The Lion and his Eagle

The air was cold and dark , owls were hooting in the distance , the trees were dancing furiously as the harsh wind pelleted the branches , Liyah was standing in what seemed to be a stone path way , Liyah started to shiver , the cold air bouncing on her skin , where am i? she thought , turning left and right , trying to make out where she could be.

CRACK.

The sound of the twig made Liyah's heart jump, the sound had come from straight ahead ,Liyah quietly made her way through the dark , taking one step at a time , her boot making clicking noises on the ground.

CLICK

CLICK
CLICK

Every step she took the lighter the area became as if the night was becoming day, however there was no sign of the sun anywhere instead the lamp posts were flicking on and off like a child playing with a light switch . Liyah made it to what seemed like a body of water , four dark figures were standing close , all of a sudden the three figures had grabbed the other one , violently trying to hold it down . Liyah watched in horror as the three figures clutched and grasped the poor person. I need to help , I need to stop them, Liyah thought , but she couldn't move , she tried forcing her legs to take at least one step forward , but she couldn't. Almost as if her legs were tied in a fixed position.

"Hello!" Liyah cried. "Who are you? And why are yo-"

BANG

A flicker of light shot from the body of water , the sight of the figures becoming clearer , three men with peculiar looking metal masks were standing clutched on what seemed like a girl with red hair -

"Please!" pleaded the girl , her eyes filled with fright. "Don't hurt me, i don't even know who you are-

Before she could finish ,the other two men put her in a headlock , completely cutting her words as she shrieked in horror , the lamppost flickered again , this time shining brighter than ever before almost blinding Liyah , the face of the redheaded girl became much clearer , she had fair skin and Olive coloured eyes , with billions of freckles on her face almost like -

"CARA!" Liyah screamed . She tried moving , desperately moving her feet to run , but nothing , she was glued to the floor almost as if a force was clutching her, like a chess piece stuck on a chess board that could only move with its master's permission . Liyah watched in fear , one of the three hooded men spoke up -

"This is your last chance girl , tell us where is the heiress of the family of Grindelwald!" he screamed

"I don't know!" cried Cara , silently tearing up looking up at the night sky , the other two men still grabbed onto her, like children who can't let go of their toys, only this time this wasn't a game of teddy bears picnic , rather a game of torture .

"Well..." said the man coldly, "There is only one thing we can do with a girl like you." He raised his wand , Cara tried to release herself from the other two but it was no use as they quickly grabbed onto her-

"Avada Kedavra!" the man screamed , shots of green light flushed from his wand

"NOOOOO!" screamed Liyah, the green light had become thicker and thicker. "CARAAAAA!"

Liyah woke up , sweating and panting in shock , her head was screaming in agony . Liyah looked around the room , her roommates still fast asleep, she glanced at her window , the sun was rising over the Black Lake .She looked over at her clock - 6:30 it read , I should probably get ready before the Goblin trio woke up, Liyah thought . Liyah tiptoed her way to the bathroom ,grabbing her toothbrush and quietly closing the door. She walked over to the oval shaped mirror , looking dead straight at her reflection ,what was that dream? Who were those men ? And why did they go after Cara? Liyah's heart dropped , seeing Cara's face , the way she screamed when those men attacked her , the look of horror on her face when the man raised his wand , the question she should really be asking is , why? It's not like that was what really happened , after all it was just.... a dream - a nightmare .

Liyah came out of the bathroom , she wore her usual white collared T-shirt as well a black pleated skirt , tiptoeing her way back to her side of the room , she grabbed her wand and sat in front of her vanity, being isolated from her roommates meant that she had a whole area to herself, as well as a vintage vanity which was ash brown in colour and had an intricate swirl design on the outside of the mirror. Liyah waved her wand in a circular motion , muttering a Charm ,her long hair went from wavy and messy to straight and neat . Liyah's hair was naturally wavy, which she would keep when she was happy and full of life but right now , she didn't feel happy , she was broken , her heart felt fragile and weak but she can't let anyone know how she was feeling , the only way she could get through this was too pretend that she was put together , even if it meant straightening her hair every once in a while . Once Liyah finished applying some mascara and lip-gloss , she walked over to a brown hanger near her dresser , wrapping her tie around her collar , tightening it, and throwing on her blue-black robe soon after . She gazed at the mirror once again , there she thought , all nicely put together , no one would ever suspect a thing . Liyah glanced over at the clock - 7:00 am .

Would Penelope and Jacquie be up by now ?

