Forming a Resistance [PLOT/Open]

For anyone who wants to join!:

Ariel had been thinking a lot about how she wanted to go about the resistance she had been told by Hunter to start, but after a lot of thinking, she knew she couldn't do it on her own. So, she had enlisted the people she trusted, the people she truly believed were smarter than to turn to Reapers. Like Oliver, Lyn and Lyra. She'd invited other people she knew a little about, like Humphrey and some other Gryffindors from her house. She'd tried to keep an age limit on it, but this had proven difficult. And besides, wasn't it good if they knew how to defend themselves, if even a litte?

She'd told them all how to get into the Room of Requirement, though most people knew of the room. Which was why she'd also told them to wish for a place where they could form a resistance that no one would find them in. This way, only the right people would be allowed to enter. So Ariel took her time getting to the room, though she was way early, because she wanted to make sure no one else would steal the room before them.

She sat down in a plushie chair in front of a warm fire, and she waited patiently for people to start showing up. She knew she had to get everything started, she knew she had a lot to do, and she knew how important this was. Even if she'd ignored Hunter for the last weeks, even if she knew she had more than enough to do already. This would have to come first, before anything, because there was nothing, nothing that was as important as being prepared for a possible, and even worse, plausible attack. They had to do something, and she would help them all get started, and then give the torch over to someone else when she graduated.

When Humphrey received an invitation to join a resistance group from Ariel he was more than a little surprised. First off that she'd even trust him with the information, since they'd only talked a few times; and secondly, that she had figured him out as somebody who would be interested in joining. He didn't think he came across as the fighter type, to be honest. The idea had intrigued him though, and he made his way up to the seventh floor feeling curious about what this meeting would hold. Walking in front of the section of corridor that had been specified, he thought about a place to hold a resistance. Slowly a door appeared and Humphrey walked inside, finding Ariel already there waiting for him.

Looking around, he sat down in a chair near the warm fire and wished for a blanket. Just like that, he had a soft blue one in his hands and he snuggled under it happily. Humphrey hoped that this group would never have a need to fight, but if there was another attack he wanted to be ready. Instead of feeling hopeless he wanted to be able to do something to make a difference, which was why he was here. "How are you, Ariel?" he asked, eyeing the older girl. Even though he hadn't seen her in a while, he thought she looked stressed. It would be understandable, after all it was her last year of Hogwarts and she was probably swamped with studying for N.E.W.T. revision.

Sinead's hair was pulled back into another very messy nest of hair. It was supposed to be a bun, but it didn't look like it. She had been asked by Oliver to accompany him to some mystery meeting for the students. Truthfully, Oliver had made it really weird even though it was just Sinead, and naturally she felt bad for him so she had agreed to go on this mysterious adventure of his. Maybe they would join a group of animal rights activists, because that seemed like something Oliver would do. "Are you an activist, Oliver? For anything specific?" She asked as they walked, him towering over her with his older-kid height. Really, how tall was he? He was probably a bit taller than Matthew, which was ridiculous because Matthew was fourteen or something, and Oliver was seventeen. Either Oliver had been a late bloomer or Matthew just seemed to hoard all of his nice personality in his bones. It was probably the latter, because Matthew was a moody, arrogant ass. As in, the animal, of course.

"Um, I suppose?" He replied, looking down at her and scratching the back of his head. "Not officially, but I try to keep up to date with some important things." Sinead would take that as an answer, as she had learned that Oliver was one of those earth-loving hippies, so really anything he said was naturally weird and she didn't read too far into it. Nodding, Sinead followed the Head Boy all the way up to the Seventh Floor, which was a terribly unnecessary walk. "You know, maybe it would have been easier to apparate to the Seventh Floor. You can do that, I saw you register for the classes and all." She didn't glance up at him this time, but just smiled when she heard the chuckle. Danny and Humphrey had been right, there was no age limit on friendships. Especially not with Oliver, because he was probably the friendliest human being she had ever and would ever meet. Now, she was glad she had opened up to the weirdo, because now she could officially say she was friends with the Head Boy, which was pretty cool with all the Ravenclaws.

