girls entered Snape's office, looking sheepish behind the rage that they felt. "So," the greasy-haired man started. "Do you both know why you are here?"

"I'm presuming that I'm just here because, for some bizarre reason, you gave me a detention earlier today - and I hope that I'm not here because of what just happened, which was entirely Zoe's fault."

The Dutch girl glared at her roommate. "It was not my fault at all!"

"Then tell me why you were the one who pinned me against a wall and threatened me?" The redhead replied angrily.

"We will have no arguing in my office. You are both here for showing threatening behaviour in the presence of a teacher."

"But, Professor, how was my behaviour threatening? All I did was try to persuade you to let me off a detention!" Bella said, stamping one of her feet against the black-tiled floor.

Snape sighed loudly. "Please, Miss Flannery, do not interject. I was going to make you write lines until your hands are calloused and blistered, but I have decided that you must be used to such a thing since I know that most Ravenclaws are avid writers. I will never understand the way that a Ravenclaw's mind works." He paused, trailing his beady eyes to the floor. "Perhaps, until now."

"What's that supposed to mean, Professor?" Zoe asked nervously. In her opinion, she hadn't done anything wrong and did not deserve a detention (despite being the only person in the room who did in fact show threatening behaviour previously), but Bella believed that Zoe was more to blame than anyone.

Snape, however, believed that Arabella should be punished the most severely - just because he didn't particularly enjoy her company or the people that she surrounded herself with, including Fred and George Weasley. He found her to be everything that he did and didn't want in an ideal student, and the way that she was not afraid to talk back annoyed him profusely. In fact, many things annoyed him about the redhead, including her intelligence. She was witty, and knew how to be cunning with her intellect - a trait that despite being a Slytherin, Professor Snape didn't possess.

"This means, Miss Rosenkrands, that I am going to use the Legilimency Spell on both of you, one at a time, to delve into your thoughts and memories."

Having read several accounts about Legilimency, Arabella was familiar with the torturous spell. She refrained from gasping out in horror, and stared at Snape with an intense gaze instead. Swallowing hard, fear clawed at the back of her throat; forcing her to gulp silently. "Professor, you can't do that! Surely that's illegal or something, and I'm sure that if I told Dumbledore about this he would--"

"Dumbledore would be powerless under the laws and regulations of both the Ministry and Hogwarts itself. He would most likely not listen to you, for as I said in my lesson, you are just a mere student. I am a Professor, and a man he trusts."

Arabella scoffed. "Ha! He trusts you? I find that incredibly hard to believe."

Snape pulled out his wand from his black robe pocket, and took his other pale hand around Bella's robe, dragging her over to where a single wooden chair stood askew from its desk. He began gesturing her to sit upon it. Reluctantly, she obeyed, with the same stern and fearless expression plastered on her face. Even if she was scared, she refused to show it. "I suppose that we will began with you, Miss Flannery. You have the most . . . interesting mind."

"Well, I'm flattered, Professor. Even if I can't say the same for you."

"Legilimens!" The man spoke, and Arabella was instantly pulled into a spiral of memories that flashed visibly through her mind like a whirlwind.

The first memory was pleasant, overriding the violent whispers that pulsated through her ears, even though the feeling itself of having her mind invaded was not so pleasant and it left her with a pounding headache. She was thrown back into the chair in the process, her eyes shut tightly with nothing but displeasure written on her face due to the awful sensation that was burning through her head.

Cheers and shrieks of delight surfaced instead, and clouding her vision was the blinding light of the Quidditch World Cup stadium. Bella sat beside Fred and George, gasping when Viktor Krum made an appearance. Their eyes connected, and for the first time, Bella was able to notice the smile that was left on his face after he performed tricks on his broom.

The second memory was a kaleidoscope, a blur of several voices screaming in rage. A howl could be heard in the background, one similar to that of Zoe's, which abruptly pulled Bella out of the visions. Her fists tightened and her expression was filled with anger. "Why are you doing this?" She shouted at the Professor, his wand forcefully pointed at her chest. "Why are you making me relive all of these moments?"

"I want to know who you are, Miss Flannery. You obviously have a lot to hide."

"No, no, I have nothing--"

With the cast of a wand she was pulled back into the visions, screaming in pain as her head pounded and her eyes throbbed from the sudden changes. In a split-second the memories alternated from the figure of the burning werewolf, to the argument between her and Viktor, even the time where she and him had played in the Black Lake, and the close-up of Zoe's burned face. Each memory brought back pain in some way, and she was unaware until it had stopped again, that tears had began to flow down her cheeks.

"Please, Professor, stop! Haven't you seen enough?" She begged, mentally cursing herself for not staying strong. She wished she was brave, like the Gryffindors, but she realised that moment that she wasn't as brave as she thought she was. The realisation pained her; the tightening in her chest and the throbbing head from the awful visions only increasing further.

Slowly, Snape lowered his wand. "That's enough, you can go." Arabella bolted to the door as she wiped away her tears. "Miss Flannery?"

"What?" She spat.