"Eurgh.." groaned Abrams , who was slowly waking up from her slumber , time to hit the road Liyah thought, grabbing her bag and dashing out the room. Liyah reached the room opposite , the sign 'room 9' engraved on a silver plaque of the dark brown door . Liyah knocked on the door taking a few steps back , waiting for a reply from the other side. Liyah could hear footsteps coming closer to the door. The door opened,

"Liyah!" beamed Penelope who was already in her uniform , still holding onto the doorknob. "Come in come in!". Liyah slowly stepped forward into the dorm, the beds were all in a circular position , each bed being accompanied with all sorts of decorations and posters, one had fairy lights , definitely Penelope's Liyah thought , one had dark green vines with Quidditch posters, the other two had rainbow coloured blankets which covered most of the bed replacing the original blue and gold curtains that the other beds had as well matching lights which would change colours every three or so seconds .

"Hey Liyah!" said Jacquie cheerfully , who was sitting on her bed, tying her shoes ."Did you sleep well?"

"Yea.." lied Liyah with a smile, fake it till you make it Liyah .

"How's the Goblin trio?" asked Penelope , who was sorting out her bag.

"Awful." said Liyah with an instant , " I tried ignoring them but they were just acting so conceited and-

"Bitchy." said Penelope finishing Liyah's sentence

"Yes!" agreed Liyah .

"Why?" asked Jacquie standing up from her bed . "What were they saying?"

"Well." answered Liyah crossing her arms . "They were talking about Muggles and how stupid it is to interact with them and how even falling in love with one is stupid and how it 'ruins your family's magical lineage'." said Liyah air quoting with her fingers.

"So" Liyah continued . " I told them that they shouldn't be saying these types of things because not only is it rude and disrespectful to the muggles who contribute to the wizarding community but it's also an insult to all the Muggle-borns and half-bloods in this school."

"Preach!" beamed Penelope raising her hand , the two of them high fiving each other in the process.

"I still don't get what preach means?" questioned Jacquie , looking at the two girls back and forth confused .

"It's a muggle thing , it means you strongly agree with something." explained Liyah who sounded as if she was a teacher explaining something new to a student .

"Oh." expressed Jacquie. "Well in that case then , preach!"

"Oh honestly Jacquie." said Penelope opening the door. "You really should pay attention in Muggle studies and when I'm talking. The door opened , the three girls leaving the room with Jacquie replying - " How do you expect me to know , they don't teach us slang words in muggle studies."

The three Ravenclaws made their way to the Great Hall, Penelope and Jacquie squabbling like little children as they went down the stairs , sitting down at the Ravenclaw table and helping themselves to the delicious breakfast. Liyah didn't mind, after all she needed the distraction , even if it was just listening to two friends talk about a random topic .

"I swear," said Jacquie, grabbing a piece of toast. "Muggle Pop-culture is extremely confusing, I can barely keep up."

"Well how do you think we feel?" commented Penelope. "Wizard Pop-culture is just as confusing, your celebrities and government have more beef and crash-outs than us muggles, and you wonder why your system is so flawed."

Over at the Gryffindor table, Oliver and Percy had arrived , greeting their friends as they helped themselves to pieces of toast and eggs .

"What classes do we have today?" asked Oliver, filling up his plate .

"Double of one of our chosen studies." replied Katie . "Then Charms with the Ravenclaws, Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs , History of magic with the Slytherins and then Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"What a perfect start to the school year...". Commented Alicia. "Not..."

The Gryffindor group carried on chatting about their upcoming classes, Oliver listening ,silently eating his breakfast while the others among him were immersed in their own conversations, he glanced up at the Ravenclaw table , and their she was Liyah Sharp sitting on the opposite side of the table next to the same blonde and black-haired girls from yesterday , the two of them also immersed in their own conversations , Liyah however was also silent and nodding along with whatever the two girls were saying, her hair looks different he thought , it's really pretty but why do i get the feeling it's not really her, like she's hiding her true self or the way she's feeling but doesn't want anyone to know , she does look gloomy , depressed almost not the happy cheerful Liyah from yesterday , maybe she couldn't sleep. Oliver had thought back to the train ride and what Katie had told him and the rest of the Gryffindor Gang , I hope her roommates weren't giving her a hard time, imagine if they were in her shoes, they wouldn't want anyone else making fun of them so why do it to somebody else?

"C'mon Ollie!" said Jackson cheerfully pulling Oliver out of his thoughts . "We've got double Divination, it'll be a laugh."

The rest of the hall had started clearing out, making their way to the first set of classes , Liyah , Penelope and Jacquie made their way out of the Hall and into the courtyard , just then a young blonde nudged Liyah in the shoulder .

"Hey you!" said Rosie happily.

"Oh hey." replied Liyah , still shaken from the sudden nudge.

"Hi Rosie!" interrupted Penelope . "How was your summer?"

"A-mazing!" replied Rosie. " I have so much to tell you , nice hair by the way Liyah."

"Oh urm thanks Rosie." thanked Liyah , glancing at her hair , was it really that noticeable then again Rosie always had a charm for spotting things others didn't .

The foursome made their way down the narrow staircase which headed straight for the Greenhouses, the four had split up , Penelope and Jacquie ahead of them , with Liyah and Rosie behind .