"Okay, we're here." Oliver declared, staring at a blank wall. Sinead looked around the empty hallways; there was nothing. "If you're trying to be funny, it's not working, Oliver." She assured him, a sudden arrogant tone in her voice. He laughed a little and nodded towards the wall he had been staring at. "No, just wait." Oliver closed his eyes, as if he were in deep meditation or something - because Sinead had attempted yoga with him and it was ridiculously boring  so she knew what he looked like when he was being hippy. With her hands in her jean pockets, Sinead waited for whatever magical thing Oliver was trying to do. Maybe he would spontaneously burst into flames and turn into a phoenix. Or maybe he was just trying to do more yoga in the middle of the giant corridor. For a second, Sinead considered slowly walking off, because who knew what Oliver was really into. However, just as she took a step back, a massive wooden door appeared on the wall. ON. THE. WALL.

"Wait, wha-" Oliver completely ignored Sinead's reaction, because he just pushed her through the door by her shoulders. She allowed him to, though, because she was curious about what was on the other side of the magical door. It didn't take her long to discover it; there was a girl, a very pretty girl, and Humphrey. They were both sitting on colorful chairs, by a fireplace that looked rather comfortable. Grinning instantly, Sinead ran up to take a chair next to Humphrey, a lime - almost toxic - green one. "Hey!" she greeted him. Oliver walked up to the older girl, which she instantly knew it wasn't Victoria - Oliver's girlfriend - because he didn't kiss her or anything like that. Instead, he just smiled at her like she was the whole reason he was here, which now that Sinead was thinking about it, it probably was. "Hey Ariel. This is Sinead, she's a third year, but she's smart." He winked at Sinead. Normally, winking was creepy, but coming from Oliver it seemed like an inside joke instead. Sinead wasn't sure if she was offended to be called just smart, of if she was glad she had been introduced. Still, she gave the Ariel girl a smile.

Ari wasn't so sure about this whole secret resistance club thing. But it apparently meant so much to Matthew that she decided to come along just for fun. It would be one more thing that they could do together. And, Ari had met Ariel before, so she knew she would make it fun. Ari had decided to invite Arwen to come along, sense Matthew had invited some other chick that Ari didn't know about, and suddenly she was jealous. Sure she shouldn't be, Matthew had promised to stay by her side together or apart. She grabbed his hand just so the other girl knew that they were together. And if she tried anything funny, Ari would surly make her life miserable. There was only Ariel, a blonde headed boy, and Matthew's brother and a couple other people in the room, when they figured out how to make it into he room of requirement. Ari smiled at Ariel and waved. She still wasn't sure about this entire situation as it seemed rather sketchy, but she was sure it would be fun considering more than half of their class seemed to be invited, and more.

When she looked at the other person, she vaguely remembered his face from the Quidditch game and winced at the memory. She wanted to make sure so she asked Matthew, "Didn't I meet him at the Qudditch game?" She couldn't remember his name. She was suddenly nervous as she looked around. She didn't know what Ariel was planning, but it didn't really feel right. She desperately wanted to make some excuse and say that she was feeling sick, and leave. But she knew Matthew really wanted to stay, so she didn't say anything. Really, Ari loved being rebellious about these kinds of behavior, she didn't know why she was so nervous, or felt really uneasy about all of this. But learning how to defend herself was a key in staying alive. She didn't know why that mattered now, or why there even was some sort of thing, but Ari was determined to learn. She was passionate about her magic, and spells. Even if she didn't really show it, she was.

She wanted to know as much as possible, and she felt that her defense class wasn't giving her enough boost to learn. As she held Matthew's hand nervously, she looked around. She asked Ariel, "What are we doing here?" For being named after a Disney Princess, this girl was fierce, and that's what Ari liked, no feared about her. She didn't like being out fierced. Ari had her own way with words, and suddenly she was afraid of Ariel. She didn't know why, she just was.

Ariel looked up as she heard the door form behind her, and smiled softly as she saw Humphrey enter the room. The Ravenclaw youngster was easily the person she felt most comfortable around after Hunter left. And maybe Oliver and Lyra, but that were due to completely different reasons. As he sat down next to her in a new chair, and a blanket appeared from nowhere, Ariel's smile widened into a happier one; the seriousness of this situation wasn't to be taken lightly, but maybe she shouldn't take it so depressively either. At least not yet. She'd wait until she'd seen the skill levels of the students who showed up. "I'm all right. A bit weirded out about this meeting, but I'll explain that closer when everyone's here, so I won't have to repeat myself," she said with a light shrug. "How about you? Been to the Astronomy tower lately?" Though her tone was light now, she was also a bit annoyed with herself; she was the Head Girl, she should've made certain that Humphrey was fitting in nicely, especially after the time they'd talked while studying the stars.

