Just before 10:00 p.m.


The kitchens were completely silent late at night, Fauna noticed, stubbing her toe on the edge of the fruit painting as she stepped into the all-too-familiar preparation area. She quietly lit her wand and peered into the darkness. Had Devlin said by the kitchens, or in the kitchens? She sighed at her own forgetfulness and turned again to sneak out, when a squeaky voice sounded behind her.

“Does the missus want a sweet?”

Fauna jumped and almost dropped her wand. A house elf wearing a sack on the top of his head rubbed at his eyes and held out a platter of pastries. She recognized him as one of the elves she’d inadvertently tortured during her detention sessions and gave him a sheepish smile. Everyone was much better off now that Fauna and the rest of the students involved in the food fight were cooking no longer.

She nodded and plucked a pastry off the plate, then another. After wrapping them in napkins she dropped them into her bag and thanked the house elf.

He blinked at her for a moment. “I hope the missus has been avoiding, er, detentions?”

Fauna smiled at first and then remembered she was out past curfew. “I… so far, anyway. Well, I hope.”

The elf nodded at her, expression serious, as if he knew what her dark clothing and bag could mean for the future of his kitchens. She shifted her backpack on her shoulder uncomfortably and waited for him to disappear towards the back. When he was gone, or mostly gone- his large eyes blinked at her through the slit in the pantry door- Fauna exited the kitchens and stood by the still-life, wondering what time it was and why she hadn’t brought a watch.

She extinguished her wand and leaned against the still-life, feeling like a cat burglar in her dark jeans and black t-shirt. She also felt incredibly anxious about all this and was still amazed that she’d even agreed to meet Devlin this late. Granted, she needed to do well in her classes, but his reputation with girls worried her. Fauna took a steadying breath and reassured herself it would be fine,  that they were just going to study and no one (like Jordyn) could get mad at her for that.

Footsteps sounded in the distance and she flattened her back against the painting, prepared to run into the kitchens and hide if it was anyone but Devlin. Unfortunately, her hand brushed against something and the painting let out a girlish squeal.

Fauna said a word that would make her mother’s ears bleed if she heard it. Her cover was blown now. She emerged from the darkness and peered out into the corridor with a guilty look on her face.

Outfit

Ignoring the dirty looks of his dorm mates, who were trying their damnedest to sleep, Devlin peered at himself in his mirror one last time. Running his hands through his hair, he pulled on a dark knit hat and posed dramatically for effect. Perfect. The dark hat gave him a bit of an edge, like a bad boy who was just dangerous enough without being scary. The kind girls liked.

As he stared at himself, trying to find anything in his teeth or imperfections in his skin, his dorm mate rolled over and grumbled "What the hell are you doing Matthews? You know I need my sleep after studying... Have some consideration..." Devlin just laughed as he pulled on his dark hoodie, sneering a little "Not my fault that you chose to exhaust yourself with such trivial matters... Live a little Cole. Go snog a girl or something before that stick up your arse makes you impotent." He grinned evilly, kicking the guys bed as he walked by. Cole shot him a halfhearted gesture that suggested Devlin do what he just suggested with himself and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Devlin didn't bother being too cautious as he made his way towards the kitchens. Most of the teachers and prefects were busy this time of year, preparing for the exams, so he found it the perfect time to sneak out. He himself wasn't too worried. He had seen the list of test questions for almost all the exams and knew 90% of the answers already. The rest he could probably memorize in a night if he really tried. Maybe it was technically cheating, but Devlin considered the test questions as merely a review of sorts. He didn't want to worry too much about the tests because that left little time to do other things he enjoyed, like flirting with oblivious little Hufflepuffs.

Speaking of which, as Devlin neared the meeting spot he slowed down and peeked down the hall. It was hard to see in the dim light, but there was certainly a dark figure standing by the painting. It was hard to make out a face without lighting his wand, so Devlin started to sneak closer. The figure must have heard him coming because it suddenly jerked and there was what seemed like a booming squeal from the painting. Devlin quickly covered his mouth barely in time to stifle the snicker that rose in his throat as the figure stumbled backwards into the painting, crying out a word so foul that he nearly cried from holding his laughter in. Even if it wasn't Fauna, he would at least get a good laugh.

