snorted
“he’s not all there, there that’s true, let’s just say I think he’s a product of circumstance”
“his mom’s an airhead and his dad isn’t much better” Mal snorted

Hermione laughed
“there might be a way to deal with this problem Mal” she said “Professor McGonagall, she's an animagus, she has the power to change into a cat at will, she might be able to help”
“yeah I know I mean I sort of figured that out cause her magic feels feline in nature, I asked her about it the other week, she was surprised I knew, but I'm not sure it works that way” Mal replied “but maybe she could point me in the right direction, then I wouldn’t have to worry so much about accidentally turning scaly and burning down buildings”
“one building” Evie poked her side “and that wasn’t your fault”
“there were no other dragons Eves” Mal grumbled
“no, but if FG hadn’t sprayed water in your face you wouldn’t have got so mad”
“she was trying to help, I think” Mal replied
“perhaps” Evie commented

Mal sighed, feeling a lot less stressed than earlier, she was still amazed Hermione hadn’t run screaming from the pair of them. She knew they’d made the right decision to ask her, the brunette was a veritable powerhouse of magic. Mal could feel it around her sometimes, the buzzing against her senses had left her feeling a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. She wasn’t sure if Hermione knew she was doing it, maybe she should talk to her at some point?
“right I'm nipping down the hall to the bathroom, don’t murder each other whilst I'm gone” she got up off her lap “Er Evie? there’s no door”
“oh! Yes!” Evie waved a hand towards the door and it reappeared, Mal yanked it open and disappeared around it.

Hermione watched her leave, turning her attention back to Evie
“so that’s why you were late to arrive?”
“Yes it happened three days before we were due to leave, Fairy Godmother had to do damage control, we had a bit of an issue with Queen Aurora” she winced “her daughter goes to school with Ben, Audrey is…well…Chad’s her best friend and I’m not sure putting Sleeping Beauty’s daughter and the Heir of Maleficent in the same room was ever going to be safe…she also had to fix the broken buildings. M was taken to the nurse when she managed to change back. For a while we weren’t sure she would be able to”
“sounds hard” Hermione said, “and scary”
“yeah” Evie said “what about your parents? Do they enjoy having a witch in the family?” she switched the conversation away from Mal’s issues for a moment. It wasn’t that Evie didn’t trust Hermione, but she felt some stories weren’t ready to be told quite yet.
“oh er, they’re used to it now” Hermione nodded “they were more concerned when I used a time turner in my third year and did two years schooling at once, technically I’m almost sixteen”
“what?”
“well I decided to take every class, so Professor McGonagall gave me a time turner, so I could attend all classes, so I would go to say Charms, which would clash with Arithmancy, turn the time back and go to Arithmancy” Hermione shrugged “it was fine for a while but did get tiring”
“that’s amazing” Evie reached out and pushed her hair off her shoulder, the touch a little unsure.

Hermione leant a little into her hand, shifting against her on the sofa to close the gap between them both. She was a little thrown as to how natural it felt to be this close to Evie, and she desperately wished she could write to her aunties to ask for advice. However they weren’t to be told of her Magical status unless strictly necessary. Her parents were very aware they were hiding it from their family but with their daughter’s closeness to Harry, and the escapades of previous years, meant they were reluctant to include any more family members on the secret. As far as they knew, Hermione went to a prestigious boarding school due to her excellent academic skill and that was it.
“are you sure you’re okay with this?” Evie asked in a quiet tone
“yes of course” Hermione replied, “I would have said otherwise”
“you would?” Evie asked
“of course” she nodded “I think I've had a bit of a crush on both of you for a while truth be told” she ducked her head “I don’t think I did very well at hiding it” she giggled when Evie laughed
“I did notice” she said, “but I knew you had a boyfriend so….didn’t want to intrude”
“until I dumped him?”
“of course” Evie said with a shrug “I didn’t want to offend you”
“offend me? How could you offend me?” Hermione asked
“well, you might not have been into it for one thing” Evie replied “it’s not like it’s the norm, not even where we come from is it considered normal, not that we care though”
“forget normal” Hermione replied “normal is overrated”
“I agree” Evie smiled.

Hermione twisted to face her and reached out for her hand, watching as Evie flinched slightly at the contact, but the blue-haired girl didn’t move away. Hermione entwined their fingers, she paused, rubbing her thumb on the back of her palm.
“it bothers you doesn’t it?” she asked
“what?” Evie asked
“being touched” Hermione replied “I’ve noticed it happens quite a bit, the flinching”

Evie sighed; she squeezed her hand gently and looked away.  
“I’m okay with you touching me” She said after a moment of silence “it’s not you that’s the problem”
“meaning?” Hermione looked at her, but Evie didn’t quite meet her eyes, instead she turned to look at the fire, her bottom lip clenched between her teeth for a moment or so
“I’d…I’d rather not talk about it, not today” she finally said, “if that’s okay with you?”
“of course” Hermione replied “I understand” she smiled
“thanks Mia” Evie tugged her closer and slowly hugged her into her lap, leaning forward a little to wrap her arms around her waist.

Hermione hugged her back, feeling the slight tremors as the taller girl suddenly had to attempt to regain control of her emotions.
“Evie?” she rubbed her back in slow circles to calm her, her mum had done this to her plenty of times when she was small, and it helped her to calm down easily enough. Evie didn’t speak, her hands clenched around her waist fisted into her nightshirt. After a few minutes Hermione felt the shaky breathing against her neck slowing down.

The door opened and Mal returned, she smiled seeing the pair cuddled together but then saw the worried frown on Hermione’s face.
“Are we okay?” she queried “E?”
“Perfect” the single word came out in a hard whisper that did not sound like Evie at all.

Mal skirted around the sofa and looked at them both.
“what happened I was only gone five minutes?”
“I said I'm fine” Evie repeated “just…tired” she refused to move her head from being tucked into Hermione’s shoulder
“it is late Eves,  maybe we should make the bed and get some sleep?” Mal offered “it’s after midnight, the ball will be ending around now”
“yeah” she replied “sleep would be good”
“then give me two minutes” Mal rubbed her hands together “then my girls can get some sleep” she smiled.

Evie returned it but the expression was weak at best, Hermione continued to rub her back. Evie moved, tucking her head under her chin, her eyes bright. Mal wanted to pull her into her arms there and then but forced herself to stop. Evie seemed content with Hermione right now and she needed to sort out their sleeping arrangements.

Crossing the room to the nook by the fire, Mal shifted a table out of the way to make some room, before pulling a bed out from the corner.
“how in the-“ Hermione’s startled voice commented
“magic of course” She grinned “also, we brought a lot of stuff with us in case we needed somewhere to stay in an emergency” Mal flipped the covers down and a few minutes later the bed was ready to use “all done” she said
“good” Hermione got to her feet, not relinquishing her hold on Evie’s hands, She helped her to stand.

Mal was at her side almost instantly
“E?” she asked quietly “what’s wrong?” Mal used a finger to push her chin up so Evie would look at her, Evie smiled weakly
“I'm tired” she said “I want sleep”
“Evie-“
“Mal let her sleep” Hermione cut in “whatever it is can wait till the morning, we’re all exhausted”

Sighing, Mal nodded, knowing she was right.
“alright well, okay” she said uncertainly, she couldn’t stand Evie looking this way, she wondered what had happened in the few minutes she had gone to the bathroom to upset her so much, but she wouldn’t get any answers until she was ready to talk about it.

Hermione pulled the covers back and Evie sat on the bed, she looked at them
“I vote Mia in the middle” Mal was grinning again, Evie nodded
“I agree” Evie replied, “that way we both get to snuggle you” there was that leery expression again, Hermione cleared her throat.
“fine by me” She said with a small smile “it’ll make a change from being shoved out of bed by Ginny”
“oh?” Mal asked
“she kicks a lot, is not a fan of her space being invaded” She replied with a grin “her mum cushioned her floor years ago, that way anyone who shares her room doesn’t have to put up with being kicked”
“sounds like a wise idea” Evie led on her side, shuffling back against the wall.

Hermione climbed in next to her, leaning back against the pillows. Mal was rummaging in a bag at the end of the bed before pulling something out of it. When she turned around to get into bed, she smiled.
“Comfy?” she asked, Evie made a sleepy sound in response, her eyes were already closing, she was leaning against Hermione’s shoulder, her arm wrapped around her chest. Mal knew it was her favourite position to sleep in, it made her feel safe. Hermione had tucked her arm around her back to let her get comfortable
“room for one more?” she asked
“Yes” Hermione reached forward and pulled her hand, somehow without dislodging Evie

Mal climbed into bed and made herself comfortable, pulling the blankets up over them all. Hermione put her arm around her, pulling her to her side so she could lean on her other shoulder. Evie cracked an eye open, hooking her fingers around Mal’s waist, tucking them into the top of her sleep shorts, stroking the pale skin underneath. Mal leant over and kissed her on the head
“sleep E” she whispered “you’re safe”

With a wave of her hand, Mal locked the door and put the lights out. She closed her eyes, listening to the soft thrumming of the girls’ heartbeats as she slipped into sleep.

*

Madame Pomfrey folded her arms
“he has a broken skull Albus” she was frowning “he’s very lucky his brain is intact, as well as a broken collarbone and other bruises”
“a shame” Severus commented, ignoring the reproachful look of the headmaster
“Severus” he chided “the boy did not deserve this”
“didn’t he? I don’t see how Weasley is the victim here” he said, “the boy’s a fool”
“now Severus” said Albus “young love is tricky, Miss Moors-“
“don’t you dare tell me I have to discipline her for this” He shook his head “if that’s the case he is just as too blame and deserves punishment, from what I saw she defended Granger’s and Brown’s honour, Weasley was a drunken idiot, whoever got the contraband in deserves expulsion”
“be that as it may” said Minerva “she did break his skull” she pointed out “whilst I don’t agree with the method…” she trailed off, turning to look at Ron sleeping in the bed in the infirmary, his head wrapped in bandages. “My lions are not always as innocent as some believe” she shared a look with him, Severus scowled
“Poppy will have the break fixed by the morning, your point is?” he asked
“we cannot allow this treatment of students to become the norm” she said “I will speak to Miss Moors in the morning and express on her the seriousness of her actions. I shall write to her headmistress. I don’t know much about her kind, is this normal fae behaviour? If so we should have been warned prior to her arrival”
“why not write to her parents?” He replied “dark fae are mischievous creatures, they don’t tend to attack unless its warranted” Severus shrugged a shoulder “I don’t know much else”
“I get the impression our letter would not reach the Isle of the Lost” she said lightly “even if it did, I doubt Maleficent would reply to tell us anything of importance”

Albus nodded
“I agree with Minerva” he said “Poppy, let me know when Mister Weasley wakes tomorrow”
“of course Headmaster” she nodded

*

Harry, Fred, George and Ginny were sat by the fire with Jay, Lavender was with Parvati across the table.
“he’ll be fine” George was saying to Ginny “Madam Pomfrey will fix him up Gin, no problem”
“he didn’t deserve it”
“oh he did” Lavender said “he was drunk and being horrible to everyone, he totally deserved it”
“he’ll be fine in the morning” Jay agreed “besides, she didn’t even hit him that hard” he shrugged
“You heard Madame Pomfrey Jay, she broke his skull” Harry raised his eyebrows “how is that not too hard?”

Jay looked at him
“let’s just say I've seen her do worse” he said. He turned his attentions to the fire, the warmth seeping into his bones. Jay’s mind flashed back to the Isle. To a dark night over a year prior…

~*~

It was warm, well as warm as the Isle got anyway; Jay heard the voices below in the marketplace from the room above his dad’s junk shop. He slipped out of the open window and climbed down the drainpipe.
“…I'm going to count to three” Mal’s voice cut the stuttering man off like a knife, much like the one in her hand “and you will tell me where she is, if you don’t, you’re going to get very acquainted with my friend here” she shoved the blade up under the man’s throat “Where is Evie Grimhilde?”

  The man spluttered, his eyes darting from the knife to her face
“One” Mal twisted the knife over his chest “Two” she dug the point in, watching as blood began to darken the shirt. Mal snarled quietly as the man whimpered pathetically.
“sh-sh-she’s in the dungeons of the castle her mom lives in she's been there for a week” he said quickly “her mom didn’t approve of something she’d done there was a fight please don’t kill me”

  She pulled the knife back and rammed the man’s head against the wall with a hand, watching as he sank to the floor, blood smearing the ground from the inflicted wounds. She bent down to wipe the bloody knife on his clothes before stowing it away from view.
“…do you have to murder them?” Jay asked, “if you want to keep your thing with Evie quiet murdering people is not the way to go about it”
“he snitched, EQ would have done worse to him and you know it” she didn’t look at Jay “besides he’s not dead he’s unconscious…get rid of him, I’m going to Evie’s”
“Mal-“
“get rid of the body Jay, it can’t be found here”
“MAL!” he stood in front of her “you need to be calm, facing EQ right now is a bad idea”
“it’s the perfect idea and if you don’t want to join our friend here you will do as your told!” Mal snarled at him, shoving him backwards.

  Jay stumbled a little, almost tripping over the body by his feet.
“Mal listen to me” he tried once more, looking at her retreating back “Please listen”

  He heard a low growl as she stopped walking
“What?”
“if you go there right now in this state she’ll see right through you” he side stepped the body as the man groaned and took her arm “if she gets even a whisper of this she will make Evie disappear for good, you know that”
“She wouldn’t dare-“
“she would, you know she would” Jay replied “c’mon Mal. Don’t be your mom” She hissed at him
“don’t you dare-“
“you’re acting very much like her Mal” he cut her off “you need to breathe and go when you’re calm. I want Evie back as much as you do, I miss her too” Jay needled “please, don’t make me lose my best friends”

  “Jay! I told you to stay inside!” Jafar was at the doorway, his eye fell on the body on the floor “what in-“
“he was trying to break in” Mal shrugged “he won’t trouble you anymore” she gave him what she hoped was a malicious smile, Jafar snorted
“doing your mothers work now?” he asked
“when the mood strikes” Mal replied with a careless shrug “I need Jay actually, so he will be out tonight, I have a business meeting…you might want to put him somewhere else till he comes round, unless you want him to wake up on your doorstep”

Jafar’s eyes narrowed ever so lightly
“A meeting? at this hour? with who?”
“none of your concern” Mal snapped “you’ll have him back tomorrow” she turned to walk away and silently Jay followed her.

  They walked through the darkened streets in silence, skirting around the entrance pathway of Hell Hall.
“No” she didn’t look at him “he’s too young”
“Mal-“
“Carlos is still too young to see this stuff, at least one of us should maintain a semblance of our childhoods Jay” Mal told him “ours was ripped from us too long ago you know it”

Jay sighed quietly, continuing on the beaten pathway down towards The Castle Across The Way.
“what's your plan Mal?” Jay finally asked her as the building came into view.
“scale the wall check if she's in her room, that snitch might have lied” She said “if she’s below ground we get her out, take her to the hideout and you do exactly what I tell you”

He watched as her eyes burst a bright emerald green, she blinked once, twice, slowing her breathing down. Aside from her mom, Mal was the only kid on the Isle to maintain a sliver of magic. He supposed it was due to her mom being a faery. Not that she could do much with it thanks to the barrier, Mal often complained it felt like something was yanking at her insides and she had tried several times to split the barrier holding them on the Isle to make the pain stop. But to her constant frustration, the barrier wouldn’t yield to her attempts.  

It wasn’t until Carlos had torn a hole in it trying to get a better TV reception a few months ago that he had noticed the change in his friend. It hadn’t happened overnight though, Jay recalled. It had taken a few days for things to start to change. She’d started to become physically stronger than she was before, without doing anything to build muscle. Which was a good thing considering good food was scarce on the Isle and he worried about her eating daily. Maleficent was not exactly the greatest at cooking, preferring to leave it to her minions.

  He watched as they walked around the back of the castle, Mal stopped by a wall about three quarters around the building and looked up.
“Wait here” she said quietly “I won’t be two minutes”
“where-“
“up of course” she rolled her eyes, her fingers finding well-worn holes in the brickwork.  

Mal scaled the wall with the grace of a lizard, her feet barely making any sound until she was around halfway up, she scooted across to the window and peered inside. Jay watched as she climbed down with speed. Leaping off the last foot or so, he caught her face in the moonlight and for a moment, a split second, not that he would ever admit it, Jay was terrified.  

Rage. Rage was etched on her face, making is friend look more like her mother than she ever had before. Her bright emerald eyes glowing with anger and a derisive sneer curled her upper lip. Yet Mal was silent. She started walking down a hillside, her eyes watching the castle until she came to a small opening in the rockface hidden by a partially collapsed wall. Mal climbed over the fallen brickwork before she felt along the rock expectantly, pausing a few minutes later, and yanked at something with her bare hands.

  Jay watched as the rock fell away, Mal threw it aside, the thud echoed in the chamber.
“Mal-“
“silence” she snapped. Mal turned back to the rockface, and Jay realised it was a barred window, without the glass inside. As with most things on the Isle, the Castle had seen better days. But in this case it worked in their favour.

  Mal peered inside, sticking her head into the hole. She pulled back sharply as voices were heard from below.
“…it won’t take a minute Princess” an oily voice was saying “just a little-“  

Jay frowned, Mal saw his expression and hushed him before he spoke with a hand gesture.
“…very well, you know I will have to report this to your mother, she will not be impressed”
“report me, I don’t care” Evie’s voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of something in her voice that Jay couldn’t identify.  

They heard the door shut and a clang of a lock sliding into place. Mal looked around before yanking the bars from the window and placing them on the ground
“E?” she was half-way in the window before Jay realised what her plan was. “Jay get down here”

He followed through the hole and as landed silently as he could.  

Evie was staring at them
“what the hell are you two doing here?!” she said in panic “he’s gone to get my mother-“
“you’re coming with us” Mal replied “quickly before he comes back”
“no I can’t she-“
“you’re coming with me” Mal told her “We’re taking you home E” she stepped forward into the room and pulled the girl close to her. Seconds later she swore, pulling back in pain
“she knew you’d try” Evie said “iron chains… M I can’t get them off, I can’t leave”  

Jay shook his head
“let me try” he said, Evie raised her wrists towards him, and Jay grabbed one of the shackles. He yanked on it, but it was stuck fast.  

Mal’s head snapped round
“C’mon Jay” she warned “they’re coming”
“too damn tight” he grunted “sorry Eves” he tried again but to no avail, Mal looked around
“Jay give me your jacket” she said
“uh okay?” he shrugged it off and Mal grabbed the material in one hand  

She saw where the chain was pinned to the wall and wrapped the chains in the jacket, yanking them out of the stone with a heave. Mal winced as the chain caught her again in the side.
“let’s move, we can get these off in the hideout” she refused to show how much that hurt, ignoring the blistering now on her hands where the chain had touched her skin.

  Jay was already on the outside of the room helping Evie up into the window, using the chains to pull her up. She heard the snick of the lock and knew Evie’s mother was on the outside of the door.
“GO!” Mal hissed
“M!” Evie shook her head “not without you-“
“GO NOW!” she demanded “I’ll meet you at the hideout”  

*

Jay closed the door to the hideout; he led Evie down on her bed and grabbed his lockpicking equipment. He made short work of removing the shackles.
“thanks Jay” she winced, rubbing her wrists gingerly “I hope she got out”
“she will have, you know she would have a plan” he assured her “Mal always has a plan. There might be some hot water if you want a shower. You might feel better to get clean?”
“maybe in a while, I'm really tired” Evie shifted on the bed “I…don’t suppose we’ve any food?”
“I’ll see what we’ve got”

  The door clanged, startling them both
“….hey?” Mal called through the intercom “um…JayJay? A little help here?”

  He ran to the stairwell and pulled the door open, Jay jumped down the last few stairs and pushed the gate open.

“thanks” Mal was leaning against the wall, her face tight as if she was in pain
“wha-“
“Not here” She told him “Just give me a hand inside” she looked around before she allowed him to pick her up and carry her behind the gateway.

  Jay shifted his hold on the smaller girl and winced as Mal swore, he took the stairs a few at a time
“don’t you dare drop me JayJay” she warned
“I would rather die” he grunted “you’re heavy for such a tiny person you know”
“I think the word you’re looking for is compact” Mal rolled her eyes with a chuckle

  M!” Evie said worriedly as they returned to their hideout
“I'm fine” she waved a blistered hand “I twisted my ankle running back via Hell Hall, it’ll be fine in a day or so, it’s not broken but hurts” Jay sat her down on a chair “your mom won’t bother you for a while E, I locked them in the room when they came in, she's stuck in there”
“she’ll be furious when she gets out…let me look at your ankle” Evie struggled to her feet
“No” Mal shook her head “you need to eat something and you need to rest. How long were you down there?” she yanked off her boots with a grimace and threw them aside. Evie winced and didn’t reply.

Jay brought over a cup and some material strips
“Mal your hands-“
“it’s nothing” She brushed him off
“it’s not nothing” Jay shook his head “let me look for evils sake”

Sighing, Mal upturned her palms, Jay winced; they were covered in blistered marks, red and angry welts covered her hands where she’d touched the iron
“you need to have those looked at…they look bad”
“they’ll go in a day or so, we just need some sea water to soak them in, the salt will help clean them” Evie was leaning over to look at the marks “M-“ she shifted off her bed and knelt in front of her “let me look at your ankle”
“Evie my ankle is fine”
“so you won’t mind if I take a look then?” She pulled her jeans up over her knee and removed her socks, Mal swore as she touched the skin with a gentle hand “it’s pretty swollen M”
“it’ll be fine, I’ll be fine, Jay nip to the docks for some sea water, ill soak my hands before bed, it’ll help the blisters and hope my mother doesn’t need me in the next day or so” she wriggled her fingers with a wince, she’d hardly be able to lift her pencil let alone a knife in this condition.

“I’ll be back” Jay nodded “there might be some bread or something in the cupboard, I'm sure Carlos stole some from his mom’s kitchen yesterday”
“we’ll deal” Mal nodded “go”

~*~

Jay folded his arms, watching the embers dying in the grate in the same way as his memories brought him back to the present.
“….Jay? You coming to bed?” Harry was standing in the doorway
“uh… yeah” He rubbed his face and got to his feet.

He followed him to the dormitory and stripped off for bed. Seamus and Dean were already passed out, their snoring sounded too loud in the darkened room as Jay climbed into bed and noticed a tiny, folded letter lying on his pillow. Jay opened it and smiled to himself. He screwed the note up and with a poke of his finger it burnt up in his hand without any ashes left behind. He tried to sleep.

*

Hermione woke the next morning to the feeling of a weight on her chest that didn’t seem like Crookshanks. She blinked a few times to clear her vision. She looked down in surprise to see Mal’s head tucked just under her chin, her deep breathing signifying she was still asleep. The purple haired girl was practically on top of her, her legs were entwined with Evie’s and one hand was wrapped around the blue-haired girl’s arm. Their covers were bundled around their knees, but Hermione didn’t feel cold, that was probably thanks to Mal. The smaller girl was rather warm considering her nightwear consisted of a pair of paint-smeared shorts and a vest that had clearly seen better days.

This was definitely not the worst way to wake up, Hermione thought to herself.

“Morning” Evie said quietly, startling her a little
“morning” she looked at her “did you sleep?” she asked, seeing the blue-haired girl still looked tired
“mhm” Evie nodded, lying her head on the pillow “not too squashed are you?” she gestured to Mal “you can push her off if she's too heavy, she won’t wake”
“I’m fine, she's sleeping… are you okay?”
“fine” Evie replied

She moved a little, propping her head onto her hand, Hermione leant over a little to the table and grabbed her wand, trying not to dislodge the sleeping faery.
“tempus” she muttered “seven am…how long have you been awake?”
“hard to say” Evie replied, “I dozed for a while”
“oh…”
“I’m fine honestly Mia” Evie smiled, tucking her hair out of her face “I don’t sleep much, I never have”
“sleep is kind of a requirement of life” Mal grunted “unless you have a death wish”
“Morning M” She chuckled

Mal wrinkled her nose, looking up at them both
“morning” she yawned “do we need to move?”
“not for another hour at least” Hermione told her “they don’t start breakfast till nine after a ball, we’re allowed a lie in”
“Nice of them” Mal rolled onto her front, Hermione grunted as she elbowed her in the stomach
“ow watch it” she flicked her between the eyes, Mal swatted her hand away
“I’ll bite you for that” she threatened, rubbing the spot where she’d hit her
“no biting this early” Evie told her tiredly “I don’t think I could cope with the screaming”

Mal frowned, something was wrong with Evie, and she wasn’t sure what it was.
“Evie? are you okay?” she studied her in concern. Evie nodded silently; her eyes cast down to the bedspread.
“fine” she said
“you’re clearly not” Hermione replied “what’s wrong? Maybe we could help?” she reached forward and moved her hair back out of her face. Evie closed her eyes as her fingers touched her cheek. She let out a small quiet sigh.
“Eves?” Mal rolled off Hermione’s chest and sat on her legs
“it’s nothing” She didn’t open her eyes “maybe I do need some more sleep?”
“Evie it’s not nothing” Mal persisted “talk to us…” she said, taking her hand

Evie squeezed her fingers
“I'm tired Mal, that’s all, I promise” she said, “I don’t want to fight”
“did you get any sleep at all?” Hermione asked
“a bit, maybe an hour, I don’t know” Evie admitted “there was noise outside the doorway I…I was scared someone was going to come in” she swallowed “which was silly because I know you spelled the door shut before we went to bed.”
“why didn’t you wake me?” Mal asked “you know you can always wake me”
“you were sleeping so peacefully I didn’t want to wake either of you” Evie replied “I figured I could handle it…”

Mal grumbled
“you know that’s not how this works Evie” she shuffled upwards and hugged her, Evie flinched, swearing.
“what? what’d I do?”
“knee…. In my crotch” Evie grunted “not this early and not right now,” she joked weakly. Mal rolled her eyes, leaning over to kiss her forehead
“then try to rest or something” she said “I’ll get us some water”

She got off the bed and hurried down the room to the door, waving her hand in a complex motion, the door turned green before it clicked open, she disappeared around it. Hermione sat up against the wall, shifting her legs.
“for someone so small she's heavy” she commented, Evie laughed
“she's…compact” she said wryly “It’s a faery thing”
“I figured” Hermione grinned “so do you sleep in here a lot then?” she asked

Evie shook her head
“no we do actually sleep in the dorm. But sometimes we prefer privacy” she replied “on the Isle we shared a place together, the four of us. In Auradon Mal and I had a dorm room to ourselves,  it’s a bit strange getting used to having others in your space” she said “not that I mind people in my space-” Evie explained hurriedly, wincing when she realised how that sounded.

Hermione nodded
“I get that” she agreed “I’d never been with other children for more than a few hours a day at school till I got my Hogwarts letter, then I was shipped here and, had to adjust. It’s hard, especially with the purebloods acting like they do” she shrugged a shoulder
“they’re harmless really though, right?” Evie asked
“I think they know more magic than they let on and could properly hurt you if they had the chance. They look down on Muggleborns because we can’t trace our heritage back like they can. They think their better than us because of their lineage” Hermione replied with a shrug “I don’t think you have anything to worry about though, they’d be pretty stupid to try anything, especially after last night, everyone will know not to mess with you or Mal” she added
“no, I think you’re right” Evie agreed

She sat up against the wall and ran her hands through her hair, pulling a tie from around her wrist. Evie tied her hair back out of her face in a loose bun, shifting the covers to get comfortable. As she leant over to put on a cardigan over her nightshirt, Hermione caught sight of a scar running down her side under her shorts where her nightshirt had ridden up and winced. The scar looked relatively new, as it seemed to be raised in places and the pinkness of the mark seemed to stand out more compared to her skin-tone.
“that must have hurt” she commented

Evie paused; her eyes drawn to where Hermione was looking. She pulled the clothing down, hiding it from view.  She tightened the belt on her cardigan and didn’t speak. Evie looked at her, reaching her hand out to hers.

“yes” she said quietly “it did”
“What happened?” she asked, Evie didn’t reply. Hermione took her hand, seeing the slight tremor in her fingers, Evie held her hand tightly, exhaling slowly.
“Evie-“ she tried
“No” she whispered, closing her eyes “don’t”
“okay” she tried to keep calm as Mal walked back in with several water bottles

She put them on the table beside the bed and got back under the covers
“your castle is far too cold for this shit” she commented, her eyes narrowed a little, looking between the girls, Hermione shook her head slightly, tightening her grip on Evie’s hand in her own.
“that’s why we have fires in the common rooms” Hermione replied, stroking the back of her hand “it’s still too damn cold” Mal complained “we need to make the hearth bigger”
“any bigger it’ll take over the entire room” Evie replied in a slightly flat tone “you need thicker sweaters”
“definitely, it’ll start snowing soon, it normally does mid-November until the end of January” Hermione agreed “I’ll teach you the bluebell flame charm, it’ll help keep you warm”
“oh really?” Mal asked, “you know how I prefer to keep warm?” she grinned suggestively, Hermione laughed
“horndog” Evie muttered with a little amusement
“always” She replied

Mal watched her closely, Evie’s eyes were drooping shut, but the girl was refusing to sleep. She opened them several times, shifting against the wall in a bid to sit up straighter.
“E…go to sleep” she pulled on the blankets and tried to cover her
“not tired-“ Evie refused, pushing the covers away “m’fine”
“Evie you’re exhausted” Hermione said, “at least sleep for an hour before we go to breakfast? We’ll wake you at nine then you can dress”
“No sleep-“ Evie rubbed her face with a hand “honestly I’m fine-“
“Evie you have little say in this” Mal’s tone was sharp “lie down and get some sleep” she demanded

Sighing, Evie eventually complied. She was almost asleep as soon as they tucked her in.

Hermione climbed out of the bed and crossed to the couch. Mal joined her a few minutes later, yanking the brunette onto her lap.
“yaa!” Hermione exclaimed “oof!” she laughed “Mal!”
“not sorry” Mal snickered “you’re warm, make me warm”
“fine steal my body heat” She rolled her eyes

Mal grinned
“Oh I will” she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her back against her chest, Hermione grabbed a discarded blanket from the floor and threw it over their legs, shifting a little to get comfortable.

“You know what would help?” She said
“what's that?”
“if you wore more clothing than those tiny shorts”
“are you complaining about my clothes?” Mal raised an eyebrow
“I'm not complaining I'm making an observation” Hermione replied, her cheeks turning pink
“your blush confirms you like what I'm wearing” Mal teased
“I never said I didn’t like it” Hermione poked her arm “I was making an observation” she grinned

Mal laughed, leaning forward to plant a kiss on the side of her neck. Hermione swallowed reflexively in response to the touch and Mal smirked against her skin, kissing her over and over again, delighting in the squeaks the brunette was making.
“Are we a little sensitive here Mia?” she asked, feeling her shudder under her lips.
“apparently” the word came out a little strained, Hermione exhaled, slightly hesitant to where this would end up if she didn’t stop her. Somehow she didn’t think it would be polite to continue this when Evie was asleep. Not only that she didn’t exactly want her first time to be on a couch….
“do you want me to stop?” Mal drew back a little to look at her, feeling the hesitation causing her to tense.