Her train of thought was broken when Oliver entered the room with a Ravenclaw girl Ariel didn't think she'd met before, though her face wasn't unfamiliar. Her worry about Humphrey's social life, however, dwindled as the girl ran up to him and sat in the chair beside him, looking all happy. Ariel smiled to herself and then turned to beam at Oliver. "Howdy," she joked before looking back at the girl. "Hi Sinead, I'm Ariel," she said with a grin, "And I trust your judgement, Ollie, I'm sure Sinead's brilliant." She barely had time to think more before the door opened once again, and four people entered. They were older than the youngest, but younger than herself and Ollie. Ariel gave a smile to them and by her mind's will, four more chairs emerged. "Hi guys, please join us," she said softly, once again willing the room to give more space and the chairs (with the people in them) moved a bit to form a half circle so everyone could see everyone.

She grinned at Ariadne, though she was surprised to see that the Slytherin looked a tiny bit out of place. How this was possible for a girl who sang from the bottom of her heart in the hallways, Ariel didn't know. "I'll leave it for a couple more minutes, and then we'll get into it," she responded to Ariadne, hoping the girl would feel more comfortable after sitting down for a moment. Ariel looked at the people in the room, wondering if they were even ready for this, or if she could teach them anything. Like Oliver would probably know most everything Ariel did. Which again was why he was damned nice to have around, of course, he could help her out! Her eyes rested on a girl with brushy blonde hair which was so messy, Ariel wondered if there was a spell in the world that could tame it. She had glasses as well, which added to her Ravenclaw-y appearance. But if Ariadne had felt out of place, this girl seemed to be out of this world. And not in the good way. Her entire position was strained and she looked so terrified, Ariel had to fight herself from reaching out and giving the girl a hug. That'd probably only worsen it. Then there was Matthew, Oliver's brother, whom she hadn't actually talked to, but knew fairly loads about, both from Ariadne and Oliver. Her eyes turned to Sinead and Humphrey then. The world just wasn't a good place now, and Ariel had to remind herself of her initial thought; any way of defending themselves would be better than no way of defending themselves.

Looking at the clock (which mysteriously appeared when Ariel wondered what time it was), Ariel finally cleared her voice. "Okay, we're here to form a dueling group," she finally said, her voice clear so it would sound over the soft chatters. "And you might think; why do we need this group? Because we need to learn to fight, and to defend ourselves. Why? Because in the last few years, Britain has been the target of a particular group of dark wizards calling themselves the Reapers. I'm gonna assume that you've all heard of this group. I know you might be thinking that the professors are here to protect us, that Hogwarts is safe. But Hogsmeade was attacked once. Aside from Oliver and myself, neither of you were at Hogwarts at the time. Then there was an attack in Diagon Alley. Have any of you been there? Exactly. I'm not trying to scare you, really, but a wise man once said 'constant vigilance'. Merlin knows the Reapers don't discriminate. And Morgenstern, their leader, is the cruelest person since Voldemort." Ariel looked at them to see their reactions to what she was saying. She didn't want to scare them, and she didn't want to make them paranoid. But the world wasn't a nice place.

"You've all heard the stories of Harry Potter and his friends. They formed a resistance in this very room, calling it Dumbledore's Army. They all developed their skills, and that is exactly what we're going to do. Any defense is better than no defense," Ariel said sharply. For a brief moment, she wondered if Hunter would be proud of her. But she pushed the thought aside. "I want to jump straight to it. We're going to be focusing on disarming spells mostly today, but we'll also do some other spells, some more aggressive ones. More complicated ones. None that will actually hurt any of us, so don't worry about that! But before we do, are there any questions?" she asked. She really wanted to get started. The sooner the better. She only had one year to do this. It wasn't enough. She needed to create a pattern that they could follow when she left.

Time:

When Ollie told Matthew about the apparently secret meeting that was going to be taking place, Matthew had gotten the idea that Ollie didn’t really want to tell him about it. Which meant that it was probably pretty important, if he was telling him anyway. Of course, if Ariel Wilde was hosting it, which Ollie said she was, it had to be something sort of big, being that she was head girl. Matthew hadn’t ever really talked to her, aside from Prefect meetings, but then he usually just sat and listened and tried to ignore his brother who always did half the talking. In any case, Ollie had said to be there and had said it was important and had told him to bring people that he trusted with him. Ollie had emphasized the trusted part, which had actually forced Matthew to think carefully about who he invited. Because Matthew had never had to sit down and really stop and think about who had his trust.

