Fauna lurched forward, arms outstretched, eyes glazed over. No, she wasn’t drunk, and she wasn’t a zombie. She’d just been hit with the Impedimenta spell and couldn’t help but ham it up to comedic effect.

After a few moments of this Thriller-esque walk, she started laughing, which sounded very slow and odd to her ears. There was a slight pause between each chuckle. This, of course, caused her to laugh harder, and Fauna slowly doubled over and clutched her stomach.

Another moment and Lou must have taken pity on her, because soon Fauna could move normally again, and her laughter no longer sounded like a dying wind-up doll’s.

“Okay, okay!” she breathed, holding up her hands in the air. “You got me. I’m going to take this seriously though, I really am,” Fauna looked at her opponent, mouth twitching with repressed giggles.

Fauna and Lou had taken over one of the empty classrooms so they could practice for their next Defense exam. Ironically, this was the exact same classroom where Fauna had nearly been mauled by a ghoul during her catastrophic ‘duel’ with Vienna last year.  The ghoul and the cabinet had been relocated a while ago. Fauna didn’t miss them, and she hoped today would show that she didn’t need to knock over furniture to escape her opponents.

Right? Right.

Lou was too busy laughing to pose much of a threat at the moment, anyway. It was one of the reasons Fauna felt glad that Lou had agreed to practice together. The Gryffindor made everything more fun, and she’d always done so well in Defense that Fauna thought she could learn a lot from her.

It had taken her a week or two to get up the nerve to ask. All throughout her Hogwarts schooling, she’d been so embarrassed by her poor Defense skills that she’d often refused to duel with friends unless she absolutely had to. That attitude had just made things worse, as she couldn’t improve unless she practiced with her classmates. Now though, things had changed. The weekly lessons with Tamis had forced her to confront her fears of failure and to develop some self-confidence. Fauna hoped that Professor Mainwaring had noticed she’d improved this semester. Secretly, she hoped Lou had noticed too.

In class, they’d begun to focus more on spells specifically meant to slow people down: Impedimenta and its variants, the Anti-Disapparation spell, and the oh-so-familiar leg-locks and full body binds. Fauna called those familiar because the bullies and typical Slytherins of school loved to use them.

The issue? Spells that caused people to hop around on one leg or stumble drunkenly looked hilarious.

Fauna lowered her wand. “Do we need a break?” She wondered, trying not to grin and failing. They’d been practicing for twenty minutes, but by this point their good intentions had been replaced with a case of the giggles.

outfit


Still holding her wand out while admiring the effects of the spell, Lou nevertheless began to shake with laughter. Her grin widened as her shoulders hunched forward a bit. All self-discipline dissolved when Fauna’s slow-motion giggles began. Stumbling forward a bit, the Gryffindor held out her arm and sought solace in the doubled-over Hufflepuff. She steadied her grip on Fauna’s shoulder and pressed her wand hand over her middle. If anyone were to walk in on the pair of them, they might call for the school nurse.

Whispering the counter-curse with just a small bit of sorrow, the Gryffindor straightened up and gave Fauna a chance to fend for herself. Lou took in a great, cold breath, glad they’d opened the windows before starting. She wiped a single tear from her eye, and relaxed her shoulders with a satisfied sigh.

If studying were always this fun, the Carter girl might have been academic competition for her cousin’s girlfriend. As it were, moments like these with Fauna were few and far between when it came to studying for N.E.W.T.s.

“You almost got me,” she encouraged after a moment. “Just a bit more work and I think you’ll be able to fend me off, no problem.” She nodded at her own words, giving the badger a thumbs up. “Besides I sort of indirectly cheated. My dad used to be an auror, and Impedimenta was his favorite way to stop us from climbing all over his favorite chair in the living room when he wanted to relax.”

Those sour feelings Lou usually got when she talked about her late father didn’t come. Fauna, like Grace or George, was one of the few people she could talk to about the more guarded bits of her life. (Not that she ever had a problem speaking up... it was more the emotional side of it that got to her. Oh, and the incompetency of the Ministry.)

Emily Louise Carter could never say know to such a beautiful word. Break. It sounded like heaven to her ears. “Yeah, let’s catch our breath,” she agreed, falling easily into the role of Bad Influence. She floated to the open window and leaned over the sill, looking out at the far-off Quidditch pitch. “It’s a crime we ever have to go to classes after Halloween. Summer break should start then.” September through October was a plenty long semester. One could reunite with all the schoolmates one had missed over the break, and by the time they became annoying or weaseled their way into teenage drama, it was time to adieu.