“Um…yes….if-if that’s okay?” Hermione spluttered, she blinked several times and tried to calm her racing heart. Up close, she took notice of the gold flecks in the fae’s eyes that seemed to be glowing a little.

“of course” Mal sat up and moved away a little “besides, Evie would murder me…and not in a fun way” she grinned “I’ll behave”

 “I don’t need nor want to know” Hermione shook her head

“you’ll find out soon enough I'm sure of it” Mal shrugged “don’t feel bad about telling me no” she added, seeing her blushing.

“I-er“ Hermione tried; Mal shook her head
“honestly” She said “you know I'm a dark fae right? They’re highly sex-driven, as you’re probably aware” she shrugged “you’re better to be direct though. If you want me then tell me. I don’t do well with subtlety, and if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll not do it again”
“oh” Hermione replied with a smile “right, yes, I understand…I have read some books on faeries, but meeting one is entirely different”
“oh really?” Mal raised her eyebrows “and how is that?”
“well the book I read said dark fae are sexual creatures distantly related to the succubus, and they have wings, but you don’t?” she frowned “unless you can hide them?”

“I don’t have wings, not that I’m aware of, I’m only half fae Mia.” Mal replied, “I uh…don’t really know about my dad” she wrinkled her nose “he wasn’t around, mom never talked about him, but I assume he isn’t a fae, I never knew of any other fae on the Isle other than me and Mom”

“Oh right, well, that’s interesting” she replied “not going to lie I did wonder exactly how you get anything done in a day, considering you share a dorm with Evie”
“It takes a monumental amount of mental focus” Mal laughed “it’s not so bad, it’s not like I'm constantly out for sex or anything, it’s just…I get aroused very easily. Just ask Evie, it would be a lot harder to control if I was full fae I think” she shrugged
“oh…right” She chuckled “that’s one thing to be aware of”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly the most subtle at times. I’m sure Eves will let you know exactly how to wind me up” Mal wrinkled her nose “shes had plenty of practice” she added

“I’ll be sure to ask her” Hermione teased, Mal snorted
“I’m sure you will, I mean it’s been a lot worse since we left the Isle but I’m getting better at dealing with it” She replied “the barrier held our magic out of our use, then we went to Auradon, and we suddenly found ourselves with a lot to learn”

“That sounds frightening”
“it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine that’s for sure” Mal agreed “but we’re getting there”

She turned her head
“Evie I told you to go to sleep” she commented

“I did” a tired voice replied, “I got a whole….thirty minutes”
“it’s not enough and you know it” Mal shifted and got up off the couch “am I going to have to make you take sleeping potions again?”
“don’t you dare” Evie glared “I’m fine M”
“you are not” She replied “Mia tell her”

Hermione got up and crossed back to the bed
“I’m honestly fine” Evie said “you have nothing to worry about”

“I don’t know” Hermione replied “you do look tired Evie”
“I’m fine I don’t need any more sleep I feel fine” Evie repeated. She shoved the covers off and sat up, crossing her legs. Evie re-tied her hair
“How long have we got till breakfast?”
“about forty minutes till it starts, but we don’t have to be there for nine” Hermione replied

“Good, that gives me time to get ready” Evie said, climbing out of the bed “back in a few” she disappeared through the door.

Hermione frowned

“What?” Mal asked, seeing her expression
“she's an insomniac…” She commented

“What?”
“Evie. She has insomnia. The inability to sleep properly, she has times where she can’t sleep?”  she replied

Mal nodded
“If that’s what you call it, then sure, call it that” she said
“I meant to ask you something earlier…” Hermione busied herself with tidying the bedspread
“go on…”
“did something happen back home? Apart from the dragon thing? Something about the way Evie said she got scared of people coming in?”

Mal winced
“that’s not something I can tell you” She sat on the bed “it’s not my story to tell” she tugged her hand.
“oh, right” She replied

The door opened and Evie reappeared

“You okay Princess?” Mal asked

“yes Mal” Evie rolled her eyes, she joined the pair by the bed and put her arms around Hermione’s waist, resting her chin on her shoulder “we better start making a move to get dressed if we want to get food soon”
“I suppose so” Mal agreed “we have one Mia shaped problem”
“what's that?”
“how the in the name of Evil are you going to get up to your tower in just your night clothes?” Mal asked “I mean I'm not complaining at the view but-“
“Mal stop being a horndog” Evie laughed “she has a point though”

“I'll ask Dobby to get us some clothes” Hermione replied, “Dobby?!”

A flash of light
“Misses Granger calls Dobby?” he asked
“yes, I need you to get me some clothes to wear from my room, jeans and a top or something, I can’t go to breakfast like this and if I had thought ahead I would have asked you last night, sorry”
“it’s no trouble Misses Granger, Dobby already brought you things!” he pointed to the three piles on the table “Dobby asked Winky to help whilst you were sleeping”

Hermione blinked
“you…did that for me?”
“of course” he replied, “and for your friends” he blinked “did Dobby do wrong?” he asked “Dobby will iron his hands”

“Dobby better not!” Hermione glared

“No Dobby, that was perfect, thank you” Evie replied. He turned to look at her
“you’re most welcome Miss” he said “if you ever need anything just call Dobby” he disappeared with a crack.

“well” Mal commented, “I suppose we better get dressed”

*

Albus paced his office
“…Molly won’t like this” he shook his head, casting an eye towards the fireplace
“he needs to see the specialist at St Mungo’s” Poppy replied “if only to rule out any other issues”
“very well. Severus, please inform Ms Moors she is to present herself to my office within the hour”
“I would if I could” Severus replied, “Master Malfoy informed me this morning neither she nor Ms Grimhilde slept in the dorm last night”
“neither did Ms Granger” Minerva frowned “where are they?”
“they wouldn’t have left the castle grounds, or they would have tripped the wards” Albus replied “perhaps they turn will up at breakfast?”

*

Hermione pulled on a pair of trainers from the pile of clothes bought by Dobby and tied up her hair, hoping she looked somewhat passable for breakfast.
“We better go” Mal said, “it’s after nine”
“almost ready” Evie called from behind the couch

She stood, smoothing down her skirt and checking over her make up with her compact
“okay I’m ready” She smiled “oh no wait a minute” Evie crossed the floor to where Hermione was waiting. She was grinning
“what?” she asked nervously
“you can’t go without this” Evie snaked her arm around her and kissed her soundly, Mal cackled
“go easy on her Eves” she grinned as they broke apart.

Hermione laughed, blushing madly, that was entirely different from the kiss she’d shared with Mal last night, but she found it just as nice.
“..oops, you’re covered in lipstick” Evie smirked in an entirely unrepentant way.
“oh yes so she is” Mal leant over and rubbed her thumb over the smudges “here let me just... no that’s not going to work” she grabbed her hair in one hand and pulled her close, Mal kissed the marks away.

Hermione swayed on her feet when she was done, feeling a little heady. That would definitely take some getting used too. She’d definitely have to learn to breathe better if this was her life from now on.
“uhoh we killed her” Evie steadied her with a hand “are you okay Mia?”
“oxygen is a requirement of life” She panted, Hermione took their hands, forcing herself to ignore how Evie flinched at her touch. She swore to herself she’d figure that out at a later date “we better go”

*

The girls split up at the entrance to the Hall
“we’ll see you later?” Evie asked
“sure” Hermione nodded “I was planning on heading to the library but that can wait”
“meet you there?” Mal offered “I need to give some books back and I think the librarian might hex me if they’re late”
“okay sure thing” She smiled a little

“…Miss Granger, Miss Moors, Miss Grimhilde… the three of you are to report to the headmaster’s office after breakfast is concluded” Minerva was approaching them
“why?” Mal asked “we haven’t done anything”
“that is something you will discuss with the headmaster” she walked past them into the hall.

Hermione looked at them both
“that can’t be anything good, I mean we didn’t break any rules-“
“I don’t think it’s about the sleeping arrangements” Evie replied as they walked in the Hall “…Ron’s not here…” her eyes scanned the Lions table and found Jay talking with Harry.
“maybe I did murder him by accident” Mal said worriedly
“don’t joke M” Evie glared
“go, eat something and we’ll see you soon” Mal told Hemione, “it’ll be fine you’ll see” she hugged her tightly for a second “I could always bite them for you” she whispered in her ear.
“No biting Mal” Hermione laughed, turning to head to the Gryffindor table. She made her way towards Harry
“May I sit? Or shall I go to the end of the table with the first years?” she asked stiffly
“of course you can sit Mione” Harry replied, “hey Seamus move up to let Mione sit”
“shh don’t talk so loud” the Irish boy winced, moving up the table to give her space
“he’s hungover” Harry shook his head “where did you go?”
“none of your business” She replied, “how’s Ron?”
“still in the hospital” Jay replied “his moms coming with his dad to see him today”
“what?! Why?” she asked worriedly
“we don’t know” said Fred “Professor McGonagall just said he needed to see someone at St. Mungo’s so mum and dad need to take him, he’ll be back for tea probably” he shrugged

Hermione felt an icy shiver down her back that had nothing to do with being cold. She looked up and locked eyes with Mal from across the hall. The purple haired fae raised her eyebrows, turning slightly to listen to something Malfoy was saying. She saw her expression change as Malfoy laughed. She turned away from him and Hermione watched her look down at her meal, Evie said something to Malfoy which had the blonde sobering quickly.

*

After a subdued breakfast, Hermione stood
“in a rush?” Fred asked
“I er, need to see the headmaster” she told him “I’ll see you later” she looked at Harry “hopefully”

She headed to the door and crossed to the stairway, a few minutes later Evie and Mal appeared
“….you’re not allowed to kill him” Evie was saying
“who?” she asked in concern
“Malfoy” Evie replied “being his usual self”
“wonderful” Hermione sighed “let’s get this over with” she straightened her shoulders and started walking towards the headmaster’s office, putting out her hands for them both to hold. The touch giving her a little bit of calm as her stomach twisted uncomfortably.

Halfway there, Hermione looked at both of them
“whatever you do don’t get mad at Dumbledore” she looked at Mal “he’s eccentric but he’s also super powerful and he will expel you in an instant”
“okay that doesn’t comfort me Mia” Evie squeezed her hand “how exactly does he know about last night?”
“no clue” she replied “I just know he can be infuriating and he will get the truth out of you any way he can” she approached the gargoyle and saw her head of house standing beside it.
“professor-“ Hermione began “what-“
“Miss Granger” she cut her off swiftly “the headmaster will see you now” she waved a hand and the gargoyle moved without a password.

Bemused, Mal took the lead
“I’m done for” Hermione whispered to herself “I'm expelled-“
“don’t be so serious” Evie told her “You’ve done nothing wrong”
“I-“
“c’mon” Mal called from the stairs “we don’t want to keep him waiting” she poked her head back out of the stairwell and grinned. Hermione sighed, following her up the stairs, Evie walked behind her, followed by Minerva.

Chapter Text

The trio stopped at the top of the stairs. Hermione reached forward for the huge griffin knocker, but the door opened by itself. Steeling her resolve, she walked into the large oval office of the headmaster. She had been in this office at least once a year so far, yet Hermione was still nervous at entering the headmasters domain.
“Ah Miss Granger” Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, he smiled warmly “Miss Moors, Miss Grimhilde, please sit children” he pointed to some chairs “We are just waiting on Severus and the Weasley’s”
“Oh….is Ron okay Headmaster?” Hermione asked,  the headmaster nodded
“Mister Weasley will be perfectly fine” he told her “I am sure you have been informed he is to attend St Mungo’s this afternoon? It is simply to ease Poppy’s mind”
“Fred told me” She nodded “then why are we here?” she asked, gesturing to Evie, Mal, and herself.

Before he could answer her, the door opened again to admit Severus, Ron, and his parents. His father sat him across from Hermione without speaking. Ron was looking at his shoes.
“Hermione!” Molly came forward as if to hug the girl

Mal reacted almost instantly, her eyes narrowed as the woman came closer and she couldn’t quite suppress the hiss of annoyance at the woman who dared to touch her Mia.
“Hi Mrs Weasley” Hermione said a little loudly, mainly to cover the sound Mal had made, she swiftly got up and moved forward towards her. Her hand touched Mal’s quickly to try to placate her, she saw Evie take her other hand with a silent code between them had Mal folding her arms, leaning back in her chair.

Hermione accepted the hug from Molly easily, it helped to calm her nerves somewhat, if Molly wasn’t mad at her then she might get out of this without a Howler.
“oh its Molly to you my dear” she smiled “you know that by now” she said with a chuckle, she eyed Mal and Evie with a bit of suspicion “and who might you two be?”
“Mal and Evie” Hermione supplied “fifth year Slytherin’s, they were there last night when Ron was hurt”
“I see” she replied, “and do they know who did it?” she asked, Mal winced and raised a hand.

Molly looked baffled for a moment before she narrowed her eyes
“you-“
“May we begin?” Severus folded his arms, cutting off the Weasley matriarch before she could begin to yell.

“of course Severus” Albus pointed to the chairs “please sit”

Hermione returned to her chair and looked expectantly at the headmaster, who folded his hands on his desk. There was a fluttering of wings behind him as Fawkes landed on the back of his chair, Albus reached up to stroke his plumage with an idle hand.
“it has been brought to my attention there was an altercation last night” he said, “between Mr Weasley and Miss Moors, one of our Auradon exchange students”  he explained, indicating Mal to the Weasley’s “Ronald, I would like to hear from you what happened?”

Ron shifted in his chair
“we were outside in the courtyard, I was talking to Hermione, we got into a fight and the next thing I know…Moors hit me with some sort of spell, I tried to get up, but she dragged me off my feet and…knocked me out” he winced “that’s all I remember”

Dumbledore nodded
“very well… Miss Moors, I’d like you to explain what happened” he turned his eyes on her, Mal swallowed, she exhaled. Something about Dumbledore’s calm demeanour did nothing to soothe her already strained nerves.
“he was drunk, he was disrespectful to Hermione, so I hit him…with magic and warned him not to speak to her like that…when he ultimately was rude again I headbutted him” she looked behind Dumbledore at a picture of a Headmaster who was watching her “that’s all there is to it”
“if I might Headmaster” Severus cut in “perhaps a pensive memory would give a more accurate representation of the events?”

Evie frowned
“Pardon Professor Snape but…what do you mean? What’s a pensive memory?” she asked politely
“I saw the altercation last night Ms Grimhilde, a Pensive is a device used to view a person’s memory, I am happy to provide it for the headmaster and Mr and Mrs Weasley” he wasn’t smiling as such, but he was looking at her with an expression that could be described as amused.
“yes, I believe an impartial memory will put this matter to rest” Dumbledore said agreeably.

Severus crossed to the pensive and placed his wand on his temple, pulling out a thin thread. He placed it into the pensive and withdrew back to the wall.
“Molly, Arthur? Shall we?” Dumbledore gestured “Minerva? If you would be so kind as to join us as Mr Weasley’s head of house? I believe Severus is more than capable of ensuring the children behave” he asked his deputy, the Scottish woman nodded, joining him at the pensive.
“Yes, yes I believe we shall” said Molly brusquely.

A rather tense air filled the office, Hermione noticed Ron looked somewhat nervous as his parents followed Dumbledore to the pensive. Mal was looking at Fawkes, who was cleaning his wing feathers without a care in the world. He preened at the attention, making Hermione giggle.
“…he’s a phoenix” she said, “he’s called Fawkes, Dumbledore’s familiar”
“no idea what a phoenix is, looks to me like a big chicken” Mal remarked, Fawkes trilled indignantly
“Mal!” Hermione chided “he’s not a chicken”

She just grinned
“do you have to rile up everyone you meet?” Evie sighed
“it’s my favourite pastime” Mal folded her arms “I just do it so well”

There was movement from behind them as the headmaster emerged from the pensive. Ron saw his mother’s face and he paled.
“RONALD WEASELY!”
“Now Molly-“ Arthur held her back “remember, he’s still got a break in his skull” he said
“he’ll have more than a broken skull when I'm through with him!” Molly shot back “you’re grounded when you come back for Christmas break!”
“mum-!”
“don’t you dare Ronald!” Molly blasted him “you should be ashamed of yourself! No wonder Hermione broke up with you if this is how you act! I thought we’d brought you up better than that! Disgusting boy!”

Hermione winced as Ron cowered from his mum, holding his chest in one hand, reminding them some injuries would take a little more time than medical spells would allow to heal.
“Mrs Weasley…I think he’s had enough shouting at for one day” remarkably, this came from Evie who was watching him with a sad smile.

Molly turned, she looked at her
“…and you are?”
“Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen” she stood and gave her one of her best disarming smiles as Molly had to step back a pace to look up at her “whilst what he did was indeed, uncouth, the boy is in pain. You need to take your son to the hospital and have him patched up. Once done maybe he will think on his actions and be thankful I was there last night, the outcome could have been a lot worse if I had not been” her tone was slightly chiding and it made Severus’ eyes widen, no one dared to chide Molly Weasley and lived to tell the tale without serious injury.

“How exactly?” Arthur asked, studying her intently. His wife was frowning, he figured she was thinking over what she had heard. Evie didn’t answer him, her attention was switched to Mal as she heard a very quiet hiss. Hermione was closest to her and saw her shivering with alarm.
“Mal?” she questioned
“it’s nothing I’m fine” she said defensively “Hogwarts is a lot colder than Auradon” she pulled her jacket around herself.

Hermione didn’t think twice, she took off her hoody and handed it to her
“don’t argue” she said when it looked like Mal would refuse. “I know you gave Carlos his jumper back, I saw him wearing it yesterday”

“Miss Moors? Are you well?” this came from Minerva
“perfectly fine Professor” she replied “the climate here is different to Auradon. Sometimes I get cold” Mal zipped up the jacket, tucking her hands into the pockets against the shivering.  Evie pulled her close, rubbing her arms with her hands to try to warm her up, Mal gave her a small smile of appreciation and tucked her head into her shoulder.

Albus nodded
“I think this matter can be closed” he said “However, some discipline is required”

Mal tensed, turning to look at the headmaster. She wondered how bad it would be.
“Master Weasley will receive detention tomorrow night for being drunk and disorderly at the Ball” said Albus “Miss Moors…will receive detention tomorrow night for harming Master Weasley. Whilst I understand why this matter was dealt with in this way, I cannot condone violence regardless of the intentions”
“she broke my skull, and she gets nothing more than a detention?” Ron sounded outraged despite his pain “she’s a monster! She should be expelled! I could have died! Mione I can’t believe you’re siding with her!”
“be thankful it wasn’t your neck Weasley” Mal snarled in response; her eyes narrowed as they flashed green. Evie grabbed her arm, seeing her hands ball into fists
“Mal” she warned “ignore him”
“Ronald!” Mrs Weasley berated “I don’t think you’re in any position to talk young man” she added

“Indeed” said Professor Snape “you will both report to Professor McGonagall’s office tomorrow night at nine pm for detention”

Albus folded his arms as Fawkes trilled at him “Molly, Arthur, please let me know how it goes at St Mungo’s. if you wish to take Ronald home for tonight you are welcome to do so and bring him back tomorrow”
“a good idea Headmaster” Arthur agreed as he stood “come on Ronald, we are leaving” he headed to the door “thank you for your time”

Hermione let out a breath as they left, the door clicked shut behind them.
“the three of you may go in a moment” Dumbledore smiled at them “Professor Snape will be writing to Auradon Prep in regard to this issue, and I must impress on you the importance of keeping a level head” he studied Mal intently
“understood” she averted her eyes and focused on the desk.
“I understand our school and our ways are vastly different to yours” Dumbledore continued “but violence against others will not be tolerated” he repeated “I hope we do not have any repeat offences during your stay”

Mal looked up at him
“if he’s civil then no we have no problems” she replied as she turned towards the door, Evie put a hand on her back and took Hermione’s hand in hers
“Miss Granger?” Minerva spoke as they reached the door
“Professor?”
“I would appreciate it if you would return to the dormitory at some point today and speak with miss Brown”
“Lavender? Why?”
“she has been…discussing the incident with others in and out of house” she replied “I have spoken with her, however we do not want the rumour mill to run any more than it already will be”

Mal scoffed
“believe me, it’s nothing new Professor, I'm used to people judging me, I think I can handle it”
“be that as it may-“
“I’ll talk to Lav today” Hermione nodded, glaring at Mal to be quiet “c’mon let’s go”

*

Fred and George saw the trio coming back down to the courtyard
“Make way make way!” Fred was saying loudly and grinning “Seriously mad witch coming this way!”
“yes she’s a murderess” George was nodding “who knows how many have fallen to her wrath-“
“our brother was just the first you know” Fred continued “there’ll be more, anyone who dares to cross her will be murdered brutally”

Mal eyed the twins in mild annoyance.
“…ignore them” Ginny made her way over “they’re being prats”
“so I see” Evie commented “don’t rise to it M”
“why am I the one being told to behave all of a sudden?”
“because we know what you can do if you set your mind to it” Harry replied, “how’d it go with Dumbledore?” he asked Hermione
“fine” she replied with a shrug “Ron got detention for being drunk, Mal got detention for hitting him, same old Dumbledore” she made a face “I did think Molly might curse him when she saw Snape’s memory of last night.” She grinned a little

“Snape was there?”
“he’s our head of house” Evie rolled her eyes “Professor McGonagall did not look impressed”
“she never does” Ginny laughed

“Moors!” Draco’s voice had her turning to see him approaching with Pansy.
“wonderful…”she muttered “Malfoy” she returned
“so it’s true then?” he said “Weasley’s in the hospital?”
“only for a cursory once over by a Dr” Evie replied, “He’ll be back tomorrow”
“a shame” Malfoy drawled “I was about to celebrate”
“celebrate what exactly?” Mal asked
“Hogwarts getting rid of one of them” he gestured “only another four to go-“
“shut up Malfoy” Hermione folded her arms
“or else what Mudblood?” he sneered “you’ll go running to a teacher?” he mocked

Mal glared at him, stepping forward in front of her
“call her that one more time Malfoy, I dare you” she warned
“are you threatening me?” Malfoy laughed “Ohh I’m scared” he added

She grabbed his robes in one hand and pulled his face in an inch from hers
“one more word out of your mouth in her direction and Daddy will be coming to pick up your remains…. if he can find them that is” she whispered into his ear “are we clear?”

Whimpering, Malfoy nodded, he’d gone pale all of a sudden. Mal shoved him back out of her space and watched as he landed on his butt, much to the amusement of the Gryffindors.
“Draco!” Pansy was at his side “are you okay?”

He got to his feet
“this isn’t over Moors” he spat, straightening himself up “you and your kind better watch yourself!”
“why, what are you going to do? Wet your pants in my direction?” Mal stepped forward again “or run to Daddy?” she laughed
“my father-“
“yeah yeah he’ll hear about this, we know” Evie rolled her eyes “I mean the amount you whine to him I'm astounded he has any time in his day to, y’know, work” she snickered as the Gryffindor’s laughed.
“How dare-“
“Oh bore off Malfoy” Evie cut him off “no one is impressed with how big of a bad your daddy is, not when our parents are so much more than yours could ever be”
“at least I have a father” he spat
“just cause mines dead means nothing” Evie raised an eyebrow “I'm pretty sure my mom killed him, you’ve heard of my mom right, the sorceress Grimhilde?” she grinned darkly “I must say, it seems almost romantic, but I’m not into murdering my lovers, can’t do much with a corpse, besides, warm bodies are much more fun to play with”
“wh-wha?” Pansy was squeaking
“oh yes, didn’t your history books tell you that part? Snow White got off lightly” Evie was smirking cruelly now, it was a strange turn of events, Hermione quickly realised she never wanted to get onto Evie’s bad side. A quick glance at Ginny and Harry confirmed they had the same thoughts.

Mal watched her with a smile of her own. She loved it when Evie was like this, it reminded her of the power games they played on the Isle, away from prying eyes and more importantly away from their mothers. She would never admit it to anyone; but she took a large amount of pleasure in surrendering control to Evie. She wondered how long it would take for Evie to cause harm to Pansy, as long as it wasn't permanent then they would be fine.

Hermione was watching the interaction with a slightly worried look on her face, Mal slipped her hand into hers and squeezed it, Hermione flicked her eyes in her direction and back again.
“…you-you’re lying!” Draco replied, his voice didn’t seem so firm as it had been a moment ago
“Am I?” Evie asked “Prove it, I’ll wait…” she folded her arms, looking down at her nails in boredom “oh wait, you can’t” she grinned

Pansy’s wand was in her hand and a second later a spell surged forward. Evie batted it away to the floor as if it was nothing.
“really?” she raised her eyebrows at the other girl, “Here we are having a friendly chat and you attempt to disembowel me? Oh Pansy, we could have been friends” she mocked “Except I’m not friends with my prey…some might say you are…green with envy, after all, it was such a good look on you”

The dark-haired girl stared at her for a moment
“IT WAS YOU!” she exploded
“was it?” Evie looked at the others “did anyone see me?” she asked, Harry shook his head
“No idea what you’re talking about” he replied
“the pair of you shame our house!” Pansy was still angry and made a vital mistake.

Enraged beyond her wits, Pansy surged forward and grabbed Evie’s hair in an attempt to pull her to the floor, but Evie was faster. As soon as she’d touched her hair, Evie had grabbed her hand and made her let go, Pansy screamed as her fingers stretched backwards over the back of her palm without dislocating.
“Touch me again and you’ll be joining Weasley in the hospital” She spat, tossing her to the floor with a sneer. Pansy stayed on the floor, cradling her hand to her chest. Draco tried to get her up and eventually the pair walked away.

Fred and George watched as Mal made sure she wasn’t hurt, ignoring the others around them, a quiet conversation made Hermione a little concerned.
“….no it’s fine” Evie was smiling softly at Mal “…it didn’t” she started tying her hair into a braid and pinned it to the back of her head  “I’ll just keep it up instead, didn’t think it would be an issue here…I’m fine” Evie reassured her
“hmph” Mal frowned “reckon they’ll snitch to Snape?”
“not likely” said George “Slytherin’s tend to keep to themselves, they don’t involve teachers unless it’s vital”
“something tells me we won’t be welcome in the dorms today, that’s a shame” Mal grinned, Hermione snorted, it didn’t take a genius to know Mal was entirely unrepentant.

“Er….have you always had those fangs?” Fred was staring at her wide-eyed
“you’ve just noticed?” she commented, tracing her tongue over the elongated canines idly
“hard not too” he replied “pretty sure they weren’t there a second ago”
“I’ve had them all my life, being a faery and all” Mal shrugged “I'm just glad I didn’t sprout wings or something when I got them” she laughed a little nervously “that would be a lot harder to hide” she idly flexed her fingers and put her hands in the pockets of Hermione’s jacket, concealing the dragon claws as they returned to human fingers, the shifting of her bones was interesting and a little painful. She hid a wince as they caught on the fabric and tried to dislodge them without tearing it.

She ran her tongue over her teeth again in thought, maybe Hermione was right? Would it be worth speaking to Professor McGonagall?  The lunchtime bell rang and brought her of her thoughts.
“…on a scale of one to murder?” Mal looked at Evie
“too soon” Evie shook her head “they’d be stupid to try anything in front of the school”
“hm. Perhaps” she pulled her hands out of her pockets “c’mon, time to eat”

Evie nodded, looping her arm around Hermione’s, she pulled her a little closer
“are you sure you’re okay?” she asked
“fine” Evie replied “nothing to worry about”

Harry walked behind them and saw how Hermione and Mal put Evie between them, the movement seeming natural but yet something seemed off about it. He frowned and mentally resolved to talking to Jay later. Something was going on with his best friend and he wanted to know about it.

*

The Gryffindors split off from Mal and Evie once in the Hall, the girls joined their year mates at the table, sitting with a blonde girl they were sure was called Daphne. She shared their dorm room but kept to herself most of the time.
“we don’t have to stay in the dorm tonight if you don’t want” Mal reached forward for her plate
“I'm fine with staying in the dorm” Evie replied “she’s not going to try anything”
“are you sure-“
“Yes Mal I'm not weak dammit” Evie glared
“I never said you were” Mal returned in a low tone “I don’t want you hurt”

Evie sighed
“I’m fine” she said “I didn’t mean to snap”
“you’re not fine E, somethings up I know that” Mal looked at her as she ate
“can we not get into this right now?” Evie asked “I’m fine”

Over on the Gryffindor table, Hermione was sitting with Harry
“so...er…Mione” he began “what, er…last night-“
“not talking about last night Harry” She told him “It’s got nothing to do with you”
“where were you? I was worried when you didn’t show-“
“I was safe that’s all you need to know” she replied “thanks for your concern” Hermione tried to smile. She didn’t think he would handle the truth yet, besides she didn’t exactly want to get into the conversation with him at the Gryffindor table.

Feeling eyes on her, she looked up and saw Jay looking in her direction, he raised his goblet silently, and for a second she swore she saw him smirk knowingly, before turning his attention to something Seamus was saying.

Lavender came to join them
“Hermione! So! It’s true? Did they expel her? I don’t see….she’s still here? After what she did to Ron?” the brunette sat across from her. Hermione took a breath
“exactly what have you been saying Lav?” she asked, “it’s not every day I'm told by our Head of House to have words with you” she raised her eyebrows.
“of course I'm telling everyone what a maniac she is!” Lavender said bluntly, “people need to know she’s dangerous”
“you were awfully all for it last night when she defended your honour from Ron” Harry said with a glare “Mal is not a monster, just because she’s different”
“she's a maniac from what Lav said” Parvati was nodding
“she’s a faery” He said “her culture is different to ours, her ways are different to ours. You know very little about her”
“oooh looks like Harry’s got a crush!” Lavender giggled
“what? No!”
“sorry Harry, I don’t think she’s interested” Fred grinned “I think she's taken”
“I don’t fancy Mal” he glared “she’s a friend, that’s like saying I fancy Mione, which I don’t. You’re my friend” he said hurriedly. 
“thanks Harry, I think” Hermione laughed at his discomfort “glad we figured that out, but seriously Lav, stop the rumours, Mal isn’t going to be expelled, Professor Snape is writing to Auradon Prep, both she and Ron have detention tomorrow night” Hermione took a drink
“detention?! She nearly snapped his neck, and she GETS A DETENTION?!” Lavender said loudly
“why are you so bothered?” asked George “from all accounts our brother was horrible to you last night and I believe you were very upset by it”
“yes well, Ron is one of us, he didn’t mean it”  she replied haughtily “that girl is a monster and should be expelled, you shouldn’t be associating with her Hermione, she is a Slytherin after all”
“can’t expel an exchange student” said Fred “worst they can do is send her home, which I doubt Dumbledore will do, he’s not going to end the transfer over this”

Hermione watched as Lavender started to eat, a dark look on her face for a few moments before her expression cleared. She filed that away for later, resolving to put some stronger wards around her bed, lest the brunette get any ideas once she found out about Hermione’s new relationship.