"Are you okay Liyah?" asked Rosie,

"I'm fine." Liyah said quickly , her eyes glued to the steps they were walking on.

"It's just... you've straightened your hair which is something you do when you're upset but don't want anyone to know , you look gloomy , you haven't said a word this entire time and your aura is just ...sad ." listed Rosie with her fingers. Divination being her favourite subject automatically made Rosie the first to point out a person's 'aura' just by looking at them and a hundred percent of the time , Eros Hemmingway was always right.

"So" continued Rosie. "Got anything in your mind."

Liyah sighed , she told Rosie about what happened , the less traumatising bits anyways , Liyah did not want to imagine what her face would look if she did tell her as Rosie had a habit of pulling expressive facial expressions when someone was telling her a story, which were funny in most scenarios but Liyah didn't want her to worry about her nightmare , after all it was just a dream , it wasn't even real... or was it?

"Don't freak out," said Rosie, snapping Liyah out of her thoughts." But people may stare at you and 'talk'." Rosie air quoted with her fingers .

Liyah clenched her jaw , walking into the greenhouse , everyone's eyes were all on her, some whispered to their friends , others just stared - "She's back." one whispered

"I haven't seen her since last May." another mumbled.

The foursome made their way to the middle of the greenhouse , standing near a spare table , Liyah twiddled her fingers on the wooden table , ignoring the whispers around her , Penelope however , was not bothered by the muttering instead, she glared at anyone who dared made eye contact , completely scaring the oblivious whisperers .

"That'll teach them." muttered Penelope turning round. " Honestly, no one in our year understand basic etiquette." she scoffed

The rest of the class entered Greenhouse 3 , where Professor Sprout would keep all the 'dangerous' plants .Liyah and Rosie stood side by side, in front of what seemed like a Lilles. These could be Snapdragons Liyah thought she had read about them in the "Guide to the Dangerous and Carnivorous- Plant edition " Pretty on the outside but deadly when touched .

"Good morning class!" beamed Professor Sprout .

"Good morning Professor Sprout!" said the class in the same manner .

"It's lovely to see you all again!

"Now." Professor Sprout continued. "You might be wondering what these plants are in front of you." She gestured her hands to the Lillie plants , "They are called Snapdragons, can anyone tell me the characteristics of a Snapdragon."

Liyah's hand shot up before anyone else could .

"Yes Ms Sharp." called Sprout with a gentle smile .

"Snapdragons or water lilies in muggle terms ,"explained Liyah . "Is a type of flower that grows in bodies of water or rivers , they are known for their beautiful petals and looks but they can also be deadly , even by touching one you could be pelted with a huge spray of water which could seriously harm the human skin.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Professor Sprout."5 points to Ravenclaw!"

Liyah looked over at Penelope and Jacquie , all three of them high fiving each other. James, who was just opposite them , also congratulated Liyah .

"Nice work Sharp."

"Thanks, Swinton," said Liyah smiling. Reading those books out of boredom during the summer was definitely worth it. Professor Sprout had taken out a box of potion vials during the chaos. "As Ms Sharp kindly explained these Snapdragons are dangerous and we need to be extra cautious, any fooling around in this session will result in points being taken and detentions being served." The rest of the class was dead silent, the Goblin Trio however , were too busy in their own conversations and by their own conversations was actually just Abrams whispering mean comments like - "What did she eat for breakfast , books?" The three giggling at Abrams's joke.

"Ahem , Ms Abrams!" declared Sprout , her eyes bulging almost turning red."You better keep your mouth shut when I'm teaching , I do not want a repeat of last year's grades." Abrams and the rest of the girls went quiet,

"What grades did she get last year?" whispered Liyah, facing Penelope , Rosie and Jacquie .

"A grade D." replied Penelope ,the foursome huddled together in order for no one else to hear what they were talking about, especially since the tea of conversation was right in the room with them thought Liyah and the two sugars.

"Professor Sprout was furious , but it wasn't just Herbology she got low grades in her other subjects too. I'm surprised that they even let her continue studying here -

"Now I want everyone to get into groups of threes or fours and take a vial." said Professor Sprout, holding up a black cylinder vial. "I want you to place two drops on the plant's petals and it should change colour." demonstrated Sprout as she poured no more than two drops, the pink Snapdragons petals had turned from a pinkish red to a sky blue . The students gasped in amazement , Jacquie picked up a vial from the box, carefully opening the lid , pouring two miniscule drops , the flower started to ruffle its petals like a dog shaking off water, the pink coloured Lillie had washed away , presenting green/blue petals soon after.

"That's so cool!" gasped Rosie. " I wonder if we can -

AHHHH!!!!

The sound had come from the far right of the greenhouse , the yellow Snapdragon gushed water out of its petals straight onto Norman Michigan, who quickly dogged out the way , the water hitting the glass windows instead . Professor Sprout marched up to the table , praying nobody got hurt.