But Lou did love Hogwarts. She really did.

“So, Miss Coquette,” Emmy teased, stretching her arms through the open niche before pulling them inside and turning to study Fauna. “How was the end of your evening with Matthews?” Lou raised a brow, looking smug, and climbed up onto the windowsill, pulling her knees loosely toward her. She reached into the slouchy bag she’d brought along and left by the window some twenty minutes earlier. Pulling out a perfectly-muggle bottle of blowing bubbles, she gave them a good shake and untwisted the cap. Hovering the small plastic wand near her lips, she blew softly in Fauna’s direction, like a police interrogator blowing cigarette smoke at a suspect. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t pinned down the details on the big date yet. It was so very un-Louish!

“Smart man,” she commented about Lou’s father, relieved that her friend still sounded like her normal cheerful self, though she would have understood if she hadn’t. The encouragement she gave her also made her smile. It made her wish she’d been willing to get over her embarrassment and practice with Lou before this year, but at least she was doing it now.

Her reaction to ‘break’ had Fauna giggling, and then nodding with her statement about Halloween. “I know. Once the Hogsmeade Halloween weekend rolls around, it’s almost impossible to focus. Not that I’m going to complain about going on Hogsmeade trips, though.”

She wandered over to look out the window next to Lou, glancing at her when she called her a coquette. Fauna raised her eyebrows. She couldn’t remember what that meant, but recognized the teasing tone well enough.

Fauna sat on one of the spare desks in the room, subconsciously mimicking Lou and pulling her knees up to her chest. The desk wobbled and she frowned down at it, noticing that one of the legs was shorter than the others.

Oh, of course. Matthews. A blush instantly crept up her face and Fauna waved away the bubbles directed at her with a giggle. “On Halloween?”

Duh, Halloween. This was just one of Fauna’s stalling tactics. But at least Lou, unlike some of her other friends, didn’t view the boy as some kind of Trent-esque creeper with bad intentions (and by friends, she meant Waker, possibly Maddie). Lou seemed genuinely excited for Fauna and her new… whatever this was. Not a fling, Fauna told herself.

“Well… it sorta put a damper on the night when my date turned into one of those wolf hybrids,” she said wryly. “Um, but before that, you know, it was great.”

Fauna grinned mischievously at her. “He was really sweet,” she commented, assuming many people viewed him as friendly and charming, but not sweet. “We got a few dances in before all the crazy – you know, the fights and things,” she shook her head.

“He seemed… well, happy to be around me. Liked my costume,” Fauna raised her eyebrows playfully. “Complimented me a lot. It was kind of… dizzying. Overwhelming, but in a good way? And people were a heck of a lot nicer to me with him around,” she murmured, thinking of Evie's greeting.

“So…” Fauna said, leaning forward a bit and making the unsteady desk wobble again. “Anyone I should, uh, know about? Er, anyone you have your eye on?” She teased back, poking a bubble with her wand and enlarging it with a charm to make it balloon-sized. Then she waved it over towards Lou as if to say ‘your turn’.

Lou nodded in agreement, figuring there was nothing else to be said. Her father had, indeed, been smart. And while Lou was no budding academic, she hoped to one day use some of his insightful common sense in a way that mattered.

“Now we just need to come up with an excuse for all the other weeks it’s impossible to focus,” she mused aloud, her nose twitching slightly as her grin crinkled and widened. No holidays until December? It was blasphemous! But Lou wasn’t going to gripe in the same victim-like way that pint sized Slytherin oft crooned. Lou wasn’t a victim; she simply loathed wasting time on Homework when she could be having fun with Fauna, Grace, George, and all of her other friends. Or winning the Quidditch cup for one final year of glory. “I’m just glad I didn’t spend all my money on Halloween. I need at least enough for butterbeer and sweets next trip, or I’ll go mad.” Autumn brought the best treats: it was still warm enough to enjoy cold things, and cold enough to indulge in creamy, hot things.