Though the first person to pop into his mind should have been Ari, it wasn’t. Not because he didn’t trust her, but because he actually thought that Arwen was the most trustworthy person he’d ever met. If he was going to tell anyone a secret that he didn’t want passed on, it would be her. Though, he didn’t think she could withstand torture or anything to keep a secret, but he was pretty sure that she would want to keep it far more than anyone else. Of course, inviting Ari was a given as well. What kind of person would he be if he didn’t trust his own girlfriend? Matthew had actually deliberated a bit before talking to anyone else. At first, he wasn’t sure if inviting Derek was a good idea, only because Derek didn’t seem to like him much anymore. But, Ollie hadn’t told him to bring people he liked, he’d said to bring people he trusted. And he would trust Derek if it came down to it. Sera was a bit more of a wild card, because he didn’t know her that well compared to the others. But they’d become friends, and Matthew felt like bringing her wouldn’t be a mistake. Besides, there was always the chance that Ollie was overexaggerating and whatever this was would be no big deal anyway.

He was a little surprised to find that it was Ari who seemed the most uncomfortable with the whole thing, and he looked at her a little weirdly when she reached for his hand – because it seemed to have a different meaning than it usually did – but didn’t pull away. ”What’s wrong?” he whispered in her ear, frowning. But he didn’t have long to talk to her, because before long they were in the room. And instantly, Matthew didn’t feel the slightest bit concerned that he’d brought Sera, because Ollie was talking to Sinead O’Donnell. And Matthew didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her. Less than that even, because he might be able to throw her a few feet at least, considering how tiny she was.

Almost the moment they arrived, Ariel Wilde beckoned them over. Matthew never really liked the way he had trouble not looking at the head girl in meetings, and now. He liked to be in control, and Ariel made him feel like he wasn’t. Ollie had told Matthew why, but he still didn’t like it. He was sure Ari wouldn’t like it either, so he made sure not to stare, instead letting his eyes drift past her while he listened. Oh. So it was serious. Matthew could still remember what it was like when that VanDerberg boy was killed – it had felt like the whole school had died, even though Matthew didn’t know him or his family. Not really. But because of that incident, he knew who they were. He swallowed and locked his eyes on Ariel again, but this time not because she was pretty. Because what she was saying deserved his attention. And when she’d finished, Matthew decided that everything she said made sense. That she was right – they weren’t safe, even if they were supposed to think they were. Any questions.

”I think it’s a great idea,” Matthew said out loud. ”And we can help, if you need it. I can help people with fire spells – and Ollie’s great at healing, though he won’t say so. That would be just as useful as defense.” Matthew wasn’t sure who other than Ariel was responsible for teaching them, because Ollie had been pretty vague. But if it was just her, she should know that they’d be willing to step up.

Lyra didn't know much about Ariel's plans for this resistance group thing, but she understood pretty much what it was going to be, and she was really, really excited for it. Well, not excited, but eager to get on with it, because she knew as well as anyone the need to be prepared for the attacks which posed a huge threat to the school and its students. And maybe she wouldn't have expected Ariel of all people to be the one to start this thing, head girl Ariel who played pranks but never caused any serious trouble, but she guessed someone needed to do it and her friend was as good as anyone. Anyway, it was a very Hunter-ish thing to do, and he was probably rubbing off on Ariel. Ew. Lyra hadn't invited anyone, deciding that there was nobody in particular who she knew well enough or trusted enough to invite. She was sure there'd be plenty people there anyway, without her recruiting. Plenty of people would find the whole idea of this secret cool resistance group exciting, she imagined. And maybe not understand quite how serious it was.

She'd been in the library for most of the day (NEWTs, they sucked) drowning in books and homework so it was very nice finally getting out, even if she did have to climb the stairs right up to the seventh floor. Even after six and a bit years here, she still hadn't worked out the secret to not getting screwed over by the moving staircases. But they weren't too bad, so she did manage to navigate her way to the seventh floor without too many disruptions, and found the right part of the corridor. She had been to the room before, only not in circumstances like this, or as deliberately as today. As Ariel had said, Lyra thought of a place they could meet for the resistance group without being interrupted, and sure enough she found herself in a room with some chairs and a fireplace, and a bunch of people already, some she recognised and others, younger ones, she didn't know at all.

