One Last Hurrah

[Athena Zhefarovich]

Placing down the large cooler filled with food and drink she'd managed to gather from the kitchens over the course of several nights, the seventh year Slytherin smiled and took a seat on a large tree stump. She had been surprised at how easy it had been for her to sneak out of the Slytherin dungeons and the castle, almost as if Professor Styx had decided to allow the Slytherin seventh years to sneak out of the castle for the night. The thought made her laugh because if there was anything that Athena was sure about in life it was that her uncle knew nothing about having fun. It had been almost too easy though, almost as if her Head of House had chosen to allow the Slytherins to leave just so he could punish them severely. The thought was disturbing and not one that Athena wanted to dwell on. She rolled her silver eyes, annoyed at herself for always worrying. It wasn’t as if the man could tie the party back to her. Right? She had made sure to only tell a few people about the party at all, and she did so by actually going up to them and telling them. There would be no parchment trail to incriminate Athena. And, she had avoided telling anyone who she thought might rat them out. The last thing she wanted was to have someone run to a professor and ruin the fun before it even began. In the silence, she could hear the hooting of owls somewhere close by.

Stretching her legs out in front of her, Athena pulled her wizarding radio out of her bag and turned it on. She fiddled with the knobs, listening to stations go in and out for several seconds, as she made her way to her favorite wizarding station, one that played more modern music. At this time of night, they played long blocks of continuous music. The seventh year began to shake her head to the beat of a tune but stopped when she heard what sounded like footsteps cutting through the underbrush. It sounded as if people were beginning to arrive. The seventh year hoped that it was one of her cousins. She was eager to learn what the night would bring. She stared in the direction of the noise as she got up and placed her radio on the tree stump. Moving slowly, Athena went to stand beside a tree. If it turned out to be anyone other than a student, she knew it would be large enough for her to hide behind.

Out of Character:

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[Kiara Tine]

Kiara nodded at her reflection in the mirror as she made some final touches to her make up. It was not an overly cold night, nor was it too hot. So she had simply decided on jeans and an nice shirt, which was fine for her anyway. She hoped that Justin would be coming, when she had told him about it, he hadn't been sure if he was going to be there. But then, she expected no less seeing as it was not really something he liked to do. Crowds wasn't really his thing, but still, she hoped that she would see him there. She grabbed her jacket and made her way quietly down the stairs, making sure to ensure that her roommates were asleep. She hadn't wanted them there and she knew Athena only invited a couple of people, her cousins and such most likely, though she wasn't completely sure who the girl had invited. But that was okay, Kiara trusted Athena's judgement implicitly. That was why Athena was organising this party more then Kiara was. Then again, Kiara had never really been to a party in her life, so that probably had something to do with it as well. She smiled at the thought as she snuck down through the corridors and out through the doors. The party was down in the Forbidden Forest and whilst she may have questioned Athena's choice of place at first, she quickly realised that if they were really going to do this, then this really was one of the only places they were going to be able to pull it off.

As she made her way down to the Forbidden Forest, she couldn't help but to wonder who was going to show up. She knew that Athena was already there, but other then that, she didn't really know who was going to be there. She didn't like many of the other students in this school. She rolled her eyes and trudged through the grass and mud of the Forbidden Forest looking for the opening to the clearing in which the party was being held. She tripped over branches a few times on her way there, but she hoped it was going to be worth it. Even getting into trouble would be totally worth this. This was everything for her. She hadn't left much of a legacy, but she did want this party to be a success. She made her way to the clearing and smiled when she saw Athena. "Wow, this looks great Athena! You've really outdone yourself." She told her as she spun around slowly to take in the sight of the clearing. It looked great. She walked over to one of the stumps and sat her bag down, looking over her shoulder at the radio. "Merlin I miss music. I can never play it at home."
​

 

[Oliver Cade Halliwell]

Oliver had heard rumblings over the last few days about a party in the castle grounds. He wasn't sure who would be throwing the party and at the time he heard about it he had considered his options. As a prefect it was his responsibility to report the party as it was a violation of several school rules. As more time passed a the party got more buzzed Oliver began to reconsider his options, there was more to life then doing his prefect duties and since he was in his final year of Hogwarts perhaps it was time for him to get out and socialise more. So when the night of the party came around and Oliver had finished his patrol he decided to go. He knew the party was casual so he pulled out a pair of his favourite jeans and a shirt. The common room was completely empty when he snuck out of his dormitory. He had expected other students to follow his lead by going to the party, perhaps some knew he would still be up at this time as he had just finished his duties and the remaining Ravenclaw's wanted to avoid bumping into their house prefect.

As he made his way out of the tower Oliver marveled at the serenity of the castle at night as the moonlight cascaded through the windows and bounced off the walls. He made his way out of the castle onto the grounds, he heard the grass and stray branches snap under his feet as he crossed over into the forbidden forest. He listened out for the music and made his way over to a clearing. It was a small gathering so far and at the party already was two girls, a girl he recognized as Slytherin prefect and Kiara Tine a girl he had spent sometime with a few years ago but hadn't seen for a while. "Evening laides, good to hear music again," he said with a beaming smile.

 

[Athena Zhefarovich]

Breathing a sigh of relief when Athena spotted one of her better friends coming through the brush, the girl stepped away from the tree and towards the seventh year. She smiled, glad that Kiara seemed to approve of what she had brought with her. Athena had never hosted a party before, though she had attended several get-togethers that had been hosted by family members over the years. She figured it couldn’t be too hard to throw one, and, in fact, it hadn’t been. When it came down to it, all a good party needed was food, music and company. Athena had taken the food from the all too eager house elves- really, once they had found out she was a pureblood they had been beside themselves in their attempts to fulfill her requests. It had been nice to be so appreciated, and Athena had not dissuaded the house elves from bowing deeply when they approached with food. She had resolved herself to ask her father for a house elf whenever he decided to allow her to move to her own home. The music had been easy to get too. Athena had just taken one of the wizarding radios that was left in the Slytherin common room. The company had been the hardest part. Athena had thought about who to invite for ages. Her cousins were obvious choices, but some of the other guests had taken a bit more deliberation. In the end, she hoped that the people she had invited would be fun. The last thing she wanted was for one of them to be a party pooper.