"Don't worry Mr Michigan, Yellow Snapdragons are usually very stubborn, apologies for not mentioning it earlier but well done for moving out the way. Wouldn't want a student in the hospital on the first day now would we"

By the end of class , the Greenhouse was filled with brightly coloured Snapdragons . Second period was Care of Magical Creatures which was not as exciting as the previous lesson as they were just drawing Bow truckles. After what seemed like ages it was time for break . Liyah and Rosie made their way to the second floor corridor , opening their lockers and taking out the books they needed for their next class ,since their dorm room was at the highest point in the castle it would be a hustle having to go up and down all those stairs in-between classes, plus the lockers would replenish all the books you needed depending on your timetable .

"What do you have after break?" asked Rosie, closing her locker door .

"Charms." replied Liyah. Charms was an easy subject for Liyah , her mother being a Charms expert and experimenting with Charms daily meant that she learnt all sorts of spells and enchantments from a very young age. Something which came in handy over her time in school .

"Ugh, I have potions with the Slytherins." groaned Rosie putting away her timetable. Liyah chuckled at her friend's comment .

"At least you'll get to be with Michael." said Liyah cheerfully, hoping to boost Rosie's happiness again . Just then, a loud clanking sound rumbled the corridor , a bunch of students with orange goo on their heads rushed their way through the double doors , trying to get away, in the midst of the large group, Michael walked over to the two girls , rubbing of the orange liquid of his robes .

"Look at this!" he yelled pointing at his robes . "and it was all Peeves fault , stupid Peeves it's the first day back can't he leave the pranks until next week!"

"He's a poltergeist, what do you expect?" shrugged Rosie playing with her hair, her dark pink streaks had turned orange, matching the liquid on Michael's robes, hoping it would cheer up his mood.

"Oo I have Divination straight after potions , that should be fun!" squeaked Rosie. Liyah cringed at the thought of being in Divination class, the subject was random and had no clear structure whatsoever.

" Divination's stupid." exclaimed Michael leaning against the locker doors. "You're just looking at tea leaves and making up things about the shape of them."

"I agree." said Liyah, turning towards Michael. "There's no structure for it, it's odd."

"It is not!" Rosie argued. "There's more to Divination than just tea leaves- there's the art of crystals and the interpretation of dreams, we're doing that as part of work this year."

"Does it involve anything to do with crystal balls?" questioned Michael raising his eyebrows.

"Urm." muttered Rosie, trying to find the words. "Maybe..."

"Then I meant what I said." replied Michael, his hands in the air like he'd been caught.

BLEEP, BLOOP, BRUGHH

The sound of the bell caught the attention of the trio, getting ready for their next set of classes.

"They really need to sort out that bell." commented Michael.

"Haha, true I have Charms now so I better get going." pointed out Liyah as she took a couple steps backwards.

"Byee!" waved Rosie cheerfully.

"See ya Liyah." waved Michael.

Liyah made her way up the stairs , cascading her way to Charms, entering the classroom , a few students had already arrived , Penelope and Jacquie at the back of the class with a seat open next to them .

"Over here!" bellowed Penelope.

"We saved you a seat!" said Jacquie in the same manner.

"Thanks girls!" Liyah said happily.

The Gryffindor's started to arrive one by one, Oliver and Jackson walking their way to Charms , Jackson was as cheerful as ever, Oliver however was devastated.

"Oh cheer up Ol at least they made it to the finals." nudged Jackson , trying to get Oliver out of his ' I'm so depressed about my team losing mood'

"I know but they really had a chance Y'know." Oliver replied , still as gloomy as ever.

They entered the classroom , Oliver trying to remember who they shared a class with, until he made eye contact with a certain Ravenclaw. Liyah looked straight , making eye contact with Oliver, ignoring the fact that her cousin was right next to him , but that didn't matter to her, it was the first time she had seen him since the train ride . Oliver had forgotten about Puddle mere's tragic loss, with Liyah being in his class what could go wrong. Liyah smiled sweetly , Oliver smiling back in the process as he stood, grinning from ear to ear, Jackson , who looked over at Oliver and then his cousin back and forth, shocked by what he saw, grabbed Oliver by his hood an dragged him to an open seat

"Oww!" whispered Oliver. "What was that for?"

"I'll deal with you after class!" he whispered back angrily. Oliver gulped. He didn't think that Jackson would be angry with him smiling at Liyah , after all wasn't he the one who told him to 'cheer up'

"Good morning class!" beamed Professor Flitwick.

"Good morning Professor!" cried the class , waiting for Professor Flitwick to start his lesson.

"Now this term you will be doing a lot of pair work, don't worry I've already chosen your partners." he said grabbing a piece of parchment. A few members of the class groaned, but remained silent as Flitwick began assigning partners. Ten minutes had gone and the tables had disappeared, the students in each corner with their designated partners . Liyah was paired with Katie Bell , Liyah didn't mind , she had known Katie for a few years so they were both comfortable with each other, Oliver was placed with James Swinton, at least it wasn't Jackson thought Oliver then he wouldn't have to worry about being killed until the end of class.

