Contentment

Madeline had almost managed to make it to the right turn that would lead her towards her dorm room, when Oliver Wood called out to her from the bottom of the stairs, making her fight the urge to keep walking, just to not face him right now.

She didn't know him, and he didn't know her.

"Madeline." She heard again, this time closer and she sighted in frustration before she turned, slowly, watching Oliver go up the stairs two at a time.

"Can I help you?" She couldn't help the sourness that came out with the question.

Oliver stopped when he was on the same stair as her, looking like he had been running. "I-umm. No, I just want to apologies."

Madeline's eyes went wide. "For not stopping your lovely friend from bullying a little girl?"

Oliver shook his head, half smiling at her. "No, or yes. Yes, but-" He looked around them and she felt like he didn't want anyone to see him talking to her. "What she said was cruel, but she's not always like that."

Was he fucking serious?

"I see." Madeline's tone got cold again, but not before her face reflected the small disappointment that she felt. "You've comet to defend her?"  She didn't want to know why she cared if he wanted to apologize on the other girls behalf.

"What?" Oliver's eyes went big as he shook his head. "No, what she said was mean and out of line, I'm just saying that she's not like that when you get to know her."

Madeline raised a brow, taking a step closer to him. "You do realize that's still defending her." She told him, forcing her lips to curl up into a smile. "Look, I know I'm new here, and I know I might be out of line since I don't know how this place runs, but who the fuck talks like that to an eleven year old?"  She wasn't mad at him, per say.  No, she was fuming at the disgusting display that happened during breakfast, but the fact that he didn't tell his witch to shut her mouth on the spot. That. That left her feeling mad at him as well.  Even though she knew she didn't have the right to be. 

Oliver breathed in, his eyes going round and apologetic.  "I know Lina can be a handful, but she's not all bad."  

Madeline sucked in a breath. What. The. Fuck.  She wanted to stay on the low this year, but had a feeling she'd have a handful dealing with Lina.

"I don't care what your girl is like Wood."  Madeline told him, deciding on the spot that she was over this.  "I won't stand by while she bullies kids." 

"She's not my-" She cut him off by taking a step closer to him.  She shouldn't have.  But fuck did it feel satisfying to see him falter, taking in an unsteady breath.  She smiled when he didn't move back from her.  

"It's sad, really."  She told him, looking up at him.  "You seemed so kind last night." 

Hell, whatever force made her voice her bizarre thoughts, she'd have to deal with later because all she could focus on at the moment were his soft brown eyes, looking at her with intrigued confusion.  

She was way out of line and she knew it.  She barely knew him, if seeing him all of what, five times? even gave her the right to say that she barely knew him.  He was a stranger.  One that she took a very fast liking too.  One that would stay a stranger if she could help it.  

Swearing under her breath, she moved away from him and up the stairs, praying that he'd leave her alone. 

"Madeline-"

She didn't look back.

Three days in a new place, and already she was feeling like a catastrophe. She could admit to herself that the school was remarkable, but that didn't stop her from missing home that much more.

Missing the people there.

Once in her dorm, she went through the papers on her desk, in an attempt to distract her mind and her heart from pulling her in all kinds of bad directions.

She studied her class schedule for this semester, and the map of the classes that came with it. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face when she saw that she had arithmancy two times a week.

While she loved learning and loved most of the classes that she had been able to take, arithmancy took first in her heart. Her nana had an excellent mind for numbers, and thought Madeline everything there is to know about them.

Noticing the still unopened letter from her boyfriend, Madeline grabbed it and made herself comfortable on her bed.

With shaky fingers, she opened it, her eyes growing wide but not so unbelieving at what it contained.

M,

I have been trying to write this since the beginning of summer. I wanted to tell you this in person, but I could never seem to find the right words and then when your nana passed away, I felt like a complete ass for wanting to do this to you.