“No, on Easter,” Lou poked fun. She’d long since become accustomed to Fauna’s endearing ability to blush brilliant colors when interrogated about the most innocent of things. Not that Devlin Matthews wore a halo and crocheted jumpers for puppies and kittens. But Fauna seemed to be head over heels for him, and Lou recognized the blush as a shade of happy on the Fauna Blake Register. It was good for her; she needed a bit of adventure!

Huffing out a laugh through her nostrils, Lou thought back to the werewolf antics. There was spiking the punch, and then there was straight up rabies. Lou was shocked that no one had been killed. “Oh, come on, don’t you like a little extra hair down there?” Her eyebrows tangoed, and she grinned again. “Devlin’s pretty scruffy on his own, I’m sure he made a decent werewolf. Really gave an authentic edge to your costume, didn’t it?” She added, trying to encourage the girl.

Lou recognized the signs of a successful date, having been on one or two. (When George wasn’t looking.) “So after the wolf turned back into a prince... did he get his kiss?” No point in beating around the bush. The Gryffindor continued to blow bubbles, waiting with seemingly endless patience for Fauna to answer. Silent Jeopardy music played somewhere in an alternative thinly-veiled universe, however.

“Or... they were nice to you because you’re nice.” She gave a slight, confident nod. Really, Lou had no idea why anyone-- besides Lou herself, in jest-- asked Fauna about her sister Flora, or badgered the poor dear about her hats. It was fun and games for friends, because everyone needed an inside joke, but Lou felt slightly protective of the whimsical badger. Some people (Slytherins) were just snobby. They would be the ones to peak in school. Lou couldn’t wait to return for the ten-year reunion.

The growing bubble had surpassed balloon, and was roughly the size of a prize-winning pumpkin when Lou popped with her own wand. She blew another steady stream of the soapy, muggle concoction, and considered Fauna’s question with a smirk. “Maaaayyybe,” she teased, and then promptly launched into an elaboration. “You know Edmund Klint? We had detention together a bit ago... and, well, it was pretty fun, for detention. I’d do it again.” Even with Ramsay watching them like a hawk, and the post-punishment hand cramps.

“Oh, I definitely spent all my money on Halloween,” Fauna sighed, but smiled slightly. “With the dance, and then the parties coming up? I’m broke. Everyone’s birthday is in November!” She shook her head and chuckled. Fauna would probably try to make up for it by working at her mum’s shop over the holiday break. Only to spend it all on gifts and outfits again! Not that she minded.

At Lou’s saucy comment about… hair… Fauna blinked once and then snorted out an embarrassed laugh. “Merlin! Lou!” She interrupted her, nearly falling off the desk in hysterics. “I never get used to your, uh, comments,” she coughed, looking completely flustered. Fauna sometimes forgot that Lou could be worse than George, but of course, Lou didn’t hesitate to remind her.

“Yeah, well, the costume idea was great,” she answered her questions. “It just got a little too ironic at the end, is all. And… okay, yes, he got his kiss,” she quit stalling long enough to admit it as her face flushed scarlet. Fauna grinned at her and raised her eyebrows. “This was after I scolded him for setting the trees on fire. Honestly…” she shook her head. “But… don’t think you can pester me for details!” She crossed her arms and gave her a look. “That’s it! A kiss. That’s all I’m saying!”

She tried to look stern, but ruined the effect by the twitch of her mouth and the little snickers that kept escaping. Lou would probably get all the details if she wanted them. Fauna just wasn’t used to talking about kissing, and couldn’t seem to even mention it without turning red and tripping over her words. Wasn’t there a rule somewhere that said she shouldn’t kiss and tell? Oh well. 

Fauna gave Lou a skeptical look when she suggested that people were nice to her during the dance because she was nice. She was convinced it was because of Devlin, but she didn’t much feel like arguing or getting a confidence lecture. Fauna was just being realistic, in her opinion. Though she appreciated Lou’s determination to look on the bright side and focus on her good qualities.

Looking intrigued, she perked up when Lou confessed that there might be a cute boy on the horizon. Edmunt Klint? Fauna had never talked to him much – he was a cute seventh year boy, after all, and she tended to be terrified of those. But watching from a distance (and not in a creepy way), he certainly seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. He was a little too loud for Fauna, which probably meant he was perfect for Lou.

“A fun detention?” She echoed, fascinated. “I want one of those! It sounds much better than the ones Snark gives out.”