"Now i want you all to raise your wands and say - Avifors

The class began their assignment, the sound of people saying the spell bouncing from each side of the classroom . Liyah raised her wand in front of the small objects on the table

"Avifors." she said waving her wand lightly, a blue streak spilled from her wand , the once small box had shifted into three small , but beautiful blue robins which danced across the table, flying around Liyah and Katie's heads and pinching Professor Flitwick on the nose before coming back onto the table again.

"Avifors," said Katie, waving her wand. "Avifors!" she yelled putting more pressure onto her wand. "Ugh why is it not working."

"Here let me help." offered Liyah, pulling out her wand again. "You're putting too much pressure on your wand, it's supposed to be light, remember it's a charm so the more swift your wand movement is the more successful your charm will be." She demonstrated with her wand and made Katie practice her movements three times before she executed the spell, her mother would make her do the same thing-"Practice makes perfect darling." her mothers voice echoed in her head. Katie tried the spell again , this time creating a blue spark from her wand instead of blobs- three blue robins bounced on the table once again almost like they were celebrating with them.

"OMG I did it!" squealed Katie in excitement while hugging Liyah. "Thank you Liyah!"

"Anytime Katie!" she said cheerfully. It always felt good helping another student, especially a friend. Oliver had watched Liyah helping Katie from the other side of the room, he had successfully managed to create a few small birds but James was still struggling,

"Try using a lighter wand movement." he suggested taking a note of Liyah's strategy. "That way your charm will be more successful . Just like that the spell had worked, creating three more blue robins.

"Thanks Wood!" said James happily. "That was really clever!"

"Yeah." exhaled Oliver, glancing at Liyah who was talking to Katie and Alicia, giggling as Alicia had smacked a book on Katie's head "It was clever." No wonder she was the top in their year, if she was able to explain how to execute a charm in such a way then just imagine her strategies when it came to quidditch, if she was interested in quidditch, she did seem like the type.

"So Liyah." asked Katie. "Are you trying out for the team this year?"

"Yes definitely, Ravenclaw needs two new beaters and a seeker so I wouldn't mind either, but I'm praying I do get the seeker position."

The truth was Liyah could play all the positions on the Quidditch team even with her eyes closed, growing up with two Quidditch obsessed cousins meant spending their family gathering playing a match during the spring and summer season and let's not forget attending Quidditch games, well more like sneaking into them, if her father were to find out she spent her holidays watching a game where a bunch of wizards on broomsticks pass a ball around and throw them into hoops instead of attending her music lessons who knows if he'd let her see daylight again.

"You're trying out for the Ravenclaw team?" asked a familiar Scottish voice. Oliver was ecstatic, if she tried out for the team he could help her in any way he could, but what if she didn't need any help? Or what if she didn't make the team? If she didn't then he and Jackson would kick Roger Davies off his broom and drown him in the lake if he didn't . If he could get Jackson to talk to him again that is. Why was he so mad? , surly smiling at a girl as lovely as Liyah wasn't a crime was it? But what if it was?-

"Yes, I am trying out!" replied Liyah snapping Oliver out of his thoughts.

"That's great!" said Oliver cheerfully. "If you need anything I can definitely help you , I've just been appointed Captain for the Gryffindor team, so I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to try-outs."

"Thanks Oliver, that's really kind of you." replied Liyah. "Congrats on becoming captain by the way."

"Thanks Liyah, that means a lot."

The two love birds carried on chatting about Quidditch, upcoming games, Puddle mere's tragic loss with the Holyhead Harpies. Oliver was surprised to learn that Liyah's favourite were the Cannons considering the fact that Jackson also adored the Chudley Cannons too. Penelope and Jacquie stood near Katie and Alicia , observing the two love birds in their natural habitat while pretending they were immersed in their own conversations. Katie and Alicia also joined in on the fun, slightly glancing every moment they got the chance. The lesson ended with Liyah waving goodbye to Oliver as her and Penelope jogged their way to Ancient Runes. Liyah glanced back at Oliver one last time before she disappeared into the corridor, this was the first time she had a proper conversation with him since the train ride and she had never felt more uplifted and joyful, every time he spoke her heart would skip a beat , the way his eyes would light up when he or she mentioned Quidditch , Liyah had never seen a boy so passionate about anything before but this was different, something she had never felt before , talking to him felt like meeting an old soul that she had met in her previous life. As for Oliver he couldn't help but stare into the abyss of the corridor, she stared back at me? What does that mean? She was smiling, gosh her smile is everything, and the way she let him ramble about Quidditch when somebody else would have told him to 'pack it in' after 5 minutes of listening. I wonder what other classes they had together? Probably Defence Against the Dark Arts and-

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOUR PLAYING AT MAN!"