*

Once lunch was over, Hermione grabbed her books from the dorm and made her way to the library. She took her favourite chair and opened her transfiguration textbook. Hermione stared at the text for a minute, her heart not in the words on the page. She had bigger things on her mind and the large tome propped up in front of her was a good way to hide from the school.

She pulled out a smaller book from inside the larger one and started to read it before snapping it shut and shoving it in her bag. Hermione put her head in her hands.
“…problems?” Carlos was standing by her desk, Hermione jumped
“what? No! No problems!” she said quickly, he laughed
“you sure?” he took a chair next to her “you seem a little distracted Hermione” Carlos eyed the large book with a shrug.
“tired from last night, and a lot of homework does not for a good time make” she said, “I barely saw you last night, did you have a good time?”
“yes I did” he smiled “so did you by all accounts” he smirked, She eyed him
“Meaning?”
“oh y’know, spending the night with a faery and her princess?” he wriggled his eyebrows. Hermione squeaked
“How the heck do you know-“
“Jay told me” He said with a shrug “surprised you’re walking...the pair of them are….intense”
“sounds like you speak from experience” She tried not to blush at his words. Carlos laughed
“oh no, no I’m entirely the wrong gender for those two horn dogs” he said with a grin “ anyway, Jay’s more my type ”
“oh…” Hermione replied “yes Jay did mention that-“
“don’t worry about it” he waved a hand “we Islanders have a very different outlook on such things”

Hermione put the book down on the table
“right” she said “well… please don’t tell anyone” She looked at him “I would rather not have Ron find out from anyone else”
“yeah, how is he?”
“his mum took him to the hospital for a check over, Madam Pomfrey’s healed what she could, but she was concerned about the break in his skull…I didn’t think she hit him that hard” Hermione admitted. Carlos nodded
“faeries are stronger than humans…sometimes Mal forgets that; it’s a new thing she’s dealing with”
“you mean it’s a recent development?”
“….started happening about two years ago” he nodded “but normally she’s good at watching her strength”

“..talking about me Carlos?”
“HI Malevolent Faery”
“not my name” she rolled her eyes “Hey Mia”
“Hi” Hermione smiled “did you take your books back?”
“Yes the librarian did not hex me, for which I am thankful” Mal sat down “Eves’ went doing something, she said she’d be here in five”
“do we want to know what?”
“probably not” Mal replied “that way we have complete plausible deniability” she shrugged
“I dread to think what scheme she’s cooking up this time” Carlos replied “what or who has pissed her off?”
“no one lately…” Mal replied “no one’s stupid enough to anger the princess”
“apart from Pansy” Hermione pointed out “considering Evie sort of told her she was the one who spelled her green…I would be very careful in the dorm”

Mal wrinkled her nose
“Parkinson would be very stupid to mess with us” she told her “I don’t think she’d dare”
“she’s not exactly the strongest in the brains department, after today, please be careful” Hermione said “no one else needs to get hurt”
“I told Dumbledore I’d behave” Mal returned
“I know you did” she replied “but if others…make bad choices…” she folded her arms “I don’t want to see anyone shipped back to Auradon because of her”
“reckon they would?” Mal asked with a frown
“if it was bad enough probably, not sure what he would constitute as bad enough though” she replied
“you make a good point” Mal agreed

Carlos stood
“right well, I’ll leave you two to your date” he grinned “have fun!”
“oh we will” Mal shoved him towards the doors “get gone De Vil” she laughed
“Bye Malicious!”
“Not my name!” She groaned, Hermione laughed as Mal took a seat next to her
“why do they call you different things every time?” she asked, “I've wondered for a while”
“oh, er, Jay started it as a joke when we were kids and it kinda stuck” Mal replied, “only Evie knows what my actual name is, she found out by accident”
“you mean it’s not Mal?”
“no it is” she replied “well…part of it is”. Hermione raised her eyebrows
“I don’t follow”
“my…mom decided when I was little that I was….not worthy of my full name, so I got stuck with the short version. Mom made sure no one knew my full name, ever. Only she and I knew it, because she liked to remind me I wasn’t worthy of it, but I could be, in time, which is why she never changed it to anything else. Fairy Godmother almost got it right when we met Professor McGonagall for the first time, but I sort of talked over her; so no one heard it. Evie was helping me with math homework one night and my mom dropped some papers, one of which was my birth cert, Evie saw it” Mal winced “she’s never made fun of my name, and the jokes are just that, a joke” she shrugged “the boys love to come up with different things Mal could stand for, and to be honest some of them over the years have been better than my actual name” she grinned
“It can’t be that bad, I mean it could be worse you could be named Hermione” she replied
“it’s a lovely name Mia, I like it” Mal returned
“glad you think so” she said “that certainly settles that then” Hermione shrugged a shoulder “I just think it’s funny how creative they are”
“they’re so wrong its hilarious” Mal agreed “but to answer your next question which I know you want to ask…”  she paused “mom gave me her name, but I'm not allowed to use it” she sighed “don’t even say it” she warned “tell no one I told you”

Hermione blinked
“oh, right, okay” she said “that’s different”
“could be worse, according to my school records, my middle name is Bertha” she made a face “mom is truly evil”
“wow…and here I was complaining about Jean”
“Hermione Jean? Aw that’s cute”

“….Hello my loves” Evie was making her way towards them with a bright smile “so, what’d I miss?”
“oh nothing much” Mal shrugged “just talking, did you sort whatever it was?” she asked
“yes all sorted” Evie nodded “homework?” she looked at Hermione’s books
“pretend homework” she replied “I normally come in here with books on a weekend and no one bothers me, sometimes I’m doing homework, sometimes I’m not, I get peace from the other students, unless they want tutoring, which I try to do on a Saturday morning, unless we have a Hogsmeade weekend”
“sounds like you have rather a heavy social life” Evie commented

Hermione snorted
“not really. Harry and Ron have been my friends since first year, its only really this year I've become friends with anyone else in my year. I'm just used to being needed for academic reasons”
“do you miss your friends from muggle school?”
“I had no friends there either” Hermione replied “I have two friends at home who live a few doors down from me who know I go to boarding school so we keep in touch in the summer but, I don’t really mind them”
“that sounds hard” Evie replied, sliding into another chair next to her “you should charge for your time”
“I mainly help the first years” Hermione shifted a book, “the muggleborn students tend to need a bit of adjustment time and so I don’t mind really, I had Percy to help me when I started, it took a little while and he was very patient, so I sort of feel I should repay the favour”
“that sounds fair” Evie agreed “so we have the whole afternoon to ourselves…what are we doing?”
“the boys have Quidditch practice so I’m all yours” Hermione smiled as her face pinked “I only have one essay to finish which I can do later…. so what do you do for fun? Jay’s gone to quidditch practice, he wants to try out for the team” Hermione shrugged

Mal grinned
“cause mischief and mayhem” she said “but I think today we should probably not, considering I’ve already seen Dumbledore once today”
“no murder” Evie chided “and no mischief that can get us in trouble” she raised her eyebrows
“it’s still warmish outside, we could go for a walk around the lake? See if the giant squid’s around” Hermione offered
“…giant squid?”
“lives in the lake” Hermione nodded “docile mostly, but I reckon would be deadly if it came to defending itself”
“I want to see the squid” Mal replied
“then we’ll go see it” Evie agreed

*

After a comfortable afternoon in which Hermione found herself getting more used to the idea of having two highly possessive girlfriends who seemed to take endless pleasure in baiting each other as to who would be the first to leave their mark on her.  Hermione decided she really needed to look up some of those ‘beauty’ spells Lavender was always harping on about, especially the ones for concealing bruises and ‘unsightly blemishes’. she had a feeling she'd need them sooner or later, if the looks the other two were giving each other were any indication.

Mal and Evie returned to Slytherin’s common room, leaving Hermione to head to Gryffindor tower. She took the staircase to her dorm, finding Lavender sitting on her bed reading a magazine with Parvati.
“I wondered when you’d return” she said
“is it a crime to spend my time in the library?” Hermione put her books on her bedside table and looked over at the pair “you’ve never cared where I’ve spent my time before” she commented
“that was before you started spending time with Slytherin’s” Parvati replied

Hermione rolled her eyes
“whatever” she said, “I don’t expect you two to understand anyway”
“what’s that supposed to mean?” Lavender asked

She sat on her own bed
“Lav, if you fancy Ron so much then go ahead, ask him out, I don’t care”
“wh-“ Lavender spluttered “what makes you think I fancy Ron?”
“c’mon, it’s obvious. Besides, you were all for Mal defending you last night, then suddenly she’s the worst person ever to walk the earth. Really, its endearing” she glared

Lavender scowled
“she's not right in the head!”
“she’s a faery Lav, you know that means she’s entirely different to the rest of us, same as Jane in fact” Hermione sighed
“Janes normal” Parvati shrugged
“still a faery” she countered
“she's not broken anyone’s skull” Lavender said “Ron’s lucky to be alive”
“You’re being overdramatic” Hermione picked up a book off her nightstand and began to read.

*

Breakfast the next morning was somewhat back to normal with the Gryffindor’s. Hermione spent an hour or so afterwards in the library finishing her homework for the week. She was mostly finished when a small note appeared on top of her parchment with a flash.

Frowning, she picked it up with one hand and opened it.

Follow the corridor from the great hall towards the potion’s classroom, turn right at the ugly statue. Password is Cerberus.

She smiled a little, putting her things in her bag, Hermione shouldered it and headed in the direction of the potion’s classroom.  

Taking the note’s direction, she turned right at the statute of Salazar Slytherin and continued down until she found a doorway she wasn’t sure had been there before.
“Cerberus” she muttered

The door flashed, she heard the lock click and the door opened wide enough for her to enter. Hermione looked inside and found the four VK’s at a table doing homework, or in Mal’s case, drawing.
“Hey you” Evie gave her a big smile “wasn’t sure if you’d remember the way”
“your note was specific” Hermione replied “I had little chance to get it wrong” she confirmed

Mal scrunched her nose
“told you, she's clever our Mia” she said to Evie “practically the brightest witch of her age”
“oh hush up Malady” Hermione rolled her eyes as she dumped her bag “I'm sure there are kids here who are smarter than I” she laughed as Mal’s eyes widened
“Malady?!” she commented “oh, oh now you’re on it too….” She groaned
“I think you’ll find her name is Malediction” Jay wagged his finger “or is it Malevolent?” he looked at Carlos “did we try that one? I lose track”
“bite me it’s none of them” She replied with a sarcastic grin “you’ll never get it right, although I have to admit Malevolence does have a certain, ring to it” Mal chuckled “Malevolence Moors, I like it”
“no changing your name to suit those morons” Evie shook her head, pulling Hermione over to their table by her hand and sitting her on her lap. The boys laughed as Hermione turned pink.
“but it suits me” Mal complained
“so does every other name they’ve come up with” Evie replied “I especially enjoyed your reaction to Malalignment”
“That’s not even a word” Mal glared “my mom is mean but she’s not that mean to name me something so ridiculous, face it, you’ll never guess my name”
“like you’d tell them even if they did” Evie snorted
“course I wouldn’t” Mal rolled her eyes “guessing’s part of the fun”

Hermione leant over to her bag and pulled a notebook out. She grabbed a pen and began to write something down, leaning a little to the side so Evie could continue to write her essay.

“Homework?” asked Jay
“No, I keep putting off writing to my parents. They expect a letter every week or so” she shrugged. “I struggle to come up with news sometimes. At least now I can tell them Ron and I split up, for good that is, so that's news"
“And the rest" Mal said with a grin, Hermione rolled her eyes
“I think I may wait a while before I tell them I've acquired two girlfriends" she said “I’m not sure how they're going to react"
“But your aunt is gay right?” said Evie “and your family are okay with her?”

Hermione nodded, reaching to put an arm around her. Evie leant into her touch, tucking her free arm around her waist.
“there's not much that shocks them" she said “I think they'll be fine about it. At least I hope so"
“If they're awful about it you can always come back with us to Auradon" Carlos shrugged
“that’s a given" Mal replied without looking up from her sketchbook

Evie smiled, reaching up to tuck a stray curl over her ear. Hermione continued to write, she'd felt the slight hesitation in her movement and wondered why Evie was comfortable enough to have her sit on her lap but was hesitant to touch her? There was something off about the situation and she swore to herself she’d find out even if it killed her.

She pondered on it for a while whilst she wrote about breaking up with Ron and the Halloween ball. Hermione finished her letter and closed her notebook. Pulling an envelope from her bag she slipped the letter inside and sealed it with a tap of her wand.
“I take it Hogwarts doesn’t have a mailbox” Evie commented

Hermione shook her head
“No I’ll send it home with Icarus before lunch”
“Icarus?” Mal looked up
“my owl” she replied “she lives in the Owlery, mum and dad bought her for me when I was in first year so we can send letters back and forth over the school year. Dad had an enclosure built for her in the back garden for when I’m at home”
“Oh…don’t the neighbour’s mind?” she asked, “and they don’t ask why you’ve suddenly got an owl?”
“I have no clue” she replied with a laugh “I don’t really interact with them much”
“Fair enough”

Soon enough they heard the bell for lunchtime and began to move towards the Great Hall, where they met Ginny and Luna coming down from the upper floors.
“Mione! There you are!” the ginger girl came forward “I’ve been looking everywhere for you”
“Hey Gin” she replied “I was….doing homework”
“Well you weren’t in the library” Ginny commented “that’s the first place I looked”
“you must have missed me. I was helping Mal with her potions essay” Hermione lied swiftly “what’s up?”
“I just wanted to talk to you” She replied
“about what?” Hermione asked, slipping her arm around the smaller girl

“Hey Hermione…catch you later, thanks for the help with potions” Mal was grinning
“no problem” She tried not to blush “…see you later”

Ginny raised an eyebrow
“So…what happened last night? Why didn’t you come back to the Tower?” she asked, Hermione took her place at the table.
“I didn’t want to” she replied “and its actually none of your business”
“I thought we were friends” Ginny said
“We are” Hermione returned “I just…needed some time alone” she began to eat “have you heard from your mum?”
“Oh yeah she sent an owl earlier, Ron’s fine” Ginny waved a hand “he’ll be back tomorrow”
“that’s good” she agreed “you okay Harry?” she looked at him

Harry, who had been talking to Fred turned and nodded
“fine thanks Mione” he said

The strange, strained air continued for the entirety of lunch. Hermione couldn’t see any way past it. On the one hand she didn’t think it was her problem, she was the one who Ron had called names after all, she didn’t see why she had to do anything about it. Besides, she was tired of having to be the one who fixed everything all the time.

Following her friends back to Gryffindor Tower after eating, she headed straight to her bedroom to put down her bag and sort through her homework. Hermione organised her work for the next week’s classes before checking over her timetable with a critical eye. She hoped Ron was okay, of course she did, but a small part of her was glad Mal had hurt him in her defence without batting an eye.  She would be lying if she hadn’t felt pleased that the fae girl had disarmed him quite so easily.

A knock on her dorm door had her look up
“Come in?” she shouted

Jay poked his head around the door
“….Can I come in?”
“sure” she eyed him “how’d you get up here?”
“that’s my secret” He grinned “you’ll never figure it out”

She rolled her eyes
“Very funny” she waved him over to her bed “you okay?”
“I was going to ask you the same question” he replied “you seem a little…tense”
“I’m fine Jay” Hermione said “it’s nothing, I just don’t exactly want the whole of the Tower finding out before I’m ready”
“You mean you don’t want Ron finding out” he countered
“one and the same” she agreed “he and Harry are my oldest friends. It’ll come out of left field for them for sure”
“why do you care so much?” he asked, “I mean it’s your life” Jay shrugged “who gives a damn what or who you do”

Hermione wrinkled her nose
“Hogwarts and the wizarding world are vastly different to the muggle one” she said “it’s not embraced here as much as you’d think, but it’ll be fine I’m sure”
“Well you know I’m here for you” Jay put a hand on her shoulder “you can rely on that” he gave her one of his sincere grins that had her smiling in response.
“I do, thanks Jay”

*

The next day, Ron returned to school, he made his way back to Gryffindor about an hour before his detention
“Hey Ron welcome back, how’re you feeling?” Jay asked
“alright” he shrugged “still getting headaches but the Mediwizard said that’s normal, I’m banned from Quidditch for a week until they reckon my head’s healed”
“Ooh tough” Jay said “at least that means you’re healing”
“Yeah, still can’t believe I got detention” he grumbled
“Speaking of which, you better go soon you don’t want to be late” Hermione didn’t quite look up from her book

He winced, walking over to her chair by the fire
“Er…Mione?” he said “can I…um…talk to you for a minute”

Withholding a sigh she lowered her book to look in his direction
“Yes?” she asked
“I um…wanted to apologise for the other night….I was drunk and…it wasn’t right of me, I said things I shouldn’t have said”
“is this your apology or is it your mother’s?” she asked with a glare
“No, I mean it” he said hurriedly “I um…sorry”
“Fine.” She replied “but you’re not forgiven” she raised her book “I suggest you head to your detention”

grumbling a little, he had at least figured she'd hug him or something, Ron nodded 
"alright well... see you later" he turned to make his way back out of the portrait to his detention.

Chapter Text

Minerva looked up as the ward on her classroom door chimed. She opened it with a wave of her wand and Mal walked in with her bag over her shoulder. Ron appeared in the doorway a moment or so later, looking as if he had had to run the whole way from Gryffindor Tower.  

“Take a seat” she said   

Shrugging, Mal grabbed a seat in front of her desk. Putting her bag on the spare chair next to it, Minerva placed a long parchment in front of her and a fresh quill, moving to do the same in front of Ron. Returning to her desk, she looked at them both.  

“The headmaster has already impressed on you both the seriousness of your actions and the relevant parties have been informed of this infraction. For tonight’s detention, Miss Moors, you will write an essay outlining why you acted in this manner towards Mr. Weasely and explain your reasons.” She turned a little “you Mister Weasely, will write an essay detailing why you believe your actions and words towards Ms Granger were warranted. You have two hours. Begin”   

Exhaling, Mal picked up the quill and twirled it in her fingers. This was dumb, writing lines was not a punishment, except it was boring. Perhaps that was the intention? To bore her into behaving? This was almost as bad as Remedial Goodness class. Snorting quietly she dipped the quill into the inkwell on the desk and tried to think of what it was Minerva wanted from her in order to get out of here.  

Sneaking a glance at Ron on the other side of the classroom, she noticed he was writing slowly, the scratching on the parchment stopping every few moments as if he was trying to choose his words carefully. 
“…is there a problem Ms Moors?” Minerva was standing in front of her  

“What? No” she grabbed the parchment in her hand   

“Very well, please begin your work” She returned to her desk and began to grade a stack of papers. Occasionally looking up to watch the pair, Minerva had expected some fireworks at least, but both of the children seemed to be behaving.  

Grumbling quietly, Mal began to write about how she was fully aware she shouldn’t have hit him in the first place, but the fact remained that Ron had been vile towards Hermione and other girls at the ball, and his actioned warranted correcting.   

Mal was three quarters down to the end of the parchment when she ran out of points to make. Scribbling a closing statement, she rubbed her face with her free hand and put down the quill. Idly looking at her watch she realised she’d been writing for over an hour. Leaning back in her chair she stretched, feeling her joints pop with a satisfying crunch sound.   

“Are you done Miss Moors?” Minerva raised an eyebrow 
“Yep” she shrugged “all done” 

“Very well, bring it to the desk and you may go” she gestured with a hand for the parchment.  

Mal rolled it up in one hand and crossed to her desk, slinging her bag on her shoulder as she handed it over.  
“I expect no further reprisals” Minerva studied her  
“Like I said, if he behaves then we won’t have any” Mal replied “I intend to keep my word” 

“Indeed, as I am sure you will.” She replied “you may go”   

She crossed to the door, and it opened without a sound. Walking into the corridor Mal smirked to herself, of course she would keep her word, it didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun with the idiot boy though, as long as she didn’t get caught. No one messed with her girls, not even hormonal teenaged boys who thought they had a right to them.  

  Shaking her head in amusement at Hogwarts’ punishment ideas, Mal re-entered the common room  

“That was quick” Evie looked up as she dumped her bag on the floor beside her chair. 
“Eh, just was made to write an essay about why I hit him… wrote some drivel about how although uncouth, it was the only way to get through to him” Mal was grinning “I do say it makes for very interesting reading”
“You’re a hellion Mal Moors” Evie laughed a little 
“You know it” She replied, draping herself on Evie’s knee and planting a kiss on the side of her neck, Evie swore quietly.
“GIVE OVER YOU TWO!” Pansy yelled with a groan, making the pair laugh.     

~*~  

The next few days passed quietly, Hermione somehow managed to keep her newfound relationship entirely secret from Harry and Ron, although Jay’s smirking face when the group were together had her itching towards her wand more than once. Although the slightly more rational side of her mind knew that would entirely give the game away.  

“….don’t you agree Mione?” Harry was looking at her from where he was leaning against the table with his books open around him. They had been doing homework for a few hours at least.  

“Sorry what?” She blinked “what was that Harry?” she cursed herself quietly, needing to pay better attention to the world around her.  

The black-haired boy rolled his eyes, he’d been watching her for the last ten minutes. The brunette had been staring off into space for a good portion of that time.   

“I was saying that we should call it a night, this defence essay isn’t due until Thursday.” He was closing his books.   

“Oh I finished that that one already” She replied with a shrug “it’s easy” 
“for you maybe, miss walking textbook” He grinned “I’ve got loads of time to finish it” 
“if you say so Harry” Hermione began to pack her things up “to be honest I think I’m going to go to bed, I’m tired” she picked up her bag and headed to the dormitory. 

She pulled her drapes back from around her bed and put her half-finished homework in her cupboard.  Hermione turned back to her bed to get changed and found a folded parchment sitting on her pillow.   

Curiously, she opened the parchment to find one of her rings she’d worn at the Halloween ball. She recognised Evie’s handwriting easily enough by now.  

Figured you’d want this back  

She folded the paper back up and placed the ring on her bedside table before getting into bed.  

    ~*~  

The weekend came up on them quickly and it was with no amount of amusement that the VKs found themselves huddling outside with the Gryffindors to watch the Firework display in front of the school.  

“….and exactly what does this have to do with anything?” Carlos was pulling his hat down over his ears with a grumble.   
“It marks the night Guy Fawkes was stopped from blowing up the Houses of Parliament in London” Harry replied “he tried to kill the king of the time, but was captured before he could detonate the gunpowder”  

“So you mark the day by blowing stuff up?” he raised an eyebrow “seems reasonable” 
“Well not exactly” said Hermione “we set off fireworks, in the sky…”
“Right…” he shrugged  

Evie and Mal appeared through the crowd a few minutes later.  
“Did we miss anything?” Evie asked   
“Not yet” said Harry “Hagrid’s still setting up”  
“Oh good”  

“Speaking of good” Hermione was rummaging in her bag “Mal you might want these” she handed her a small packet.  
“What is it?” she asked 
“Earplugs” she replied “it’s likely to get loud and…with your fae hearing you’ll get a migraine at the least” she explained.  
“Oh…right” Mal shrugged and opened the packet with a nod “I do like to hear…thanks Mione” she took a moment to put them in her ears under her hat. 
“So she can’t hear now right?” Jay grinned 
“of course I can you moron” Mal rolled her eyes “just not as loud as normal”
“Oh damn” he laughed “that means no mocking you”
“I’ll mock you in a minute” Mal smirked  

Whatever Jay was going to reply was lost as Hagrid set off the first of the large fireworks and the sky over the castle was lit up with glowing colours with a loud boom that made several students jump, laughing. Hermione couldn’t help but smile a little, watching their faces as the sky erupted in colours and shapes above them.  She hadn’t thought about the fact the Isle kids had probably never seen fireworks in their lives. She wasn’t entirely sure they were enjoying them and would not mind if they decided to head inside out of the cold.   

  It was only when it came to the Filibuster Special Exploding Rockets that Hermione realised something was amiss. Beside her Mal was watching with a slight frown on her face, she saw how her jaw tightened with each bang and was about to ask her if she wanted to go inside out of the cold when Mal turned with almost neck-breaking speed.   

“Evie…” her voice was low considering the noise and Hermione was amazed she heard it over the bangs and the cheering from the students.  

  Harry was next to the blue-haired girl who was standing completely still staring at the sky. He raised an eyebrow, clearly Harry had heard her too.  
“Potter move!” She demanded suddenly
“er sure..” he stepped back towards Ron and the twins with a shrug.  

  Mal twisted around Evie’s shoulders to get on her other side  
“Eves?”  she tried to get her attention
“Mal?” Hermione queried; Mal didn’t look at her   
“Eves?” she tried again “Evie?!”  

A particularly large bang made them jump suddenly, Evie recoiled at the noise and disappeared into the crowd and out of sight with a speed that surprised the group.   

“FUCK!” Mal grabbed Hermione “Mia we need to find her and fast!” 
“Fred! George!” Hermione looked at the twins “Map! Now!” she held out her hand impatiently  
“It’s in the dorms” said George 
“Never mind that!” Hermione replied “Accio Marauder’s Map!” her wand was already in her hand and  a moment or so later Harry grabbed a parchment out of the air  
“What-“ Jay was looking at it   
“c’mon” Harry was moving towards the braziers on the walls of the castle   

He opened the parchment   

“I solemnly swear I am up to no good” he tapped the edge of the parchment with his wand and the map activated.
“woah” Carlos commented “that’s cool”
“…she’s not on the map” Harry looked at Hermione “she should be”
“The map never lies Harry” George was frowning “unless she’s found a hiding place not on the map? It’s possible”
“Then what fucking use is this?!” Mal growled
“Chill it dragon breath” Jay eyed her “we’ll find her”
“right” Hermione turned back to Mal “think, you know Evie best, where would she go? If the noise bothered her where would she hide?”
“It’s not as simple as that” Carlos replied “….I…JANE!” He disappeared into the crowd and reappeared with the fae girl who looked a little bemused
“…hey what-?” She was rubbing her ears “this is a bit loud...er…what’s up?”
“Jane…Evie’s gone AWOL” he replied “gonna need some help”
“Carlos-“ Jay was looking at him, but another loud bang made Mal yell a choice swear or three
“Calm down Mal, we’ll find her” Fred said “Ron and George head towards Hagrid’s hut, Gin, Harry and Jane go towards the Owlery and back around via the Stone Circle, that covers a lot of ground in a very short space of time” 
“Good idea Fred” George was nodding “we’ll set off green sparks if we find her” 
“Just….don’t touch her if you do, unless she bolts again” Jay said “you’ll get hurt at the very least”
“How-“
“don’t ask stupid questions Weasely” Mal cut him off “green sparks, got it”
“we’ll head towards the Forest, its dark and quiet in there at this time of night, if she bolted in there to get away from the noise, we” Jay was pointing to himself, Fred, and Carlos “may find her easier” 

  Mal was yanking the earplugs out and hissed at the loud sounds around her.   

“Mal-“ 
“need to hear” she shook her head “c’mon, we’ll head in that direction” she gestured towards where she’d seen Evie disappear down the side of the castle. 

  ~*~  

“Lumos” Fred held his wand aloft as they entered the forest, the sound of the students starting to fade away the further on they walked “How sure are we she even went this way?” 
“we’re not” Carlos didn’t look at him, he was looking at a gnarled tree  

Jay reached out with a hand without speaking, watching as a spark of magic flickered on his palm, taking the shape of a small arrow, it twisted and flickered every which way as if confused  

“No luck?” Carlos was looking at it with raised eyebrows  
“can’t get a strong enough grasp” Jay banished the magic “too much interference”  
“Let me try” Fred shrugged “point me, Evie Grimhilde” he snapped his wand and laid it on his hand.  

The wand span several times before turning slowly towards the route they’d come from  

“This way” Fred gestured “at least she’s not in the forest” he offered  

  ~*~  

  Ginny, having the same idea as her brother lead her group in heading towards the forest tree line beside Hagrid’s hut towards the stone circle.  

“Spread out” She looked at the boys “and remember what Jay said” 
“remind me, why do we care so much?” Ron stomped his feet a little in the cold, he wasn’t quite over the events of Halloween and tensions were still frosty between him and Hermione.  

“Because Ronald if we want to live to see tomorrow we better find her” She replied 
“Ginny’s right” Jane nodded “you do not want the VKs angry with you…” 

“you speak from experience?” Harry asked   

Jane winced at his question 
“We don’t want to find out how much like their parents they really are” she said “I have no desire to find out, and neither should you” 
“you make it sound like their cold-blooded killers” Harry replied with a laugh “they’re just kids” 

“Oh Potter you know so little” Ginny snorted   

“Meaning?”
“nevermind” She replied “let's get some light around here”   She cancelled the point me spell and cast an almost silent Lumos. Ginny walked forwards into the first line of trees.  

“Ginny we can’t go in the forest!” Ron complained “do you want to lose points?” 
“Do you want another break in your head?” She snapped at him “points will be the last thing on my mind if we don’t try to find Evie” pushing past him, Ginny and Jane continued into the trees.  

Ten minutes later, Ginny’s wand light stopped moving in front of them  
“Gin?” Jane queried  
“sh” the redhead raised a hand “somethings over there…” she pointed with a finger towards a darkened copse of trees.   

She crouched down and waved the others back  
“Evie?” she inched forwards, her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she saw the outline of a huddled figure, face obscured by long dark hair  
“Gin?” Jane whispered “remember what Jay said.... Harry send up green sparks... no one is to touch her”  

“Why not?” asked Ron “why does everyone fear her so?”
“if your mother was an evil sorceress charged with bringing an entire kingdom to its knees by attempting to kill their princess, I would figure there is somethings she passed on to her daughter” Ginny glared at her brother.
 

A few minutes later they heard voices coming from their right and Mal appeared with Hermione, Jane noticed the fae girls' eyes glowing a veridian green in the night and figured her dragon power gave her some form of night vision.  

“Nice work Potter, Weasely’s...Janey” Mal commented “We’ll take it from here” Jane noticed the tone of her voice indicated Mal was either beyond rage or worried sick and Jane wasn’t sure leaving her alone with Hermione was a good idea.  

“Mal are you-” She stepped forward 
“take one more step Godbotherer and we’ll see how fast you can bibi bobbidi boo out of a chokehold” Mal spat at her, her eyes were glowing again, the pupils were elongating, Jane realised they were all in very real danger if Mal didn’t get a hold on her dragon powers  

“Mal I can help-” She didn’t rise to the insult but tried to get the girl to focus on something else  

“No, you can’t” Mal replied “all of you fuck off back to the party, I just need Hermione to stay” she waved a hand in dismissal much like she had seen her mother do when irritated with her minions and hoped it had the correct effect.  