A second or so later, the figure reemerged and this time peeked Devlin's way. With her face out of the shadows, Dev could clearly see it was indeed Fauna. Breathing a sigh of relief, Devlin quickly made his way down the hall towards her, saying in just above a whisper "Don't worry... It's me..." As he came into view, Devlin paused in front of her and shook his head, his lips trembling as he tried not to laugh "You idiot... Who taught you how to be discrete huh?..." With a mocking sigh and another shake of his head, Devlin sidled past her "Give me a second, I need to grab something..." before disappearing into the kitchens.

A moment later he reappeared with a basket in one hand. Without waiting for a prompt, he held it aloft and announced casually "You should always eat well when studying.. Helps the brain..." Glancing up and down the hall once more, Devlin motioned to her to follow "Let's go..." Without waiting for her to agree, he started forward, sneaking looks left and right as he quietly weaved his way up the stairs and down the main hall. Once they reached a small side door leading out into the yard, Devlin pushed it open and peeked out. The moonlight outside lit the grounds much better then the faint candles inside, so they would have to make a break for it. Grabbing her hand with his free one, Devlin whispered "Quick... Run towards the weeping willow..."

After a few minutes of frantic running across the dew scented grass, the pair reached the top of the hill near the ancient willow tree. Stopping just outside its reach, Devlin collapsed on the ground and finally laughed "Ahahaaha... that was fun..." Sliding his hands behind his head, he stared up at the crystal clear sky where thousands of stars twinkled down at them, clear as day. "God what a beautiful night to do this...Don't you think?" Turning his head towards her, he gave her a rare gentle smile.

((I know I godmodded a bit with this, so if it is too bad, let me know and I will alter it... I just wanted to get them to their destination ))

Fauna was surprised when Devlin went into the kitchens and came back with a basket, but it was only when he said something about food helping the brain that she laughed a little. Typical teenage boy- always hungry. It was thoughtful of him, however, that he’d bothered to pack a basket at all. Fauna would be even more impressed if he offered to share later.

She followed Devlin as quietly as she could, expecting a prefect or a professor to stop them at any moment and demand to know why there were hording munchies. Luckily, they made it through the corridors and out of the castle without incident. Outside, Devlin told her to run towards the willow and grabbed her hand. Fauna startled- it was the grabbing of her hand that did it- but soon picked up her feet and ran with him, feeling silly and adventurous all at once. The air was a bit cooler at night and the wind rushed past her ears, bringing with it the smells of grass and dirt and a hint of flowers. When they got close enough to the tree Devlin flopped on the ground and started laughing. Fauna joined in, feeling exhilarated from their sprint and the knowledge that they weren’t supposed to be out here this late.

She gingerly sat down on the ground next to him and leaned back to look at the stars. The moon was almost full and there was something comforting about the multitude of tiny lights blinking at her, until she compared it to the way the house-elves blinked at people from behind the darkness of their pantry door. The thought made her giggle and she shook her head, looking over at Devlin as he mentioned what a beautiful night this was.

“It is…” she agreed, smiling at him. “Nice and quiet too.” There were no frisbees flying at her head, nor other people sitting below her favorite trees. She still couldn’t believe she was out here with Devlin after curfew. A part of her was shocked that she didn’t feel more nervous around him. He seemed so carefree and happy at the moment, though, and he also looked really cute in that hat.

Fauna glanced away quickly. She gazed at the stars for a few more minutes before reluctantly sitting up and opening her bag. They were out here for a reason, after all. As she stacked her books beside her she reached into her bag for anything she might have missed and suddenly felt something sticky. The pastries had rolled out of the napkins she’d wrapped them in. Fauna plucked them out, a bit embarrassed, and offered one to him with a shrug.

She took a bite out of the mangled pastry, lit her wand, and opened the astrology book on her lap. Fauna then glanced curiously at the basket and nudged it with her toe.

“What’s in there?” She paused, amused. “...Been stealing candy from first years again?”

“It is…Nice and quiet too.”

Devlin grunted lightly in reply, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the cool wind on his face. An oddly awkward but comfortable silence fell between them and Devlin let it linger. Fauna was the one probably feeling awkward, and he knew that the more it lasted, the more she would think about him as something more than a study date. So he kept his eyes closed and a soft smile on his face, for her viewing pleasure, until he heard her shuffle around and open her bag. Only then did he crack an eye and glance her way.