Smiling, Lyra headed over to where she could see Ariel and Oliver with a small girl she didn't recognise. "Hey," she greeted, taking a seat next to Oliver. And she was just in time, because it looked like Ariel was about to begin. Seeing her get up and address the group gave Lyra a lot more confidence. Ariel would be great, she was head girl, and it sounded like she knew what she was doing with this. She smiled.

When James Morgenstern and the attack came up she chewed on her lip anxiously, looking down to hide her face a little bit. As much as she blamed herself and a hundred other people for Jack's death, there was nobody in the entire world she despised as much as that man. And nobody she feared as much, either. She picked at her fingernails, waiting for Ariel to move on to what they were doing today before she looked back up and started to concentrate on what was actually being said. Disarming spells, she could manage that. She was alright at DADA, probably good enough to be an auror. Although she wouldn't, because she had to prove how much better she was than Hunter by getting a much better job. But disarming spells, simple. Cool. Lyra didn't offer any questions or input, instead staying quiet and looking at others, paying attention to what Oliver's little brother was saying. Ah yes, he was the pyromaniac one. Maybe they could scare Morgenstern away with small flames.

Hearing that Ariel was a little bit weirded out by the meeting she had called gave him pause, was it really something that bad she had called them to talk about? That she wanted to wait until everybody had gathered before she started explaining things made sense and he nodded, willing to wait to get answers. Being asked about how he'd been and having been up to the astronomy tower lately made him smile, that had been a good night. Meeting somebody older who he had gotten on well with had helped him feel more comfortable here at Hogwarts. "No, haven't been up to the astronomy tower lately. Busy with classes and hanging out with my best friend. As for how I've been lately...well, having a crush on somebody gets confusing. Especially when the best friend can't stand her." he said with a sigh, wishing things were easier. He didn't know why he had to like the one person his best friend couldn't tolerate, but he did and he couldn't exactly change the way he felt about her. Dakota was a lot nicer than Sinead gave her credit, they just brought out each other's mean sides.

When Humphrey saw Sinead come through with an older student he was more than a little surprised. She wasn't one of the people he'd expected to come to a resistance meeting. Once he got over the shock though, he gave his best friend a smile. It was nice to have somebody he knew aside from Ariel and a little bit Ari here. "Hey, Sinead. Didn't think I'd see you here, brought along by your friend?" he asked, looking at the older boy. Not surprisingly, it wasn't somebody he'd met before and he was a little curious how they knew each other. Sinead was a good judge of character though, most of the time at least, so if they were friends it probably meant he was alright. Feeling a little better with his best friend there with him, he tried to wait patiently for the meeting to start. After a short wait for any last-minute stragglers to show up, Ariel started explaining why she'd arranged the meeting.

After listening to the entire explanation, and keeping in mind that a group like this had been formed before and been rather successful, the wheels in his brain started turning. It was definitely a good idea to start teaching students how to defend themselves in case of attack, but what he couldn't understand was why the school wasn't saying anything about this threat if it was so serious. "Why aren't the teachers telling us anything about what's going on, if it's really so bad? I think it's a great idea to start learning how to defend ourselves, I just find it hard to believe the adults would turn a blind eye if the situation is so dangerous." Humphrey said, part of his brain unable to accept the people in charge knowing about it and doing nothing. Surely they wouldn't just let them stay here if they were truly in danger. Teachers were supposed to be responsible, at least that's what he'd always thought.

Arwen had been surprised, and strangely happy, when Matthew and Ari had both approached her with news of a group gathering. It had been two different occasions, and even though Matthew had gotten to her first, there was something about the way Ari had invited her that made her not want to tell Ari that she’d already been invited. From what Arwen had been able to understand so far, it was some issue with another girl that Arwen didn’t know. It was all too complicated for her to pay attention to right now. And this confusion had made her miss what the meeting would even be about. She had understood it was something serious, but was she supposed to wear something in particular, or didn’t it matter what she wore? In the end, she found that the school uniform would probably suffice.

She met Ari, Matthew and Serafina, which was actually pretty nice; she hadn’t talked to the Gryffindor since her first year, really, but the girl had always seemed interesting to Arwen, though maybe a bit intimidating. She didn’t talk much as they walked up the stairs though, but she had a feeling this wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. She hadn’t been to the room they were supposed to meet in, so she was curious to see where it was, even though she was ever so nervous, because what on earth would she really find there? And would it be for her? Most things weren’t, so why would this? But since both her friends had asked her, she felt she ought to come. She just hoped that they wouldn’t have to fight in midair or anything, because the further up they walked, the more nervous she got.

