♫ feel good inc.

- gorillaz

"take it all in on your stride..."

✧

Later that day, Priscilla had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. McGonagall seemed alright, all things considered - she had a serious scowl that should technically scare any student with a passion for troublemaking and disorderly classroom etiquette, but every time she opened her Scottish mouth for a witty comeback, it had Cilla rolling.

After Charms class, Cilla was beginning to seriously reconsider the advantages and disadvantages in coming to a new school. Retaking her O.W.Ls this year was going to be a pain in the ass; she never considered how much catching up she'd had to here.

Thankfully, McGonagall didn't call on Cilla for any demonstrations in class, but it wouldn't have made a difference. Cilla was luckily completely caught up in Transfiguration. It was a lot harder to do transfiguration without a wand, and they had only begun practicing the basics of transfiguration wandless magic last year back home, so on all accounts, she was in the same place as her classmates.

Adrian and Cassius were in her class, and she had decided they were absolute knuckleheads, but she liked them for it. Cassius was tall, lean, yet still, buff under his robes (some things you could just tell). His hair was styled similarly to Draco's, parted in the middle and long at the sides like a pretty boy on the cover of a magazine. He lacked Draco's aristocratic snobbery, however, even though his family was a part of the "Sacred Twenty Eight." Instead was a dark sense of humor, judgemental looks, and a fair dash of sass.

Adrian was the closest thing to a gumdrop that any quidditch jock could be. He was always scolding Cassius for his ruder remarks and complimenting people on outfits, hairstyles, and magic every chance he got. He was kind, just as funny, and almost just as sassy as Cassius. He kept his hair buzzed short so all the attention would go to his wide smile.

They told Cilla stories of their greatest moments on the broom, the history of the Slytherin quidditch team (and its many, many male players), and asked questions about quidditch in America. They seemed genuinely interested in getting to know the new "American girl."

Cassius was planning on putting his name in the Goblet of Fire later that afternoon, and Adrian was being supportive of his quidditch teammate.

"I'm going to kick ass. Nobody out there is going to get in my way. The goblet would be an idiot not to choose my name for Hogwarts!" Cass said where they sat at the back of the class, buffed chest and chin held high.

Adrian clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You bet, Cass! We're going to train you day and night before you even become a Champion. You're going to be a beast, right Cilla?"

"Oh yeah," Cilla replied in between laughs. "Nobody is going to try to fuck with this beast, ARGHHH!" she joked, making a monstrous face and acting as if she had claws.

"That being said, don't worry, Priscilla Roberts, just stick with us and nobody will touch you," Cassius announced proudly. "There are too many wankers around here that don't know how to appreciate a fine woman such as yourself."

Adrian scoffed with a wave of his hand. "Cilla's a grown, independent woman, Cassius. And she plays quidditch. She'll be fine."

"Oh, whatever."

As McGonagall transformed herself into a cat for what seemed like the sixth time that lesson, Cilla couldn't help but thinking these boys were nothing like Draco. He was so much more... intense.

✧

Priscilla ended her day in Potions down in the dungeons, and thank Merlin too because the common room was a few doors away and she could finally crash after such a long first day. It had been a while since she attended a full day of school.

When she walked into Snape's classroom she was hit with the aroma of a dozen cauldrons bubbling expectantly. She tried to conceal her smile as she saw Fred and George in the corner.

"Oh, Priscilla!! Come sit here with us!!" George called with a smile, waving her over. 

Fred looked at his brother as if he were mad. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

"My duty as a brother, that's what," George announced proudly, causing Fred to roll his eyes.

Cilla bit her lip and tried to smush the dozens of butterflies that erupted from her chest at the sight of Fred. She had played their conversation over from the other night multiple times in her head since it happened. 

What is wrong with me? she thought. It's my first fucking day at school where hot guys are for once the majority. Time to be a bad bitch. So she schooled herself into her usual posture and strutted over to the table at the back of the room, forcing herself to exude confidence.

"Hello boys," Priscilla said as she sat down. "Fred," she added with a flutter of her eyelashes. She couldn't help but notice the subtle tint of red that rushed to his cheeks, so she looked away before she could blush too. So much for that plan, genius, she thought.

George bowed, "milady."

"Books open, wands away," Snape announced as he bolted to the front of the class from the front door. His hair looked like he oiled it a million times, which was gross, but Cilla had to admit the black cape swooshing behind him as he strutted around was fierce.

He then began his lesson, droning on about an essay they had to write about the properties of Moonstone due next week.

"Look's like our friend Snape is in his regular mood," Fred whispered to Cilla, leaning in slightly. He smelled like pine and the dawn itself.

"This is supposed to be a good day for him?" Priscilla snickered, and the two made eye contact before Snape continued with the lesson.

"Today we will be mixing The Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation..."

"Yeah right, as if we need a Draught of Peace to get through his lectures," George joked. Fred and Cilla tried to stifen another laugh. Snape wasted no time marching over to their table, making the three students sit up in surprise. Snape then proceeded to whack George on the head with a book, making Priscilla jump.