Fauna tilted her head and smiled at her. “I knew it! I knew there had to be someone. Because I’m an expert at Divination like that.” Bollocks. “He’s definitely cute. And kinda charming. Those Ravenclaw boys…” she shook her head, excited for her friend.

“Oh so, tell me. How’d you get detention with him? Have you seen him around since?” It was Fauna’s turn to dig for information. She wasn’t about to let Lou off easy on this one.

It was strange, the inexplicable number of their peers born in November. “I guess Valentine’s Day was a hit everyone’s parents,” she surmised, grinning mischievously. She shrugged. “We could always find a way to make money while we’re there... and then rush to spend it at the end of the day.” There had to be something besides lemonade that spiked the interest of village visitors. Besides, it was far too cold for lemonade now. “Or,” she added simply, “I could just buy you a butterbeer.” Her eyebrows danced suggestively, but melted into a tranquil expression.

Delighting in her friend’s embarrassment, as if she were the customized devil on Fauna Blake’s shoulder, Lou did not stop to wonder whether she ever took things a step too far. She was a Gryffindor for a reason, after all.

Laughing, she shook her head. “Who the hell sets a fire in a forest? Indoors? Merlin, hasn’t he got a muggle family? He should know all about fire safety!” Stop, drop, and roll! Smoky the Bear! Lou might have been raised by a witch and wizard, but her mother’s muggle family meant endless weekends in front of the television when she visited her cousins.

The lioness rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll just wait until you get into the heavy petting and then blackmail you for the details,” she warned. “I mean, if you two are a thing now.”

The thought that Fauna could crave a detention was vaguely hilarious, but Lou felt strangely proud of her friend. She’d come a long way in a short time. One day they would be sharing a five-star prison cell in Azkaban. Not that they were dense enough to get caught. Emmylou would leave that to those air-headed fifth years down in Slytherin.

“Ramsay’s no walk in the park, but yeah, she’s softer than Snark.” Or just not as murderous. “And I think she was distracted,” the girl mused. ““You know, Fauna, the next time you get in trouble, you should really try to do it in Frasier’s class.” The man would probably end up letting them watch old films and make popcorn.

“Anyway, I’ve challenged Edmund to a little quidditch...” Which was clearly not the only thing Emily Louise Carter had on her mind. “Did your divining skills tell you that?” Lou grinned, not particularly embarrassed to talk about boys. But this one she really liked, and he was on Ravenclaw turf, as Fauna pointed out. “Kind of charming? Very charming. I wonder if he and Devlin would be up for a double date.”

The girl set down the bubbles and made herself even more comfortable in the window’s spacious sill. She took her sweet time, not because she didn’t want to divulge, but because she liked to make a show of it. And because she couldn’t be bothered to return to spell practice anytime soon. “I arrived to class late the same day he forgot to turn in his homework,” she explained, smirking. “Clearly, it was fate. And yeah, I saw him down on the pitch...” Or had casually stalked him. “He was alone. Coincidentally.”

“I know!” Fauna blushed when Lou mentioned Devlin’s marvelous idea to knock over the refreshments table, though she couldn’t help but agree with her. “I know! Does polyjuice affect people’s brains? No one else who was sprouting fur felt the need to go all He-man,” Fauna shook her head, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. After weeks of being pissed about the dance and cursing whoever had set up SAWS to take the fall, it was suddenly hilarious when she talked about it with Lou.

“You should have seen the look on some of their faces, though. When Devlin and I tried to get people to go towards the door, all it took was sorta pushing Devlin at them, and it was like… herding sheep,” she giggled, hopping off the desk to mimic Wolf-Devlin’s lumbering walk, hands out in front of her with her fingers curled like claws. She took an air swipe at her friend and then sat again. If only Malone and Pratt could see her now, they might rethink her claims that she’d had nothing to do with the prank.
 
But Lou was her audience, and Lou usually understood her sense of humor.

Fauna’s giggles faded when Lou wondered if she and Devlin were a ‘thing’ now. Oh Merlin. How was she supposed to know? Was she supposed to talk to him or ask him? No way!

Luckily, they started talking about Lou’s detention, and her Quidditch encounter with Mr. Charming. Fauna rolled her eyes at the Divination comment, interested in hearing more. Lou didn’t stalk just anyone. She had standards, and seemed to really like this Edmund.