"Thank you for showing me the truth about Miss Rosenkrands," he glanced towards the blonde who stood there in shock at what she had witnessed. "If I had not performed Legilimency on you, I would not have known this . . . supernatural ability existed inside one of our students."

The redhead said nothing, hastily exiting the room and making sure to slam the door behind her. She longed to go to her Common Room and think. She didn't want to go to her dormitory, because it always seemed to be cold in the evening, and particularly at night; she wanted to be somewhere warm with a crackling fire and a comfortable sofa.

Her solemn walk to the Ravenclaw Common Room was interrupted when she saw Viktor drunkenly stumbling around the corridor. She yelled his name, and his eyes lit up at the sight of her. In an attempt to rush over to her, he tripped over his own feet and fell face-first. Stifling laughter, she helped him back to his feet (with great struggle considering he was rather tall and muscular, thus weighing considerably more than Bella whom was none of the above) and he thanked her profusely through muddled slurs.

"Drank too much Butterbeer I see, Viktor?" She teased, raising an eyebrow. Suddenly, all of her traumatising memories of the prior situation had disappeared, and instantly her mood was lifted. His presence alone, whether sober or drunk, had that effect on her.

He shook his head vigorously. "Firewhiskey, Bella. Firewhiskey."

"Who the hell gave you Firewhiskey?"

"We snook some into one of the ship's cabins. Had a Firewhiskey party! Great . . . great . . . amazing fun. You're amazing, Bella. But not as amazing as Firewhiskey. Or, uh, maybe you are. I don't know." He slurred, the constant rambling making Arabella giggle. "Where are we going?" He asked when noticing he was being led through several different corridors and up several different staircases, though his question was ignored. He had only just noticed this, because his drunken state left him very unaware of his surroundings until Bella stopped in front of a large royal blue door.

"We're here. This is the entrance to my Common Room." She smiled.

He gazed at the door with a bewildered expression, his eyes moving various directions as if attempting to take in the memory of the place. The abundance of paintings, the blue-bronze eagle mounted upon the wall, and the chipped paint marks on the ancient arch of the door. Even the smell was alluring - an aroma that consisted of flowers and coconut shampoo, although his drunken mind presumed that this came from Arabella and not in fact from the natural surroundings.

"A needle." Bella answered, and with a creak the door opened. It had asked her a riddle, although Viktor didn't hear what it was because he was too busy hypnotised by the smell of the girl's red hair, as creepy as it sounded. He was easily distracted when sober, so when he was drunk it tended to increase by very large amounts.

Arabella gestured for him to follow her into the blue-toned room, but he just stood there in perplexity. Sighing in annoyance despite the grin on her face, she resulted to taking his hand in hers and forcing the eighteen-year-old inside, shutting the door with her foot as she passed it. "Pretty," Viktor spoke as he acknowledged the mass of bookshelves in the room.

"Welcome to the Ravenclaw Common Room, Vik." Bella said, laying on a faded but pristine-looking blue sofa with her head propped up against one of the matching cushions. Viktor followed her (more so stumbled towards her) and sat lazily upon an armchair opposite the Ravenclaw. She tossed him a bottle of water. "Drink," she ordered. "You need to sober up if we're going to decide on a strategy."

"A strategy for, uh, what?" He questioned with furrowed brows as he took a large gulp, feeling it burn against the alcohol in his system.

"For the First Task, silly. It's just over a week away."

He shook his head violently, in vigorous and drunken opposition. "Isn't it . . . a bit . . . late?" He slurred with a fake yawn.

"Viktor, it's half past seven. It's not late at all." Bella reminded him with a spout of genuine laughter.

"But I'm tired. I want to go to bed." He pouted exaggeratedly. "Please, Bella. Don't you want to go to bed too? You must be tired after what your Professor did to you."

"H-How did you know about that?"

"I heard everything. Just because I'm extremely drunk doesn't mean that I have lost my hearing, babe." Yet again, he faked a yawn.

The redhead fidgeted uncomfortably. "Babe? Really, Viktor? Out of all the words you could have used, you called me babe?" Suddenly, the crackling fire went out, leaving them both with just the dim light of a single lampshade (the bulbs in the other lights had a tendency to burst a lot, and they could not be fixed with even the strongest of magic). She began to think about what Snape had done to her, and that from her memories, he had discovered Zoe's secret. What would happen to her now that he knows she is a werewolf? Would she be punished too? Tortured, even?

The lack of fire soon left Arabella with a shivering freeze about her. "I'm cold." She murmured, glancing over to Viktor when he didn't reply. His eyes were shut; the water bottle she gave him now empty in his hand, and his mouth agape where small snores emitted from it. Sighing, she moved over to him and gently placed herself on his lap. Her head lay comfortably on his shoulder like it was a soft pillow, with her hands resting against his chest.

Closing her eyes, she smiled as she felt his muscular arms wrap around her waist, and suddenly, she was warm again.

●

When Viktor awoke the next morning, Bella was stood at the array of bookshelves across the room with her chin rested against her hand. When she heard him groan, she looked back at him and smiled. "Good morning. Headache, by any chance?" Her smile transitioned into a one-sided smirk.