Harry shook his head  

“Mal we should stick together- you don’t know the forest at night-” 
“Saint Potter I won't tell you again to get the fuck out of my space” Mal span on a foot and stalked towards him, a faint crackle of magic was heard in the air around her. Jane swallowed thickly; Mal seemed to be turning into her mother faster than she could deal with. Maybe she should write to her mother? Hm maybe not, it wouldn’t do any good from here. 

Ron yelped as he tripped over backwards to get away from Mal, still clearly affected by the last time she had been angry in his direction.  

“C-C’mon Harry” he yanked his jacket “she-she’s right she can deal”  
“at least you speak sense Weasely, now get out of here” she sneered, turning her attentions back to where Evie was partially hidden by a large fallen tree.
“Mione?” Ginny stepped around Mal and forwards towards the brunette  
“I’m safe with Mal Gin, go to the party, I'll see you in the dorm later, okay?” she smiled kindly and gently moved her back towards Harry “go on, honestly, I'll be fine”
“You better be” Ginny frowned “not even Moors is capable of disarming my Bat-Bogey hexes” She threatened. Mal smirked; she had an odd feeling the girl was serious.  
“try me littlest Weasely” she lunged forward “I dare you”  

  The slam of magic in the air was so loud it made Hermione rub her ears, Ginny folded her arms, wand in hand. Mal straightened up, holding something.  
“whoo! You’re quick on the drawer, but not quick enough” she laughed  

  Ginny stared, Mal was holding the spell in her palm as if it were a toy or something rather interesting.    
“h-how-” she demanded, Mal dropped the spell to the floor  
"Your friend is safe with me Weasely, now get going” Mal replied  

  One by one, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Jane left them in the clearing. Mal stood watching the path they’d used to leave and held a hand up for silence for a few minutes.  

“...they’re gone” She exhaled “It’s safe” 
“how do you know?” 
“night vision, oh and excellent hearing” Mal tried to smile, it came out a little feral and Hermione raised an eyebrow.  
“Are you totally sure you’re okay?” she asked “i see fangs again” she added 

Mal nodded  
“Perfectly fine” She knelt in front of Evie “she however is not” Mal looked at Hermione “do me a favour and cast that bluebell flame spell, I'm more likely to ignite the whole forest if I try”  

“i don’t know how you know that, and I want to know later” Hermione nodded    

She pulled her wand from her inside pocket and a swish later had a bell jar alight with blue flames
“brilliant Mia” Mal gave her a real smile this time “okay stand back a bit...there should be okay” she pointed  

“um ok”  

Mal turned to Evie; pushing the bell jar closer to her, she scooted forwards slowly until she was next to her  
“E?” Hermione barely heard her speak; her voice was so low “give me your hand E” she added  

It took a few minutes before Evie responded to the simple command to take her hand. Mal took that as a good sign and slowly got her to her feet.  

“Evie?” Mal brushed a few dead leaves from her hair 
“M?” Evie sounded confused “Mal? Where-” 
“shh you’re safe and that’s what matters” Mal reassured her “Mia come over here” she waved her over “we were worried when you bolted-” 

Hermione was a little concerned when the flames suddenly went out and the darkness surrounded them instantly. Hermione had a feeling the darkness was not normal; something was pressing in on her on all sides and it was frighteningly cold even for the time of year. Hermione realised she’d felt this type of magic before.  

“.... Shit... Evie? Evie babe stop the darkness not even I can see in this.... Mia can't see anything and she’s going to die of cold if we don’t get inside” Mal’s voice was still low but had a tone of urgency to it Hermione didn’t like.  

“Mal it's not Evie doing this” She said quietly “unless she’s a dementor” 
“what the fuck is a dementor?” 
“You honestly don’t want to get close enough to find out” Hermione clutched her wand “Lumos! Theyre the guards of Azkaban, get too close to one and it'll steal your soul, a fate worse than death”  

The wand light spluttered and faded 
“Expecto Patronum!” Hermione exhaled as her otter Patronus exploded into life front of her “Harry, find Jay and Carlos and come back to the forest we’re being surrounded by dementors”  

The ghostly apparition nodded once and leapt into the air, leaving behind a glowing white ball, which uncurled into a tiny version of her Patronus. The otter pup settled on the floor in front of Evie’s boots. 
“how did you do that?” Mal was staring at the little otter 
“my Patronus has never done that before” Hermione admitted “i learnt how to use it to send messages but.... now would be a great time for you to try to cast one” Hermione stood in front of her as a huge dark shape appeared at the edge of the path.  

“whats the incantation?” 
“Expecto Patronum, but you have to think of your happiest memory for it to work” Hermione replied, watching as the tiny patronus withered and disappeared in front of the huge dementor 
“what if you have no happy memories?” Mal shot back “dont answer that....” she added 

Mal shifted in front of them, listening as Hermione repeated the patronus spell without much effect. She searched her mind for any happy memories  

“Expecto Patronum” she threw her hand out as a whisp of ice blue magic appeared before her  
“k-kee-p trying!” Hermione had turned her attention to keeping Evie safe, the blue haired girl seemed completely out of it and was almost a dead weight against the tree.
“Mal, I hate to point out the obvious, but Evie’s been spelled, and I don’t know how to counter it” 
“fire!” Mal replied “turned her toasty she’ll come out of it...” She chanced a look behind at them 
“right.. Okay"  

Suddenly the dementors were blasted back by a huge stag, followed by a cobra and some other animals Mal couldn’t make out. The stag circled around them, throwing it’s head and snorting. seeming to be watching the cobra, which was striking at every dementor who attempted to get close to them.
“we’re on our way” Harry’s voice assured them “Prongs will protect you until we get there”  

Hermione pulled Mal towards her, behind the glowing tail of the patroni snake, standing tall with its hood extended, fangs bared as it hissed warningly at the dementors. She figured the cobra was either Jay or Carlos’ patronus and wondered how easily they had mastered the spell when she had trouble with it after one or two goes.  
“that’s impressive, Potters got some power” Mal commented as she watched the stag as it paced beside them.  

A few minutes later, the silence was broken by the arrival of Harry, Ginny, Ron, the twins and Jane with Carlos and Jay in tow.  
“expecto patronum!” Carlos aimed a hand at the nearest dementor and it blasted backwards “c’mon, can you walk?” he was looking at Mal 
“im fine but Princess can't walk” Mal assured him “JayJay?” 
“on it” He lifted Evie into his arms without much preamble and a shift of magic sent out a ripple of hot air around them that had Hermione sighing in relief. 
“bit cold Mione?” Harry asked  
“freezing”  
“I’ll warm you up” Mal snickered; in the darkness she slid her hand into Hermione's who squeezed it gently.
“I'm sure you will” Hermione returned “right now we have more pressing matters to deal with”  
“Let me try something” Mal made her way to the front of the group and stood in front of the biggest dementor
“Mal get away from it!” Fred yelled “it's getting too close!” 

Mal didn’t seem to hear him, she held her hands in front of herself and pulled on a secret magic only she and Evie knew about. She rubbed her hands together a few times and an icy blue magic crackled between them.  

“Leave us, return to where you came” Mal commanded “and if I see you here again, my father will hear about this” she threw the amassed energy in front of her and watched as the dementors fled from it as it exploded in a bright light. When it subsided, the dementors were gone.  
“Jeez Mally what the hell was that?” Carlos asked, rubbing his eyes with a gloved hand 
“ask no questions” Mal replied “we need to get out of the cold”  

*  

The group retreated to the den, by which time Evie was fully conscious and talking as if nothing had happened. She was sat under a huge throw conjured by George and Harry had asked Dobby for some hot chocolate for everyone, explaining to the VKs the chocolate would counteract the effects of the dementors.  

“Who would send dementors to Hogwarts?” Fred asked  
“Someone mental enough to risk angering Dumbledore” George replied, “say Harry, you’ve not pissed off anyone lately have you?” 
“Very funny George” Harry glared “my very existence pisses off everyone who likes snakes...present company excluded” he waved his mug in Evie and Mal’s direction with a grin 
“oh Potter its almost like you like us” Mal teased 
“You know what I mean” Harry rolled his eyes “the question remains who would be stupid enough to do it” 
“Umbridge?” Hermione offered “and you weren't the intended target” 
“no?” Ginny paused “then.... Mal?“ 
“as much as it pains me, I think you’re right Ginny” Fred teased her “you did have a fight with Umbridge” He said to Mal “i would think you need to report it to Snape at the very least” 
“no” Mal sipped her hot chocolate before grimacing and putting it down “too sweet damn” she retched  
“here” Evie handed her a small bottle from her jacket “two drops should sort it out” 
“Perfect thank you Eves” she returned it to her after putting two drops of the potion into her mug and watching it hiss, pointedly ignoring how the steam seem to weirdly resemble a skull for a second before disappearing.
“wha-” Jane began 
“So!” Mal cut her off “i don’t know about you all but I think we should all go back to the dorms and get some sleep” she took a big drink of the mug in her hand   
“yes, I agree” Jay nodded “it's almost curfew” 
“We better get back upstairs then” Harry agreed 

Fred and George headed out first, making sure the path was clear of Slytherin students, quickly followed by Carlos and Jane, Harry, Ron and Ginny went next, although Ginny had tried to wait for Hermione.  

“I'll catch you up Gin” Hermione waved her away “i wont be a few minutes, I'm just going to the bathroom” 
“hm okay ill wait by Salazar’s statue” the redheaded girl frowned as she left 
“see you in a few minutes” Hermione promised. 

The door thudded shut, leaving the three girls alone  

“are you sure you're okay?” Evie was looking at her  
“i was about to ask you the same thing” She replied “what happened?” she asked, Evie sighed 
“i don’t like loud noises” she said “the...loud rockets reminded me of something id rather forget and...i had to get away from them” Evie didn’t quite look at her. 
“E-” Mal sighed  
“no its okay Mal, I understand what that’s like” Hermione paused “in our third year....we found out Professor Lupin was a werewolf when he transformed in front of us after missing a dose of Wolfsbane, thankfully Professor Snape was able to lure him away without anyone being hurt. Whenever I hear wolves it triggers rather unfortunate memories, I can sympathise” She smiled a little “get some rest...see you tomorrow?” 

“of course” Evie hugged her tightly “Mia-” she sighed “I-” 
“get some rest Evie, some actual rest and sleep....however you need to get sleep, get some”
“you’re starting to sound like M” Evie whined with a laugh
“well we have to look after our Princess don’t we Mia?” Mal wrapped her arms around them both
“that we do Mal” Hermione agreed, taking her chance to plant a kiss on each girls cheek, she grabbed her jacket and headed to the door “Oh and Mal?” she looked over her shoulder  
“yeah?”
“your father will hear about this? You’ve been hanging around with Malfoy too much...” 

Mal laughed, but it was slightly nervous 
“oh heh you heard that then?” she swallowed “it was nothing...”
“i thought you didn’t know too much about him?” She eyed her  
“I don’t" Mal replied “it was an empty threat, but the magic worked so...if it got back to Umbridge that I know she did it, all power to me right?”
“right....” Hermione replied “goodnight” she headed out of the door.  

Evie whacked Mal around the head  
“EVES!” she winced “ow fuck” 
“you deserved that” she glared at her “you used Hades’ magic tonight didn’t you!” 
“i had no choice!” Mal returned her glare, rubbing the back of her head “my normal fae magic wouldn’t work, I cant make a patronus... i admit I panicked, it was that or transform into a dragon and I know which one I prefer”
“you’re going to have to tell her you know” said Evie “she will figure it out on her own, you know she will”
“maybe ill get lucky and she wont”
“don't lie to yourself” Evie shook her head “now....lets go back to the dorms, I'm sure there is a shower in our immediate futures, who knows, we may be able to scare the shit out of Parkinson whilst we’re in there” they shut the door to the den behind them and spelled it shut.  

Mal snickered  
“oh Princess, my Princess” she grinned, draping her arms around her “i am at your mercy” 
“you better be” Evie bent down to kiss her, and bit her bottom lip savagely. Mal swore in several languages, her knees giving out at the last second, she fell against the wall. 

Evie cackled in the cold corridor, shoving her arms above her head, peppering her neck with bruising marks. Smirking as Mal’s complaints became a litany of all the languages she knew.

“....OHMYGODDESS GET A ROOM YOU TWO!!” Pansy, Millicent and Daphne had come round the corner and chanced upon them.  

Evie couldn’t help it, she started to laugh loudly as the other girls’ displeasure was made known, She held Mal up in one arm, the Fae girl was blearily blinking at her in confusion as to why she’d stopped their game,
“oh Pansy.... you might want to...not use the dorms tonight” She dragged Mal by the arm “you don’t mind do you? No? Didn’t think so” she shut the portrait in her face.  

Chapter Text

Hermione met up with Ginny at the statue of Salazar and they made their way to Gryffindor tower.

“Something on your mind Mione?” she asked, seeing her friends rather pensive expression.
“no, I'm fine Ginny honestly” she tried to smile “it worries me who could have sent the dementors”
“yeah it is a weird one, I’m sure you’ll figure it out” Ginny replied ,“could it be someone from Auradon?” She asked as they ascended the stairs.
“I doubt it” Hermione replied “our world and theirs aren't exactly linked. You said it yourself you’ve never heard of Auradon until now so how anyone from Auradon would know of our world. Much less know how to control that many dementors?”
“.... could it be.... Maleficent?” Ginny stopped at the portrait of the Fat Lady “she’s a dark fae right? She could have the power. Oh uh Crackerjack” she gave the password to the Fat Lady who had been looking at them with a stern expression, waiting for the password.
“As far as I know she’s trapped on a magicless Island” Hermione shook her head “from what Mal tells me”
“oh?”
“The Isle of the Lost” Hermione let the portrait close behind her “it's where Mal was born, I guess”.
“And you know this because...?”
“I talk to her” Hermione rolled her eyes “Why all the questions Gin?”

Ginny folded her arms. Hermione was startlingly reminded of Molly, it seemed the older Ginny got, the more she began to resemble her mother.

“you’re acting odd” She said, “do you have something to tell me?”
“Whatever would you mean by that?” Hermione crossed the dorm, idly waving at the others she headed towards her bedroom staircase in the hopes the youngest Weasely would get the hint she wanted to be left alone. Annoyingly, Ginny followed her and sat on her bed.

“So? Want to tell me what's going on?”
“I don’t know what you’re on about” Hermione replied with what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug.|
“Oh come off it Mione” said Ginny “after the shenanigans at Halloween you want to try to tell me nothing is going on?”

Hermione looked at her, she hated to lie but needs must.

“No Gin, there isn’t” she said, “I admit I find their company pleasing in a vastly different way to Harry and Ron's and it's nice to be able to discuss advanced Arithmancy with Evie and Carlos without being called a nerd”.
“Fine, fine” Ginny replied “I get it, but if you're lying to me-” she gave her a glare again reminded Hermione how much Ginny looked like her mother and the brunette had to hide a wince.
“I'm not” Hermione lied with a straight face “now I'm tired, I want to go to bed” she picked up her night clothes.

Finally getting the hint, Ginny left her to sleep.

**

November brought with it a fierce snowstorm which stopped all Herbology classes until Professor Sprout could safely heat the greenhouses without killing her plants.  Hermione was thankful for the slight break in studies as she was now facing an issue most teens had to deal with at one time or another.

What to get her girlfriends for Christmas?

She was completely stumped at what to get for Mal and Evie and was quite sure she was running out of time to get anything at all.  Most Owl-Order companies were having trouble getting orders fulfilled due to the weather impacting their Owls ability to safely fly to deliver to their intended destinations. This meant some shops were running low on supplies until things improved.

Finding herself getting stressed about it, to the point she was unable to sleep properly. She resolved to try to at least buy something on the next Hogsmeade trip. The question remained though, what to get them?

*

It was a dark and bitterly cold Saturday morning when the students headed out of the grounds to visit Hogsmeade. Hermione was crossing the hallway to the line of students when a voice made her turn,

“Why Mione, you look happy to be heading out into the freezing cold” Harry was grinning.
“Shut up Harry” she rolled her eyes, “where’s Ronald?”
“staying in the castle, he says he’s done all his shopping” Harry replied as they followed the gaggle of students out into the cold.

They headed down to the village, Hermione digging her hands into her hoodie to attempt to keep them warm. Not even the warming charm she’d cast on her gloves was enough to combat the chill.

“I thought you had gotten all your presents” she looked at him
“Oh uh… I have one more to get” Harry didn’t quite look at her, his cheeks turning a shade of pink which had nothing to do with the cold weather. Hermione smirked.
“Oh?” eyebrows raised “let me guess….It wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain dark haired Hufflepuff would it?” she teased
“what?!” Harry spluttered “how-“
“oh come off it Harry you’ve been mooning over Jane for weeks” she laughed, Harry grunted.

“I have not” he said half-heartedly “I just…wanted to get her something, I got presents for everyone else…it would be rude not to”
“did you include our friendly Slytherins in that?” She asked lightly, figuring Harry might give her an idea even indirectly.

“Much to Ron’s displeasure” Harry nodded, “did you know Fae are allergic to iron?” he asked, “Jay told me when I said I wanted to get Mal a present, seemed quite tickled about the idea of presents if I’m honest”.

“I did know that” she agreed “what did you get her?”
“I’m not telling” he shook his head “that way its untraceable”
“it better not be something from the Twins’ snackboxes” She eyed him “I honestly don’t know what those things would do to her”
“nothing of the sort” Harry looked innocently at her, Hermione snorted, shoving him over into the snow “HERMIONE!” he complained, getting to his feet and casting a drying charm with his wand “that was uncalled for”

She just laughed at his expression, watching as he dusted himself off.
“c’mon Harry, I want to go to Scrivenshaft’s, I need some more ink.” She yanked him down the main street and into the stationers. 

Hermione heard the door click shut behind her as she made her way down to the inks and quills. On her way to the section, her eyes fell on a leather-bound sketching book with a few coloured charcoals attached to the front with a purple ribbon. She turned it over in her hand, debating whether it was a suitable present for Mal or not? She knew the fae girl liked to draw, she was always scribbling on scraps of parchment, and she was pretty sure she’d seen doodles in the margins of her homework notes.

Tapping her fingers atop the leather, Hermione continued on towards the inks and quills, she found a few bottles of coloured ink she wanted, as well as large school standard black one, and looked again at the sketch pad.

“….Thats nice, and pricey” Jane was looking at her from the opposite side of the ink stand, Hermione jumped. She hadn’t noticed the Hufflepuff coming in, bundled up against the cold, she could see Hannah and Susan a few aisles away, looking at writing books.
“Jane!” she exhaled “yeah er…I was thinking of gifting it to Mal for Christmas, you guys do celebrate Christmas right?” she asked.

Jane chuckled.
“Yes we do, although I’m not entirely sure how the VKs celebrate” she explained “but yes Mal would love that sketchbook, she draws on literally everything, she drew a very convincing dragon on one of the desks in Mom’s classroom once, Mom said it took ages to get it off” she laughed.

“Wow I would have loved to see that” Hermione found herself smiling along with Jane, there was something about her that made you relax and feel like she really enjoyed your company. Hermione surmised it was a fae thing, kind of like the same way she found Mal’s company to be fun and somewhat arousing,

Clearing her throat, Hermione eyed her.
“so, getting last minute presents?” she asked, Jane nodded
“I picked up some stuff for Audrey, Chad and Lonnie, oh and I bought Ben a book from Flourish and Blotts about magical treaties, I’m sure he’ll love it” Jane said “I just have one person to buy for”
“oh really? Who?”

this time it was Jane who blushed, Hermione’s eyebrows raised
“I um….Harry” she whispered “you’re his best friend right? You could help!” Jane asked, Hermione grinned
“I would try Spintwitches across the way” Hermione said “He was complaining the other day his Quidditch gloves were getting small, he had been hoping they’d last till summer” she added

Jane exhaled
“right, Quidditch gloves, yes! Great idea Hermione” she said.

“no problem” the brunette replied “and thanks for the advice about the sketchbook” she handed her items to the sales clerk “I just have Evie to buy for now, then I’m done, but I have no idea what to get her” she turned pleading eyes on the other girl “you know her quite well…”  she fished her purse out of her bag and handed over her money to the clerk, the girls made their way across the shop.

“Evie likes clothes, and jewellery” said Jane “she makes most of her clothes though, I’m sure she’d appreciate a new sweater or something, it’s a lot colder here than in Auradon, I had to get mom to send me more winter clothes, maybe that’s a starting point?” Jane offered.
“hm a good idea” Hermione saw Harry enter the stationers doorway, his hand clutching a bag from Honeydukes. “Hey Harry, I thought we were going to Honeydukes together” she eyed him suspiciously.

The boy in question jumped in shock.
“Oh er hi Mione, I um…really fancied some chocolate, Hi Jane” he turned to the fae girl
“Hi Harry” she smiled “last minute shopping too?”
“Yeah, I just, er…wanted to get Ginny some chocolate frogs, did you get your ink Mione?” he shifted the bag behind him
“Oh really?” Hermione asked, amused “yes I did thanks, I also got a lovely present for Mal” she took it out of the bag
“nice” Harry nodded “right er, shall we go? Jane are you coming with us?” he asked
“No I need some more parchment and things, I’ll catch up with you later, bye Mione” Jane waved then off as she headed back down the aisles towards Susan and Hannah.

Hermione and Harry walked out in the snow and wind, shivering a little, they walked through the village square, occasionally peering into shop windows. A quick trip to a very crowded Honeydukes left Hermione with several more bags of sweet treats, including some chocolate frogs, fizzing whizbees and she bought one or two blood pops, Harry eyed them questioningly.

“….why?” he asked
“curiosity” she replied.

“quick stop at Three Broomsticks before heading back do you think?” Harry asked, “warm up a little?”
“yes sure” Hermione agreed

The pair turned to head towards the pub and seek a bit of shelter out of the cold when Hermione spied a little shop on the corner.
“… I don’t remember that shop being there” she commented as they headed towards it.
“Looks like a jeweller’s” Harry replied, looking in the window “looks a bit spooky to me” he eyed the jewelled skulls in the window with a look of unease.
“Says the boy whose fought Voldemort, scared of a jewelled skull?” Hermione scoffed “then don’t come in if you don’t want too” she had opened the door already and was over the threshold. Shaking his head, Harry followed her a few minutes later.

Hermione was standing at a cabinet filled with necklaces and bracelets, she wasn’t sure exactly what she was looking for, other than she had a feeling she would find a suitable present for Evie in here.  

“Looking for something in particular?” a voice came from her right; Hermione turned a little
“…I’m not sure” she said, “I'm looking for a present for a friend for Christmas” she explained
“hm” said the girl who had spoken “does this friend have a name?” she asked, Hermione looked up into startling purple eyes, her mind idly pointed out this was a vampire, if the strange magic aura was anything to go by.

“Evie” she found herself replying “Evie Grimhilde”.

The girl nodded once and swept away from the cabinet, beckoning her to follow. Shrugging and sharing a glance with Harry, she crossed the shop to where the girl had put a selection of items on a glass topped cabinet. Hermione looked down at the items and found herself drawn to a thin chain on which a pendant was hanging.

“ah yes” said the clerk “I thought so”
“pardon?” Hermione asked
“I pride myself on my ability to chose gifts” she said “this one is a favourite of mine, the pendant doubles as a vial to hold….well…poisons, potions, blood….anything really” she smiled sinisterly, chuckling as Hermione tried not to stare at the girls fangs, she wasn’t sure it was appropriate.
“oh er right…. Then I’ll take it” Hermione nodded “Evie loves potions, I'm sure she can use it for something” she looked at Harry, who was looking at a set of small metal bracelets.
“these are nice” he commented

Hermione inched closer as the clerk wrapped up the necklace
“very nice…but I don’t think they’re very practical” she said, turning back to pay for her shopping, Hermione wondered if Harry had any idea he was looking at a pair of metal cockrings. She decided not to tell him.

“c’mon Harry, I'm desperate for a drink, lets go to the Three Broomsticks for a warmup before heading back to school” she tugged his coat sleeve
“alright lets go” Harry agreed

**

As the school term began to wind down, there was one question on the VKs minds, where would they stay for the holidays? Would they go back to Auradon or stay at school? Mal asked Jane what her plans were during Herbology class.

“Susans invited me to stay at her house” Jane said one afternoon “I owled mom, she said that was fine, she also said if you wanted to go back to Auradon to let her know and she’ll organise transport” she added, finishing wrapping a scarf around a Bowtruckle.
“huh” Mal shrugged “think we may stay here at school then. Seems pointless to go all the way back to Auradon and be confronted with Princess Awful and Boy Wonder” she wrinkled her nose
“Audrey is not awful” Jane glared “you don’t know her very well”
“I don’t want to know her” Mal replied as the bell rang, they grabbed their things and headed out of the Greenhouses where they met up with the others for lunch.

“so have we decided what were doing?” Evie asked, sliding her arm around Mal’s shoulders.
“well…I did ask Mum and Dad if you could stay at mine” Hermione was looking at them directly “I just got the owl back this morning, they said yes”
“how come you’ve never invited us for Christmas?!” Ron asked.
“because you always invite Harry to your house” Hermione remarked “so, yes, if  the four of you want to spend the time in a dull muggle town, you’re totally welcome”
“sounds good to me” Jay was grinning at her in a smug sort of way, he knew exactly why they would be going to her house. Hermione just hoped the VKs would behave.
“yes” Mal agreed “definitely” she was eyeing Hermione with a look that did not entirely reassure her this was a good idea…

Chapter Text

The Yule ball took place two days before the term ended, Hermione had planned a bit ahead this year and spied a dress in Gladrags one afternoon on a trip to Hogsmeade, snagging the dress whilst Harry and Ron loitered outside.

“I don’t know why you have to buy so many dresses” Ron was saying “I'm pretty sure no one would  notice if you wore one from last year-OW!” he rubbed his head where Mal had jabbed him with a finger.

“don’t say that too loud Weasely,” she said “Evie will murder you, a girl has to make a statement, apparently, a ball means a new dress” she wrinkled her nose.

“Then why ain’t you buying a new dress then Moors?” he asked
“I have no need to” she replied with the tone of voice she reserved just  for Ron, Harry thought it sounded like Mal was talking to a child, Ron didn’t seem to notice “Evie knows my size, besides, she’s never bought me anything I wouldn’t wear” Mal shrugged a shoulder. Ron shook his head.

“girls” he said to Harry “I just don’t get them.”

Jay laughed
“Oh Ronniekins” he snickered  “I'm sure you will in time” he teased.

*

The ball itself was quite tame in comparison to the Halloween ball, students wore their finest outfits and the whole thing was a lot more formal feeling. Hermione had dodged questions from Harry and Ron as to who she was going with, even though the boys had been relentless in their questioning.  She gave in and told them she was going alone, yet the boys didn’t seem to take her seriously. It seemed to come as a surprise to them when she came alone into the hall.

“….you were serious?” Harry commented, eyebrows raised.
“I told you I had no date” she replied “it was you and Ronald who decided I was lying to you” she pointed out.

“Oh Hermione you look lovely!” Jane smiled. “Honestly boys you should believe her” She gave them both a glare.

“of course we should have, sorry Mione” Harry agreed. “Hey Ron lets go get a table” he dragged the redhead away from the girls without waiting for a response from him.

“Thanks Jane” she returned the smile awkwardly “I love that colour on you” she gestured to the dark green dress the fae girl was wearing.

“Thanks, I wasn’t sure about it, but Ginny persuaded me, I kind of like it” she shrugged “ah here comes trouble” Jane pointed over her shoulder and Hermione turned to see the VKs entering the hall.

Hermione knew she was staring, but it seemed the entirety of the Hogwarts populous was doing the same; Evie and Mal had entered the Great Hall arm in arm as was their custom.

“You know something Mione?” Jane was still speaking.

“Go on..”
“if I wasn’t straight I would definitely be having some sort of feelings right now….as it is I just know standing next to those two will definitely put my outfit to shame”
“you look lovely Jane, don’t let Mal and Evie make you think otherwise” Hermione chided.

Mal was wearing a purple dress with acid green accents. The skirt had a thigh high split up one side and as she walked, Hermione saw she wore fishnet tights and a pair of calf-high boots. The dress had a slight drop in the back, which showed her shoulders and a halter closure around her neck. Mal was wearing a necklace with a pendant of a heart with a crown atop it, but other than that she wore no other adornments, aside from her fingerless gloves, which somehow seemed to complement the outfit.

In contrast to her girlfriend’s attire, Evie’s dress was dark red with blue accents. It wrapped around her torso and closed at her hip with a brooch in the shape of a dragon, its eyes looked like glinting emeralds. Her long hair was braided back out of her face, pinned back by a ruby red tiara. A pair of mid heels finished the outfit.

Hermione had never seen the girl wearing any other colour than her signature dark blues with a hint of red. As if sensing her gaze, Evie met her eyes and gave her a smile, Hermione tried very hard not to blush, she wasn’t entirely sure she succeeded, if the wide grin Evie gave her was any indication. The slight raising of her eyebrow told Hermione she didn’t succeed too well.

“Mione!” Mal was already heading their way “Janey” she nodded appreciatively. “look at you not in blue! I like it”

“Hi Mal, I love that dress” Jane replied, “it’s very….you.”

“And by You, you mean its what you would expect from a VK” Mal teased “just lacking in studs right?”

“No I-“ Jane blinked “I didn’t mean-“
“Mal don’t be mean” Hermione found her voice “I think it looks lovely on you” she gave her a glare as Eve pulled the smaller girl close, Mal snickered.
“why thank you Ms Granger” she smirked, her eyes trailing her outfit “you look most exquisite” she leered, Hermione swallowed, her cheeks turning a little pink.

“Where are the boys?” Evie asked, “I don’t see them?” she elbowed Mal as she looked around the Hall, Hermione heard the blue haired girl tell Mal to behave and had to supress a giggle.
“oh they’re finding a table” Jane replied, “Carlos came with Justin Finch-Fletchley, I didn’t know they were a couple.”

“Did he?” Evie commented “isn’t Justin that tall boy in Hufflepuff? He sits with Susan in Arithmancy” she looked at Hermione for confirmation.

“Yes, Justin’s lovely” she replied, “he’ll take good care of him”  Hermione added.

“Los can look after himself Mione” Mal shook her head, her curls bouncing “let’s go see if they’ve found a table big enough for us all”.

Hermione let Jane lead the way through the throng of students, Mal cut in front of her, making her stumble a little on her heels.

“Hey you okay?” Evie caught her arm to steady her.

“Yeah fine” Hermione fell into step with her “just Mal being Mal and nearly mowing me down” She laughed.

“She….is a special case” Evie said in amusement “that dress looks awesome on you by the way” she said quietly “the alterations I had in mind worked perfectly”.

“Yes they did” Hermione agreed “I love your dragon clasp” she said, touching the metal with a finger “very unique” she added.

“Our dragon wouldn’t have it any other way” Evie said quietly “has to be a statement to remind people I’m taken” she smiled.