“Uh-huh. Coincidence,” Fauna teased, sliding off the desk to lean against the wall by the windowsill, where she could see her friend’s face a little better (and pop any errant bubbles).

“That does sound fun. I mean, for you types that like being on a flimsy broom… up in the sky… with blunt objects flying at you,” she grinned. “Romantic!”

At that, her thoughts swung back to worrying about her dating status and the double date Lou had so casually mentioned. Going on a real date with Devlin was one thing, but a double date was something major, wasn’t it? Unless the girls tried to pretend they were just hanging out. Dressed nicely. With two boys that they happened to like.

Fauna gave her a pleading look. “Please say that our double date won’t involve Quidditch. Devlin doesn’t need to know how bad I am at flying. And I love Tulo, but I don’t want to have to spend the rest of our date in the hospital hut after a bludger socks me.” It was bound to happen.

She paused, glancing out the window. “What do people do on a double date? I mean…” she blushed, glanced at Lou. “At least here. Picnics are out, ‘cause those always turn into disasters for me. But…” her mouth twisted to the side as she thought it over. “Do you think he’d go? Devlin? …Do I have to ask him?” she worried, knowing the answer but not wanting to admit it.

Fauna was 17, past the days of sending little notes to her crushes asking if they liked her. Actually, she’d never had the courage to do that, either. Blame teenage hormones. She could get up the nerve to kiss the boy (more than once!), but asking him out seemed next to impossible!

“I don’t think so,” she ventured. “I’ve heard a few horror stories, but it seems it’s just a disguise, so...” It was something to look into, definitely. “It’s a brilliant excuse, though, isn’t it? Oh, sorry, Professor! I drank some wolf juice and lost my mind. I bet they won’t even expel him.” Or any of the others who had sipped the Merlin Juice. Or... Wincing, she added with apologetic, somewhat guilty smile. “Sorry, Fauna. I know SAWs had nothing to do with it. The headmistress is a bit of a wench if she won’t listen to your arguments.”

As far as Lou knew, there were no spy devices yet planted in the empty classrooms, and so she was free to badmouth the school administration to her heart’s content.

Laughing with the Hufflepuff, Lou shook her head. “I was too busy trying to get my own fury bum out the door. Do you know how hard it is to drag a leprechaun, a made-over Grace, and a misplaced Ravenclaw to safety?” Not that she had done that, exactly. More like George had been stupidly brave, tackled Professor Woolfolk, saved Addie, and then let his girlfriend try to drench Devlin. Lou had seen Fauna escaping, and it had been quite the fantastic sight. “Little Red turned Little Bo Peep, huh?” She winked.

Not denying the suspicious quality of such coincidences, Lou carried on discussing the boy and the prospects of luring him to Hogsmeade. Fauna was adorable in her bashfulness, and Lou was keen to pull her out of her dating shell.

“You have to try it firsthand to really get it,” she said, of the one-on-one quidditch encounter. “But if you’d rather stay on the ground...” She shrugged, as if saying your loss. She knew Fauna wasn’t a fan of brooms, and it was just as well. If her flying skills were anything like her waltzing skills, she was probably luckier with both feet planted firmly in the grass. “Please, Fauna.” She rolled her eye. “You’ve already been swept off your feet by a wolf in a burning forest, and you’re worried about quaffles?” Hilarious. And oddly logical. “Nah, we’ll go to the village,” she reassured her friend. “It’ll be mild. Until we get a little whiskey in you...”

She blinked, and then began roll silently in the sill’s confines, pressing her folded arms into her stomach. “Do you have to ask him? No, of course not. Devlin Matthews is a master of telepathy, where have you been?” She reached out and tapped the pert, slightly freckled nose resting adorably between the big blue eyes. “That’s what you get for sleeping in Divination, Fauna Blake.”

Coming around from the laughing fit, Lou sighed and heaved her shoulders in an obvious state of relaxation. She was enjoying this study break. Why couldn’t the world be a giant study break? All the time? Everyone would be so much happier. Dates would seem less daunting. Fauna might master Impedimenta and then never need to use it.

“We communicate,” she said. “Starting before the date. And then, after you’ve asked him and he says yes-- and he will say yes, you’re kind of a babe, you know-- we skip arm-and-arm into the nearest pub and order a round of drinks, and laugh, and be jolly like a Coca-Cola Christmas commercial.” Minus the polar bears. Although that could be arranged. “It’s easier than it sounds, Godric’s honor.” She held up her hand, swearing an oath of friendship proportions.