"How dare you!" she yelled without thinking.

Snape looked at her, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"You can't do that to a student," she said, flabbergasted. 

He scowled at her. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Ms. Roberts. Do keep up. Next time you speak out of line will be a detention." She scoffed in reaction.

He stalked away as George rubbed his head. "Thanks, Priscilla. Let's brew this potion, yeah?" 

"It would be worth the detention if I put that greasy dinosaur in his place," she muttered. "Are you okay?"

George smiled at her warmly and swatted her concern away with a shake of his hand. "Happens all the time," he explained.

"What the fuck? That's mental," Cilla replied angrily before getting up and going to get the ingredients from the back of the class, muttering along the way. Fred watched her go, his eyes drifting down to the hem of her skirt, her legs, and her large combat boots. 

He completely forgot to prepare the cauldron.

When she got back to the table with the moonstone and other ingredients, George grew a smirk that never meant anything good. "Hey Priscilla, you know what else moonstone is used for in potions?"

She shook her head, "Call me Cilla. And not really, I'm shit at Potions."

"LoOoOve Potions."

Fred was going to kill him. He was going to kill his only twin brother and he wasn't going to regret it.

"Freddie here can tutor you in Potions if you'd like. Right, Freddie?"

Priscilla was crushing the moonstone for the cauldron, not noticing how red Fred was, other than his hair of course. "Sure, thanks." If she said it quick and didn't make that big a deal of it, she had a lesser chance of getting nervous and fucking up somehow.

Fred let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. 

"Brilliant."

✧

After a loud dinner with Nitara and Cedric at the Hufflepuff table, Cilla caught Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle cornering a Gryffindor girl with curly, strawberry blonde hair in the hallway outside the Great Hall.

"Leave me alone, Malfoy," she said to him sternly. Even from a distance, Cilla could see the tears pooling in the girl's eyes.

The boys laughed at her mockingly. "What are you going to do, little mudblood? Free all the house-elves? As if you could manage that," Draco spat, the boys egging him on.

"Draco! Crabbe! Goyle!" Priscilla called, trying to intervene. The girl looked like she was trying not to cry. She was gripping onto the papers in her hand tightly. "Who's your friend?"

The girl lowered her head in shame.

"She's not our friend," Draco began, but Priscilla cut him off.

"Someone was looking for you back at the common room, mentioned something about making you the captain of the quidditch team?"

She wasn't expecting it to work, but somehow it did. The boys high-fived each other and hurried down to the dungeons, already forgetting the girl they were openly bullying. "That was too easy," Cilla said to herself under her breath.

The girl was shaking at this point, so Priscilla grabbed her arm and walked her around the corner to a quieter hallway so she could have some privacy. She tried to wipe away the tears under her eyes before Cilla could notice, but she had already seen.

"Are you okay? What did he call you? What's a mudblood?" 

The girl huffed. "It's a derogatory term for witches and wizards that are muggle-born. It means dirty blood."

That must've been what Nitara was talking about. This girl must be Hermione Granger. 

"I'm so sorry, you're Hermione, right?" 

Hermione nodded in response. "How do you know my name?"

"I'm friends with Nitara Dayal, she mentioned that Draco likes to call you, uh... you know," Cilla replied lamely.

"Oh," Hermione replied with a small nod and a far-off expression.

 "What's this?" Cilla asked, pointing at the flyers in her hands, trying to change the topic.

Hermione took a deep breath to center herself. "They're pamphlets for my new organization, S.P.E.W., the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. I'm trying to end house-elf enslavement."

"Cool, sign me up!"

"Really?" Hermione said, smiling, "You mean it?" She seemed so surprised someone would actually want to join.

Cilla nodded. "I don't agree with house-elf slavery either, so yeah, I'm in. We can even make a petition and bring it to Dumbledore. Just a suggestion."

"Priscilla Roberts, you're brilliant!" Hermione said, already feeling better. She handed her a flyer.

"If he calls you that word again, let me know, and I'll deal with him." Cilla said sternly. "It wasn't cool, I got your back."

Hermione shook her head, "don't worry, I punched him in the face last year. It was exhilarating."

Priscilla looked impressed. "I like your style, Granger."

✧

When Cilla collapsed into her sheets later that night, the curtains of her four-poster drawn, she finally let herself sigh and take down her walls. She seriously underestimated how hard going to a new school would be, and she had a lot of things to consider.

First of all, she had to retake her O.W.Ls. That would be a pain in the ass.

Secondly, she's already getting attached. The last time she let herself become attached to some friends, they stabbed her in the back, but she could truly see Cedric and Nitara being her #1's at Hogwarts.

Thirdly, she had a very, very big problem. It was tall, red, and named trouble. How could she let herself start curshing on a guy she had just met? He hit her with a bludger for Merlin's sake, and she had never been in a relationship or wanted a relationship before --

Wait, what?! she thought to herself. Her eyes blew wide and she drew her green bedsheets up to her chest. Relationship?! When did I start thinking about that? I need some sleep...