Oliver gulped. Jackson marched straight up to him, yanking him by the shoulders.

"MY COUSIN, SERIOUSLY OUT OF ALL PEOPLE!" He yelled, shaking Oliver back and forth.

"What's going on?" asked Katie, who was stood by Alicia who both heard the commotion.

"Boys!" bellowed Percy, coming up from where the girls were standing. "We have Transfiguration why are yo-? He had only just noticed Jackson, whose hands were completely wrapped around Oliver's neck. Still wanting to strangle him , out of all people in their year he just HAD to have a crush for Liyah Sharp , his cousin.

"Why do you look like you're about to strangle him?" questioned Percy, still shocked from what he just witnessed , would have been nice if he forgot his glasses he thought.

"I'll tell you why." said Jackson coldly, taking his hands off Oliver's neck, phew he hasn't killed me..yet.

"This dude has a crush on my cousin!"

"Liyah Sharp?" asked Alicia.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Jackson.

"Wait a spell, Liyah Sharp is your cousin?!" Katie asked, confused.

"Yeah ,why?"

"You never told us that!" yelled Alicia , who looked liked she was about to punch him

"Yea you haven't!" agreed Katie who also wanted to yank him across the corridor

"What do you mean I told ages ago that she's- OMG I never told you guys that she was my cousin. Said Jackson who looked more stunned then the rest of them.

"Oh I'm sorry Ol." he said sadly. "It's just I see my cousin as my sister and I'm very protective over her, she's been through a lot and when I saw the way you both looked at each other I just couldn't take it, I don't want her to be hurt again."

Oliver took a deep breath, he understood where he was coming from, but did he really have to almost kill him in the process.

"It's alright Jackson." replied Oliver. "Really I get it, so are we cool now?"

"Yeah, yeah we're cool." he raised his fist, Oliver bumped his fist on his, completing their usual handshake. "Now c'mon let's head to class before Professor McGonigal rips our heads off."

The group agreed and began walking to the fourth floor. Even during Transfiguration, Oliver just couldn't focus, his mind kept on replaying the conversation with Liyah , the way she turned her head to look at him , just him ,before she left down the corridor. Liyah was facing the same difficulty too, but what didn't help was Penelope teasing her about how 'in love' they were.

"Don't be silly Penelope." she whispered, Professor Babbling had started her lesson and began writing notes on the blackboard

"Today's date." she croaked."2nd September."

Liyah froze. No it can't be. Surely she didn't forget. She glanced up at the blackboard, the numbers 02/09/90 etched on the blackboard in white chalk. She wasn't hallucinating, this was real. She had forgotten Cara's birthday. This whole day she had felt this tight pain in her chest, like something was stabbing her, it was only now she had realised why, the minutes turned into hours, the hours felt like days, Liyah tried to write everything down , but the symbols and annotations felt like an ancient language too complicated to understand, no matter how many times she transcribed them no words seemed to come into her head, finally after what seemed like hours the lesson had ended and the tired Ravenclaws made their way out the classroom.

"Hey, why don't you head to lunch? I'm going to walk around the grounds for a bit." said Liyah, whose face was red from the heat of Professor Babblings classroom.

"Are you sure I heard there's fairy cakes for dessert." asked Penelope.

"I'll be fine." replied Liyah smiling.

"Alright then bye Lulu!" waved Penelope. "Oh and if you need anything I'll be in the Hall."

"Thanks Pen!" yelled Liyah who had already made her way out the corridor down to the courtyard, she dashed her way out the stoned courtyard making her way through to the grounds, in the distance she could see the black lake in all its glory, Hagrid's Hut being just a few yards away. Finally fresh air, she thought, after what felt like hours in Ancient Runes, it was nice to be outdoors and take in the autumn atmosphere, the grounds always seemed more magical and beautiful at this time of year. Autumn and Winter at Hogwarts was just a different feeling on its own and they were Liyah's favourite season . Liyah walked up to the great big apple tree which stood alone, taking a seat , the black lake staring at her as she opened her book 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. But she didn't feel like reading, what was the point, what was the point of pretending that everything was fine when really everything isn't . She had forgotten her friend's birthday, her dead friend's birthday and she definitely deserved the award for the world's first friend .

Oliver stepped onto the stoned pathway leading down to the grounds, lunch could wait he thought, fresh air is what he needed. Walking along the pathway, the autumn leaves had filled up the sides creating a picturesque clearing , autumn was always his favourite time of year, the way the leaves would change colour and gracefully fall from the trees, the smell of the air in early hours of the morning, the wind hitting your face when flying on a broomstick, quidditch season was also in autumn, something he always looked forward too. He carried on walking, climbing down the stairs leading to the apple tree which gave the view of the black lake, he noticed a brown haired girl sitting in front of it, book in lap, staring into the abyss of the lake in front of her .Liyah. It was Liyah, what was she doing here?