Lou rolling on the windowsill laughing at her made Fauna give her a mock glare. "Don't fall!" she teased, crossing her arms defensively. She opened her mouth, about to explain why it was entirely logical for her to expect Devlin to read her thoughts, but reared back and giggled when Lou tweaked her nose.

"No fair!" She instantly straightened up, still giggling. "You're only supposed to do that when I slouch!"

She supposed she had been leaning against the wall. Fauna sighed, regretting for the hundredth time that she'd instructed her friends to poke her and annoy her whenever she started doing the hunchback walk.

Fauna smiled when Lou told her exactly what they would do and what would happen because of it, complete with skipping arm in arm and being jolly like a Coca-Cola Christmas commercial.

"I guess so..." she agreed, puffing a breath out. "I guess if we do it in December, that gives us time to plan." And ample time for Fauna to worry. It also meant that without access to the Hogwarts stadium, playing a game of Quidditch was less likely. She hoped. Pubs and walking seemed much safer.

"And it'll be after midterms, so less stress."

Fauna made a face, remembering something. "I still need to borrow your notes for the Charms test. If you took any notes," she added with a grin. "I don't see how anyone would have been able to concentrate after my lovely little exit that day," she finished dryly. Lou would know she was referring to class on Wednesday, when Auror Malone had escorted her out of Charms. The gossip had already spread like wildfire.

"I did meet that one Auror though. The one you send howlers to?"

Fauna gave her a sidelong look, hesitating. "You saw him in October, didn't you? ...How did that go by the way?"

She didn't normally outright ask, but since she and Lou had been seeing each other more often and been sharing boy stories, her question didn't feel too intrusive.

“Me? Fall? I have the balance of a cat.” And the head of George Carter. She feigned innocence and proudly wore self-assuredness all at once, the juggling act known as Emily Louise, pet name Emmylou, preferred name a simple whistle of the tongue, Lou.

“I can’t keep track of all the times you slouch, Miss Blake. Or daydream.” The latter seeming very characteristic of the Fauna Blake she’d grown to know and love. “What’s the difference, anyway? Either way, you’re going find yourself falling down! So straighten up and get out there, love. And get that Ravenclaw with whom you are so very besotted.” Emmy spoke in a drawl, lifting her chin, letting her eyes flutter shut, and looking every bit the melodramatic courtier of stuffy dynasties past.

Time to plan. Of course. The Badger had proven herself quite the little party planner, hadn’t she? “Right, December. As long as you promise we make it December of this year.” She gave Fauna a look, which quickly became a smile. “Because you know boys’ minds wander a lot quicker than ours. They don’t have the imaginations to make fantasies last. Just enough to make them real.” The double-edged sword of the sexes.

Picking up the bubbles again, she gave the bottle a shake and then set them down. She appraised her friend warmly, humored. “Less stress for you. Do I look worried about midterms?” Well, perhaps just a little, considering their current setting.

Since her father’s death, though, Lou had been slightly less enamored with schoolwork. Not that she’d ever been particularly infatuated. That was Ravenclaw turf, as far as she was concerned. She could make an exception for Edmund, however. “I just can’t wait until fiiiinaah-ah-ahhhls,” she yawned, stretching her arms high above her head and then collapsing back into the cocoon of herself like a rag doll, hair swishing. “Then we’ll be out of here.”

“Charms...” Lou trailed off, and then seemed to be struck with a memory, a little lightbulb going off in her head. She nodded. “Right. I’ll definitely get them to you, though they aren’t much. I bet Grace’s are formally notarized and thrice copied, if you want to ask her, too.”

“What did they want, anyway? Framing Fauna Blake, couldn’t they be more original? Why not just frame that Schalgen-what?” It was just as ludicrous an option. And from what Lou had heard, he was already in hot water, anyway. Not that she believed in sweeping justice under the rug. That was for Slytherins.

And aurors.

Frowning a bit, she became more somber, more serious and focused. “Pratt?” She asked, leaning in a bit. “What did he say? Was he being a giant prat?” Whatever wizard had thought up that namesake deserved eternal life. Lou was tempted to steal and slay a unicorn just to offer up a token of her appreciation.

