Closed Snakes among Lions

Aura swept through the castle corridors with her usual confident stride, her cloak billowing slightly behind her as she made her way forward the Gryffindor corridor. The maze that was Hogwarts New Zealand's layout was slowly becoming more familiar the more time she spent wandering its halls, though she often still found herself second-guessing her route. Not that she would ever let someone see her hesitate of course. She stopped just short of the portraits into the common room, almost surprised not to see the Fat Lady she had come to know, and she scanned the area for any sign of Theo. He wasn't particularly difficult to spot usually, he was often flirting with girls, or boys, depending on his mood, but apparently today he was doing that in the common room, because he wasn't doing it out here and he wasn't paying attention to her which was just doubly rude of him. Leaning casually against the stone wall, Aura folded her arms, her fingers drumming lightly on her sleeve. She was contemplating whether it would be worth trying to bribe the portraits for information when she suddenly felt someone brush past her.

“Watch where you’re going,” she said sharply, whipping her head around. Her icy tone softened slightly when her gaze landed on the figure—a tall older boy with the unmistakable green-and-silver emblem of Slytherin on his robes. Ooh, he was pretty too. What fun. “Well, well,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Another snake in lion territory. Don’t tell me I’ve got competition for Gryffindor babysitting duty?” Aura’s lips curved into a faint smirk as she waited to see if he would rise to the bait or brush her off entirely. Either way, this unexpected encounter was already more interesting than waiting for Theo.​

Mikael had a routine, and he stuck to it. On days like this, he would be staying outside of the Gryffindor Common Room anywhere between five minutes to an hour and, in rare cases, possibly more. Still, he didn't mind. He frequently occupied himself during these times anyway. Usually, during these waiting times, Mikael would be alone at his usual spot, but today, it seemed like someone had gotten there first. He recognized her. A transfer student who had just joined Slytherin and, from what he had seen and heard, seemed to be friends with his cousin, Theodore. Well, this was definitely going to go swimmingly. His robes brushed past her as he walked past, aiming to stand against the wall a few feet from her since she'd taken his spot near a window. It was not going to be pleasant staring at a wall while waiting for Elio after all - though he probably should have just done exactly that. "Theodore Nightray - all yours," he told her blandly. If she could take his cousin far far away from him, then all the better.​

Aura’s eyes narrowed slightly at the older boys curt response, but her smirk remained firmly on her face. Oh, this one was going to be fun. She turned toward him fully, her posture loose but her expression sharp, like a predator sizing up her prey. “All mine, huh?” she repeated, her tone light and teasing. “As if I’d want to claim responsibility for Theo’s chaos. No thanks. I’m not running a daycare.” Her fingers idly toyed with the edge of her cloak as she studied him, head tilting just enough to give the impression she was thoroughly unimpressed.

Still, she couldn’t ignore his bored, dismissive attitude—or the fact he was clearly staking out this spot for his own reasons. “Though, I have to say, you don’t seem all that eager to claim him either,” she added, her gaze flicking up and down his figure. “So what’s the story here? Lost your favourite perch to little old me, or are you here hiding from someone even more unbearable than my dear Theo?” Her smirk deepened, a playful spark in her eye as she leaned back against the wall again, clearly inviting him to entertain her while she waited.​