He rolled to a sitting position when she offered him a mangled bun of sorts. "Thanks but I have food..." He said, shaking his head as he stared at the mess of a muffin in her hand. You had to be starving to eat food that looked like that. He wondered suddenly, was she trying to be cute and contribute to the picnic or did she assume the basket of food was his alone? He had hoped she wouldn't think so badly of him, but then, his reputation wasn't the best at the moment. Not after the spat with Beatrix Dark. Knowing her mouth, she probably told then entire school that he threatened her. Fauna must have noticed the depressive air around him because she suddenly perked up and said playfully “What’s in there?...Been stealing candy from first years again?”

Though her comment verified that it was the latter, and she had indeed thought of him as a thoughtless git, her amused tone lightened his mood considerably. At least she wasn't mad about it. Putting a hand to his chest in feigned horror, Devlin sputtered out "Why... Why I never! I have you know that i have never stolen candy from a first year!" He chuckled lightly before adding "... It's not considered stealing when they give it to you... along with their pocket money and those nice shoes you really liked..." He was joking of course, he didn't make a habit of extorting first years unless it was for bogus brain potions. He hoped she got the hint.

"No no... What I have in here..." He said, changing the subject as he opened the basket "... is bread... ham... turkey.... cheese.... lettuce... tomato.. mustard..." As he listed off the items, he pulled them from the bag. Houseelves, he decided, took things far too literally. When he had asked for these things, he had expected just enough for two people to eat. But what he got instead was a whole loaf of bread, nearly an entire ham, half a turkey, an entire head of lettuce and at least two tomatoes. Peering into the rather small basket with a bemused expression, Devlin wondered if they had managed to get the kitchen sink in there as well. Magic, it seemed, really could do anything.

"And the piece de resistance..." He said finally, pulling out a large glass jar of dill pickles "... Pickles. Can't have a sandwich without it... Now... What meat do you want?" He smiled at her playfully before adding "... You didn't honestly think this was just for me right?"

The look on Devlin’s face when she offered him the pastry almost made her laugh. Fauna put the pasty back in the bag and finished eating hers. A smashed treat still tasted the same, but she had to admit she was intrigued by whatever Devlin might have packed in the basket.

He seemed to appreciate her humor and hammed it up with his dramatic reaction. She shook her head at him, pretending to disapprove when he talked about taking pocket money from first years. She had no doubt Devlin was the type to do that when he was a first year, but he seemed a little too old for that now. The image of him taking a kid’s Hogsmeade money was just too humorous to handle, and she laughed, the noise sounding louder in the quiet of the night.

Fauna raised her eyebrows when he starting picking items out of the basket, listing each one and describing what he thought was the perfect sandwich. There was a whole feast in there! She smiled when he offered her the choice of ham and turkey, commenting that she couldn’t have believed it was all for him.

“I was wondering…” she joked, picking the turkey. She never thought she'd put together a sandwich by the light of the moon and her wand, but here she was, doing just that. When she was finished she realized she’d been a bit too enthusiastic with the foodstuffs- half of the turkey flopped over the sides and tomato juice dribbled from the end- but like the pastry, it didn’t have to be pretty to taste good.

She took a few bites, wiped at her mouth with a napkin, and set the sandwich down for now. As much as she didn’t want to, she knew she should try to get some studying done. Fauna had a feeling, however, that it wouldn’t be so bad with Devlin around.

Fauna looked at him sheepishly, assuming that he probably didn’t want to study any more than she did. She opened the textbook anyway.

“So…” she began, flipping through the pages, suddenly embarrassed that she had to tell him exactly what was giving her trouble. Of course, he’d offered to help, but that didn’t mean she liked to admit she didn't understand something.

She kept her eyes glued to the page, finding it easier to talk. “I can figure out, you know, where the zodiac constellations are.” They’d been learning how to recognize those since their third year. “But it’s all those patterns and signs… that the centaurs can see. It’s almost impossible for me to find them, let alone know what I’m even looking for.”

Fauna munched on the sandwich again and paused before speaking. “I know the professor said she just wants us… to have a gist of the subject…” Centaurs studied the stars for many, many years, after all. “But I don’t think I even.. have that much. A gist, that is.”