Swishing her lips to the side, she thought of the best way to summarize it without making it terribly awkward for her friend, who had undoubtedly encountered enough awkwardness of late. “Yeah, a couple weeks ago... it was... not very eventful.” Though putting a face to the name had made it vaguely more hard to bitch up a storm. Or perhaps less hard. Letters were too formal. And, after all, the auror had had to endure her face. “Basically they’ve been running around that office with their heads up their bums. Now they think it wasn’t even Gibson. Can you believe that? We saw him! I saw him.” Were they doubting what Emmylou had seen with her own two eyes? Doubting the horrific picture of her classmate ambushing her father during one of his proud moments, taking him out, taking his life? And then disappearing like a coward. Some Gryffindor.

Fauna was becoming very used to Lou's brand of encouragement and teasing, so it was easy for her to giggle and shrug at the boyfriend comments and the expectation that she would ask Devlin out this year, preferably, instead of the next. She leaned against the wall again and rested her head on the cold stones, covering her mouth and yawning when Lou did.

"I'm sure Grace's notes are great," she agreed with an uncharacteristically sly look in her eye. "But yours, yours are in color. With little doodles. And hearts with Edmund's name in them, I bet," Fauna grinned at her.

Her smile slowly dimmed when they started discussing more serious matters, like the investigation into SAWS. She bit her lip at the mention of Sasha. Their very awkward meeting at Knox's place over the Hogsmeade weekend was still fresh in her mind. Lou was right, though. The idea that either one of them had been at fault the night of the Halloween dance was ludicrous.

"Oh, no, he wasn't being a... prat," Fauna tried to reassure her with a half-smile at the nickname. "They were... nice, I guess. They just... I think Snark kinda told them to talk to me and Maddie first," she scowled. Fauna was still angry about the group detention she'd suffered last week, as well.

Emmy then went on to explain how her meeting with Auror Pratt had gone, and Fauna listened intently, eyes widening when she shared the Auror's idea.

"What?!" Fauna stared at Lou and stood up so straight she would have made Tamis proud. "No..." The expression of mingled confusion and outrage on her face was almost comical.

"I... but... why would they...? Did Pratt say why he thought that?"

She glanced at the door of the classroom and reminded herself to keep her voice down if they were going to be talking about this. It was just so... surprising! Though she shook her head on Lou's behalf, a spark of hope flickered inside at the small possibility that Gibson hadn't murdered anyone. She wasn't a Gryffindor like him and Lou, and she didn't know him nearly as well, but no one actually wanted one of their fellow students to become a murderer. No one she knew, anyway.

“Yeah, I do have a mean set of colored penci-- Oh, you!” She reached out to smack Fauna playfully, but instead intentionally caught the air. Giggling, she pulled back, her arms falling limp like a rag dolls’. “More like my name is in hearts on his notes.” As if he took any. Like most Ravenclaws (well, the delightfully lazy ones), Edmund seem to absorb information by blinking.

“Oh.” Lou was slightly disappointed to hear the auror had been something rather resembling a human. Nice, even. But she supposed he’d been the same to her, however she wanted to spin it. She was glad, anyway, that her friend hadn’t been treated poorly just because the man couldn’t find her father’s killer. Fauna didn’t deserve that. “Well, to hell with Snark, then. I think she just needs a new boy toy, or something. We could volunteer Woolfolk.” He’d be game.

Lou felt the back of her neck prickle as Fauna voiced the exact reaction she’d had to the news. If Kyle Gibson wasn’t the killer, who was?

“I dunno... I guess they think he was set up by someone with more at stake.” More at stake. Because her father had apparently had nothing at stake. “With more connections and experience and a reason to disturb the government.” Hence the vial woman’s interruption at the ceremony. She supposed Pratts’ argument coupled with whatever ‘evidence’ the aurors had made enough sense, but... “At this point I would be shocked if Kyle Gibson is Kingstreet’s long lost son. I don't care. I saw him do it.”

There had to be a reason. A connection between the two.

Stubbornly, the Gryffindor folded her arms. Her face softened as she caught Fauna’s eye. She sighed. “Should we practice again? I promise not to singe your hair or anything like that.”