Quietly, Oliver made his way to the tree, tiptoeing behind so that Liyah wouldn't notice he was there. Liyah was so preoccupied with her thoughts she didn't even notice the brown- haired Gryffindor hiding behind the tree. Did Spencer and Hanna remember? If they did then it would be embarrassing the next time they met up asking if she did anything in honour of her friend's birthday all just to say -"Sorry I forgot." what sort of friend forgets a birthday-

"Too busy admiring nature to read your book eh." said a familiar Scottish voice. Liyah's heart skipped a beat. It was Oliver, who was leaning his arm against the tree, smiling. "Mind if I join."

"No, not at all." replied Liyah offering a seat next to her. Normally she would mind if someone were to interrupt her alone time, but for some reason she didn't mind Oliver keeping her company. What's wrong with me she thought. This isn't like me, you hate being interrupted. Okay Liyah think, what should you ask wait i know-

"What made you come down here?" asked Liyah, closing her book. "Most people don't visit this part of the grounds it's mostly-

"Quiet." said Oliver finishing Liyah's sentence. "Same reason you probably come down here. I usually like to walk on the grounds, especially at this time of year, its really-

"Magical." spoke up Liyah, turning to Oliver gleefully.

"Yeah." replied Oliver facing Liyah. "Yeah it is."

Oliver noticed at the red book in Liyah's lap, Pride and Prejudice etched in gold labelling on the front. "Pride and Prejudice." he said, taking a good look at the cover. "Written by Jane Austen right, great choice of book, you certainly have the taste Liyah Sharp."

Liyah giggled at Oliver's comment but really was too stunned to speak. "How did you know?" asked Liyah , curiously. "You know most wizards and witches don't really know much about Muggle literature."

"Well, it's all thanks to my mother really." replied Oliver sitting up. "She has always been a fan of all sorts of art, even muggle art so it was no surprise that she read Othello to me as a bedtime story instead of tales of Beedle the Bard."

"You've read Shakespeare?" asked Liyah, raising her eyebrows, still in shock.

"Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Kafka, Sylvia Plath." listed Oliver. "I've read all sorts."

"Wow.." sighed Liyah ,"You really know your stuff."

"Why thank you Liyah!" he beamed, grinning, she complimented me, best day ever! He thought. "Now enough about me." he added, "What about you-why are you here? surely you would want to be spending time with your Ravenclaw friends instead of sitting here on your own reading."

"Who, Penelope and Jacquie?" asked Liyah. Oliver nodded his head a second later. "I would love to spend time with them but i also enjoy spending time on my own, this is how i used spend my time back in second and third year actually." replied Liyah, thinking about the last two years of school, after Grenade and Hampton's abandonment, she never really had the courage to find a new friend group. Was it because she felt like a burden every time she walked into a room? What if she was? after all the past 4 years was nothing but bad luck, almost like she was cursed.

"Does it have anything to do with Abrams?" blurted Oliver all of a sudden.

"What? "replied Liyah with a scared look in her eyes. Shit ,thought Oliver. He wasn't supposed to mention that. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you its just... after we met on the train, Katie told me well when I mean me , I mean Percy, Alicia and the Weasley Twins about what happened to you over the summer and how most of the people in your house are not really nice to you so when you mentioned that you spent the past two years by yourself i couldn't help but ask if it was because of her."

Liyah opened her mouth to speak but immediately restrained herself . She had never met anyone, let alone a boy to be so honest even just by knowing them for only a few days. Now that she thought about it, the two of them seemed to get on really well, like two kindred spirits.

"Well. Kind of, I used to be friends with Grenade and Hampton ,were also roommates and at the beginning of second year. They sort of..." Liyah paused, almost too embarrassed, why was she telling him this? She never opened up to anyone before, so why him?

"Left you without any explanation." said Oliver, filling in the gaps of Liyah's sentence. How could anyone be so cruel? He thought

Liyah nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears as it got in the way.

" I tried asking why, they said that Abrams told them about my father and how he told me not to be friends with them but that was a lie, i never shared my school life with my father but of course they would believe Abrams over me." said Liyah in a saddening tone. She looked down staring at the grass and sighed. Oliver also sat in silence, taking in what Liyah had just said, she doesn't deserve this, he can't bare the thought of Liyah being alone, after everything that's happened just for people to treat her as if she's a monster, not worthy enough to be friends with, all because of one girls opinions.

"Listen, don't beat yourself up because of other people's opinions of you." advised Oliver. Liyah took her eyes off the ground, observing Oliver as he spoke." "I understand why you would rather read books on your own instead of being in a room full of people." "But." he continued - "What's the point of gaining knowledge if you have no one to share it with."

Liyah froze, not from fear but from admiration. This guy's a poet, she thought, a quidditch jock on the surface but a poet at heart. "You speak like a poet you know that." she said softly.