She glanced at Devlin with a small, lopsided smile. Perhaps he would have some tips or be able to point out some of the signs to her. It was one thing to read about it in a book and another to put that knowledge into practice, especially since she hadn’t taken astronomy for a few years. That was probably one of the reasons why she was falling a bit behind with the section on centaurs and divination.

“I was wondering…”

"Horrible..." He said in a pained voice before breaking into a grin, a chuckle escaping his lips and ruining the facade. As she begin to make her sandwich, Devlin followed with his own. At first he tried to be neat about it, figuring that if he was going to get her to like him, he couldn't let her first impression be that he was a huge slob. Having concocted a neat little sandwich, Devlin raised it to his lips to bite when he saw the massive, dripping mess that was hers. His eyebrow arched and he stared at it in bemusement for a moment before putting his sandwich down immediately. Without a word, he went back to adding stuff to his, figuring that if she could be messy, then she couldn't judge him on it.

“So…”

"Mm?" Devlin had just taken a bite of his now bigger and messier sandwich, a monolith that made her monster look paltry and barren, when she suddenly changed the subject to studying. Chewing slowly in thought, he frowned a little. Granted he had asked her out there for that reason, but man what a waste of a beautiful night. Surely she didn't intend on really studying with him did she?

“I can figure out, you know, where the zodiac constellations are. But it’s all those patterns and signs… that the centaurs can see. It’s almost impossible for me to find them, let alone know what I’m even looking for.”

Inwardly he sighed, apparently she WAS intending to actually study. Feeling a bit dejected, Devlin tried to hide this face by nodding thoughtfully. Truth was, he hated Centaur astrology, it was useless to anyone but centaurs. Which was why he went through the trouble to procure a 'study guide' so he didn't have to actually teach her about them. Of course, he couldn't tell her this. No, she shouldn't, and wouldn't, ever learn of his criminal activities. That would ruin the whole act. So, as unwilling as he was, he would have to at least pretend to teach her.

“I know the professor said she just wants us… to have a gist of the subject…But I don’t think I even.. have that much. A gist, that is.”

"Aha... well really, a gist is all you can really get. They aren't too clear with their procedures..." Devlin said reassuringly, pulling a silver cylinder from his hoodie pocket. With a snap, he expanded it into a small telescope and used his wand to levitate it at eye level. Under the guise of allowing her to look through it, Devlin scooted closer to her, closing the space between them enough that her shoulder was pressed lightly against his chest. Levitating the scope in front of her, Devlin placed his other arm behind her back and leaned into her. "Now... See the north star? Centaurs believe that this is the starting point of all prophecies. The alignment of the planets with this star is how they predict the future..."

As he said this, he lowered his voice to a whisper and closed in the scant inches between her ear and his lips. A soft breath of warm air escaped his lips and brushed against her lobe and neck as he murmured "Beautiful...Isn't it?"

Devlin didn’t seem too thrilled about studying, which was to be expected, but at least he didn’t look disappointed. Fauna waited for him to finish chewing and fiddled with the dog-eared page in the textbook. He rarely showed up to class and yet he learned the material so easily. Devlin had to have a few studying tips. She only hoped she’d catch on fast so she wouldn’t embarrass herself more and look like an idiot. With Waker, she was never this concerned about looking dumb. With Waker…

Fauna shook her head of her guilt and tried to focus. She nodded at Devlin as he explained that centaur divination was especially confusing because they didn’t care to take notes or share their knowledge with wizards. Devlin expanded the telescope and made a few adjustments before scooting closer to her so she could gaze through it. Fauna was blushing already, wondering why she hadn’t thought beforehand that this would happen. To show her the stars they obviously had to get close. She glanced at him, surprised to find a neutral expression on his face. He didn’t smirk at her, not even when he draped an arm around her shoulders. Apparently Devlin was much better at keeping his mind on studying than she was!

Her heart thudded distractingly, so instead of studying the stars, she was thinking about the warmth and solidity of his arm around her. Devlin said something about the North Star but Fauna couldn’t concentrate on that. She could feel his voice rumble in his chest and it made her want to giggle.

“Erm… yeah…” she mumbled, peering through the telescope at… what was she looking at again?

Then she heard his voice, very low and quiet. His breath tickled her ear.

"Beautiful...Isn't it?"

