Howler

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava was in the student longue, her head in Philip's lap as she attempted to read the coursework for her potions class. Philip had been idly playing with her hair and it was a bit distracting. They'd been sitting there maybe an hour, and as Ava's eyes begun to drift closed, the flapping of wings startled her awake.

Ava sat up quickly, possibly startling Philip. "Hi," she cooed to her father's owl, not even looking at the letter before she opened it. Her father's voice burst from the howler, and Ava fell back off the couch, wide eyed and startled.

Avaria Helene Lockwood!

I don't know if you remember that I told you to behave yourself. And follow the rules! Then here I am, receiving your second letter, caught by a prefect! What if you could be in an accident?! You are in serious trouble young lady and just in your first year!

*sighs deeply*

I miss you too and see you soon. But still,you are in for a big talk with me.


Love,
Papa

Avaria sat there as the howler tore itself up, a surprised pout on her face as her lower lip trembled just a bit. That wasn't fair! Papa had never yelled at her before. And over something so trivial!

Ava lowered her gaze, afraid to look at Philip or anyone else who might be in the room.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Philip was eyeing the cookies his cousin Alec did for them but Avaria's head was on his lap. Instead, he played with her hair sweetly. Waiting the perfect timing to ask if he could get some to much on. His bitterness toward life subsided and he's been out of his common room often to spend time with Ava and his cousins. Although having two already at the same house, he wanted to meet the others who are more nice than the others. Hungry for some cookies. Philip was about to ask Ava if she could lift her head for a minute when an Owl just entered the room from the open window. That's when Ava sat up and he could at least get a cookie from the plate.

A manly and baritone voice scared the crap out of Philip that he dropped the cookie. A howler was the worst a student could get from their parents, it was embarrassing. After the letter stopped talking and it shredded itself. Philip could feel his jaw clenched. Did he missed something while he was down to his common room being a baby? The Slytherin boy stood from the couch, both hands on his hips. "Did I missed something here? Caught by a prefect? What were you doing to get caught? Are you out late at night?" He had too many questions to delved that there are a few people around. Avaria getting trouble was his concern. She's his best friend.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava's agony didn't end when Papa's letter shredded itself. Philip stood above her, looking mad. "No, it wasn't anything bad, I swear!" She pouted, her big blue eyes filling with tears. Having Papa and Philip both yelling at her was too much.

"I painted Papa a picture of the school and it was good but it wasn't great so my friend Paolo and I borrowed some brooms and we just wanted to see the school better. We were being careful and everything but a prefect boy saw us and he yelled." Ava rushed to explain, trying her best not to cry. Having everyone mad at her hurt.

"Please don't be mad," she pleaded with Philip gently, wiping at her eyes.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

He can't tolerate rule breaking even as simple as walking on the grass with the sign that says 'Keep off the grass'. This one involves a broom and flying inside the castle when they're not even suppose to be flying without supervision. Philip didn't know what to do or even say. They were first years and supposedly behave children but of course, curiosity will always kill the cat. He shooked his head slightly, the boy wasn't mad, he was disappointed. Because he thought that Avaria was better than this. "I'm disappointed in you. I thought that you being in Ravenclaw of all houses, would understand rules. I guess not. I guess it's not the house's fault, it's their people." Philip sigh, he didn't want to sit with Avaria.

Instead he went across from her and sat on an arm chair. "And who is this Paolo? Your boy friend? God! Ava, if you want adventure with your boy friend, the lake or the gardens are pretty romantic slash adventurous." Philip was getting himself pretty frustrated at that moment and he needed to calm down. Or maybe you're just jealous because you wanted to be with her when that happened? His subconscious teasing him. "Ava ..." Philip trailed off with a sigh. "... Nevermind, you're not going to listen anyways." The boy gave up and leaned against the chair's back, his eyes closed, calming himself.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava was miserable, but she tried to hide it. Having Philip disappointed in her wasn't any better. "You're not being fair, Philip." She told him, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "No one said it was against the rules. How was I supposed to know? And once the prefect told me, I stopped." She watched him walk across the room and sit in a chair over there.

Her brow knitted as he called Paolo her boyfriend and went on to say other places were more romantic. "What? No, he's not-" She shook her head. Paolo, her boyfriend? That was a silly idea. "I would have loved for you to have gone too, but it wasn't all that long after school started and I couldn't find you." She told him in all seriousness, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest.

His attitude about the entire thing was hurting her. "You aren't the only one afraid of being here," She told him, softly, voicing her fears for the first time. "If I'm not outstanding, and exceptional, and brilliant, my Papa will forget me." She looked at Philip, willing him to understand. "He forgot me once, and I'm terrified that while I'm away he'll forget me again. That's why I didn't stop to see if it was against the rules to be on brooms. I don't have time to second guess myself."