“Yes I understand that” Hermione replied, she didn’t quite understand her reaction to seeing the reminder of their relationship. Hermione had nothing to offer either girl in that regard and the realisation stung somewhat fierce.

Evie raised an eyebrow
“it bothers you? We wear each other’s family symbols” she said.

“What? No” said the brunette “it doesn’t bother me” Hermione reached the table and took a seat, Evie sat next to her and put her clutch bag down on the table.

“Its…a VK thing” Evie said.

“Evie you don’t need to explain” Hermione assured her “like I said, I don’t mind” She almost convinced herself that time.
“don’t mind what?” Mal was eyeing them, half hearing their conversation.

“Nothing Mal” Hermione brushed her off as the meal began.

*

As the ball got under way. Hermione found herself distracted a little by her girlfriends. It seemed Mal had picked up on her mood and slid her hand under the table to rest on her thigh, the touch firm enough to remind the brunette she was a part of Mal and Evie’s relationship, even if she wasn’t in the public sphere about it.

Not to be outdone, Hermione found a second hand joined the first as Evie chatted away to the twins, who had come to join them after the meal had finished.

“…isn’t that right Mione” Harry was talking to her and Mal.
“yes Harry,” she fumbled a moment, her mind had been elsewhere whilst Mal’s hand doodled nonsense patterns on her thigh, it was very distracting. “It was entirely Ron’s fault that I almost got squished by a troll in our first year”  she winced at the memory, “I vaguely recall having to remind you exactly how to cast Wingardium Leviosa” she teased Harry, who grinned.

“Swish and flick!” he parroted “it got the job done though” Harry agreed. Hermione laughed.

“That it did” She got up “I'm off to the bathroom”.

“I’ll join you” Mal got to her feet “that pumpkin juice goes straight through me”
“then stop drinking it” Jay rolled his eyes.

“where’s the fun in that?” Mal snarked with a laugh

The pair made it to the bathroom just off the main hall and joined the queue of students waiting to use the facilities.

“Why do you drink it if it upsets your stomach?” Hermione asked her, “the house elves will provide you another drink if it’s making you ill.”

“It doesn’t really” Mal replied, “but that’s good to know, in case I actually fancy anything else” she watched as a gaggle of girls exited one of the larger stalls and had an idea, she grabbed Hermione’s upper arm and yanked her into the stall with her, throwing up a privacy spell a moment later.

Mal pulled her close, running hands across her back, taking a deep breath against her neck. Hermione wrapped her arms around her, her hands gripping her shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Mal looked up at her “I couldn’t help but notice you were a bit down earlier”
“it’s nothing” Hermione replied.

“Bullshit Mia it’s not nothing” Mal eyed her “has someone upset you-“
“No Mal I'm fine” she smiled a little “it’s….you’ll laugh”.

“I won’t” Mal held her at arm’s length “tell me”.

Hermione sighed.

“…you’ll think it’s stupid”
“No I won’t” Mal repeated “can’t be any stupider than accidentally spelling the Prince of Auradon with a love spell cookie.”

“…what?” Hermione asked, “love spell cookies?”
“the spell had the best reviews in my mom’s spell book” Mal grumbled “it worked, a little too well, and I almost got expelled from Auradon Prep for it so….not my finest hour, he wasn’t supposed to eat more than one, they weren’t even for him.”

“Who were they for?” Hermione asked in amusement as Mal pouted.

“Evie wanted to try it, to see if she could make a counter potion for it, it was a very messy day and we’re not talking about that” Mal wrinkled her nose. “ever”

Hermione laughed a little

“you’ll find it ridiculous” she said “but I guess I got a little upset earlier”
“being upset isn’t ridiculous” Mal was playing with a lock of her hair; Hermione extricated it from her hand and tucked it back behind her ear.

“I know it’s a secret about us….but I saw you both wearing each other’s family sigils and I realised I have nothing to give you, my family’s muggle as they come”.

Mal blinked.

“Family sigils?” she asked “oh…oh you mean….ah shit” she said, “I forget we’re not in Auradon”.

“Meaning?”

“On the Isle… this” she took the necklace off and handed it to her “this is the symbol of the Evil Queen; it gives Evie protection...sort of…from the villains who would…much rather have a piece of her. Queen Grimhilde had this made so everyone knew who she was and what the repercussions would be if she was harmed”.
“I understand” Hermione replied, although she wasn’t sure she did understand.

“When…When we escaped the Isle….we swapped a lot of stuff between us. It just became a thing that she wears a dragon for protection, and she gave me this” she pointed to the pendant in her hand “sort of to remind the stuck up Chads of Boreadon we were together, the sight of these things caused a lot of people to feel uncomfortable, a reminder of our parents’ power definitely was a way to make sure we were safe”  Mal put the necklace back on “I couldn’t care less you come from a muggle background Mia” she said “you are gorgeous” Mal took her hands “and you’re a fucking powerful witch you know”

Hermione found herself smiling 

“I'm not that powerful” She said “but I thank you for the speech” she tugged her close “I guess I was just feeling a little inadequate”
“you are anything but inadequate Miss Granger” Mal replied, she put her hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss.

They broke apart a few moments later, Hermione was left feeling a bit heady from a lack of oxygen, something Mal took immense enjoyment in causing. She saw her flushed face and didn’t even try to stop her giggles as Hermione fanned herself a little.

“That never gets old…but right now I do actually need to go or I'm going to make a mess of my dress” Mal snickered.

*

The pair returned to the ball just as the dancing was getting underway.  Hermione noticed Jane and Harry were sitting rather close to each other, she spied their hands entwined and snickered. Harry had finally gotten the courage to ask her out it seemed.

“you two were a while” Jay commented, Mal kicked his chair as she sat down.

“why don’t you go bother Los” she asked
“cause he’s with his boy and I get the idea he doesn’t like me” Jay replied

“Justin? He’s probably terrified you’ll take Carlos away from him” Hermione said, “not wanting to give you a bigger head than you already have, but you’re a decent looking guy Jay. Justin is probably worried Carlos would pick you over him”.

He grinned.

“Why thank you Hermione” he said, “can I interest you in a cookie?” he took his hand out of his robes and opened a packet of cookies.

“Not even slightly funny Jafar” Evie vanished the cookies with a slash of her hand “don’t do it again”
“Eves-“
“I'm warning you” She glared.

“…..I bought those at the sweet shop” he sighed “they were double chocolate fudge” Jay lamented.

“Now they’re gone” Evie said sweetly “if you know what’s good for you, you wont try slipping my girls anything, understand?”

Jay nodded.

“Yes ma’am” he saluted.

“Now go find someone to play with and enjoy yourself”.

**

The ball wound down just after midnight and everyone made their way back to their dorms. Hermione and Ginny were the last of their group to return to their couches by the fireplace and kick off their shoes.

“Ugh, right, I'm going to bed” Hermione decided after a few minutes “my feet hurt, and I want out of this wretched dress” she picked up her shoes and headed for the girl’s dormitory.

She threw her handbag and shoes onto her bed and set about getting changed. Once she was done, Hermione emptied out her bag, put her wand on her nightstand and tried to get some sleep.

*

Hogsmeade station was packed with students heading home for the Christmas break. Harry, Ron, and the twins found a compartment down towards the end of the train and commandeered it for their group. Hermione, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos appeared just after the train had set off.

“This is quaint” Mal commented “a steam train”.

“it’s better than the floo” said George “less mess this way”.

“Floo?” Evie queried.

“Magical transportation though fireplaces” Hermione said, “it’s very…dirty”.

“Sounds dangerous” Carlos replied.

“it’s the fastest way to get places though” said George “aside from apperating”.

“Apperating?”
“instant travel between destinations” Fred explained “tricky to do properly, and the Wards at Hogwarts don’t allow it due to safety of students”.

“That seems a little extreme” Evie commented, her eyes not leaving the book she was reading. She shifted on the bench to get comfortable.

A few hours into the journey, the twins headed out to find Lee Jordan and the rest of the Quidditch team. Harry and Ron were playing a game of wizard’s chess across the table. Hermione noticed the rhythmic movement of the train had sent Evie to sleep a little while ago and gently took the book from the girl’s lap, putting the bookmark inside to save her place. She got up out of the seat and grabbed a blanket from the rack above their heads. Draping it over her, Mal looked up from her own book. Seeing Evie asleep, she exhaled.

“finally” she muttered.

“Finally?” Carlos asked. Mal nodded, returning to her book.

Evie slept for almost the entire trip back to London, barely stirring when the trolley lady knocked on their door. Mal held her breath, but relaxed when Evie simply moved in her sleep and didn’t rouse.

“….we’ll be getting into Kings Cross in twenty minutes” Hermione was looking out of the window at the passing houses. “Will we need to wake her in time to get her up before we get off?”

“Ten minutes” Jay nodded “gives her time to wake”.

Mal grunted from behind the table, she’d taken to lying across the bench with her head in the blue haired girls lap after a loud bang from a game of Exploding Snap had almost woken her.

“I don’t even want to know what that noise was for” Jay grinned.

“Bite me djinn”

“No thanks I learnt the hard way last time” he quipped .

“Not my fault you couldn’t handle me” she smirked.

“Oh I can handle you plenty Moors” Jay replied “remember the Warehouse?” his tone was light and teasing.

Mal’s head shot into view

“you wouldn’t-“ she glared

“done it once, will do it again”

“not if you want to live…intact” Evie murmured without opening her eyes

“hi Princess” Mal looked up at her “feeling better?”

“hm” she stretched “I need the bathroom…let me up.”

 “there’s a bathroom two carriages down” Harry pointed “that way”.

“Cheers Harry” she disappeared in the direction he’d gestured, returning a few minutes later.

***

Disembarking the train took a little bit of time, Jay levitated all their bags in front of him until they found space on the platform where he put them all down and shrank them to pocket-size.

“Boys!” Mrs Weasely was waving and making her way over to them “Harry! Ron! Have you seen Ginny?”

“No Mum she was sitting with Luna and Jane in another cabin” said Ron “haven’t seen her”.

“Goodness, well we better get going, Hermione dear do you need help through the barrier?”

“No thanks Mrs Weasely” she smiled “my dad isn’t going to be here for at least twenty minutes, we’ll wait till its less crowded before leaving the station”.

“Alright then dear, come on boys, we need to get into the queue for the floo. Fred, George stop messing about!” the Weasely matriarch ushered them towards a building at the end of the platform.

“See you in a week!” Harry called “don’t kill anyone in the meantime!” he pointed at Mal with a grin.

“No promises Potter” she called back.

Eventually the platform became emptier, and Hermione guided the VKs towards an archway which bore a signpost to the muggle world..

“The trick is to walk straight through, no stopping” she explained “I tripped over in first year and almost got stuck between worlds, thankfully Professor McGonagall was with me and got me through the barrier, best take it at a bit of run if your nervous”.

“Right…c’mon ‘Los” Jay grabbed the smaller boy and hauled him in front of him.

“Jay!” he squeaked “why me first?”

“I'm right behind you” He sniggered.

“Jaaay!” Carlos wailed, his voice cutting off as they disappeared through the barrier.

“c’mon princess” Mal took her hand “Mia?”

“Right behind you” she confirmed.

Evie clasped Mal’s hand in hers

“it’s not like the barrier” Mal said to her “it’s no trick Eves”.

“I know” she gritted her teeth “let’s just get it over with” She strode towards the barrier and in a flash they were through.

Hermione hurried after them, not sure what the next week would bring.

****

Kings Cross station was bustling with commuters as the VKs, and Hermione exited platform ten and onto the main concourse.

“This way” Hermione pointed “stick together, we just need to go up the escalator and over the bridge, Dads waiting in the car park”.

“what’s an escalator?” Carlos pulled her aside.

“Oh! Yes, Moving staircase, just like at school” she explained “this one only goes up, and won’t change direction. Step on, wait, and get off at the top”.

“right” Mal said. She pulled Evie behind her and joined the throng of commuters heading out into the cold.

A few minutes later, the group were at the top and Hermione was leading them through the station to the car park.

“So this is the muggle world” Jay was looking around “no magic allowed?”
“not if you want to go to Hogwarts after Christmas” Hermione nodded “although I don’t see how the Ministry would be able to track your magic because you don’t use wands”
“they track your wands?” Evie asked.

“Yep, the Trace breaks on your seventeenth birthday, technically you become an adult in the Wizarding Word at that age. Hence we have 7 years of schooling”. Hermione explained.

“right” she replied, “hey er Mia…where’s your dad?”

They were standing in the car park, which was quite empty given the time of day. Snow was beginning to fall around them.

“He might be late” she shrugged “I’ll ring home in ten minutes if he’s not here” she said.

“How?” asked Mal
“telephone box over there” she pointed “mum had me memorise our phone number when I was 6 so if I ever got lost I could call home. I still make sure I have muggle money on me to use a phone box”.

“Oh right”

“…Hermione!” a male voice came from behind them “Hermione!” a tall man was walking towards them pushing a luggage trolley. She turned on a heel.

“Dad!” she grinned “come on guys” she beckoned “Dad!”

The VKs watched slightly awkwardly as Hermione was hugged by her dad.

“Where are your bags?” he asked, “did you leave them behind?”
“in my pocket” she shook her head “Jay shrunk everything, so we don’t have to worry about space in the car”.

“Oh I see!” He replied, “well are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

“of course” Hermione said “Dad, this is Evie, Mal, Carlos and Jay”
“its lovely to meet some of our Hermione’s school friends” said her dad “John Granger”.

“Pleasure to meet you Sir” Carlos stepped forward and shook his hand.

“Oh no need to stand on ceremony, call me John” John replied
“as you wish” Evie commented, turning to slap Jay on the back of the head once John’s back was turned, this started a play fight that the pair kept halting as soon as John looked at them breaking his conversation with Carlos about the journey.

Hermione winced, oh yes this was going to be interesting. Mal saw her expression and laughed.

“they’ll behave, I promise” she squeezed her hand before letting it go.

“Are you sure about that?” Hermione watched as Jay was shoved none-too-kindly into a lamppost as they made their way to the car.

“It’s their love language” Mal assured her “Evie won’t cause him any permanent damage”.

“They do this often?”
“used to be every few days at home” Mal nodded “helps to get out nervous energy, usually we just fu-“
“ahem” Hermione glared at her

“Oh yes, no swearing” she grinned.

“er Mal I hate to point out the obvious…”
“believe me Mia if I could make them disappear I would” Mal’s smile turned into grimace “looks like a fae growth spurt or something, just be thankful I didn’t wake up with wings or horns for that matter”

“is that even possible?”
“with my mom? Trust me its highly possible” Mal snapped her fingers and Evie dropped Jay onto the floor with a shove, a moment later her clothing was straightened and clean from dirt.

“besides” Mal went on “they’re perfect for leaving the most exquisite bruises” she whispered into her ear.

Hermione turned dark red and shoved the smirking fae backwards
“MAL!” she squeaked “don’t you dare-“

“Oh? not even a little one?” her eyebrows raised “just…here” she touched the base of Hermione’s neck under her hair with a firm grasp that had the teen inhaling sharply thanks to the way it sent a certain feeling down her spine.

“Maleficent!” she demanded “don’t you dare”.

Mal was staring at her
“Mia!” she whispered
“What?” Hermione was looking at her “what’d I do?”
“you said my full name” Mal eyed her “I would advise against it in future….especially in public”
“Why is that?”

“I’ll explain later” Mal replied, tugging the girl towards the waiting car.

Evie caught up with them.

“….something happened?” she asked, seeing Hermione’s flushed complexion
“Mia won’t let me bite her” Mal complained.

“My love do have a sense of decorum” Evie rolled her eyes “a bite from you will do things to her she might not be ready for”.

“Thank you, Evie I think?” Hermione said.

“Believe me I speak from experience” Evie snickered “a fae bite can be a powerful sexual thing if done in the right area”.

“AAAAAAAND were not talking about that in front of my parents” Hermione glared “okay? And please God don’t get caught doing anything”.

“Are they prudes?” asked Evie “I thought you said they were cool with your aunt-”
“No they’re fine with my aunts, but I really don’t want to have to sit through another of my parents’ lectures about sex, it was awkward when they found out about me dating Ron, if they know I’ve brought home a nymphomaniac we won’t hear the end of it”.

“Nympho-what?” Jay asked.

“Sex addict”
“Ah you mean Mal”
“HEY!” Mal glared “I am not…whatever she said, I am fae and we like to fu-“ Evie slapped a hand over her mouth.

Oh yes, thought Hermione, this is going to go down so well….

**

The drive home lasted half an hour or so, Hermione sat in the front with her dad and filled him in on her year so far.

“…your mum was wondering if you and your friends wanted to decorate the Christmas tree tonight?” John asked, “she’s been decorating all day, which I why I was a bit late to get you from the station, I was hanging the lights outside”
“I figured” Hermione replied, “I’m sure we can sort it out”
“sort what Mione?” asked Jay
“the Christmas tree” She turned slightly to look behind her “we can decorate it tonight”.

“….decorate a tree? Oh you mean like the trees in the Great Hall that Hagrid was putting up” Carlos said, “I’ve seen those in books”.

John gave his daughter a strange look, Hermione waved a hand
“don’t ask” she said “oh Dad did you get my owl about changing the fire guard”
“yes I did, your mother was confused as to why we had to? We’ve had that wrought iron one for years, she loves it”
“as I said to mum in my letter, it just needs to go outside or somewhere safe until the holiday’s over” Hermione replied
“Mione you don’t need-“ Mal tried.

“Mal you’re a guest in my house, I won’t risk the chance you could get hurt” Hermione shook her head.

“Is it an allergy thing?” asked John

“You could say that” Evie said, “it causes blistering and other injuries”
“Evie!”
“don’t kick Mal its unbecoming” Evie pinched her arm and Mal growled, rubbing the spot she’d pinched.

"No growling” Jay rubbed her head “and remember mouths are-“
“finish that sentence and you’re entirely going to die” Mal spat at him.

“Try me” Jay provoked her.

A second later Jay howled in agony as Mal elbowed him in the groin, hard.

“GUYS!” Hermione yelled “stop fighting or I swear I will bibbidi bobbidi you into a cold shower!”

Evie burst out laughing.

“oh Mia” she grinned “I’d love to see you try” she snickered

Hermione grunted.

“Can we drop them back at the station?” She asked her father sarcastically.

“Come on honey… I'm sure your friends will enjoy the holidays just as much as you.” He chuckled. Hermione saw Evie’s smirk in the rear-view mirror and inwardly groaned, she knew exactly what that smirk meant and was a little concerned she wouldn’t survive the holidays.

**

Jean Granger watched as her husband pulled up and her daughter got out of the car. It looked like Hermione had grown again in the few short months she’d been at Hogwarts. She saw the VKs get out and file in behind her.

“Mum?”

“Hermione!” she gave her a huge hug “How was the train?”
“uneventful” She replied “mum, this is Mal and Evie, Jay and Carlos” she pointed to each in turn “friends of mine from Auradon Preparatory School”
“Auradon? I haven’t heard of that school, is it a magic school like Hogwarts?”

“Not exactly” said Evie “we have magic but its retired, Fairy Godmother still uses her wand but only in official capacity as Headmistress, or as Mistress of Ceremonies”

“Fascinating” Jean smiled “well, does anyone want a cup of tea? Or coffee?”

“I’ll have tea mum” Hermione said, “I miss it at Hogwarts” She said to them

“you should take some with you when you go back”  said Mal “er Mia where’s your bathroom?”

“Back into the hall the door by the front door is a bathroom” Hermione replied “you drank too much pumpkin juice; I told you not to drink it all on the train”
“it’s addictive” Mal shrugged “and hates me” she laughed.

Evie shook her head; her girlfriend was a doofus.

“she’s banned from that stuff when we get back, I swear”
“tell Dobby, he’ll make sure she doesn’t get any” said Jay “he’s Harry’s house elf he works at Hogwarts”.

“Yes I’ve met him” Evie replied, taking a seat on the sofa next to Hermione “I will have words with him when we get back”
“Have words with who?” Mal asked, sitting on her lap.

“Dobby” Evie replied “I'm banning you from pumpkin juice, its not good for you”
“noooo” Mal whined.

“Yes” She poked her in the side “you’re not having it anymore”.

Jean reappeared with a tray of tea and coffee.

“Here you go” she placed it on the table “I’ll leave you to get settled, Hermione did you eat on the train?”
“we had lunch before the train” she replied, “around noon, and we had snacks on the train”.

“Alright well I’ve got some chicken and things in the oven, but It’ll be about an hour or so” she replied
“that’s fine” Hermione replied, “which room are the boys sleeping in?”

“The spare room on the second floor, unfortunately they’ll have to share as we have your aunts coming tomorrow with your cousin Cassius and I said they could stay over, which means Mal and Evie will have to share your room.”

“Oh okay” Hermione said, “That’s fine” She caught the twin smirks on her girlfriends’ faces and internally wondered if she would survive the winter break without being accosted by a horny fae, or whether Evie would get her hands on her first? Hermione wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

*

An hour later the group sat down for dinner. Hermione told her parents all about what she had been up to in school until winter break but knew her parents would ask the VKs about their schooling as well.

“… I got bit by a plant” Mal said, “in our first week”.

“a plant bit you?” asked Jean “is that normal for the wizard world?” she looked at Hermione for confirmation.
“no Mal just got too close to a venomous tentacular” Carlos shook his head “they don’t attack unless provoked”
“I didn’t provoke it, the damn thing attacked me and its lucky I didn’t blow it up” Mal stuck out her tongue at him. Carlos sniggered. Hermione intervened when it looked like Mal was going to stab him with her fork. She glared at her girlfriend and gave her a stern ‘No’ and took away her cutlery. Mal pouted.

“Mia how can I eat-“
“you can use these” Hermione had gotten up and was rummaging in a drawer.

She returned to the table with a plastic knife and fork adorned with a cartoon character of a big blue dog.

“here, these will work perfectly for you” she gave her a smug grin

Mal glared

“Mia-“
“you can graduate back to the adult cutlery when you can use these correctly and not stab anyone” Hermione went on “Sorry Mum, Dad I should have said, Mal can’t be trusted with sharp objects”
“MIA!”
“I see…do we want to know why?”
“I blame her mother” Evie said with a straight face.
“E!” Mal glared at her “Mia these don’t even cut!” she folded her arms “this is ridiculous”.

“what’s wrong baby?” Evie cooed “do you need me to cut that chicken up for you?” she leaned over and cut up her meal while Mal glowered at the plate.
“Mia I swear to Evil I'm going to murder you” She growled
“no you wont not if you want to return to Hogwarts in a week” Hermione was grinning now “suck it up princess” she added.

Mal glared even more, Hermione suddenly looked up as a stinging hex came her way and hit her on the leg. Hermione waited for the Ministry Owl to arrive regarding the underage magic, however it didn’t seem Mal’s magic use had triggered the Statute of Secrecy as there was no Owl swooping down to remind them against using magic.
“No magic at the dinner table!” Evie hit her girlfriend upside the head “and eat your broccoli”.

“….So,” Jean began, “so other than biting plants, how have you found Hogwarts?”

“it’s interesting, and a welcome change from Auradon” Evie took a sip of water.

“Oh? I must apologise, I don’t know too much about your country, Hermione did send me a book with some information, but it didn’t give too much away”.

“there’s a book about Auradon?” Jay asked.

“Not really, but there’s a brief mention of Auradon in Magical Worlds Volume five,” Hermione replied, “it mentions the United States of Auradon is divided into several smaller Kingdoms which is overseen by King Adam Beast, but I think you said his son is now King?”

“Yes ma’am he handed over the throne to Ben when he turned sixteen” Evie nodded “but the other Kingdoms have their own Royal family, Audrey’s family rule over Auroria of course, Chad’s family come from Charmington”.

“fascinating” Jean nodded “what about you four? Which part of Auradon do you come from?”
“oh er…we don’t” Evie shared a look between her friends “we come from the Isle of the Lost, it’s an Island just off the mainland”.

“…the Isle of the Lost?”

“Yes, our parents….moved there when Adam became King” Evie turned her attention back to her dinner and continued to eat. As always when the subject of the Isle came up, the VK children seemed to shut down, concentrating on their meal to ward off any conversation about their homelife.

Jean wisely didn’t broach the subject further, noticing the change the children. She decided it would be best to have a proper conversation with her daughter before the stay was over.

*

After dinner was over, Hermione cleared the table with Mal and Jay’s help. Whilst Jean showed Evie and Carlos where the decorations were for the Christmas Tree.

“I’ll load the dish washer, just stack the plates there” Hermione told them, pointing to the sideboard next to the microwave. “It’ll take two minutes”
“….what’s a dishwasher?” Jay asked.

She looked at him, how did he not know what a dishwasher was? She knew he wasn’t brought up in the magical world, sometimes she forgot Jay wasn’t Muggleborn.

“Oh umm…this” she opened the door and showed him “load it up with dirty pots and pans and set it off it’ll clean them for you”

“Do all muggles have these?” Mal was looking at it with a level of distrust.
“not every family has one but there pretty common” Hermione explained “I take it you didn’t have them at home?”
“Mia we barely had enough pots and pans at home, or even enough things to cook” Mal said quietly.

Hermione sighed; she had so easily forgotten their homelife was not as rosy as she had thought. Considering how well adjusted the four them seemed to be. She decided if she was chosen for the transfer to Auradon she would definitely have a word with King Ben about the Isle.

 “Sorry Mal I-“
“it doesn’t matter” she waved her concern away “its history” she handed her a few plates and Hermione organised them in the bottom of the dishwasher.

A few minutes later they were done and headed into the conservatory to find Evie and Carlos looking through boxes and boxes of decorations with much amusement.

“What even is this?” Carlos was waving a length of tinsel around “its tickly” he wrapped it around Mal’s neck to see her reaction, she yanked it off almost instantly, kicking it away across the floor
“its tinsel” Hermione told him “It goes on the tree”.

“Ew it itches” she shivered.

“it’s not for wearing” Hermione rolled her eyes “Mum already put the lights on, we just need the decorations”.

“okay” Evie nodded.

*

Hermione’s parents watched the teens from the lounge, seeing how they had began to relax and the strange atmosphere that had come up over dinner was no longer an issue. Hermione was handing out baubles and little trinkets to her friends, who were placing them on the tree, occasionally asking her if they had put them in the right places.

Had the children never decorated a tree before? It seemed such a strange concept to Jean and John that the teens had grown up never having celebrated Christmas.  Jean thought back over the conversation she had had with Evie about the tree.

“Evie and Carlos would you like to start the tree? Hermione won’t be ten minutes with the pots so you could get a head start?” Jean asked
“the tree?” Evie queried.

“Mr Granger mentioned a Christmas tree on the way here” Carlos reminded her “he said they decorate them for Christmas, like the ones in the hall at Hogwarts”.

“Oh yes, that would be nice” Evie replied.

“it’s just through here” Jean beckoned them to follow.

She walked through into the conservatory where the fir tree stood in the corner of the room, surrounded by boxes of decorations.

“So pick whatever you want on the tree, we have plenty of decorations, we never go with a particular theme so do it however you want, just know some of them are a bit old and a bit fragile so do be careful with the glass ones, I think they’re in that box over there” Jean pointed to a red plastic box on a side table.

“understood” Evie nodded, opening a box beside her and taking out some baubles “uh…how do we put them on the tree?” she held one in her hand, turning it over.

Jean had paused for a moment; she realised the pair had truly never done this before.

“Oh, there should be some little hooks in the box, if they’re not already hooked on, then you just put the hook through the top hole and then the other side of the hook on the branch”  she showed them the little plastic hooks and where to put them on the baubles.
“right, thanks” Evie had smiled “we got this” she said.

Jean returned her smile and headed back to the lounge where her husband was finishing putting up a lit garland over the fireplace.

It definitely seemed like there was more too these teens than she had realised. Jean watched as Hermione, Mal and Jay joined Evie and Carlos to finish the tree.

*

“Right I think that’s done” Evie stepped back to look at the tree “looks good to me” she shrugged.

“Theres one bit missing” said Hermione “the angel on the top of the tree”
“oh right…um I didn’t see any angels in the boxes?” Mal was looking through the empties.

“its usually in this one…yeah here it is”  Hermione pulled a figure out of its box “who wants to put the angel on top?”
“I’ll do it” Jay shrugged “I might need a chair to stand on though Mione, it’s a bit high”
“sure use this one” she pushed the chair over to him and Jay climbed up, placing the angel atop the tree with a deft hand.

“….well done kids, that looks lovely” Jean was standing in the doorway.

“Thanks mum…I’m getting a bit tired now, I might go get changed into pyjamas and settle down for the night. Its almost 11” Hermione was yawning.

“Good idea Mia” Mal could tell Evie was getting tired and she hoped the blue haired girl would continue to sleep well, having already slept on the train, she knew Evie hadn’t slept enough but nothing short of a sleeping potion would get her to rest long enough to replenish her energy stores. As it was the blue haired teen was running on low energy as was her default condition.

“that’s fine love, why don’t you all head upstairs? I'm sure you don’t really want to spend the rest of the night with us old fogies watching nonsense on tv” said Jean with a laugh.

“Thanks mum, come on guys, I’ll show you upstairs”.  Hermione led the way out of the conservatory and out into the hallway where she took the stairs and onto the first floor.

“My room is that door there” she pointed “boys you’re up on the second floor”.

She beckoned them to the next staircase and showed them up to another bedroom which bore two single beds.

“Hopefully you’ll be comfortable up here, it has under floor heating so the room will stay warm. Goodnight” she waved.

“Night Mione, oh hey, here” Jay jumped onto a bed and took out the shrunken backpacks, a wave of his hand and they resized back to normal. Hermione hesitated, waiting for the owl to come to remind them of no magic outside of Hogwarts, but just as before, there was no Ministry warning forthcoming. It seemed even in a muggle area, the ministry couldn’t find Jay’s magical signature and because he had no trace on him, he was free to use his magic.

“Thanks Jay” Carlos took his and began rummaging through it to find his sleepwear.

Hermione took the girls’ bags back downstairs and into her room, where she found Mal and Evie waiting for her. Evie was looking at her collection of children’s encyclopaedias sitting on her bookshelf. Mal was thumbing through a battered copy of Hogwarts; A History whilst lying on Hermione’s bed.

“here” She handed them both their bags “if you want to read one feel free” she said to Evie “I’ve read them all a few times. They’re informative”

“About what?”
“Muggle history, the muggle world” she replied “ Dad got them from the Readers Digest when I was eight. I see Mal’s found my old copy of Hogwarts; a history.”

“don’t your cousins come up here? You have so many magic books out on display, don’t they see them?” Evie asked, pointing to Hermione’s previous year spell books scattered around her bookshelf.