There was no hope for Fauna now. Though she had good intentions coming out here, that didn’t seem to matter so much at the moment. Her mouth curled up into a smile and she drew back very slowly from the telescope, leaning into his arm. Her head tilted to look at him. His face was just inches away. If she’d been thinking clearly, she might have stopped and wondered about his girlfriend Jordyn, if they were still dating, if he liked her more, or if there was lettuce in her teeth. Fauna might have even asked him a few of those pressing questions.

Now, though, she simply wasn’t concerned. The half-eaten sandwich beside her and the textbook on her lap were both forgotten. All Fauna saw was Devlin’s deep brown eyes looking into her own. She finally nodded at his comment from earlier, but didn’t turn away. Fauna wasn’t quite brave enough to make the first move, but if he was going to kiss her, now would be the perfect time.

Waker Nolan had heard from a very reliable little birdie that a Devlin-Matthews-esque creature had been spotted sneaking out of the castle with one of his many of-the-minute rendezvous. While the Ravenclaw was fairly certain that the mystery tart was his newest 'girlfriend', a Slytherin too seemingly smart for Devlin's usual brand of amusement, and also bordering on too young (for she should at least sit her OWLs before agreeing to such corruption), it sadly would not have surprised Waker by now if it were someone else. She'd learned firsthand, only several weeks ago, that he had few qualms with kissing more than one person at a time. Waker had little desire to watch them mingle together in their lusty spider web of bad news, whomever the new girl, in part because she hated putting up with Devlin's nonsense, but also because it was always a touch uncomfortable... almost foreign... to see him with other girls, no matter how many there were, and how over him Waker felt she was. But, as a prefect, she was obligated to deal with these post-curfew shenanigans... wasn't she?

Pulling a light cloak around her pajamas and illuminating her wand, Waker glided down the lengthy staircase from Ravenclaw's tower, through the corridors, and all the way to the ground floor. As she breached the double doors, she realized a small and selfish part of her very much wanted to punish Devlin by whatever petty means she could afford; another part of her dreaded the encounter. What was the thrill in being the intrusive, authoritative third wheel to your ex-boyfriend's exclusive, two-person, moonlit party? Dealing with his latest catty catch wasn't at the top of her To Do list. If Waker had any sense at all, she'd be out having her own fun and forgetting all about trying to keep Devlin bound to the same rules that applied to everyone else.

As she floated silently but determinedly toward the hill, Waker slowed down and sped up in intervals. Sure enough, a silhouette of something in front of the landmark willow was moving, if only a tiny bit. She could only pray it would become two somethings as she got closer-- or Waker might have to Obliviate her own memory.

Waker took several more steps, her eyes mostly evading the place in question, until she was almost right at the top of the hill. She stopped abruptly at what she saw. The grace she'd been sure to retain until now escaped her, and her foot landed on a lone, crooked twig.

Fauna Blake... of all the people in the castle, it was Fauna Blake.

With Devlin Matthews.

Waker needlessly pulled at her cloak, after staring for some several seconds like a deer in the headlights. She crossed her free arm over chest and clutched tightly at the material for want of something more solid. She felt her mouth twitch, but not open. She was sure if she opened it, something terrible would happen-- but fewer things seemed more awful than the two people in front of her, together. She was going to be ill if she didn't cling to something.

Finally, her lips parted. She drew in a silent breath and spoke, staring at both of them, between them, and straight through them all at once. It was as if they weren't there at all. "It's past curfew," she said, quite calmly, her voice only half-hearted in its attempt to reprimand. What she'd meant to say before she seen the Hufflepuff had dissolved from her mind. It was as if she were merely commenting on the evening's unremarkable weather, and not trying to warn or scold them.

What gave her away was the wand at her side; she was clutching it so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Waker's ears were pounding with her own heartbeat. Fauna Blake. She'd expected it of the little jailbait strumpet from Slytherin, even if the fourth year seemed more intelligent than Devlin's usual prey. But her own friend? Waker wanted to push the Matthews boy backward and let the Whomping Willow deal with him, but mostly she wanted to slap Fauna. A recent memory came rushing back to her; it felt like ages ago, when the Hufflepuff had found her burning an old diary full of pleasanter days, and Waker had confided in her. Had warned her. Had trusted the comforting badger with things she could barely repeat to Delilah or Jasper. Did Fauna tell Devlin all of those things, too, between snogging him? Did they laugh at Waker together?