Amazement spread on her face when the doors slid open to reveal a rather massive room with a fireplace and chairs drawn up for the people already there. An older girl with blonde hair and a perfect complexion looked their way, and suddenly four more comfy chairs materialized, from thin air. Ariel quickly sat in the one furthest away, next to Ariadne, and went silent, looking into the fire, because this was getting uncomfortable. She had no idea what this was about. She’d seen the older girl around, and if she wasn’t mistaken, Arwen was pretty sure it was the Head Girl, and the Head Boy was sitting next to her. Arwen had met him once before, when she was a first or second year. She couldn’t remember. But he was Matthew’s older brother, so she did know his name. After a painful few minutes, the head girl started talking, and Arwen didn’t have a problem paying attention, because what was being said was scaring the life out of her.

What surprised her, though, was the fact that Ariadne looked even more uncomfortable than Arwen felt. She didn’t understand why. Ari was a strong person who could probably learn all these spells easily. It made Arwen even more worried, but not so much about the spells, about the person. Arwen frowned and looked back at the girl talking. What was she doing that made Ari so uncomfortable? Arwen shook her head, she was probably just not used to seeing Ariadne serious like this, so maybe this was just how she reacted. Arwen did feel a certain sense of pressure of the world ‘dueling’, because Arwen was probably a pacifist. So wouldn’t she hate hurting people? And besides, it wasn’t a very nice thought to be hurt, because she was sure she’d be incapable of hurting even a single one in this room. Even those younger than herself. Maybe she was underestimating herself, but something told her it was very true.

She looked at Matthew as he spoke up, which made Arwen smile. Of course he would; he was a fighter from what she could tell. And she was really amused when he mentioned fire. She remembered that time in the library when he’d come in with a ball of fire, and asked her to hold it. She looked to a younger Ravenclaw that she’d seen around the common room, but didn’t really know, as he also spoke up. His question made her question stuff as well. Why was there no professors here? At the same time, it sort of made Arwen feel a bit more comfortable. She knew that if there’d actually been a professor in the room, she’d be immensely pressured, and she’d probably fail everything. So she turned to the head girl to hear what she would say about it, because she was hoping to be reassured that there would be no professors.

When Matthew had come to him about some mysterious meeting led by the Head Girl, Derek had decided to go immediately, despite not liking Matthew much at the moment, or knowing anything about what the meeting actually was. He liked Ariel Wilde a lot, from prefect meetings anyway, and when he found out it was something to do with dueling, he was even more interested - he sucked at dueling. Even if there was going to be rule breaking going on, his little brother was constantly telling him that he needed to be less of a prude. Besides, it was being led by Ariel so it couldn't be anything too awful. Matthew might have known more about it, but Derek hadn't talked to him for very long, so his knowledge of the event was limited to vaguely what it was and how to get there. Nonetheless, he figured he'd show up, see what was going on and then stick around if it was good.

Having been at work all day, he was exhausted by the time he got back to the castle, even more so after he climbed all the stairs to the seventh floor. Really he was too tired for this, but too curious not to go, so he rushed along the corridor, well aware that he was already late, and when he arrived to the right place imagined the room he'd been instructed to. He'd come alone, because he wasn't really sure who to invite that hadn't already been invited already. Anyway, he wouldn't know who to trust. Grinning as the doors slid open to reveal a room with chairs and a fireplace, he wandered in, seeing various familiar faces and some others he didn't recognise too, of various ages. There didn't seem to be any pattern between the people, so he imagined there wasn't something specific which qualified you to attend this meeting. He went to take a seat next to Matthew without saying anything, trying not to interrupt whatever Ariel Wilde was saying. He collapsed into the seat. This was the first time he'd sat down in hours. Work had been busy.

Derek turned his attention to Ariel, who was talking about the Morgenstern bloke. Sounded scary. So he'd totally need the extra dueling help. And luckily it sounded like that was what they were doing today. He could just about manage expelliarmus. Despite having various spellbooks memorised off by heart, when it came to actually casting spells he was far less able. The Head Girl finished and opened things up for questions. Derek kept his mouth shut, looking at the other people talking.