 

[Nora Seville-Maxwell]

Nora was in the mood to give out messages and find people. It was getting pretty boring in the Slytherin common room for her. It was fun before when Teagan was still here, the blonde moved and they also moved but Nora came back just because she liked it. Wondering around corridors on every floor, she heard people talking loudly. The curious dark haired Slytherin peeked in the Student Lounge, the person she was looking for and a girl were sat across from each other. Philip seems frustrated on something or on someone. Nora smirked, she thinks she knew why and that was a leverage for her.

Entering the lounge, the Slytherin fourth year made her way toward them and simply sat on the arm rest of the couch next to the blonde haired little girl. "Ravenclaw robes ... is she the girl you were talking about, Philip?" Nora asked acting curious but she knows herself too well. Of course, the Slytherin didn't wait for an answer from her cousin. "And by the look of your face you found out what happened, I presumed. Little miss Ravenclaw has a boy friend and got caught joy riding on school brooms inside the school." Nora looked at the blonde Ravenclaw and smiled at her, "Oh, don't worry, honey. Everyone had seen the mischief already. It might end up on the first volume of the school paper too." She sigh satisfied. ​

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire had been looking for Kira when she heard the commotion in the student lounge. She changed course and wandered in, catching everything past "Little Miss Ravenclaw." She tilted her head to the side, noting Philip and Ava sitting there, and leaned against the back of the couch. "That's weird," She replied to the older girl. "Ava's only ever mentioned Paolo, like, twice. The way she's always carrying on about Philip I sorta thought he was her boyfriend." She told them, examining Ava on the floor. "What happened kid? Spill your paints again?"

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava jumped when another girl entered the room. She looked at her, blue eyes wide. This girl wasn't being very nice. She opened her mouth to state that once again that Paolo wasn't her boyfriend, and they'd barely been up in the air when they'd been found, when Sapphire appeared out of nowhere, stating that she thought Philip was Ava's boyfriend and asking Ava if she spilled her paint.

Ava's lower lip trembled and she jumped to her feet, vaulting over the couch and into Sapphire's arms. She was not having a good day. She had wanted Philip to be the one holding her but he was too mad at her for her to even dare attempt it.

 

[Philip Maxwell]

Minutes had just passed that the quiet lounge met another voice. This time a serene tone and yet, Philip knows it wasn't serene at all. His distant cousin, Nora, came in and sat on the arm rest near Avaria. The boy rolled his eyes at his cousin and closed them again, although his ears are open to whatever she was going to say. Of course, he expect her to just repeat what he had already found out and she did that with such calm tone.

Then another human joined them. It seems everyone knows about Paolo except him. He was in the dark the whole time this was happening and that pisses him off. Philip opened his eyes and stood up. "Let's go, Nora. I've heard enough." Philip told his cousin with authority. He never uses that tone to anyone and it was only if needed. He didn't want Nora to cause some trouble and so, taking her out of the Student Lounge was the only move he can do.

 

[Nora Seville-Maxwell]

She rolled her eyes and sigh, "Michaels, you seems to pop out of the blue like a mushroom." Nora welcomed the new comer with a sarcastic remark. Another Slytherin with a rather whole new attitude. Nevertheless, hearing about added facts that not once but twice the little girl met the boy Paolo. "Oohh, hear that Phil, not once but twice. And I doub't little miss Ravenclaw ever talk about my cousin." She wasn't sure about it but the two only met once and then met again here at school. That was it. Philip didn't even expect the little girl to be here at all.


Once Philip asked her to get going, Nora got off the arm rest she was sitting on. Her cousin's tone was eerily and yet, he is three years younger than her. It was a good thing Philip's back was to them, her wand inside the sleeve of her shirt. Nora quickly waved them toward the little girl and with a whisper, she chanted the spell for a boil curse. "Furnunculus." and as quickly as she casted the spell, she quickly hid her wand back inside her sleeve. "Yeah, let's go, Philip." The dark haired fourth year told her cousin.​

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire watched, astonished, as Philip went to leave. What in the world...? But before she could fully process his behavior, the girl with him cast a boil spell on Ava. Fury rose in Sapphire, and releasing the girl in her arms, she turned to punch the older Slytherin in the face. She had no more than turned around, fists clenched tightly by her side, when she felt Ava's hands on her arm. Sapph stopped, fists clenched, and turned back to Ava.

The girl was right, Sapph didn't want this to be her life anymore. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava didn't know what to do as she heard Philip leaving. She also didn't know what to do when Sapphire shifted and boils started popping up on her skin. But she did know what to do when Sapphire turned towards the girl who had apparently attacked her. She grabbed onto Sapphire's arm, stopping the other girl from doing what she knew the Slytherin would regret later.

"Sapphy, no, it's- ow- it's okay!" She pleaded, ignoring the pain. "You wanted school to be a fresh start, remember?" She looked at Sapphire with big blue eyes. She knew that the older girl would listen, and was relieved when she turned back to her, closing her eyes to calm down.

The pain got to her, then, and her face scrunched up. She fell back a bit, refusing to cry out, and instead looked towards Philip. She didn't care he was frustrated, or mad, or whatever he was, she was hurting bad. Physically and emotionally. She needed her best friend.