“I have to hide them away when Cas and my aunts come round” Hermione shook her head “part of the Magical Statute of Secrecy dictates we do not directly introduce muggles to our world. Technically there is nothing stopping me from telling my family about being a witch, it’s just they may not handle it well and if they were to tell extended family it could get problematic”

“so we need to act like muggles” Mal looked up over the book at her

“as close to muggles as we can make you” Evie smirked

Mal rolled her eyes

“I promise not to grow horns or wings before tomorrow” she snickered “oh E I finally mastered something”
“oh?”
“yeah, watch” Mal put the book down and raised her hands

She focused on her hands for a moment and the pair watched as they shimmered, fingers disappeared into reptilian feet with dark purple hooked claws. A few minutes later, her hands returned to normal.

“wow M, I didn’t think partial transformation was possible” Evie said “How-“
“I uh…asked Professor McGonagall for a book on animaguses” she shrugged a shoulder
“Animagi” Hermione corrected “Professor McGonagall is one, it’s a very highly regulated skill, once you become an animagus you have to register with the ministry, Harrys Dad and their friends became animagi in their fifth year, so they could be with Remus whilst he transformed into a wolf every full moon, Harry’s dad became a huge stag”
“Potters Patronus is a stag” Mal raised her eyebrows “anyway, McGonagall said it was for reading only, I wasn’t to try any form of transformation until she could be there in case I got stuck. However I don’t listen to her so I tried a few times and now I can change my hands on command.”

“that’s cool” Evie agreed “that doesn’t explain your fangs M, I thought they weren’t a permanent fixture”
“they’re sort of permanent” Mal winced “stupid fae growth”
“I don’t follow”  Evie replied.

“Looks like the longer I'm out of the barrier, and in contact with magic, the more my body seems to be changing to be more fae” Mal crossed her arms “I don’t think I will get horns though, I figure they would have come out by now, or so Jane tells me, she said not all Moor Fae get them, mom was just extra”
“well if you do, we can figure out a glamour spell” said Hermione “we can enchant a piece of jewellery so they’re not seen”

“Spells can do that?” Evie asked.

“Glamours yes” Hermione nodded “I um…tried one for a while.”
“oh?”
“In fourth year, Harry and Malfoy tried duelling in the corridors and I got hit with Densaugeo, made my teeth grow huge” she grimaced at the memory “so I glamoured them for a few hours until Madam Pomfrey could reverse it, I also made sure I wouldn’t need braces, let her do her work” Hermione grinned “we can easily hide any extra appendages you may sprout” she said to Mal

“yay” she rolled her eyes. “I promise nothing” she laughed.

“Right, uh. I'm going to get changed for bed” She pulled some night wear out of a drawer “back in a few minutes.” She headed for the door.

Only to be stopped by Evie, the taller girl had put her bag in front of the door.

“Er Evie? I kind of need to-“
“you can change in here with us” she replied “we won’t manhandle you” her smirk did not reassure Hermione in any way.

“Eves might not, but I might” Mal commented “I’ve seen that butt in sleep shorts” she pointed out.

“Horny fae shut up” Evie threw a shirt at her “I thought we’d worked through your issues this morning”.

Mal crawled off the bed.

“That was hours ago” She pointed out.

“Point taken” Evie agreed “anyway, back to Mia” she turned “you don’t have too of course” she said, “but you have nothing to hide, not from us anyway”.

Hermione paused, she knew Evie was right of course, there shouldn’t be a problem with her changing in front her girlfriends. She just wasn’t sure about her parents being downstairs. What if they came up and knocked on the door whilst the girls were changing?

“what’s on your mind Mia?” Evie was watching her, she put a hand on her shoulder and the brunette looked up.

“I hadn’t really thought about how I was going to explain this to my parents” she pointed between them “and the more I think about it, the more I'm going to have to, and they might not take it well”
“whenever you’re ready” Mal joined them “it doesn’t have to be now…Eves and I have been dating since were thirteen, our parents still don’t know, or if the know they don’t acknowledge it. Knowing my mother she would have caused quite the…ruckus”.

“Oh… I assumed they knew” Hermione replied
“absolutely not” said Evie “mom got…suspicious once, I outright lied to her and told her I was fucking Jay for a bit of fun, that made things awkward for a while with Jafar. When moms bored she has him stay over….I panicked”

“EQ and my mom are sort of enemies but also kind of friends” Mal said, “well as much as villains have friends that is, could have been worse, E might have said she was fucking Hooks boy”.

“Harry? Ew no he can stay far from me, and besides, everyone on the Isle knows he’s Umas boy, Mom would have seen through that in a second”
“oh yeah, Shrimpy got her tentacles in him early. I admire her for that” Mal nodded.

“Whose Uma?” asked Hermione, this was new information to her, and she was loathe to change the conversation.
“daughter of Ursula” Evie replied “runs the docks with Harry Hook and Gil Gaston, sons of Hook and Gaston, control the isle docks, control the food supply chain, control the markets. She ran a decent racket for a while”

“what changed?”
“Ursula” Evie replied “she put pressure on Uma to raise taxes, to make things difficult for our parents, she wanted more of the Isle under her rule, but our parents stood in the way. Unlike Ursula, Uma lives on land, she doesn’t have tentacles. Ursula runs the seas around the Isle. Uma controls the docks”

“Shrimpy tried to keep the peace for a while but when Ursula got angry at her for not forcing more out of the supply boats, Ursula destroyed one in a fit and they stopped being able to come for about a month, we coped with what we could get till Auradon got new Ursula-proof boats” Mal continued “when Uma reappeared, she was not the same”

“What did Ursula do to her?”
“no one knows” said Evie “we just found out it was not wise to fuck with her, she’s definitely turning into her mother”.

“that’s awful”.

“don’t get me wrong” Evie went on “she wasn’t all cuddles and love before, its just, she could be reasoned with. Now? Forget it”

Hermione nodded.

“it sounds hard to live there” she commented

“We made do” Evie smiled a little, it was a sad sort of smile “I just…feel bad for the kids we left behind”.

“Diz will be fine” Mal told her “You know that”
“oh I know she will, but she deserves so much more” Evie cleared her throat and turned to her bag “I promised her M, you know I did”
“and we will keep that promise E, we just gotta deal with school first, then we can go back to Auradon and do our thing” Mal said “besides, I would pay good gold to see Mia go toe to toe with Audrey” she smirked

“Audrey?”
“Prissy Pink Princess of Auroria” Mal grimaced “absolute queen bee and deserves to be thrown from the nearest tower”.

“Mal!” Evie warned “She’s the daughter of Sleeping Beauty” she explained “she and Mal don’t get on for…obvious reasons”.

“her parents suck, shes a bitch” Mal waved a pair of pants at them, “I have nothing else to say”
“what makes you think I could do anything to her?” Hermione asked, amused.

“Oh I don’t know, perhaps you could…turn her into a frog?” Mal snickered, tugging the girl towards her and rubbing her face on the side of her neck, her breath tickling her neck a little as she planted little kisses on her jaw line.

Hermione was used to this behaviour by now, although it still made her feel a bit heated and Mal knew when to stop things before Hermione got too uncomfortable. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the fae’s attentions, far from it. Hermione just knew she was not quite ready for sex with the girls, and they respected that. That didn’t stop Mal from marking her occasionally when she got a little too into it.

“n..no bruises Mal” Hermione warned “I ca-cant spell them away whilst at home….”

Mal paused

“too much?” she met her eyes “shall I stop?”

“hm….yes” Hermione was finding it hard to focus “you…bit me”

“only a little” she saw the fanged smile and Hermione exhaled

“told you” Evie was giggling “fae bites are quite something” She wrapped her arms around her
“wait till you get a proper bite” Evie ran her thumb over the red mark

Hermione swallowed, her eyes closed as Evie touched the mark a few times, her legs turned to jelly and Hermione swore, groping for something to hold on to so she didn’t fall.

“fuck” she winced

“I think I broke our girl E” Mal was laughing quietly

“I think you might have” Evie chided “did not forsee Mia being a sub” there was a tone to her voice which Hermione couldn’t recognise.

“….could be fun” Mal was saying
“oh yes,” Evie replied “I get two toys to play with”

Hermione wasn’t sure what was going on, Evie was now sitting her down on the bed and taking the clothes from her hand.

“…Mia?” She knelt in front of her “Hey Mia? Are you okay?”

Hermione shook her head, she felt over sensitive and overwhelmed all of a sudden, that had never happened before.

“i…think so? What just happened?”

“Can you change or do you need help?” Evie didn’t answer her “Mal go….bathroom” she pointed “get changed in there”

“yes ma’am” the fae grabbed her clothes and left the room

 Evie turned back to her once the door clicked shut

“Mia?”

“I’m okay…Evie what happened?”
“here…let me help you change, I’m not sure you’ll be able to do it” she noticed how Hermione’s hands were shaking ever so slightly. She helped her to change into her nightwear, taking care not to touch her skin as much as possible. Hermione sat back on her bed as Mal reappeared in her nightwear

“….are we safe now?” she was looking at Evie

“I think so” Evie replied “are you going to behave?”

“I’ll take the floor bed” Mal winced “safety”
“okay baby” Evie nodded “makes sense"

Hermione was looking between them
“what just happened?” she demanded “and why is Mal relegated to the floor?”

Mal sat on the end of the bed as Evie handed over a hairbrush and began to brush her curls, She looked at Hermione
“Mia…you know I told you fae are highly sex driven” She said
“yes I know that” she replied “I also read” she smiled
“oh yeah I know,” Mal replied “Mia your reaction to the bite mark….is…um…” She looked at Evie “Evie? A bit of help here”. Hermione realised Mal was blushing now, that was different. She was usually so confident.

Evie chuckled

“what M is trying to say is some people are more attuned to their feelings, when she bites and makes that contact, it leaves a miniscule spec of her magic behind, your sensitive to her magic and when I pressed the mark, my magic touched it. It caused a chain reaction, and probably made you feel highly aroused, but without an outlet it tends to leave you feeling a bit overstimulated”

Hermione was now turning scarlet

“I um” she spluttered
“honestly its normal” Evie hugged her gently “it happened a shit load to me when we first started fucking, you’ll get used to it”

“right”
“highly charged fae don’t always behave so Mal will sleep on the floor until she's back in control” Evie pointed to the air mattress “won’t you love?”
“yes dear” she grumbled “would your parents be mad if I took a shower?”
“towels in the bathroom free to use” Hermione shook her head “whatever you need to do”

Mal rubbed her face with her hand
“yeah that’s happening…. I'm off to shower” she walked out of the room; they heard the shower turn on a few minutes later. Evie laughed
“she’ll be fine….probably”

Chapter Text

The next morning, Hermione woke to the sounds of her parents getting ready for the day. She slipped out of bed and blearily stepped over Mal, who was lying half on the airbed with her feet under the bed.

“…sup?” Mal grunted, shifting sleepily back onto the airbed.
“sh its early go back to sleep, I’m just going to see my parents” Hermione whispered “wont be a minute”

She clicked the door shut behind her and made her way downstairs to find her parents drinking their morning coffee.
“Morning love” said Jean “did you sleep okay?”
“uh yeah” she replied, “don’t you have work today?”
“not this year, we decided to close the practice early and have a proper break, besides your aunties are coming with your cousin, they should be here at some point this afternoon, it depends what time they set off” said John “did your friends sleep okay”
“I think so, they’re still asleep” Hermione replied “you honestly don’t mind having them here? I know it’s Christmas-”
“Of course we don’t mind” said John “it’s nice to have your friends over Hermione, you said they would have had a very lonely stay at school otherwise?”
“I think so, I don’t think they’d have gone back to Auradon” Hermione replied.

A few minutes later they heard a loud bang in the hallway.
“I'm fine” Mal called.
“Mal?!” Hermione ran into the hallway to find said fae lying at the bottom of the stairs, legs halfway  up the wall.
“Goodness me!” Jean was beside her “are you alright dear?”
“fine thank you Mrs Granger” Mal made no attempt to get up “it happens a lot more than you’d think.”
“You fall downstairs?”
“I trip a lot” she rolled into a sitting position as Evie appeared from the top landing.
“M I told you to wait” She groaned “sorry Mia” she walked down the stairs at a more sedate pace than her girlfriend, who got to her feet.
“I'm fine E” Mal was rubbing her elbow.

Hermione narrowed her eyes as Mal yanked her hoodie around her shoulders, shifting her jogging bottoms a little. She gave them all a large smile. Hermione winced, those canines were still pointy, her parents would definitely have questions. Hermione knew her parents had little to do with the wizarding world in general so it would be hard for them to understand Mal’s quirks. Something she realised all too late to cover, she would have to have words with the VKs about what they could and couldn’t say in front of her aunts.
“I didn’t even damage the wall” she pointed “that’s a first”
“Is that even possible?” asked Jean in concern.
“Sometimes, I don’t know my own strength, once I tried to put my hand out to stop myself falling and punched a hole in the wall, Ben was very nice about it, and I fixed it myself” Mal shrugged.
“….right, shall we go for breakfast?” Hermione shared a look with Evie and the pair tried not to laugh.

*

Carlos and Jay appeared as soon as the smell of coffee and toast wafted upstairs.

“Morning” Evie waved in their direction “sleep okay?”
“mmhm” Carlos nodded, a mouthful of toast.
“excellent”
“….this coffee is awesome” Mal commented “better than that swill we get at home…why doesn’t Hogwarts serve coffee at breakfast time?”
“They do, at least its served for the upper years, I'm sure I’ve had some” Evie remarked “well it tasted like it anyway, but not as nice as this” she gestured with her cupe
“yes it is served for the upper years, I dread to think if the first years would get caffeinated” Hermione grimaced, “I think it would be a nightmare”.
“You seem well versed in coffee Mione?” Jay commented
“that’s because I'm a muggleborn, mum and dad started letting me have it when I turned thirteen” she explained “so I'm used to it.”
“mm” he nodded “so what’s the plan for today?”
“My aunts are coming with my cousin this afternoon, but we could go out this morning if you want. I don’t really do much in the holidays” Hermione replied, “what would you like to do?” she asked. Jay shrugged a shoulder,

“I’m easy” he took a sip of his coffee and looked between the others; a sort of silent communication passed between them.

“Hermione you don’t need to be here for when your cousin gets here if you wanted to go out for the day, you can see them later tonight” said Jean. “we’re going to book a table at the Red Lion for about 7 if you wanted to join us if you have things to do.
“Oh I know” she replied, “speaking of which….” Hermione began “we cannot let my aunts know about Hogwarts, or magic”
“why not?” Evie asked, “I thought your family knew?”
“Statute of Secrecy” she replied “I could get expelled from Hogwarts if we breach it, now I know you’ve been doing magic without reprimand from the ministry so I’m assuming none of you have the Trace” she eyed Mal “stinging hexes? Keep those to yourself”
“I promise nothing” Mal grinned.
“Mal I’m serious” Hermione replied, “I don’t think Fairy Godmother would be very impressed if you happened to…change in front of muggles”.

Mal lowered her mug, ignoring the looks from Hermione’s parents.
“that’s not going to happen” She replied, “it hasn’t happened since the first time, and I doubt it will happen again, unless I get angry enough to do it”
“I know” She said, “but seriously, keep the magic to a minimum”.
“We understand Mione” Jay nodded “we’ll pull off being the mugglest muggles you know” he gave her one of his grins. She rolled her eyes.
“That does nothing to reassure me” She swatted him “as long as you behave we’ll have no problems”.
“You offend me!” Carlos mock-glared “how very dare you Miss Granger!”
“I dare Mister De Vil” she shot back “because I know you” she wagged a finger in his direction, Carlos turned big eyes on her.
“I have no idea what you mean” he said innocently, the image was somewhat marred by Mal hitting him upside the head with a piece of toast.
“Hey!”
“you looked hungry Los” she said sweetly.

Evie poured a second cup of coffee from the jug on the table with a sigh, gremlins, the pair of them.
“c’mon guys” she eyed the three of them “keep this up and Mia will have us in remedial goodness class all over again, this time with full essays” she toyed with the handle of her mug. Hermione snorted at the looks of horror on their faces, Evie’s threat seemed to have had the desired effect.
“Noooooo” Mal wailed “not remedial goodness!”
“anything but that!” Carlos agreed “we’ll behave” he promised
 “I don’t doubt it” Evie remarked.

The teens finished their breakfasts in good spirits. Hermione’s parents told the group they’d be going out and leaving them home alone. Jean was in the hallway putting on her boots when she heard Evie asking a question which confirmed her suspicions the kids didn’t come from a happy background.

“Mione?” Evie was looking at the fireplace.
“Hm?”
“why is there a sock on your mantel?” she asked her, Hermione looked over.
“it’s a stocking, for presents” She replied, “the main presents go under the tree but little bits and pieces you might need or want go in your stocking”.
“oh” Evie replied, “I see”
“… I take it you don’t have stockings in Auradon?” Hermione asked
“Wouldn’t know” that voice was Carlos “we didn’t get to spend Christmas there, but that’s definitely not something we’ve had on the Isle.”

The tone in his voice made Jean pause, they’d never had stockings? Or celebrated Christmas? She knew from the way they had handled decorating the tree, this was something new to them.
“..all ready dear?” John was looking at her, he’d seen that look before, his wife was up to something.
“Yes love” she nodded, an idea forming in her mind “we’ll be going now Hermione” she called in  “Looks like the snow has stopped for now, which meant the roads should be somewhat clear.”
“we’ll be back by 1, unless Asda is total chaos” said John “see you later”
“bye Dad” Hermione replied “see you later” she waved half-heartedly from the sofa, the teens had camped out in the front room watching TV.

The door thudded closed, Hermione listened as her parents got into the car and drove away down the street.
“They won’t be back for one” Hermione looked at them “the supermarket will be chaos”
“why?”
“because its two days till Christmas and everyone will be trying to buy last minute gifts and not to mention food” Hermione replied, “so what do you want to do today? Normally I just watch TV and do homework so…” she trailed off as Evie tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“That sound great” Evie replied, “I for one do not feel the need to do anything, not if you have family coming later”
“Yes about that” Mal replied, “your parents know I'm fae right?”
“I didn’t think to tell them” Hermione shook her head “they’ve definitely seen those fangs though, I don’t know what they think.”
“lovely” Mal winced “all the more reason to talk to them in case of any weird slip ups”
“Mal-“
“Mia I figured you’d told them” Mal flopped onto her lap; Hermione groaned as a pointy elbow landed in her stomach.
“Ow! No I didn’t tell them because it’s not my information to give” she explained, “I wasn’t sure how comfortable you would have been with them knowing about it”.
“that’s very kind of you Mia” Evie replied, “what did you tell them?” she asked.

Hermione shrugged.
“I said I’d like to invite some friends over for Christmas break, I said you were transfer students and wouldn’t be able to get home easily. Mum didn’t ask any more questions, just said that it was fine” she said, “I doubt they would have believed me if I’d have told them the truth anyway”.
“They seem very accepting” said Jay “are you going to tell them about those two?” he gestured at Mal and Evie “or are we hiding it for the whole break?”

Hermione exhaled,
“I don’t know…how to tell them” She admitted, idly playing with Mal’s hair, the fae girl yawned, shifting across her lap to get comfortable.
“We understand if you’d rather not tell them” Said Evie “but they are your parents and they seem nice”.
“Oh they are perfectly nice” Hermione replied, “Mal stop it” she lightly tapped her head
“m’not doing anything” She defended.

“a likely story M” Evie tickled her foot with a wicked smirk. Mal yelped.
“Not fair!” she pulled her feet away from Evie “don’t even-“
“Oh someone’s ticklish?” Hermione raised her eyebrows. She realised there was so little she knew about Mal and the others, and this was one of those titbits of information that Hermione would entirely use against her. It seemed their unusual way of showing affection was entirely rubbing off on her.
“Mia no!” Mal tried to scramble away “for all that’s Evil do not-“

Hermione pounced, tickling her sides, Mal yelled several curse words as they fell off the sofa.
“nonolemmego!” Mal pleaded, wriggling to try to free herself from underneath the brunette “EVIE THIS IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT I SWEAR I'M GOIN TO MURDER YOU! AAAAHH! MIAAA! GET OFF OR I SWEAR I'M GOING TO FUCK YOU SENSELESS!”
“Alright fine” Hermione was laughing, she was under no illusions Mal would entirely follow through with that threat if she didn’t let her go. Mal didn’t move, instead opting to lay there panting softly, Hermione put out a hand and Mal got up after a few minutes.

“that’s never happening again” Mal told her with a half-hearted growl “fuck Mia those hands of yours do things to a girl” she exhaled a few times; Hermione was snickering at how flustered she was.

“I didn’t even use magic” Hermione raised her eyebrows “imagine what a tickling charm could do”.
“don’t threaten me with a good time” Mal wrinkled her nose, Evie laughed.
“Who said it was just a threat?”
“Alright calm it down horndogs” Jay shook his head “we don’t need to see it”.
“Suit yourself” Mal sat back down on the sofa, tucking her feet under herself, muttering about how mean her girlfriends were. Hermione was giggling, Evie yanked Mal onto her lap and kissed her gently in apology.

“All better now?” she asked with amusement
“hmph” Mal folded her arms “maybe” she shifted around on her lap and planted a kiss on the side of her neck, smirking as she left a rather telling mark behind.
“aquamenti” Carlos waved a hand and a jet of ice-cold water hit the pair of them.

Evie shot to her feet shrieking, Mal landed on the floor.
“CARLOS!” Evie glared “you little shitbag”
“someone had to” he said loftily “I don’t want to see you horndogs getting naked”
“then don’t look you moron!” Mal shook her head “urgh I'm wet”
“we know” Jay snickered
“not like that you dick” she scowled.
“c’mere” Evie waved her hand and Mal dried out, turning the warming spell on herself, and kicking the younger boy off the pouffe at the end of the sofa. Carlos yelled, landing on his butt. Hermione laughed, turning her attention to the TV, and idly checking the time.
“Something funny Mia?” Mal was looking at her.
“Nothing dear” she replied, she enjoyed how relaxed the VKs were becoming in her home and wondered if she could tell her parents about her somewhat non-traditional relationship.

The group got comfortable watching TV, Hermione felt herself dozing a little bit, comfortable in her position on the sofa, the rumblings of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on in the background. They’d missed the first ten minutes of the movie; however it had quickly gotten the boys’ attentions so Hermione wasn’t too bothered. She looked up lazily, feeling hands running through her hair and saw Evie was half watching the TV, untangling her hair without pulling it too much.
“Shall I stop?” she asked.
“No it’s okay” Hermione replied, “it’s a mess, I know”.
“It’s not that bad” Evie said, “it just needs some TLC”  she added “what do you normally use on it?”
“Er just shampoo and conditioner, mum usually sends me some” she shrugged
“you need a specialist conditioner” Evie replied, “maybe we can tame it before school?” she was smiling fondly, Hermione laughed.
“That would be amazing, usually I just tie it up in a bun or a pony to get it out of my face. To be honest, haircare isn’t high on my priorities” she giggled.
“Evie will make it a priority” Mal remarked “these curls don’t look this good on their own you know” she grumbled in good humor “it’s taken a lot of ELC”.
“ELC?”
“Evie’s love and care” Jay snorted “the amount of hours Mal spent complaining about her hair and threatening to shave it off, I’m amazed she hasn’t come home with a mohawk or something”.
“She would never” Evie glared at him “if she knows what’s good for her” She gave her girlfriend a side-eye. Mal grinned.
“Course not E” she said, “you’d have nothing to hold onto when we-“
“ENOUGH!” Carlos cut her off “don’t want to hear it” he hit her with a cushion.

**

Hermione’s parents arrived back just after 2pm. Seeing them struggling with bags, Hermione went to help. Corralling Jay and Carlos into helping as well.
“Oh thank you boys” Jean heaved the last bag into the hallway and kicked the door shut “Asda was a nightmare”.
“Well it is two days before Christmas mum” said Hermione “Aunty Linda called just before you got back, they’ve just set off so should be here by 3:30”
“Brilliant, I’ll have time to get this lot sorted then before they arrive. Did you kids have a nice morning?”
“yes thanks” Evie replied, “we watched a movie”
“anything good?” asked Jean

“Indiana Jones” Hermione replied, “temple of doom, it was okay” she shrugged a shoulder “oh I better go hide my spell books before I forget just in case Cas comes into my room” she said, “be back in five” she headed out of the room and ran upstairs.
“…have you lot eaten lunch?” John asked, “we’re going out for tea, so we won’t be eating till later tonight”
“oh no we’re okay thank you” said Evie “Mione made us some sandwiches after the movie”
“good, good”.

*

Hermione couldn’t understand why she felt so nervous about seeing her aunts and cousin. She knew the VKs would behave as much as they could, and besides, even if they didn’t, she doubted the Ministry would get involved, as they didn’t have the Trace on them so there was little to be done other than keeping their magic to themselves.

The doorbell rang, bringing her out of her thoughts, it seemed they were here already.
“that’ll be your aunt” said Evie.
“Yes!” Hermione got up as her mum shouted for her to open the door “I’ll get it mum!” she shouted back, Mal glared, the yelling hurt her ears more than she’d care to admit.
“Ow my ears, Evils alive Mia”
“sorry dearest” she smirked “I forgot”.
“I bet you did” Mal grumbled.
“Now remember, be muggle!” Hermione wagged a finger and went to open the door.

“Hermione! Wow oh my goodness you have grown!” voices in the corridor had the VK’s shifting over to the corner of the room, taking up the loveseat and the pouffe at the end. To anyone else it would look like they were simply making room for everyone, however they knew safety in numbers, and in this instance they were outnumbered.

“Hi aunty Linda” they heard Hermione welcoming her family and a moment later they headed into the room.
“Your aunts getting the bags from the car” said Linda “Oh Hermione you have guests?!”
“Yes Aunt Linda, these are friends from school” Hermione said, “mum didn’t tell you?” she asked in amusement.
“My sister tells me literally nothing” said Linda “Well are you going to do introductions?”
"Who are we introducing?” another voice appeared behind Linda
“Hermys got friends over from school” Linda turned to her wife “Jean didn’t tell us”
“Jean never tells you anything” She replied.
“Right well, Aunty Linda, Aunty Kate, this is Jay, Carlos, Evie and Mal” she pointed to them each in turn.
“Good to meet you” Linda waved “friends from school huh? I thought you had two boy friends?” she looked at Hermione.
“Harry and Ron yes, I am still friends with them” Hermione rolled her eyes as they took seats “you’re quiet Cass” she commented, anything to change the subject off the VKs.
“he’s got his bloody earphones in” Kate tutted and yanked them out “Cass!”
“what?” he asked.
“Give me the Mp3 player, you can have it back later” she put out her hand. Grudgingly, Cass handed over a small block with the earphones attached.

“Linda! Kate!” Jean came in “you made it! The snows a nightmare”

“it’s not so bad where we were,  but the closer we got the worse it got” Kate said, giving her a hug “Jean you didn’t mention your guests?” she mentioned “if it’s too much we can get a room at the Premier Inn-“
“don’t be silly, Hermione, Evie and Mal are sharing her room, Jay and Carlos are on the upper floor, unfortunately Cass you’ll have to bunk with them if that’s ok? Its either that or the floor in your mums’ room”

Cassius shrugged a shoulder
“I don’t mind either way” he said.
“Brilliant, well, Shall I get you some tea?” Jean asked.
“Would love a coffee” said Linda
“I’ll help you mum” Hermione said “guys? Coffee?”

“Sure Mione, I’ll have coffee” Mal gave her a smirk “E?”
“yeah why not” Evie nodded “boys?”
“Uh sure” Jay was eyeing Mal with a raised eyebrow, wondering what she was planning.

*

Hermione heard chatter kicking up in the front room as she placed coffee cups on the tray.
“Mum? I need to talk to you….”
“Oh?” Jean turned from putting the kettle on the stand “What about?”
“i…um….I know you’ve seen Mal’s fangs”.
“Are they prosthetics or something? Your dad mentioned they look rather realistic”.
“Oh no they’re totally real, she’s a fae… I forgot to tell you that”.
“a fae?” Jean queried “as in a faery?”
“Yes her mother is the dark fae Maleficent…don’t look at me like that I didn’t know the fables were true either” Hermione said, “but yes, she’s at least a half blood fae so…we might need to do damage control”.
“…talking about me Mia?” Mal was smirking in the doorway.
“Catching mum up on the obvious”.
“Ah” she nodded.

Jean clicked the kettle on and folded the tea towel on the sideboard
“Well is there anything we need to know? Do you have any dietary requirements I need to be aware of?” she asked
“No” Mal replied “none that I'm aware of” she added “unfortunately I cant always control when these appear” she flashed her fangs “they should disappear but they haven’t yet”
“should?” Hermione raised an eyebrow.
“yeah I mean, they did last time” Mal shrugged “so I don’t see why they would stick around forever”
“we’ll have to look into it at school” Hermione replied “we’ll figure it out”

*

After conversations over cups of coffee, which had Hermione wondering if her parents had purposely not told her aunties about the VKs staying, the Grangers and the VKs headed out to the local pub for tea. It was only a short walk from the house, and the dining room was fairly busy. They were shown to their seats by a woman wearing an elf costume and handed menus.

“er Mia?” Evie lowered hers a little “we didn’t bring any money” she said “I forgot to get it changed into…currency”
“don’t you worry about that” Jean was sitting on the end of the table “we’re paying”
“Oh but-“
“Evie you’re our guests” Jean replied “we are more than able to pay for the four of you” she gave her a smile “have whatever you like”

Evie returned her smile, the woman seemed to exude a sense of calm that had the blue haired teen instinctively knowing not to argue back.
“okay…if you’re sure” She looked down at the menu again.

*

The meal went surprisingly well in Hermione’s opinion. She found herself tucked between her girlfriends and chatting with her cousin seemed so natural. Jay and Los easily redirected any conversation that skirted too close to their homelife or to anything about Hogwarts. It seemed that being in the muggle world wasn’t too bad.

Mal was frowning
“whats wrong babe?” Evie raised an eyebrow
“table over there are being rather…vocal” she gestured with the fork in her hand “and theyre drunk”
“do you need earplugs?” Hermione asked “I brought some incase-“
“no, thank you Mia” Mal’s grip on her cutlery belied her annoyance “its not the noise that’s the issue”
“oh?” Jay asked
“they’re Gaston types” Mal looked at him
“Meaning?” Hermione asked

Jay’s eyes narrowed
“I see” he replied “well if it comes to it-“
“which it wont” Hermione cut in “I don’t know what that means but I expect nothing good”

Evie sighed
“Gaston is….a homophobe, which is comical considering one of his sons is as queer as a unicorn” she put her own cutlery down “what she means is those men are being the same”
“ah” Hermione nodded “now I get you…”

“whose Gaston?” asked Cassius
“someone we know from home, hes a bully” Evie said “he doesn’t like the gays”
“oh…yeah my mums get that a lot” he replied “I just feel sorry for them”
“your moms?”
“no, the idiots that try to start something, Ma, um, Kate is a black belt in Karate” he shrugged “she usually puts em in their place if they get hands on, but mostly it’s just name calling”

“no one should have to put up with it Cass” said Hermione “ever”
“tell that to the homophobes Mione” he replied “they’re the ones with the issues”

Mal decided she liked Cassius, the boy was a year older than Hermione and seemed a bit of an introvert, but once they’d been talking for a while, he seemed to come out of his shell a little. She saw how he didn’t seem interested in any of them in a romantic way, which she found refreshing, she wasn’t quite in the mood to defend her girls over a hormonal teenager.