Viktor nodded, wincing as his head pounded with the movement. "I must have drank a lot, because I don't remember anything from last night."

Arabella giggled, joining the Bulgarian's side when she was satisfied with the book that she had found. "Well, I saw you drunkenly wandering around, led you here, you called me babe, and then we slept on the sofas."

Viktor laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I-I called you babe? That's embarrassing." He paused, inhaling sharply. "I didn't mean to, stupid drunk mind. Sorry I, uh, sorry I was so awkward."

"You're being more awkward now, Vik." Bella teased, fidgeting in her seat and patting the Seeker on the shoulder as she did so. "So, while we're here and it's quiet before we have to get to lessons, shall we decide on a strategy for the First Task since I promised I would help you?"

He took her hand in his. "I would like that a lot."

Arabella adjusted her Ravenclaw robe, opening the book that she had selected from the bookshelf. "So, it says here in this Book of Dragon Knowledge that dragons are very protective of their young, even when it is not yet hatched and is still an egg. So, since we already know the Task involves dragons, I am assuming that it will in someway include a dragon egg. I'm not sure what you would have to do with it yet, but if I was you I would keep that in mind."

"Thanks, Bella."

"Oh, and also, remember that your wand is your best friend in these Tasks. You will definitely need to use it in any way that you can. It will help you, trust me. And even if that plan fails, you can always count on me to secretly conjure a spell in your favour."

"I can handle that on my own."

Bella tutted. "I don't know, Viktor. I am the Ravenclaw here, and dragons are dangerous. You may need my help even if you don't want it."

He shrugged. "I suppose we will see next week." He raised an eyebrow sceptically.

Startling both of them, the doors burst open and banged against the stone walls as their hinges flung backwards. The person behind it was Erin; evident from her ever present scowling expression, deep brown hair that reminded Bella of the colour of mud (or chocolate, but only if she was feeling generous), and the love-bite marks that seemed to constantly be making a trail upon her neck and chest. The culprit was Anthony Goldstein, as Bella assumed.

Arabella immediately stood up when she noticed the scowl on Erin's face form a look of concern. "Not that you would care, but it's about Zoe. Snape found out about her being a - you know, a werewolf, and said that he would tell Dumbledore and have her expelled from Hogwarts. I've been looking for you, to tell you."

"Oh, God. How did you know where to find me?"

The brunette shrugged. "I just guessed you'd be here, since you always are. Didn't know you'd have company." She acknowledged, glancing at Viktor flirtatiously. Noticing her gaze, Bella placed a protective hand upon the Bulgarian's forearm. "Zoe's in the Forbidden Forest - said she went there to clear her head."

"I thought she only goes there on a full moon to keep herself away from everyone."

"I know you don't trust me - which is alright, because I don't trust your either, by the way - but please, just come with me. I can't comfort her on my own." She pleaded.

"But we hate each other, Erin. You and Zoe hate me, and I hate both of you. Why would I comfort her without any reason to?"

Erin sighed. "Please, Arabella. I can't believe I'm saying this because it's actually painful, but I need your help."

Bella stood up, nodding reluctantly. She felt satisfied to hear Erin say that, because those were words that had never left the brunette's tongue in regards to the girl in front of her. "Ugh, fine. But you owe me."

"Yeah, whatever." Erin agreed. The redhead turned back to Viktor with an apologetic smile, unable to see the wicked grin that curled upon her roommate's face as she had her back turned. Arabella blushed when he returned the smile, and he squeezed her hand gently.

"Promise me you'll be okay." He ordered, taking the girl by surprise at how oddly romantic the statement sounded when it was laced with his strangely attractive Bulgarian accent.

"I promise." She murmured in reply, before shutting the doors behind her where her and Erin exited the Ravenclaw Common Room. Viktor was left in there, fiddling with his own hands and finding that, for the first time, his legs began to shake with anxiety. He wanted Bella to be safe more than anything.

●

Bella had been walking with Erin for a while; she didn't remember the last time that the trek towards the Forbidden Forest had took so long. She was stepping down the path, passing by Hagrid's hut, finding that Erin was completely silent and lost in thought.

They spent the whole way silent, in fact, without conversing once. This made the girl feel rather uncomfortable, yet still she had not plucked up the courage to say something - they were both too deep into the silence now that it was seemingly impossible to get out of.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the sky became increasingly darker under the growing canopy of trees. Arabella knew of the forest being renowned for its spooky atmosphere, but never had she experienced it at such a great intensity. She swiftly found herself mumbling to Erin out of pure boredom, unaware that Erin was no longer at her side and had fallen behind. However, when she turned around to search for the girl, she was not in sight. "Erin?" She called. "Where've you gone?"

And suddenly, a sweaty hand clasped around her mouth from behind. She attempted to scream, but only muffled cries surfaced.

Before she could comprehend who the attacker was, she was knocked to the ground with a large pain erupting at the side of her head.

Bella has been through so much in this chapter omg !!

Sorry if my writing is bad (which the answer is yes, it is v bad today) I just wanted to get the ideas down in a chapter since this is a wild one lmao