You're incredible, you know that?  But we weren't meant for each other.  I know you know that. I am beyond happy that I got the chance to get to know you over the last couple of years. You're an amazing person.

I want you to know that it's not you. You're literally perfect. Determined, kind, passionate and you have this aura about you that once a person is pulled in, they don't want to leave. 

But.

I fucked up.

Remember Grace? Daughter of a French Diplomat that stayed at my house over the break during last Christmas?

The one you didn't like? Yeah, that one.

I want you to know that this wasn't in any way personal M.

She kissed me, and I just...FUCK, I kissed her back.

I wanted to get to you the moment the kiss had ended. I really did. To tell you what I had done, but I didn't want to hurt you.

Please M, try to understand. I was a coward. A bastard, and still am one. When I saw you after the holidays, I couldn't do it. Not when you pulled me into your room and we...well, you know what we did.

I don't deserve you M.  I never deserved you. Grace has been writing to me non stop after the kiss, but I didn't respond. Didn't even read the letters until my father told me that she was coming to Ilvermony for her final year.

I was going to tell you everything after the school year ended, and let you decide if you wanted to curse me into next month, or figure things out. But then your nana passed away, and you were suddenly being shipped to Hogwarts and I couldn't tell you in person.  Hence me taking the cowards way out and writing this.

Please M, try to understand.

I understand that you probably hate me, and won't want to see me ever again, and you have complete right to do that.  But you know that I'm right.  We weren't good together.

I know apologies won't fix anything, but I am sorry M.

Madeline read the letter once, twice and then a third time before breaking out into a sobbing laugh, her mind going numb.

He couldn't tell her this in person, but felt completely fine writing this bullshit down. Of course Madeline remembered Grace. A rich and snobbish girl from France, character matching that of Coralina's.

Setting the letter aflame, she watched the smoke simmer down and on numb legs, made it into the bathroom.

She must have stood under the scolding hot water for hours on end, only ending it when her eyes felt dryer than her soul.

Forcing herself to dress, Madeline refreshed her face with a charm, charming away her tear dried eyes and went down to dinner, ignoring the twins when they called out to her in the common room.

She wasn't in the mood for anyone else telling her that Coralina was different once you got to know her. No.

What she was in the mood for, was a fight. A fight where the Head Girl of her house was going to end up in the hospital wing, preferably with a few broken ribs, resulting in Madeline's expulsion.

What an icing that would be, on her already rotten start of her new life.

She was upset, but not because of the letter.  Caylin had been drifting away from her for months before her nana had passed.  And she knew that they weren't right for each other.  Even before Christmas last year. That's what pissed her off.  

Eli was in the same spot she'd been during breakfast and Madeline again had to ignore someone calling out her name when she made her way over to the younger girl. 

Percy was sitting with Oliver who had Coralina whispering something into his ear before her eyes caught Madeline, and she gave her a disapproving look as Madeline took a seat next to Eli.

"Astoria says thank you, oh and Daphne, her older sister. She's also in Slytherin, third year. They both say thank you for standing up to Coralina. She's been bothering Daphne since her first day here, giving her detention anytime Daphne dares to talk back."

Something in Madeline snapped, but she forced it away, instead focusing on Eli. Madeline knew what that feeling was, and despite the Sorting Hat telling her that it didn't see a sliver of darkness inside her, she doubted that very much. She may not be in tune with dark magic and dark thoughts, but she was in tune with surging into a fight.

And that couldn't happen. Not right now. "I'm sorry that your older cousin has been having trouble with our Head Girl Eli." She told her, choosing the right words to say next. "Tell you what. Tell Daphne and Astoria that if she bothers them, to let me know." Eli nodded her head, eyes growing soft as she dug into her food.

Madeline had zoned out, flipping through the food on her plate with her fork when the youngest Weasley came into her vision.

"Hi." Ginny said, fidgeting with a sleeve on her jumper. "Do you guys mind if I sit here?" Madeline raised a brow, looking at Eli. This was her show.