Turning around after a long moment of feeling like a marble statue, Waker began to trek back down the hill, perhaps a little quicker than she'd arrived. She wanted to be inside. She felt helpless, as if she'd been ganged up on, though certainly that wasn't the case. They hadn't even known she'd come roaming.

Still, she paused again suddenly, after several steps of retreating that felt longer than they were. Only meters away, with her back to them, Waker closed her eyes for a moment. Somewhere, pressed between that part of her that was furious with Fauna, and the part of her that was more angry with Devlin than usual, there was a touch of hurt born simply out of envy. Devlin had stolen her friend, not her best friend, but one of the few people Waker had whom had never at one point been close with the boy, and Fauna had stolen her... her what? Devlin was no longer hers, and Waker would always be the first to proclaim as much. They were done with each other. But she never made it a habit to get cozy with his... dates, or whatever he wanted to call them. She avoided watching him with his girlfriends and flings with a bit more energy than she avoided him general. It would always be little awkward, a little hard to watch.

She opened her eyes again, but continued to look down the hill, toward the school. "Get back to the castle or I'll land you in detention for the rest semester... Both of you. Now." Her voice was colder than before. She almost broke on the last syllable, and there was a trace of it in the air. She didn't look over her shoulder; she had no desire or will. With nothing left to say, and a million things she couldn't say, she quickened her pace once more, wand still welded to her hand.

When Fauna responded to his whispers exactly how he wanted her to, he was actually surprised. He, Devlin Matthews , was genuinely caught off guard. Not that he minded, since that was the point of this whole game, but he had honestly expected a more reluctant and even angry response. Maybe he even hoped for one, just to play the game a bit longer. But there she was, head tilted back and her lips inches from his, her wide blue eyes staring deeply into his just begging for him to kiss her. Much obliged he thought to himself, unable to resist the pull of that sapphire gaze. At least, this is how he excused cheating on his girlfriend. Fauna was seducing him, thats right, with those beautiful eyes and that soft moonlit skin and those inviting rosy lips... Devlins mind went a bit fuzzy as he started to lean in for the kiss.

Snap

A trodden twig broke both the silence and the spell Fauna cast on Devlin. His head snapped up and he was greeted with a dreaded vision. Waker Nolan stood there, frozen, with an expression of betrayal, disgust and horror mixed on her delicate features. While this was an expression Devlin had day dreamed about inducing since they made the bet, he knew that it was not yet time. He had not succeeded in fully seducing Fauna, let alone help Jordyn succeed in her goal of breaking up Nicola and Gavin. He was simply not ready for her to discover them!

"It's past curfew,"

"Nothing happened..." He started to protest, releasing Fauna and holding up his hands as though he was innocent of all charges, when he realized that she had not inquired to what they were doing. In fact, she seemed downright uninterested. This infuriated Devlin. They had a bet dammit. He was GOING to win it and she was GOING to admit that he was likable, nay, lovable. Furthermore, he was having a moonlit dinner with her best friend. Who could remain calm and collected after that? Ice hearted bitch he growled inwardly. Maybe he should just kiss Fauna passionately right then and there just to piss her off. He was certainly tempted.

"Get back to the castle or I'll land you in detention for the rest semester... Both of you. Now."

Devlin opened his mouth to tell her off as he reached to wrap his arm around Fauna protectively, but to his surprise, Fauna bolted to her feet to chase after Waker. Devlin, humiliated by the fact that his prey had been stolen away so quickly, stumbled to his feet as well, chasing after them. He arrived at the pair a moment after Fauna and proceeded to grab her arm in a firm but not painful grip. "You don't have to explain yourself to her Fauna..." He said gruffly in a loud whisper so Waker was able to hear clearly. Giving Fauna a pleading look, he added "She doesn't own you. You can study with whoever, whenever, you want. Don't let her run your life because she can't move on from the past..." He looked away from Fauna and focused on Waker, a faint smirk touching his lips briefly for her benefit as he added coldly "... Unlike some of us."