Once the bill was paid, the group headed towards the door, If Jean noticed how Mal was the last to leave the table and made sure everyone else was in front, she didn’t comment.  She knew the less she knew the better it was, probably.

They made it outside to the car park before coming up on the drunken men from the table over the way, who were outside smoking.

“Oi Faggots! You fucking dykes!”

“wonderful” Linda sighed “just ignore them kids, let’s just go” she tried to hurry them onto the pavement outside

“…what did you say?” Mal was standing in front of the group of men, having come out last, she was closest to the drunks.
“Oh no” Hermione turned “should we-“ she looked at Evie, to find the teenager was smirking ever so slightly.
“she wont use magic” Evie shook her head “at least, not the wizard kind”
“not helpful Evie” She grimaced

The drunks were laughing
“you heard me little girl, no doubt you’re a filthy dyke too” the biggest one was laughing, drunkenly drinking from a pint glass “it ain’t natural” he spat towards them
“Mal seriously love, leave it, he isn’t worth getting het up over” Kate had dropped back towards her
“oooh listen to the big dyke little gir-“

Whatever he was going to say was abruptly cut off as Mal punched him hard in the chest, kicking his legs from under him and watching as he crashed to the floor.

“Say one more word, I dare you” she grabbed him by the hair “interesting….you’re not so chatty now” she lowered her voice to an almost-growl, watching in satisfaction as the drunk man wet himself “pitiful” she sneered “If I were you, I would run along home to my sad little life and think twice about harassing people who are clearly better than you” she let his head go and turned to a stunned group

“it’s a bit cold… shall we go back to the house?”

Chapter Text

Jean closed the front door with a quiet click
“anyone fancy a brew?” Linda was already half-way to the kitchen, hearing a few affirmatives, Jean heard the clinking of cups. She was taking off her boots as Hermione came down from the upstairs bathroom.

“Hermione?”
“Yes mum?” she joined her at the bottom of the stairs.
“your aunts will have questions…what exactly are we to say?” she asked “I’m not sure we can get away with not saying anything”
“the best lies have a bit of truth to them” Hermione replied “the drunks provoked her by being abusive, Mal doesn’t like provocation…it’s not in her nature to stand aside”
“….talking about me again Mia?” Mal appeared from the downstairs toilet.
“Always talking about you” Hermione replied with a grin “was that really necessary?”
“of course it was” said Mal “no one should put up with that sort of behaviour, besides, I could have spelled him-”
“no magic!” Hermione hissed “muggles remember!”
“yeah yeah Mia I know” Mal waved a hand “tell em whatever you want” Mal looked at Jean with a shrug
“alright” Jean agreed

The girls headed into the lounge where they found the others sitting talking with hot cups of tea
“Here you go Mia” Evie handed her a mug
“Thanks Evie” She took a seat “so Cass, did you bring your Nintendo?”
“Course I brought the ‘64” he replied “you still owe me a rematch on Mario Kart”
“you’re just a sore loser” Hermione replied, “I beat you on five races fair and square” she grinned “fancy a rematch?”
“Hermione you can set it up in the conservatory” said John “that way us oldies can watch tv in peace”
“sounds good, thanks Uncle John” Cass agreed

Jay raised an eyebrow as they headed into the conservatory
“Er Mione… what’s a Nintendo?” he asked
“a retro video game console” she replied “it’ll make sense soon enough”

Cass plugged the console in and untangled the controllers, a few minutes later the tv burst into life with the sounds of Mario Kart 64.
“Who wants to go first?” he asked “Jay? Carlos? How about boys vs girls?”
“oh you’re on” Hermione replied “how about we have a test run?” she picked up the controller
“alright” Cass shrugged  

It didn’t take too long before the game became competitive. Surprisingly, it was Evie who seemed to be the one who figured out the controls the fastest out of the VKs. Taking an almost vicious delight in throwing shells at the boys and taking first place with a cackle.  More than once the game got heated and Hermione had to make sure things didn’t escalate too badly.

*

Jean watched the group from the lounge
“….those friends of Herms seem nice” said Kate
“Yeah, they are” she replied “they only met this school year”
“she’s never mentioned them before now?” asked Linda
“No” said John “they were transfers from another school; Hermione knew it would be too much of a trip to go home for Christmas, so we said we’d host”

John winced as he watched Mal, victorious on her race, turn and punch Carlos in the arm, the curly-haired boy laughed, and returned fire, before being separated by Evie. The blue-haired girl was laughing at something Cass had said. All in all they looked like any normal group of teens..

**

Christmas Eve dawned with a fresh snowfall. Hermione woke up squashed in between Evie and Mal, the latter of which was smirking sleepily, she barely remembered getting into bed last night.

“Morning Mia” she snickered “did you sleep well?”
“hm” She stretched “I slept fine thank you” she said, “did you?”
“it was delightful, squashed up next to your warm body” Mal teased “all sleepy like” she kissed a shoulder.
“Stop it horndog” Evie didn’t open her eyes “the last thing you want is to get carried away”
“E you wound me” Mal grumbled without much upset.
“Aw poor Mally” She grinned “do we need to relegate you to the floor again?”
“No no thank you” she sat up “I much prefer it here” Mal replied “besides, it’s far too cold down there on my own, I might make you sleep with me, you know, for warmth”
“no one needs to sleep on the floor if we can all behave” said Evie “and by all of us I mean you” she poked Mal in the shoulder. Mal grunted.
“Yeah yeah” she shoved her backwards into the wall “don’t tease”

Laughing a little, Hermione got out of bed, untangling herself from the pair. Mal made a half-hearted attempt to stop her from leaving by grabbing her waist, but Hermione managed to slip out of her grasp.
“I’m going to the bathroom” she explained, heading to the door.

She returned a few minutes later
“I hear the boys up already” she said “we should probably go save Cass from them”
“a wise idea” Evie agreed “Evil knows what they’ve been talking about” she shrugged, getting up and kicking Mal off the bed with a snicker as said faery landed awkwardly on the floor
“Evieeee!” She complained “ow!”
“I'm sure you’ll live” Evie laughed

*

The girls found the boys chatting in the lounge, listening to music
“Mum and dad not up yet?” Hermione asked
“Yeah they’re in the other room” said Cass “I think your dads talking about making bacon sandwiches”
“Ooh tasty” Mal commented “I'm starving” She smirked at Evie
“I'm sure you are” Evie replied with a glare “why don’t you go find out if there’s any coffee” she pushed her girlfriend towards the kitchen.
“As you wish your royal blueness” Mal bowed mockingly and headed into the kitchen “I live to serve you” she laughed
“She’s a riot” Cass commented “are those prosthetics permanent?” he asked, looking at Hermione “they look so real” he added
“Oh yeah they’re pretty permanent” Evie replied, “it would take a fair bit of pulling to get them out, I think she glued them in” she lied easily “So Cass, fancy another thrashing at Mario after breakfast?”

**

That evening, Jean and John turfed the kids out of the lounge and the six of them decamped to Hermione’s room to watch a movie, after which the boys took Cass upstairs to bed, leaving the girls to get changed.

Mal was sat on the bed watching the snow falling out of the window, the cars in the street below were almost completely covered.
“….you okay?” Hermione asked, seeing her expression
“Hm?” Mal blinked, turning to look at her “sorry Mia, I was thinking”
“what about?” she asked
“It doesn’t matter” Mal replied “you look tired” she commented
“It is almost one in the morning, we should sleep” said Evie
“indeed” Mal pulled Hermione close to her, wrapping an arm around her waist “I could do with warming up” she snickered
“horndog” Evie rolled her eyes “I don’t know how you put up with her” she said to Hermione
“Oh I don’t mind really” She replied “she’s harmless…mostly” Hermione laughed “c’mon we better sleep”

***

The morning arrived, Hermione woke to the smell of coffee and cooked breakfast. She felt Evie shift beside her.
“morning Mia” she said sleepily
“morning” She turned a little “Merry Christmas”
“Merry Christmas” Evie smiled “what time is it?”
“just after eight” Mal grunted from somewhere under the covers “I think I hear the boys”
“They don’t usually get up so early” Evie replied “unless they’re at school”
“I think it’s the possibility of presents” said Hermione
“You may be right” she agreed “on that note lets go” She grinned.

*

“Good Morning!” Jean smiled as they entered the lounge “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas Mum” Hermione replied, “is everyone up?”
“I think I heard your aunts in the hall” said John “Morning girls” He smiled
“Morning John” Evie returned “Merry Christmas” she added
“It is indeed” he said “the boys are playing the Nintendo if you want to join in for a bit before presents”
“Sounds good” Evie agreed

Half an hour later, Jean called the teens through into the lounge again.
“right” she said, “first things first” Jean ushered them to the couch and told them to sit for a minute, Hermione wondered what had her mum so excited, when she saw a change to the mantel that hadn’t been there the night before. She was about to say something when she caught her mum’s eye and the look on her face told her it was best to say nothing.
“Here we go” Jean said “Carlos, this is for you, Jay, this is yours” she handed them each a red velvet stocking with their initial embroidered across the front “and not forgetting the girls, here are yours”

Mal and Evie exchanged glances as they took the stockings from her, this was something they’d never experienced before.
“You made us stockings?” Carlos’ tone sounded confused
“of course” said Jean “everyone gets one” she explained “we wouldn’t leave you out” she added

“Thank you” Mal said in a quiet voice, she peered inside, and took out a few items, including a thick pair of gloves and a matching hat in a dark green chunky knit.
“Hermione tells me it gets a bit cold at school” Jean explained “if they don’t fit let me know and we can change them”
“No!” Mal held them in one hand “no they’ll be fine” she pulled the hat on and found it fit almost perfectly.

Jean watched as the VKs quietly worked through the stockings, looking at each item before stowing it aside. Showing each other some of the knickknacks with concealed excitement on their faces. Her thoughts that the kids hadn’t had much to enjoy over the years was correct she realised. Watching their reactions to simple things was almost heartbreaking.

Hermione knew they hadn’t had stockings before, but she knew by the look on Evie’s face, the little presents were more than they’d expected.  She realised the normality of a simple Christmas stocking, something she had taken for granted was something entirely alien to the VKs.  She watched as Carlos dug into some of his chocolate with an excitement she hadn’t seen before from the boy. She knew he loved chocolate, but it was like he’d never seen a box of Roses before in his life.

He probably hasn’t Hermione thought sadly. 

She figured her parents must have talked to her aunts about this, as they didn’t seem to mind the lull in present-giving whilst the VKs were busy with their stockings. If anything she saw how her aunts were looking at the teens, she could see the pity in their eyes and hoped nothing was made of it. She really didn’t want to have to get involved in a deep conversation about the Isle, especially on Christmas day.

Once the stockings were done with, Jean and John handed out presents to everyone. Evie looked a little puzzled as she was handed a small bundle of presents wrapped together

“But we already got the stocking” she looked up at Hermione for answers
“yes that’s for the little bits” she replied “these are the main presents”
“Oh” she replied “I see”

Hermione wondered if this was actually their first Christmas. After all it did seem to be taking them completely off guard. Hermione wondered if her gifts would be well received. Something at the back of her mind told her she didn’t need to think too much about it. She looked across the room at the boys, who were uncharacteristically quiet. Jay was putting the little presents back in his stocking slowly, the wrapped presents still on his lap.

“Here you go Hermione” Jean turned to her and in a show of taking the attention from the VKs, she passed her daughter several presents.
“Thanks Mum” she smiled.

Opening the first one, she snorted, and began to laugh “honestly mum!” She said “I thought I had all of these already”
“What is it?” Evie asked, looking over at her
“A collection of original faery tales” Hemione replied “with added pictures”  she picked up a few of the books out of the box sleeve and looked at the cover art
“Sounds thrilling” She replied “what sort of….oh” her voice trailed off as she saw one of the front covers. Hermione saw her expression and quickly tucked the books back inside.
“What else did you get?” asked Cass
“Oh er…” She fumbled with the wrapping paper “oh mum I like this” Hermione pulled a red knitted cardigan out of the wrapping.
“Thought you would be able to wear it at school” said Jean “keep you warm in the winter”
“it’ll work great thanks Mum” Hermione agreed.

It was no surprise that the others at least had a jumper or a cardigan in their present piles, Mal was the first to pull her jumper on over her nightclothes and disappeared into the fabric
“Oh Mal it’s too big, I can change it-“ Jean began
“No its perfect” Mal replied “it’s just right”
“Are you sure dear-“
“yep” she replied, folding the sleeves back over her hands “besides, it’ll last me longer this way”
“alright then” Jean shrugged “what about you boys? Do they look big enough?”
“yeah” Jay was admiring his in his lap “looks perfect”
“Mine fits great” Carlos was hugging his chest, stroking the knit with a smile “and its all mine” he added
“Course it is Los” Evie replied “we all got one” she was trying her cardigan on, the navy blue worked well, and the smile on her face was worth it. If Hermione was a betting person, she would have bet it took her mum a long time to chose the knitwear for the teens. Only having met them two days ago, she had managed to find items in their personal colours, and the fact she had gotten their signature colours perfectly matched was something Hermione was insanely thankful for.

Kate and Linda shared slightly concerned looks at Carlos’ words, but Jean caught her sister’s eye and made a gesture to not mention it.  There was a significant tension in the air which Hermione didn’t want to increase.
“Does anyone want another cup of tea?” she asked “I fancy one”
“Sure thing sweetheart” Jean replied, currently opening a present from Linda
“I’ll give you a hand” Jay was already on his way to the kitchen.

She found him standing at the work surface, waiting for the kettle to boil
“Your mom didn’t need to do all this you know” he said “we didn’t even get them a present for letting us stay”
“I know” she replied “but she wanted to, she likes to care for people”
“We’re not charity Mione” He looked sideways at her, and for a moment she saw his eyes flash yellow. Jay took a deep breath and swallowed several times.
“I never said you were” she said, “….you’ve never done Christmas before, have you?”

Jay stilled, putting the cups down on the sideboard very slowly
“…..no” his voice was quiet “it’s not a thing on the Isle”
“I figured” Hermione replied “my mum doesn’t think you’re in need of charity, she loves Christmas, and she loves to spend money on people, there’s no duplicitous meaning behind it”

“I like your behind” Mal smirked from the doorway “we cool in here?” she was looking at Jay

He nodded but didn’t speak, his hands shoved into the pockets on his trousers. Mal snuck past him and wrapped her arms around Hermione’s waist.
“Your mom bought us lots of stuff Mia” she said, “how can we repay her?”
“As I was just saying to Jay you don’t need to, she likes to buy people presents” Hermione returned her hug, feeling the smaller girl shuffle forward so their torso’s touched.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as her magic shifted a little between them, causing Hermione to blush at the feeling it left behind, Mal snorted.
“Oh I see how it is”  she commented “that’s delightful”
“Stop it horndog”  Hermione replied “you’ll get us in a world of trouble”
“With whom exactly?” Mal’s eyes were wide and innocent, but Hermione didn’t buy it for a moment. She chuckled
“Any of the parents in this house who don’t know about us” She said, turning to grab more cups from the dishwasher.

Mal grunted, yanking the brunette backwards and planted her chin on her shoulder, she wrapped her arm around her waist, and out of nowhere, Mal licked her neck, from her shoulder up to her earlobe. Hermione put the cups in her hand down very slowly, taking a controlled breath
“Mal…” she warned, she looked into her eyes to see them glowing bright green.
“you’re entirely too stressed Mia” she replied, a slight sibilant hiss to her words,  “why don’t I help you with that?” she rubbed her chin with a crooked finger. Hermione took her hands.
“Not right now you horny faery” she said “now quit it before we get found”
“I think it’s a bit late for that” said a voice behind them..

Hermione span round
“Aunty Linda!” she winced “Um…exactly how much of that did you hear?” she asked
“enough” she said, folding her arms “how long has this been going on?”
“Does it matter?” Mal challenged; her eyes narrowed
“it matters” Linda said “because if its going on under this roof without my sister knowing, then it better be serious”

Mal snarled, baring her teeth, Hermione got in between them in case of an altercation.
“Mal quit it” she glared at her “to answer your question aunty since Halloween, so a few months and no my parents have no idea so please don’t tell them”
“Herms why wouldn’t you tell them?” Linda asked, “it’s not like they’re going to be evil about it”
“because I have chosen not to…not yet anyway” she replied, “Unless of course I have no choice in the matter now?” her eyebrows raised
“I’m not going to say anything” Linda replied “truth be told I had thought Mal was dating Evie”
“I am” Mal replied with a shrug “….and Mia” she grinned impishly. Hermione slapped her arm with a curse.

Linda blinked
“……Hermione?” she said slowly
“Yeah about that, what my idiot girlfriend here is saying there’s the three of us, which is why I haven’t yet spoken to my parents”
“Oh….OH!” Linda blinked several times and turned to the bottle of whiskey on the sideboard, she poured a generous shot into a mug and swallowed it in one.
“….well” she said, “I didn’t see that coming”.

**

If anyone noticed the strange looks Linda was giving Hermione over dinner, no one mentioned it. Hermione had had a quiet word with Evie before the meal and hurriedly told her that her aunt knew about their relationship, and she had sworn not to tell anyone.

“okay” Evie had shrugged “as long as she wont out you then I don’t mind”
“you’re so calm about this” Hermione was pacing the hall “how are you so calm?”
“Because they’re not my parents” Evie had grinned a little “besides, they’re not going to try murder you in your sleep, or throw you out”

Hermione had admitted Evie was correct, and so returned to the lounge to continue present giving. She handed each of the VKs their presents in turn, rummaging in a bad for her cousins and aunts presents.

“Mia…. It’s perfect” Evie was holding the pendant in one hand “how did you know?”
“I thought you’d like it” Hermione replied “I found it in a little shop near school” she said “the shop assistant told me its normally used to hold perfume or something, the top opens”
“yes, yes I see the clasp, its lovely, thank you” Evie wasted no time in putting the chain around her neck and tucking it under her clothes.

Mal was thumbing the pages of the sketch book
“Mia this is expensive paper” she said with a glance
“it was the best one I could find, Jane said you’d run out of drawing paper so I figured you could do with a new book” she smiled a little “those pencils should last a fair while as well”
“yeah they look good” Mal was appraising them “I’ll let you know how it goes”

Turning to Jay, Hermione watched him open the wrapped parcel; she hoped her aunts wouldn’t ask too many questions when they saw the set of throwing knives.
“woah Mione” he whistled “these are….wicked”
“yes well I found them in the same shop I got Evie’s necklace, they’re for decoration only” she eyed him “I'm glad you like them”
“I do” he nodded

She looked over at Carlos, who was sitting amongst a pile of paper, looking at a book with rapt attention, Jay nudged his shoulder and the boy looked up with a grin
“Hermione where did you get this?” he asked
“I had a friend get me a copy” she replied
“What is it?” asked Jean
“it’s a book about the enigma code” Carlos replied “about how the code was decoded, really interesting stuff” his attention was taken again by the book, he ignored Mal’s taunt of him being a super nerd in favour of reading more.

**

The evening drew in, the family were full of chocolate, wine and soda, Hermione was dozing in front of the TV, sprawled on the floor on a beanbag, nestled between Evie and Mal, who was snoring softly in front of the fireplace.

The adults drifted off to bed one by one as the clock chimed for midnight. Jean told the teens not to stay up too late, before heading to bed herself.
“We won’t” Evie had confirmed, her attention half on the TV, which was showing a rerun of a comedy sketch show from the past year.

Jay and Carlos headed to bed a little after one am, hauling a dozing Cass with them. The boys had been playing more retro games on the Nintendo 64 and seemed to be tired out by the end of the day.

Evie poked Mal a few minutes after the doors shut. The fae girl snorted, shifting with a smirk
“you’re awake?” Hermione asked
“of course” Mal replied, “I didn’t actually sleep at all, very convincing wasn’t I?” she asked, pulling herself up onto Evie’s lap.
“You had me fooled” said Hermione, Mal laughed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“gotcha” she grinned
“yes you did” said Hermione, Evie rolled her eyes
“Mia, I didn’t want to give you this in front of your family” she had a small, wrapped box in one hand “this is your actual present from us” she gestured to herself and Mal

“but you already bought me that runic thesaurus” Hermione replied
“a decoy present” Mal nodded “this is your real one”

Taking the box from Evie, Hermione unwrapped it, she put the paper aside, feeling the magic coming from whatever was inside the box, she looked up at them questioningly.

“Open it” Mal urged

Slowly, Hermione took the lid off the nondescript box, she put it aside and looked down to see what was inside.

Laid on a black cloth, was a pendant in the shape of a dragon, much like the one Evie had worn to the Yule ball, just smaller than the clasp she had had on her dress. This dragon had the same green eyes, and the scales cast an iridescent sheen in the light. Hermione noticed it held a heart with a dagger through it in one claw.

she picked up the pendant, feeling the magic humming softly against her skin.
“I-uh” she looked at the both of them
“It’s spelled, to protect you against those who would do you harm” Evie explained “even if we’re not with you, you will be protected by our magic, by….our family”

Hermione nodded silently
“I know you feel bad that your family’s muggle” Mal said to her “but in all honestly, it kinda makes it easier” she was smiling “I don’t think we need any more sigils to have to add together” she chuckled
“No, I guess you’re right” Hermione was smiling now “I love it, thank you, both of you” she hugged them both and handed it to Mal to clasp the chain around her neck.

Evie pulled her back onto her lap and kissed her wickedly, Hermione mewled at the contact, Mal snickered, peppering her neck with kisses.
“You have no idea how long I have waited to do that” Evie grumbled “remind me, how long till we go back to Hogwarts, where we can find plenty of empty classrooms to ravish you in?”

Hermione swallowed
“five more days” she said with a sigh “five long days…”

Mal swore colourfully, sniggering as Evie slapped her upside the head for trying to put her hand between her thighs. Hermione just rolled her eyes. For the first time in a long time, she couldn’t wait to go back to school.

Chapter Text

***  

  The Christmas break was coming to an end, Hermione had successfully managed to keep her new relationship a secret from her parents whilst enjoying the freedom of being in the muggle world. The VKs had taken the chance to simply be teenagers. There was no expectations on them in the muggle world, no suspicious looks or gasps at their names. It had been unnerving at first, but soon they got used to it. Even with Mal’s fae tendencies becoming more pronounced at times, they managed to keep things quiet. They had spent their time doing normal teenage things in the muggle world, and it had given the VKs a chance to relax in a way they had never been able to previously.     

  One thing that they hadn’t banked on, was Hermione’s parents finding out about Evie and Mal being together. Jean had come up on them making out in the kitchen when they were supposed to be making everyone a coffee. She had rolled her eyes and shooed them from the kitchen.  

“These coffee’s won’t make themselves” she’d commented.   

Evie and Mal had found the situation hilarious; the fact Jean hadn’t reacted one way or the other, simply just accepting it without a word. Hermione had tensed for a moment when her mum had asked her why she didn’t tell her they were together.  

“Um…didn’t think it was my place to tell you actually Mum” she’d said “I didn’t think you’d mind-” 
“of course we don’t mind” said Jean “there’s absolutely no need to hide these things from me and your father” she’d added, Hermione had nodded 

“I know, but like I said, its not my place to get involved in their extra-curricular’s” she replied, steadfastly ignoring her smirking girlfriends in the corner of the room. She had less than twenty-four hours left to go with her parents, she could make it without being outed, couldn’t she?  

  *  

That evening, Hermione was folding some clothes to fit into her trunk. She felt arms around her waist and looked up to see Evie smiling.  
“What?” she asked 
“nothing” she replied “just enjoying the view” Evie put her head on her shoulder. Hermione snorted, dropping the clothes into her trunk and turning to face her, slipping her arms around her waist. Evie wasted little time in pulling her in for a kiss, hearing Jean in the hallway had her grinning against the brunettes’ lips, smirking as she pulled away. 
“We need to pack”  Hermione exhaled “and my mother is right down the hall” 
“So?” Evie said with a shrug “she wouldn’t care” she snickered as Mal joined their embrace from behind Hermione, pushing her hair out of the way to kiss the side of her neck, in the exact spot she knew would make Hermione crumble. 
“I care” Hermione replied, trying quite unsuccessfully not to grunt at the fae’s ministrations on her neck “b-besides…its…uh…Mal!” she groaned quietly “stop it I can’t think when you do that”
“Thinking’s overrated” Mal replied, “wouldn’t you agree Eves?” 
“Definitely” Evie replied, smirking as she ran her hands through her hair, yanking the smaller girl in for another kiss.  

  “Girls how are we doing for…..packing?!” Jean had walked in and was now staring at the three of them. Hermione didn’t bare move for a moment, she knew they were caught and there was nothing she could do about it. What didn’t help matters was the tight grip Mal had on her waist. She was pretty sure she’d be left with bruises.  

 Hermione winced  
“Er….packing is…..going slow” she commented lamely “Mum I-“ 
“okay well tea will be ready in about half an hour, if you’ll be hungry by then” Jean replied “okay?” 
“Yes fine, Mum-“ 
“okiedokie, well I’ll leave you three to it” she shut the door behind her as she left the room. 

Hermione leant against Evie’s shoulder with a groan 
“I'm dead-“ she whispered 
“I doubt it, she has no problem with us” Mal pointed out “or your aunt” 
“I mean because I should have told her” she replied with a shake of her head “she’ll be disappointed that I hid it from her” 
“then go talk to her” Evie replied “there’s no turning back now, she knows” 
“I know” she sighed “you’re right….and you purposely did this, didn’t you?” 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Evie snickered  

  Rolling her eyes, Hermione broke away from their embraces and headed downstairs to talk to her mother.   

*  

She found Jean setting the table  
“Mum?” 
“yes love?” she looked up from putting some glasses down “everything okay?” 
“….can I talk to you?” 
“of course” Jean straightened up “what about?” 
“What you saw upstairs-“ 
“what about it?” Jean asked 
“….are you mad I didn’t tell you?” 
“mad? Not in the least” said Jean “but I am rather disappointed you didn’t think to tell me, I thought you knew better than to hide this sort of thing, it took you long enough to tell your father and I you were dating Ronald”  

Hermione sighed   
“I didn’t intend to keep it from you for long Mum” she said, “I just wasn’t sure how to tell you, and I knew it would sort of shock you a little, considering I dated Ron for almost a year” Hermione twisted her hands in front of her.  

  Jean rolled her eyes   
“I thought Evie and Mal were dating” she said, “but you’re dating Evie?” Jean asked   
“Oh no they are dating” Hermione replied “Mal’s also my girlfriend….as well as Evie”  

Jean blinked slowly   
“oh” she said after a minute “I see…wait till your father hears about this” she said with a small smile “he’ll have kittens”  
“Whose having kittens?” John asked, coming into the dining room with a coffee cup in his hand   
“Our Hermione’s been keeping a secret” she said   
“Oh?” he asked, “what kind of secret?”  
“a bit of a big secret” Hermione replied “I um…I’m dating Evie…..and Mal”  

 John looked at her for a long moment 
"….what?” he asked, “what do you mean dating?” 
“as in my girlfriends” Hermione rolled her eyes  
“Oh…..OH!” he said “Hermione! How long has this been going on then?” 

She laughed   
“Since Halloween, so a little while” she replied “I didn’t want to tell you via owl post, I'm pretty damned sure Evie just decided to push me into telling you before we go back to school”  
“And to think we’ve let the three of you share a room” said Jean “I do hope there has been no shenanigans”  

 Hermione turned scarlet 
“Mother!” she said, scandalised “of course there hasn’t!” 
“You better be telling the truth young lady” said John  
“Daad!” Hermione groaned “if you don’t believe me… EVIE! MAL GET DOWN HERE!” she yelled 

A moment later the girls entered the dining room 
“Dammit Mia did you have to yell so loud?!” Mal was half glaring at her, rubbing her hands on her ears. 
“sorry not sorry” Hermione replied “I have no doubt you’ve heard the entire conversation from upstairs” 
“some of it” Mal grinned “just about enough to know your parents want to know if we’ve had our wicked way with you” she looked her up and down, snickering “hm very tempting” 
“Mal stop it” Hermione glared “you’re not helping” Evie laughed  
“I can assure you we have not had sex with Hermione” she said with a straight face “not until she feels ready” 
“EVIE!” 
“What? They asked, I told the truth” She folded her arms “Mal quit it or I'm putting you in time out” 
“I'm not doing anything!” Mal replied, eyes wide with faked innocence, Hermione sighed at the display. 
“I know exactly what you’re up to, horn dog” Evie replied “you will be sleeping on the floor bed tonight” 
“Ugh fine” Mal grunted “floor bed it is…but you better make it warm” 

Jean looked between them  
“Did I miss something?” she asked, “why does Mal have to sleep on the camp bed?” 
“Because she can’t always control her impulses” Evie replied “fae are…. sensitive creatures” she pulled Mal to her side, smirking as said fae hissed in annoyance, with an undertone of something else entirely, if the darkening of her eyes was any indication. Hermione facepalmed, hoping her parents didn’t catch it.  
“Go take a shower Mal” she said “dinners in twenty minutes”  

Mal nodded, turning to leave the room, shooting Evie a heated stare that had the blue-haired teen swallowing in response. Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics.  
“Honestly mum” she said “it’s all above board” Hermione added.  

  ***  

The Hogwarts Express set off from London at 11am the next morning. Hermione and the VKs took a compartment to themselves, anticipating the arrival of Harry, Ron and the rest of the Weasleys. Hermione had resolved to tell the boys in her own time, and Jay had sworn he wouldn’t say anything until she had done and would look out for her in case of any bad reactions.  
“besides” Mal said “Weasley will have a fit” 
“Ron will calm down, he’s hot-headed but means well” Hermione had defended “I’ve known him for five years, I'm sure he will come round to it” 
“I doubt he will come round any time soon” said Carlos “but I admire your optimism.” 

The carriage door opened to admit Harry, Ron and the twins. Ginny was already leaving down the corridor to find her own friends. 
“Hi Hermione, did you have a nice Christmas?” Harry asked, shoving his trunk into the luggage rack  
“Yes thanks Harry, did you?” she replied, “How was it at the Weasleys?” 
“Great yeah” He replied “the usual chaos” 
“sounds thrilling” Evie commented  

Soon enough the group got settled and the train began the long journey back to Hogsmeade. After an hour or so, Hermione found herself beginning to doze off, her book in her lap forgotten. Mal gently pulled it from her lap and covered her with a blanket, turning back to her own book.  
“Has anyone seen Jane?” Carlos asked after a while  
“She came on the train with Hannah and Susan” Fred nodded “they’re in a carriage three doors down” 
“oh good” he nodded “that’s good” 

The trolley lady came past a little while later, and Harry bought a few bits of everything to share with the group. Wisely, he ensured there was enough for everyone, mainly to stop any fighting between Jay and Carlos over the sweets.   