Fauna listened, mind buzzing as Lou explained that Pratt thought Gibson might have been set up by someone who had connections and wanted to make a political statement. The idea sent a chill through her. It had been horrifying enough to see Kyle, a student they knew, cause such chaos and misery, bu the thought that he might not even be at fault was more horrifying. What kind of person would set up something like that? To murder, and to force someone else to commit it?

She hoped very much that Pratt was wrong, because if he was right, it meant that the real culprit had to get close to Kyle to set him up. And if it could happen to Kyle, who had been one of the best Defense students, it could happen to any of them.

Fauna bit her lip when Lou stubbornly said that she didn't care, and had seen Kyle do it.

"But if... if he's right, someone could have Imperiused him. Or used polyjuice potion," Fauna murmured, thinking that the Imperius spell or another mind control spell was most likely. Polyjuice required months of planning, and someone close to Kyle, someone at Hogwarts would have probably had to frame him. She thought about the prank at the dance for a second, and then that thought was quickly swept away as other concerns tumbled into her mind.

Fauna shook her head, recognizing the need for a change in subject when she saw one.

"Sure," Fauna agreed distractedly, standing away from the desks and the window and raising her wand.

Then she lowered it again. "What if... but what happened to Kyle, then? If he was used... is he hiding now, or is he..." Fauna winced, unwilling to finish that sentence. She sent an apologetic look at Lou. With this kind of news, she just couldn't tuck it away and go back to practicing. She knew Lou didn't have the answers, but she couldn't help but ask anyway.

Lou frowned and looked down at her palms. It was finally getting to her, the idea that someone had turned Kyle into a weapon... and that they were not one step closer to discovering the true villain, but rather several steps behind. In the dark. Alone.

The uncharacteristic shyness... the avoidance, the shudder, undoubtedly made everything a bit more awkward. Emmy didn’t like to share this side of herself with people, least of all her good friends. They didn’t deserve this. But if she couldn’t trust them, and if they couldn’t trust her, then what did any of them have?

“Who could have done that? And why him? Why Kyle? Wouldn’t have been more convincing if they’d used a Slytherin, or some angry kid with a grudge?” A student known for being cruel, one with family serving life in Azkaban, perhaps. But then, the entire thing had been convincing. Emmylou was still clinging to the Kyle-Gibson-is-a-Cold-Blooded-Killer theory, was she not?

The Gryffindor smoothed her hair and tightened her grip on her wand. She took a deep, calming breath and took her place. Fauna wasn’t the sort of girl she wanted to be brash with. If she were dueling anyone else, someone less sweet and less conscionable, then she wouldn’t have thought twice before letting out her aggression in a friendly duel.

And apparently the Hufflepuff was every bit as good a person as Lou had thought her to be.

The Gryffindor’s mouth opened, closed, and opened again. She shook her head. She didn’t have an answer. “He must be fine,” she said, trying to sound convincing. “We don’t know he didn’t do it... and even if he didn’t...” He was likely a goner. She lowered her own wand and sighed. “They wouldn’t want to risk having him found, dead or alive. If they hurt him, the gig would be up. And if they let him go...” The same was likely to happen. “Right?” She asked after a moment’s reflection, looking most-pleadingly toward her friend.

Fauna looked at Lou quizzically when she wondered why Kyle had been chosen, and that it would have been more convincing if a Slytherin had been picked. But didn't Kyle have some psycho murderer as a brother, or another crazy family member? And he'd certainly had anger issues, evidenced by the fights he'd gotten into and that one time he'd burned down a grove of trees.

Fauna kept quiet though, understanding that Lou wanted to find reasons for Kyle to be at fault. The whole situation was less scary when they'd known who to fear. Now that there was doubt, it crept in and chilled the bones, made her think that there might be someone guilty at Hogwarts, a professor or a student perhaps, who was walking around freely.

She wrapped her arms around herself, letting her wand dangle loosely from her fingers. Fauna nodded slowly when Lou looked at her for reassurance, a similar look Fauna had given her a moment earlier.

"Right," she agreed, lowering her gaze to hide the uncertainty in her eyes. "It'd be in their... best interest to keep him alive. I think more unwanted questions would pop up if he were... you know," Fauna couldn't say it. "He's just... missing right now," she nodded, trying to sound confident.

After a moment's hesitation, Fauna moved forward and gave Lou a hug. She thought they both needed it. "You know, they don't teach us this in Defense. The surprise attack hug," she joked lamely, smiling slightly.