---

Godmodding approved by Fauna

Fauna didn’t hear the twig cracking, but she definitely noticed Devlin draw back suddenly just as he was about to kiss her. Her eyes popped open, thinking at first that she misunderstood him, or worse, that maybe he was disgusted, but Devlin wasn’t looking at her. He was staring over her shoulder with a funny, almost smug expression. She turned her head around just as a familiar voice sounded.

“It’s past curfew.”

Fauna froze. Waker stood very still with the cloak billowing around her shoulders and a few strands of her hair whipping across her face. The way Waker said it, she could have been commenting on the weather, or asking a housemate at breakfast to pass the syrup. Even though her friend’s tone was far from admonishing, guilt washed over her and she felt horrified that Waker caught her out here with Devlin. Fauna stared at her, her mouth agape in surprise. She remained sitting next to Devlin, who held up his hands in a gesture of peace. He told Waker nothing happened and Fauna finally noticed how her hand gripped her wand. What scared Fauna the most, though, was the stony and unreadable look on Waker's face.

Waker whirled around and Fauna bolted up, textbook slipping from her lap, to run after her. She ran a few steps forward, calling after her to wait. The wind nearly drowned out her voice so that she sounded weak and uncertain.

Waker stopped abruptly but didn’t turn around. What she said next was very cold, so different from her first words, and it sent a chill through Fauna. She didn't so much care about getting into trouble as she cared about how Waker felt. Her friend’s voice wavered at the end, betraying her hurt feelings. Fauna swallowed hard and stepped closer to her.

“I… we didn’t… I didn’t… didn’t mean to…” she blathered, voice shaky. Fauna reached out to touch Waker’s shoulder but decided not to at the last second.

“We were just studying!” She said desperately, knowing her excuses were futile and that the only reason she wasn’t kissing Devlin was because Waker had surprised them.

Fauna heard movement behind her but didn’t turn until Devlin grabbed her arm. She gave him a confused, startled look. He seemed both angry and strangely determined as he whispered that Fauna didn’t have anything to feel bad about, that she could study with anyone. She bit her lower lip and shook her head frantically at him, thinking that he was just going to make it worse.

Then he really did make it worse.

“…Don't let her run your life because she can't move on from the past..." He looked away from Fauna and focused on Waker, a faint smirk touching his lips briefly for her benefit as he added coldly "... Unlike some of us."

“Devlin!” She whispered back at him, shocked. “She’s not… like…” Her emotions made her thought process and words more jumbled then ever. Fauna started again.

“She’s not… she’s my friend,” she finished pleadingly, glancing at Waker as she stood between the two of them, one arm held back by Devlin and her other hand stretched out very slightly towards Waker. Her friend had every reason to be furious with her. Fauna should have at least told her about her conversations with Devlin a while ago and let her know she wasn’t trying to hurt her. Her heart felt heavy. She opened her mouth to apologize, but no sound came out.

Devlin's words, 'nothing happened', resonated in Waker's mind as she glided back toward the castle feeling both light-headed and heavy-hearted at the same time. It was as much confirmation as she needed to decide that something, had, in fact, happened. As if the two of them feasting and snuggling together alone, outside, and past curfew weren't reason enough.

She hadn't expected Fauna to come after her, to start stumbling over her own words, trying to explain herself, and defending Waker in front of Devlin. It would have almost been easier if she hadn't. Waker wanted nothing more than to get back to her dormitory. She was realizing, much too late, that she should not have bothered to cater to her own sudden and childish whim of unscheduled Prefect rounds. A witch hunt for Devlin Matthews would always end in everyone but the boy getting burned.

Pausing against her own will as they cut her off-- and wanting to hex herself for it-- Waker salvaged any remaining grace by forcing herself to stare at Fauna, and then Devlin, and then Fauna again. Even in the dark, it was very easy to see the Blake girl's face.

"No, Fauna, he's right, you don't need to explain yourself." She continued to stare pointedly at the girl, but her eyes were only beginning to properly appraise Fauna. Waker could barely stand to look in her direction, but once she did, it was difficult to break away. She hoped her own gaze said everything she couldn't, everything she really wanted to scream the Hufflepuff. "I think we've all still got our vision. Unfortunately."