“Bertie Botts Every flavour Beans?” Evie read the label with a raised eyebrow  
“they mean every flavour” said Ron “so, it’s a bit of a lottery, I got a rotten cabbage flavour one once, blech” he winced at the memory. 

Evie shared an amused look with Mal and opened the packet, she took a black bean out of the packet and gave it a cautious sniff, before putting it in her mouth.  A moment later she winced, coughing a little. 
“You okay Eves?” Jay asked  
“Black pepper flavour” she made a face “I think those should be banned, or used for punishment” she took a drink from her water bottle and shivered “that was most unpleasant” 
“Told you” Said Ron “they do mean every flavour” he turned back to his chess game with Carlos. 

Hermione woke up an hour later, she shifted, blinking. 
“Hey Mione, I saved you some sweets” Harry handed her a bag “you slept through the trolley coming” 
“oh uh thanks Harry” she took the bag from him and took a few liquorice wands out to eat. 

All too soon the train pulled up at Hogsmeade, where the students disembarked before filing down to the carriages. Mal yanked Hermione into a carriage with Evie and slammed the door shut before anyone else could join.   

“What- “Hermione began to ask  
“We wanted some time alone with you before we have to leave you” said Evie “you’ll be sleeping in the tower from now on, unless we can spend some nights in the den” 
“I hadn’t thought of that” Hermione sighed “I had gotten rather used to sharing a bed with you both” 
“we’ll come up with something” Mal replied, kissing her neck softly “soon” she promised  
“you better” Hermione found herself grunting “dammit Mal again, how-“ 
“it’s a gift” she snickered “one I'm rather fond of” Mal added, giving her a rather heated stare 

Hermione just laughed, pointedly ignoring the feeling that stare sent through her body, now was not the time for that. Seeing her expression, Mal grinned, taking pleasure in biting her skin, just under her jugular. Hermione swore quietly, grabbing Evie’s hands for something to hold onto. Evie grinned  
“M you’re a menace” she commented “look at our Mia now”   

Mal licked her bottom lip; she touched the bite mark she’d made with a thumb and Hermione whined involuntarily, shifting a little on the chair.  
“didn’t bite too hard, there’s hardly a mark” she said “it’ll be gone quickly”  
“It better be” Hermione replied with a sigh “otherwise I'll have to answer questions from the boys”  

***  

Classes resumed after the weekend; Hermione found herself stuck between homework, spending time with her friends and being tackled into empty classrooms by Evie or Mal at any opportunity.    More than once, Jay had covered for her if Harry or Ron had asked where she had been. Hermione did thank him honestly; she knew she had to come clean one way or another but had yet to find the right time.    

One evening, after classes were over. Hermione was heading to the library with some books to take back with Harry and Ron.  They chatted aimlessly about their day as Hermione listened with one ear about how Ron was sure Snape was evil, it seemed like everything was getting back to normal.   On their way back to Gryffindor Tower, she heard a hissed conversation between the boys and paid it little mind, she knew whatever it was would come out soon enough. She wasn’t surprised when Harry looked at her and nervously pushed his glasses up his nose.  

“Hermione?” 
“Yes Harry?” she looked up from putting another book into her bag.  
“Can I ask you something?”  
“sure” she replied 
“…Are…. are you seeing anyone?” he asked awkwardly, Ron shuffled his feet beside him. Hermione paused  
“Why do you ask?” 
“Because... because you’ve been rather sneaky since coming back to school” Ron said “…. It's Jay, isn’t it?” he folded his arms “why didn’t you tell us?” he asked “we’re your friends Hermione” 
“Yes, Ronald you are my friends” she replied, “and I don't see why it's a problem what I do with my time?” 
“Why hide it though?” asked Harry “he's a Gryffindor-” 
“I'm not dating Jay” Hermione rolled her eyes  
“Then who is it?” Ron asked, he suddenly winced “it better not be Malfoy-” 
 

Hermione grimaced 
“Never in a month of Sundays” She replied “would I ever touch Malfoy”  
“Then who is it Hermione?” Harry asked, “we won't laugh, is it Neville?”
“No Harry it's not Neville” Hermione chuckled “you’ll never guess in a million years” she shifted her book bag onto her shoulder as they headed back to the tower.
“Seamus?”
“No”
“Dean?”
“c’mon Mione give us an idea” Ron said with a groan.  

She looked at them both as a group of fourth year Hufflepuffs walked past in the direction of the library. Hermione cleared her throat.  
“If i tell you, will you stop badgering me?” 
“Yes of course we will, won’t we Ron?” Harry sent a glare at the red head 

“Yeah, sure" he agreed, Hermione bit her lip, she paused  
“under no circumstances are you to say anything to anyone” She said, folding her arms “okay?”
“Jeez Mione come on and tell us” Harry rolled his eyes 
“Very well” She exhaled “I... uh” Hermione stammered “Okay so, um, the thing is...” she swallowed “its Evie, okay?” she didn’t look at them “and Mal”  

 Harry blinked  
“.... that wasn’t what I was expecting” he said “but...okay?”  

she looked at them
“What?” Hermione asked  
“I said, okay” Harry shrugged a shoulder “makes sense as to why you've not spent much time in the dorm lately, I take it Jay knows, he was covering for you?”  

“Um. Yes-” 
“well, I'm happy for you Mione” Harry smiled at her “I'm glad you’re living your truth” 
“What the hell do you mean by that?” She asked “Ron? Say something” she looked at the redhead with a wince as they shut the portrait door behind them and made their way into the common room.  

“I mean, I had noticed how you look at Evie” Harry grinned “you were not subtle Mione” 
“Oh, shut up Harry” She shoved him with a laugh and turned to Ron  
“Well?” she asked, “does it bother you?”  
“Bother me? Of course it bothers me” Ron said “they’re Slytherins!”  

Hemione groaned  
“Will you give it a rest with the house rivalry rubbish Ronald?” she eyed him “yes, they're Slytherin’s, and they happen to be my girlfriends!”  

 “Doth mine ears deceive me?!” Fred’s voice came from beside the fireplace 
“No brother dear, you did heareth correctly” George replied 
“Our little Miss Granger’s dating a Slytherin... or two...”  
"Pack it in you two” Hermione rolled her eyes at the twins “how much exactly did you just hear?” 
“More to the point” George wagged a finger “who is it you’re dating?” 

Hermione looked up as Jay walked in  
“Hey Mione....did i miss something?” he dumped his bag beside an empty chair and sank into it  
“You knew” Ron said angrily “and you said nothing” 
“Knew.... I knew what Ron?” Jay raised an eyebrow
“Come off its Jay” Ron said “don't act stupid”
“Ron stop it” Hermione sighed “they know now” she shrugged at Harry and Ron. Jay nodded  
“alright” he shrugged a shoulder “yeah Ron, I know all about it” he smirked at the redhead’s angry face.  
“For your information Ronald Weasley,” Hermione began “who I date is not up for discussion, you’re not my father and you do not get to dictate who I date”  
“it's not right!” Ron shook his head  
“It's perfectly normal Ron” Harry replied “don’t be a Dursley” he added, Ron exhaled angrily  
“How can you say that?” he looked at Harry “I don’t think I can talk to you right now” he turned away from Hermione  
“Ron please-” she tried to stop him walking away, but the other boy snaked around her
“it's not natural Mione” he shook his head “they’ve clearly spelled you to think its normal, I will talk to you when you come to your senses....” he walked away “disgusting” he muttered  

She felt arms around her and looked up to see Jay smiling  
“he’ll come round” he promised “just give him time”  
“Yeah...course he will” she sniffed, feeling suddenly emotional, Hermione broke the hug and ran up the stairs to the girls’ dorm.  

“What was that about?” George was looking at Harry  
“Hermione’s dating Mal and Evie apparently, Ron didn't take it well” he shrugged
“Oh” he said “that's new” he replied
" And entirely unexpected” Fred agreed  
“I'll go talk to her” Katie got up from the chair “make sure she’s okay”  
“Thanks Katie” Harry nodded “I'd appreciate it”  

*  

She found the brunette hiding on her bed with the drapes closed
“Hermione?” she called softly “are you okay?”
“Perfectly fine” she replied, “did the twins send you?” 
“Not exactly” Katie said “Harry told us...your dating Evie and Mal” 
“great so the whole house knows” Hermione yanked back the drapes and Katie sat on the bed  
“Is that a bad thing?” she asked “it makes no mind to me”  
“Well, the general consensus is we don’t like Slytherins” Hermione wiped her face with a tissue “i was hoping Ron would take it better”  
“Give him time to come round” Katie replied, “Ron comes from a family of Gryffindors” she added “he’s grown up hating Slytherin’s out of family pride. He will come round” 
“If he doesn't?” 
“Then one less person to invite to your wedding” Kate grinned, Hermione laughed 
“We’re a long way away from wedding talk Katie” she sniffed “We only got together at Halloween” 
“So, go on who asked who? I want details”  
“They blind-sided me at the Halloween ball” Hermione replied “i think Evie did the asking, i accepted”  
“How cute” Kate said “i did wonder what the deal was with that necklace you’re wearing” 
“oh um... Christmas present from them” Hermione smiled, her cheeks flushed pink a little as she showed her the pendant.  
“Very nice” she said, “you do know what that means right?” Katie pointed at the dragon “in the wizarding world” 
“.... Go on” Hermione eyed her “I know what it means in Auradon and I'm wondering if it means the same here”
“they've claimed you” Katie replied “anyone who sees it will know you’re...off the market” 
“Oh. Lovely" Hermione nodded “same thing then”  
“As long as you’re comfortable with it, and don't worry about the House” Katie said to her “you just do you, if anyone’s rude about it, send them to see me, Alicia and the Quidditch team, we’ll put them right”
“...thanks Katie” Hermione leant back against her pillow “I appreciate it” 

  ***  

 The next morning, Ron was still not speaking to Hermione, and Harry was torn between his friends for the second time this year.  
“What’s his problem?” Mal commented as Ron took a place at the end of the line outside the Defence classroom with Dean and Neville. 
“Oh um...yeah about that” Hermione winced “he um...knows” 
“Knows?” Mal raised an eyebrow 
“Yeah.... he did not react well” Harry said  
“Oh... right. Well. Not much to be done about that” said Evie “does this mean we get to stop sneaking you into abandoned classrooms?” She smirked  
“Like that would ever stop you” Hermione rolled her eyes at her “it does mean however, we get to...not hide or hide less.... you know what I mean?” 
“You mean I get to do this” Mal snickered and yanked the brunette down for a kiss, ignoring the whistles from other students.  
“Oh, wait till class is over” Mal smirked, pulling away from her 
“stop it horn dog” Jay laughed “give the girl a chance to breathe” 

  Hermione looked at Evie, who was grinning at the ruffled state of Hermione’s uniform thanks to Mal’s ever so wandering hands.  
“Help?” She begged, trying to straighten herself up.
“Hm let me see....” Evie smoothed down her shirt and re-tied the buttons on her cardigan, slapping Mal’s hand away from undoing them again.
“Almost back to normal” Evie commented as Pansy and Draco rounded the corner “wait” She grinned.  
“uhoh Eves-” Mal snickered  

Hermione had less than two seconds to react as the taller girl pushed her up against the wall and kissed her, blocking the hallway with their discarded bags.  
“Grimhilde!” Draco’s squeal was scandalised  
“oop” Evie chuckled against her mouth, Hermione grumbled something like “you bitch” but it was half-hearted, she knew her girlfriends would give anything to make a display of things, and she was loathe to deny them.  She opted to take the path of least resistance when it came to her girlfriends, and it had plenty of positives.  
“What Malfoy?” She turned to look at him “I was busy”  
“.... With Granger?!” Pansy screeched “ugh....at least Moors was a Slytherin” she sneered “Clearly your standards have dropped”  

  Evie smirked at the other girl  
“Who said anything about a drop in standards?” She looked at her “My girls are perfect” Evie cocked her head to the side “shame we can't say the same about you” She snickered  
“C’mon Evie don’t cause a fight in the hall” Hermione tugged her hand, and the blue-haired girl pulled her close, dropping another kiss this time on her forehead, ignoring the other teens gasps of shock as Mal did the same.  

  “.... ahem ladies” Remus’ tone was amused “please refrain from such displays in the hallways”  
“S-Sorry Professor” Hermione blushed darkly  
“Inside if you will” he moved back from the doorway and the class filed inside.  

Hermione found herself sandwiched between Mal and Evie for the duration of the lesson. She felt eyes on her back and turned slightly to see the glare was coming from Malfoy as they got up to leave the classroom.  
“.... something to say Malfoy?” Mal asked, seeing his stare
“Ignore him” Hermione shook her head “nothing he could say could have any impact on our day”  
“you’re right as always Mia” Evie nodded “c’mon Mal, we have transfiguration” she took their hands.  

*  

That evening before dinner, Hermione found herself in the library with some of the first years, helping with some of their homework and answering general questions. Once the session was over, she saw Jane sitting at another table on her own. The fae girl looked to be in the middle of homework, if the scattered books and parchment was any indication. 
“Hi Jane” she made her way over 
“Hi Hermione” Jane gave her a smile “I hear you’ve had a rather interesting day?” 
“One way to put it” Hermione agreed “how was your Christmas break?” 
“Lovely thank you, I spent it at Susan’s, she lives with her aunt, who's some sort of magic policeman” 
“She’s the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, same thing” Hermione replied  
“How was your holiday? I believe your house was rather full” Jane grinned  
“It went as well as I expected.” Hermione said “Mal and Evie behaved as much as I expected, Jay and Carlos were very well behaved, we had a lot of fun in the Muggle World” 
“Oh?” 
“Oh, come off it Jane I know Harry told you” Hermione eyed her  
“Told me? Told me what?” Jane asked in confusion 
“it's been the talk of the school today” Hermione said, “no thanks to Evie and her proclivity for being lewd in public” she couldn't quite keep the blush off her face, Jane laughed. 
“Oh that, I heard about that from Susan who heard it from Ginny” She shrugged “they come as a package deal then?” 
“Buy one girlfriend get one free” a voice said in amusement behind her 
“Hi Mal” Hermione grinned, turning around to find her standing at a table, pulling books out of her bag. 
“Hi Mia, Janey” Mal waved “didn't fancy Pince hexing me for these being late” she put the books on the shelf for returned books and placed a fingertip where the wand would go, a flash later and Mal turned to get her bag. 
“Very wise” said Jane “she’s rather.... strict about books” she rolled up her parchment and packed her things away. 
“One way to put it” Hermione agreed.  

  The girls left the library and headed across the castle for dinner.  On their way there, the trio found Harry and Ron, who took one look at Hermione and disappeared into the great hall.  

“Hey” Jane made her way over to Harry and put her arm around him “did you speak to him?” 
“of course, i did” Harry replied “He’s touchy and won't listen, nothing can be done until he gets his wand out of his arse” 
“Leave him alone Harry” Hermione shrugged a shoulder “he must grow up some time, if he carries on acting like a fool then send an owl to his mother” 
“oh yes Mrs Weasley would love that” Harry grimaced “he’ll get a howler for sure” 
“howler?” Mal queried 
“Angry letter” Hermione explained “they shout at you, loudly, then explode.” 
“neat” Mal commented  

  **  

Things calmed down after a few days, Hermione had kept her head down in class, and refused to be drawn into any arguments regarding her relationship with Evie and Mal. Some of the students were critical of the match and were not shy of voicing their opinions. On more than one occasion she had had to stop Mal from retaliating, reminding her not to get herself into trouble. She reminded her to try to rise above the close-minded students and if she didn't fight back, the teachers would have nothing to pin on her. 

“Besides” Hermione watched as Mal paced angrily in the den one night after classes were done. “They will stop if they don't get a reaction from you” 
“How do you know that?” Mal asked tightly, she swung a fist at a target bag hanging in the corner of the room, there was a thud as it connected with the wall behind it. Mal aimed another punch at it in frustration. 
“Because they want the reaction” Hermione got up from her chair and pulled her to her side “they want you to fight back so they can get you in trouble” she explained “for all the Wizarding World is progressive, it's still exceedingly medieval” 

She saw the now familiar green glow in the fae girls' eyes, as Mal tried to calm down. The colour began to dim a little but didn’t entirely disappear. 
“You still haven't spoken to Professor McGonagall?” Hermione said  
“haven’t had the time” Mal didn’t quite pull away, instead she leant against the wall “it’s fine Mia” 
“it's not fine Mal, you promised Evie you would speak to her when we got back after Christmas” Hermione chided, Mal groaned  
“I know i just haven't had the time” Mal replied “it’s not my fault” 

Hermione looked at her watch 
“We could go now; she has her office hours for another twenty minutes” 
“Office hours?” 
“Yeah, you know, where you can go see the teachers for guidance after classes are done, doesn't Professor Snape do the same?” 
“He doesn't exactly inspire the need to seek him out” Mal snickered; Hermione laughed  
“No, I don’t suppose he does” she agreed “c’mon we can make it up there before she leaves her office” she tugged her hands.  

They made their way back to the main part of the school and headed up stairs to the transfiguration department, where Professor McGonagall had her office.  

Hermione knocked on the door and a moment later it swung open  
“Miss Granger...and Miss Moors?” Professor McGonagall looked over at them “come and sit girls, how can I help?” she waved them to the chairs in front of her desk, Mal exhaled and sat down.  
“Mal needs some help with transfiguration...” Hermione began, Mal snorted  
“that's putting it lightly Mia” she said  

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow 
“How do you mean Miss Moors?” she asked  
“Okay....so um.... you leant me that book on Animagus's...” she bit her lip “and you said not to try any transformations” 
“yet you have tried anyway”  
“On the bright side i managed to give myself claws once...maybe twice” Mal winced “and...i cant get any further with the transformation” 
“how so?” 
“it...stops” Mal explained “like...i can't get any further” 
“Show me what you mean” Professor McGonagall replied 

  Nodding, Mal got up off the chair and a moment later she raised her hands, which were now covered in scales and clawed.  
“It only goes...up to here” she gestured to her elbows “and stops”  

Frowning, Professor McGonagall got to her feet and inspected her arms.  
“Interesting, partial transfiguration is not something that comes easy, even to masters of the art” she said, “not even Headmaster Dumbledore managed it” 
“wonderful” Mal griped “so like...how do i fix it?” she shook her hands, and the claws disappeared 
“i would suggest looking into your family history, see if there are any other animagi” she replied ”it could be something linked to your fae magic” 
“my mother can transform at will” Mal replied “but she was never forthcoming as to how to do it, i don’t even know if she knows I can even get this far...I never could on the Isle” 
“Perhaps it is a skill you will acquire in time,” she replied “i would not try to rush things, if it is to come, then it is to come”
“brilliant” Mal said sarcastically, her eyes flashed green as she tried to keep her temper in check. A moment later the glow died “c’mon Mia, I'm hungry, thanks for your time, Professor” she made her way to the door without looking back, Hermione was almost at the door when she heard her name 

“Miss Granger?”  
“Yes Professor?” she  turned 
“far from me to get involved in student affairs, but please, ensure Miss Moors doesn't cause any detrimental problems for your year mates”  
“i will do my best” Hermione smiled “thank you Professor” 

  *  

She found Mal in the hallway and linked their arms
“Alright so it was a bust, she doesn't know any more than we do” She looked at her  
“could have told you that, saved us the trip up here” Mal commented  
“it was worth a shot” Hermione replied “we’ll have to hit the library and see what we can find about your family”  
“ugh, study time” Mal grimaced  

**  

  The next morning, the teens had Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid out on the grass in front of the school. This term, they were looking after Salamanders, and in the cold weather, the heat the lizards gave off was welcome.   What wasn’t welcome though, was the hissed insults from Malfoy and his cronies. Hermione focused on the lesson and ignored the blonde entirely, Evie attempted to do the same, however she kept one eye on her girlfriends, in case Mal decided to go through with her threat from breakfast to disembowel the boy.  
“just ignore him” Hermione sighed for the tenth time “it's not worth it”  
“I know Mia” Mal wrinkled her nose as the salamander crawled away from them into the back of the pen, she held out some more food to coax it back out again.  

 Evie folded her arms 
“Drop dead Malfoy” She said loud enough for the blonde to hear “do us all a favour” 
“You dare speak to me?” Malfoy sneered “you're just as bad as the mudblood you’re fucking” 
“at least I’m getting some” Evie smirked “unlike you” she taunted. 
“Eves-!” 
“c’mon M, it's clear he's as frigid as fuck, Parkison not putting out?” she raised an eyebrow “funny, i always thought she was a bit of a slut” she added. 

  Hermione winced internally, it seemed even Evie had had enough of the comments and was ignoring her own advice of not rising to them.  
“How dare-” Draco’s wand was in his hand in an instant  
“OOoh” Mal smirked “what are you going to do with that Malfoy? Overcompensating for something?” she laughed  

T he blonde sneered and threw a spell that had Hermione ducking, it sailed over her head and hit one of the standing stones nearby with a crack. Hagrid eyed them but didn't come to intervene.  
“Think you need to work on your aim” Mal cocked her head to the side “that almost hit us.... oh wait, no it didn't”  

Angered, the blonde stormed towards them, getting the attention of some of the other students and fired off a stinging hex at point blank range at Mal with all the hatred he could muster. The spell connected with her chest and Mal was blasted across the salamander’s cage, landing across the side of the fire pit, thankfully just out of the range of the flames.  

“MAL!” Evie’s shriek had Hagrid on his feet  
“What is goin’ on over ‘ere!” he demanded.  

  Mal groaned, rolling onto her side as she tried to overcome the pain from the hex and the fall.  
“Malfoy attacked her” Jay came forward “he hit her with a stinging hex, i saw it”  
“Fifty points from Slytherin Mister Malfoy” Hagrid eyed him “and detention with Professor Snape for this behaviour” Hagrid turned to Mal “Are you alright Miss?” he asked  

Was she okay? Mal blinked several times; her head was pounding. She tried to focus on Hagrid in front of her, but his voice sounded like he was too far away for her to hear him properly. Mal tried to get to her feet, the pain in her torso was agonising.  Mal staggered as she got to her feet, her vision was swimming the wrong way, she felt a shifting in her chest and looked down at her hands, which were shaking in front of her. A moment later she tasted blood in her mouth as a pair of fangs pushed through her bottom lip.  she tried to think through the pain, but her mind wouldn't cooperate, she attempted to find Evie in the crowd, but her vision wouldn't stop moving.  

  She snarled several times, spitting blood onto the grass, she growled lowly, stepping forward over the broken cage. Mal’s body began to shift and became lit with a purple glow across her skin. Moments later she leapt at Draco and threw him to the ground with a shriek of rage.  

  In the span of a few seconds, Mal had transformed into a dragon.  her wings unfolded as she roared angrily, twisting her neck each way. Draco screamed in fright and Mal’s attention snapped on him. She growled threateningly.  

“Draco do not fucking move” Jay was standing behind where the boy had fallen, she was standing over him. Her back feet had pinned his legs down into the wet grass.    

  “Alright ev’ryone take a step back” Hagrid began moving students away from the pair “no one needs to panic”  
“Easy for you to say!” Draco yelled
“Shut the fuck up Malfoy” Jay snapped “c’mon Mal, let him go and we can figure out how to change you back”  

Mal snorted; a plume of smoke burst out of her snout.  
“c’mon Mal” Jay tried again “you gotta let him go.... you know FG won’t be happy if you murder the git” 
“He’s right M” Evie was moving towards them “let Draco go before this gets any more out of hand....”  she walked up to her left flank and touched the scales  

  Mal twisted her head round and pushed her away from her using her snout  
“M?” Evie looked up as Mal uncurled her wings,  

 She shot into the air with a loud shriek, and a blast of fire erupted from her snout as Professors McGonagall and Snape came out of the main school doors. Evie yanked Draco out of the mud and helped him to stand. 
“Master Malfoy what on earth-” 
“i um-” he stumbled over his words
“he flung a stinging hex at her at point blank range” Hermione’s voice was livid.  

 She took a step forward towards Draco and with a sickening crack, she punched hm in the nose, and Draco would have fallen to the floor if not for Evie holding his robes.  
“MISS GRANGER!” Professor McGonagall said in shock “Detention! We never use our hands to end disputes!” 

Mal landed a few feet from the group with a roar. Snape turned  

“Rubeus....is that a student?” 
“Technically it's a dragon,” said Hagrid, Hermione snorted, Evie laughed  
“.....is that Moors?” Snape was eyeing the dragon with distrust 
“in a matter of speaking” Evie grinned “she is her mother's child after all”  

  Professor McGonagall turned  
“Oh my....Miss Moors!”  
“its okay i got this” Jane was already walking forward “Mal? Mom told me the spell to change you back” she pulled her wand from her sleeve. Mal growled in response, putting more space between them.  
“I think that means give her a minute Jane” said Harry  

Mal nodded her head, she turned around stretched to her full height before the dark purple magic began to cover her entire body again. A minute or so later, Mal was human. she shook her head and walked over to Evie and Hermione, who immediately fawned over her, making sure she was alright. Mal put up with their fussing, running her tongue over her fangs.  

“....so i didn't know i could do that” she commented a moment or so later 
“neither did we” Hermione replied “how-” 
“Magic my dear Mia” She snickered “hey Malfoy...” she turned to the muddied boy, who was holding his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.  He looked up at her in fear as she came close to him and leant forward so their faces were inches apart.
“y-yeah?” 
“BOO!” she yelled in his face, snapping her fangs close to his ear 

  Draco fainted.  

Chapter Text

**  

Mal looked around the hospital wing, kicking her feet idly against the bedframe, the thudding of her boots was the only sound in the room. She’d been made to come up here by Snape to ensure there was no ill effects from the stinging hex and the resulting dragon transformation. The Medi-witch was currently in her office and had told her to take a seat.   

“AH Miss Moors” Poppy emerged from her office and gave her a smile “Professor Snape sent you?” 
“Um yeah” she replied “I um, got hit with a stinging hex at close range earlier, he said it best to be checked over” 
“yes, he would be correct” Poppy agreed “turning into a dragon didn't help things either I assume” 
“How-” 
“my dear do look out of the window, i saw the whole thing” she pointed to the window and Mal realised she could see straight out onto the lawn where the class had been. 
“oh, uh yeah” Mal nodded “didn't know I could do that, I mean, I've only done it once before and that was not planned”  
“No?” 
“Not a little bit” she replied “but i feel fine, it's a family skill” Mal gave her a half smile “my mom, is Maleficent, the evil faery? Turning into a dragon is her specialty”
“I see” Poppy nodded “well, let me just run a quick check over and you’ll be free to leave”  

  *  

“How was the nurse?” Evie asked as Mal dropped onto her lap  
“fine” Mal replied, “i have a wonderful bruise on my chest that will heal by tomorrow, she gave me a pain reliever, no broken bones” she snuggled into her side “Where's Mia?” 
“Detention for punching Malfoy” Evie grinned “she broke his nose” 
“And I missed it? Damn" Mal replied with a laugh 

  *  

Hermione looked up as the door clicked shut, Malfoy took a spare chair and sat away from her. She noticed his eyes were slightly bruised still and his nose looked a little swollen. Hermione hide a smirk. She knew she should have stayed her hand but at the same time, she felt the detention was worth the bruised knuckles and the broken nose of the snooty boy over the way. Honestly, she knew she shouldn't have done it, but he did cast the first curse.  

Professor McGonagall eyed the pair of them with stern expression.  
“The pair of you will be taking detention by helping Professor Lupin clearing out some of the older classroom spaces. I dare say this will be a strenuous task, without magic” she stood “follow me”   

She swept out of the room and headed towards the defence corridor. Professor Lupin was waiting for them outside his office. 
“Minerva, perfectly on time” he smiled “Master Malfoy, Miss Granger, I trust we will have no reprisals of earlier today?” his eyes narrowed a little at the par of them 
“no professor” Hermione said “I don't believe we will” she didnt even glance in Malfoy’s direction 
“No...Professor” Draco didn't manage to keep the sneer out of his voice, Professor Lupin acted as if he hadnt heard anything at all.
“excellent” He replied “Thank you Minerva, I will take it from here, we better get on then” he started walking down a corridor and turned to the right.  

They arrived at an old classroom with a huge window, Professor Lupin lit the candelabras, and the room lit up a warm yellow colour, the light bouncing off the walls. Malfoy snorted beside her; Hermione ignored him, she knew she had to put up with the blonde for the duration of the detention and that was all.  
“right then, shall we get started?”   

  **  

Returning to the common room later that night Hermione had a newfound appreciation for house elves. Every muscle ached from the heavy lifting.  
“how’d it go?” Jay was waiting for her by the fireplace  
“Professor Lupin had us moving boxes on the seventh floor, to apparently make some space for communal areas” Hermione winced as she sat down “we had to do it without magic”  
“How’d the blonde prat take that then?”  
“About as well as expected” she replied with a snort “he complained and whined for the first hour, said it was servants' stuff, Professor Lupin told him if he didn't start helping, he’d speak to his father, that surely changed his tune”  
“what a prick” Jay shook his head “is his nose still bruised?”  
“yep” she nodded “his eyes too, looks like Madame Pomfrey didn't want to help so much after all” she laughed.  

  ****  

Meanwhile, back in Auradon, Lucinda, more commonly known as Fairy Godmother was reading through the latest school reports on the VKs. She was pleased to find out their schoolwork was coming along nicely, and their magic was being controlled. Her last letter from Jane confirmed much of the same, so she was confident that Adam’s plan to take the children away from Auradon was one of the best ideas he’d had. The children needed guidance, and their powers had been out of control once they had been removed from the barrier’s influence.   Filing the reports away with a smile, Lucinda closed her cabinet and stood to lock her office. She had a dinner date with Cinderella and Charming tonight that she could simply not miss.   

As she locked up her office, her mind on what she would wear to dinner tonight, Lucinda checked her office for anything out of place, as she did every evening before leaving school. She missed the flashing of a crystal on her bookcase.  This crystal was tied to the magic barrier holding the Isle in captivity. It had remained dormant for over twenty years, and she gave it little thought these days. Occasionally, when she remembered to check on it, she got the same information, the barrier was still as strong as ever.  

Lucinda turned from her office door and headed down towards the car park, so preoccupied with her plans for the evening, she had no idea what was about to happen.  

**  

Maleficent looked out over the balcony from Bargain Castle, her eyes scrutinising the skyline. She could feel her magic shifting under her skin again, still out of use but only just. The smothering feeling caused by the barrier was beginning to change, and whilst she didn't care as to why, she wondered what was going on? She hadn't noticed it at first, the change had been so subtle, but over the last few weeks the feeling of her magic had become a lot more pronounced. Just out of her reach yet it was there, just awaiting her instruction.