"Ehh I try not to." shrugged Oliver, facing Liyah moments later."But I guess I'm just a poet at heart." Liyah chuckled, Oliver also laughing moments later.

"We better get going," said Liyah standing up. "Defence Against the Dark Arts is next."

"Yea we should." agreed Oliver. "Help me up would ya." he said, reaching out his arm.Liyah rolled her eyes playfully, pulling Oliver up from the grass. The two lovebirds walked along the stoned leaf-filled pathway back to the castle, taking the stairs up to the fifth floor to one of the many Defence Against the Dark Arts classrooms.

Liyah walked into the brightly lit classroom, Oliver following behind her, the rest of the class were standing in different corners of the classroom , Penelope and Jacquie standing with Katie and Alicia.Penlope, noticing Liyah, waved her hand high in the air, gesturing with her arms to go up to her. Liyah and Oliver made their way to the back corner, standing side by side, the group started to talk about how it's not like a teacher to be late -"They penalise us for being late but they take their dads time getting to lesson themselves." commented Penelope, the rest of the group nodding in agreement.

SMACK

The door closed with a thud, standing at the back of the classroom was Professor Arkansas - a tall but cold man who looked as if he had never smiled in years.

"Afternoon Waz Bags!" he yelled , his Californian accent echoing the room. "My name is Professor Arkansas AKA your new DADA teacher!"

"Well that's one way to make a dramatic entrance." whispered Liyah to Oliver,

"Definitely." Oliver whispered back.

Professor Arkansas had taken a piece of parchment from his pocket - "Now when I call out your name, I want you to sit in your allocated seat!"

One by one, Professor Arkansas started to call out names, each student being placed boy-girl, boy-girl, which annoyed majority of the class, poor Penelope had to sit next to Marcus Flint, even after arguing with Professor Arkansas for a good solid 3 minutes he still wouldn't budge, sluggishly, she walked over to her desk, crossing her arms in annoyance, looking directly at the blackboard. "I still stand on you being a son of a toad." muttered Penelope.

"On this table!" bellowed Arkansas. "We have Liyah Sharp and Oliver Wood." Luckily Oliver and Liyah didn't have to move an inch as the table was right in front of them. They sat down, sighing in relief as they got to sit next to each other.

"Penelope looks as if she's about to rip Flint's head off." whispered Oliver, observing Penelope glaring at Marcus while he's talking about god-knows what.

"Maybe we should give her a bag of pumpkin pasties." Liyah muttered back. "They make great weapons to fight off trolls."

Oliver chuckled slightly, the train ride replaying in his head. "Yea we should." he whispered.

SMACK

"Or she could smash him with a "A guide to the Defence Against The Dark Arts book." said Liyah observing Penelope's outburst. Nice smack Pen, she thought.

"Now!" yelled Professor Arkansas. "In this classroom , there will be no fooling around or wand waving!" his accent was sharper and clearer than before, an American Professor thought Liyah, this should be interesting.

"You will speak only when spoken to and any disobedience will lead to dreadful punishment, I take my job very seriously."

Oh, I guess he's not like the interesting teachers I read about in ' 'Heroes of Ilvermorny'.

"Right, open up your textbooks to the first page," said Professor Arkansas sitting at his desk. "And I want you to write a 1000 word essay on the first two chapters."

The rest of the class looked around in shock, a 1000 page essay? On the first day, without any form of teaching whatsoever, who does this man think he is?

"But Professor." spoke up Jacquie. "how are we supposed to write an essay if we haven't learnt anything?"

Professor Arkansas stood up, putting his hands on his hips, glaring at Jacquie. "Next time Kwan!" he yelled, "if you want to speak you raise your hand, that goes for all of you pipsqueaks!"

Liyah had enough of Professor Arkansas's antics, slowly, she raised her hand,

"Yes miss-"

"Sharp sir." replied Liyah in an instant. "What my friend was trying to say is that as the Professor, you should teach us something before giving assignments, that way we actually learn something instead of drowning ourselves in a textbook."

"Alright princess!" said Professor Arkansas sarcastically, "Why don't you teach the class?"

"I- I can't" stammered Liyah, was he being serious?

"Exactly!" he screamed. "Just because you're top of the year Miss Liyah Sharp doesn't mean you can tell an expert how to teach their class."

Liyah opened her mouth to speak but was immediately cut off

"Oh yes! - I know who you are, I know each and every one of you and if you don't like the way I teach, get used to it, this is my classroom, I'm the teacher, I make the rules."

He sat back in his chair, lifting his feet onto the table, as if he was in the comfort of his own home. "Well, what are you waiting for dimwits, start writing."

The rest of the class fell silent and started writing, the sound of quills scraping the parchment and pages being flipped filled the room,

"There's only one thing we've learnt in this lesson." whispered Liyah to Oliver,

"And what is it?" he muttered.

"This." replied Liyah. "Is going to be a long year."