The rest of what Devlin said was sharp and surprisingly painful. Waker personally believed she had been very good, until now, at suppressing the past. That didn't mean she wanted to make friendship bracelets and braid each other's hair with girls who swapped saliva and sweet nothings with the boy. And she certainly didn't want to share secrets with those girls. It didn't make her a controlling terror who clung to the past, did it? "Running her life? I'd be more worried about your hands on the puppet strings." How could Fauna trust him? Waker was still as baffled as she was hurt. The Hufflepuff was unassuming, maybe a bit more dreamy, naive, and undoubtedly quirkier than Waker. But Fauna wasn't stupid. Her apparent lies about studying, which Devlin was there to support in carrying whispers that were as scathing as they were clever, only made Waker's stomach turn. Since when was Fauna a liar? "And I wasn't aware," she added, with almost a touch of laughter, as if it were one giant and unbelievable joke, "That we had an exam in midnight tonsil quidditch next week. Excuse me, I'll have to the hit books." Straight at your face, Devlin.

Waker could move on from the past. Right now, for example. She glanced between them one final time, lingering on the Matthews boy, before attempting to step around them and leaving Fauna's claims of friendship on deaf ears. Humiliated, she was beyond trying to alert the school staff and punish either of them with detention.

“Devlin! She’s not… like…She’s not… she’s my friend,”

Devlin opened his mouth, tempted to laugh, but clapped it shut immediately. If he laughed at her, she would hate him and that would ruin everything. And things were hurt badly enough by Wakers presence that he needed to keep what little footing he had gained with her. Before he could say something more encouraging, Waker cut in.

"No, Fauna, he's right, you don't need to explain yourself. I think we've all still got our vision. Unfortunately."

"No one asked you to snoop in others business..." Devlin muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked around aimlessly. He just wanted her to get the hell out of there so he and Fauna could get back to 'studying'. She, it seemed, had different plans since she suddenly turned on him and snapped back,

"Running her life? I'd be more worried about your hands on the puppet strings. And I wasn't aware that we had an exam in midnight tonsil quidditch next week. Excuse me, I'll have to the hit books."

Her words hit their mark like a ton of bricks and Devlin's eye twitched a little. "Y..Yeah... Do that. You need the practice. No one likes dead fish lips..." He called after her, trying his best not to let the fact that her words annoyed him greatly. If he found out who she was playing "Tonsil quidditch'" with, he would kill him. Naturally, Devlin couldn't comprehend why this was hypocritical of him. Instead he just made a rude gesture at Wakers retreating form and turned back to Fauna. With as much sympathy as he could muster, he said kindly "Look... don't pay attention to her... She is just jealous..."

Fauna looked between Devlin and Waker, at a loss. It was all too clear that she couldn’t fix this, not with both of them there, antagonizing each other. She would have to talk to Waker alone after she had cooled down. Fauna bit her lip and stared at the ground as her friend whirled on Devlin with a retort that was as witty as it was hurtful. When two Ravenclaws fought, they were worse than Slytherins in some ways.

Fauna shook her head in one last attempt at denial when Waker told them she hadn’t been aware that studying involved tonsil quidditch. Then Waker turned away once again, making as if to go back castle, and Devlin hurled an insult after her. Fauna pretended she hadn’t heard him. She was tired and numb, watching Waker retreat without another word.

Devlin soon tried to reassure her that Waker was jealous. She just looked at him. “I… don’t know,” she said simply. There was blame on all sides, but she knew Waker had reacted the way she had because she was hurt. Devlin seemed too quick to insult her friend, however, and though Waker likely hated her right now she still felt loyal to her.

Fauna shrugged and turned away from him, walking back towards the spot where the telescope and sandwiches lay scattered on the grass. She couldn’t understand his sudden interest in her and almost felt as if she didn’t deserve that type of attention from a popular boy like him. Fauna had never really dealt with flirtation or late night “study” dates before and she’d been flattered at first, but now that she’d hurt Waker, she just felt confused and upset.

She picked up her bag and other things, hands shaking slightly. Swallowing hard, Fauna regarded Devlin and tried to find a way to explain.

“I’m… I want to go back to the dorms. I know you put… a lot of thought, into this…” she gestured towards the Divination supplies. “And… well, thanks for the help. I just…” she shrugged again, glancing at the dark shape of the castle where Waker had probably run off to.

“I.. sorry,” she mumbled hoarsely, attempting to smile at him, though it looked more like a grimace.