"Oh sure."

Ginny sat across from Eli, looking at her with apologetic eyes and before Madeline could say anything to break the slightly awkward silence, Ginny extended her hand towards Eli.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." Ginny said and Madeline smiled from ear to ear for the first time since this morning. "I'm Ginerva Weasley, but my friends call me Ginny."

"Well." Eli said in a small voice, reaching out to shake the other girls hand. "I'm Elizabeth Greengrass, but my friends call me Eli."

"Oh I love that. That's a pretty name." Madeline watched Eli smile at that and settled on listening to the two girls chat away about their summers and what it was like to grow up with older siblings, brothers in particular.

Madeline raised a brow when Ginny said that she had six older brothers, and that there was one more, Ron, in school with them, also in third year. She had pointed to Ron who was sitting somewhere closer to the middle of the table.

Madeline completely forgot that the infamous Harry Potter was also in Hogwarts, and didn't miss the way Ginny's eyes stayed on him for a bit too long as she told both Eli and Madeline about Harry and Ron and their third best friend, Hermione.

The two younger girls soon completely forgot about Madeline as they talked about their classes, and how outrageous it was that they already had so many assignments when school was only in session for two days.

Madeline froze when someone tapped on her shoulder. The two girls chatter died down instantly and when Madeline turned her head, she fought the urge to pull her wand out.

"Coralina, what a pleasure." Madeline's tone suggested anything but pleasure.

"Yes, I'm sure." The other girl told her, standing tall. "Can I talk to you?" She asked, eyes going over to where her friends were sitting at.

Madeline wanted to say no. She wanted to tell the girl to shove off, but she knew better than that. She was thought to be the bigger person.

Always be the bigger person.

Looking at Eli and then at Ginny, Madeline nodded her head, following the girl out of the dining hall.

"Look, I want to apologies for this morning." Coralina told her when they found an empty hall. "I was out of line."

Madeline didn't say anything, not wanting to spoil the show and just nodded her head.

"There is a lot of bad blood between my family and your new friends family." Madeline's brow rose, and gods, was it hard to contain the words that she wanted to voice. "I realize it may have come off inappropriate, but if you knew, well..." She trailed off, suddenly looking uncomfortable.  It looked forced. 

"Okay." Madeline simply answered and Coralina's brows furrowed.

"Right. I just want to apologies and see if we can move on. It's nice to know that there is another girl in my year in Gryffindor."

Madeline clicked her tongue, a million of bizarre thoughts running through her head. This girl was something else. "I don't think I'm the right person to be apologizing to."

"Right. No, of course I will apologies to Elizabeth."

"Okay."

"Good. Good, so, we're good?"

Madeline looked at her. Something inside her was screaming that they were not good, that her outburst this morning was way out of line, and people who didn't mean things to that extent, didn't go around spitting shit about other people's families.

Bet the bigger person.

She could have walked away. Should have walked away.

"Sure, yeah. We're fine." Madeline told her instead and watched the way Coralina's brows lowered, a small innocent smile playing on her lips.

"Fantastic. Well, I'll let you get back to dinner." Madeline just nodded her head, watching the girl's smile grow before she walked away.

The rest of dinner went fine for Madeline, and she walked with Eli and Ginny back to their dorms, this whole day playing over and over in her head when she spotted Oliver in the common room, Coralina sitting with barely any gap between them on the couch.

She wondered if he'd said something to the other girl, forcing her to apologize.  But decided that she didn't care. 

It wasn't often that Madelines first impression of a person was wrong.  Most of the time, anyway.  Wood was a good person.  She could feel it in her blood.  And Percy was, well, he was cocky and snobbish.  She'd gotten her reassurance during dinner while she watched him.  But he wasn't a bad person.  

Coralina on the other hand...gave her a bad feeling all around.  The apology was fake as hell.  And Madeline would have to see if Coralina actually says anything resembling an apology to Eli.