Athena shook her head, a bemused expression on her face, as her friend stated that she missed music. She thought everyone owned a wizarding radio. It was a necessity since muggle radios tended to malfunction around wizards. “ I like that shirt” she noted, nodding her approval, before she froze as another figure appeared behind Kiara’s shoulder. Athena knew the guy. He was a fellow prefect, but she most certainly had not invited him to the party. The Slytherin listened warily as the Ravenclaw spoke, relaxing only a smidge as it seemed that he was here to enjoy himself and not turn them in. What is with everyone missing music? she thought to herself. Athena exchanged a quick glance with Kiara, wondering what to do. Had people other than those she had invited found out about the party? It was obvious that was the case, though Athena naively hadn’t been prepared for that. She knew that turning them all away could prove disastrous as just one upset student could ruin the fun for everyone by going to a professor. “Hey” she stated softly, “drinks and food are in the cooler.”

 

[Jordan Trace Vanderhol]

Jordan Vanderhol was the only son of Steven and Csytine Vanderhol. He had two older sisters both who played Professional Quidditch before the one decided owning a shop would be more interesting. But he was years behind both of them, and adopted. It made him sort of the odd Hufflepuff boy in his year. He hadn't made many friends in his seven years at the castle, but he preferred people watching more than interaction with them. He had a few crushes of course, the last he had he took to the Yule Ball managing to actually talk to her and ask. But it had ended with them just being friends, which he figured was nice as well, she seemed to busy with life for a boyfriend. All the friends he had made he realized were those who caught him playing his guitar, the one thing he had of his real parents. It was always embarrassing on his part being caught, but each time the person really enjoyed his music. Word had gotten around the other Hufflepuff Seventh year boys in the dorm that a party was going to be held out in the Forbidden Forest that evening. Thrown by a Slytherin girl. They way they talked about it made it seem like it was something for all Slytherins and that they were all planning on going. But later that night when Jordan went back to the dorms to put on normal muggle clothing all of them were passed out on their beds. He shook his head at them and wondered if he should attend this party. It would give him the chance to meet new people before heading out into the world. And who knew maybe there was a pretty girl he could fall in love with, but that was just the romantic in his heart.

Swinging his guitar bag over his back Jordan looked around at the guys one last time before taking a leap of faith and heading out of the dorm. He knew it could be trouble going to this party. None of them might want him there, but he decided once in his life to try something new. And instead of people watch he was going to try and have conversation with people he had known about all seven years but might not know him. He realized that he would be a perfect writer for the Rumor Has It magazine that went around the school, being such a quiet guy people forgot he was there. He knew many secrets and of course had passed them along. He was sneaky in that way but he didn't try to be, he was actually quiet nice once you got passed his quiet voice. Entering the Forbidden forest he managed to follow the directions they guys had been discussing earlier. He stopped short seeing a group of three. Athena, Kiara and Oliver. He knew them all by name, the prefects had come up in the magazine a few times and he was just good at remembering Kiara's name from all the classes they had shared over the years. Clearing his throat the almost man walked up to the group unsure how to address them.

 

[Kaia Baros]

Kaia was really only going to the party to support her cousin. Kaia could care less about a majority of her classmates, nor did she feel like getting into trouble. But Kaia felt like it would be rude if she didn't show up, especially after Athena put her time into putting this whole party thing together. "I swear to god, if we get caught and I have to hear it from dad and Professor Styx, I'm going to kill Athena." Her beloved cousin seemed to be going through a rebellious phase. One that Kaia hoped wouldn't put everyone into detention for a month. Parties were never Kaia's thing either. Kaia was the type of person that would spend the entire party in the corner with a drink in her hand. Mostly because she wasn't very social. Kaia dislike the general population, nor was she very good at being nice to other people. Kaia was often told that if she couldn't say something nice, not to say anything at all. Which was the easiest explanation as to why she was so quiet all of the time. Kaia glanced in the mirror one more time before she finished applying some mascara to her already thickened eyelashes. Hopefully Zayne would be coming tonight. The she could actually have someone to talk to other than Hades and Athena, whom still didn't know that she was engaged. Hades did, but Athena still didn't. Kaia adored her cousin but she wasn't sure if she wanted her to find out just yet. Especially if word could get spread. Kaia knew that once her dad found out, she would be dead. So far, keeping the secret was pretty easy, but as more and more people noticed her and Zayne, it was slowly becoming a challenge.

Kaia approached the Forbidden Forest with her arms held stiffly at her sides. Why would Athena choose to have a party here? At this time? Surely she had heard the stories of this place. Or the warnings from the Professors. "Oh well...a party's a party." Kaia would try her best to have a good time and not worry so much about getting caught. As she approached the group of students, Kaia immediately noticed her cousin and waved. "Cool party!" The rest of the people that were here so far, Kaia either barely knew, or could care less about, so for a few of them she tossed a simple wave, while the rest she ignored. It hopes that her brother or Zayne would appear soon and save her. Kaia made her way over to one of the tree's and leaned against it. So far, all she heard them talking about was music. Seemingly a lot of them missed music for some reason. Did they mean because they couldn't listen to it while at school, or did people at home prevent them from being able to listen to it? Kaia wasn't a huge fan of music, so she didn't listen to it much in the first place. There really wasn't much for her to miss actually. Kaia remained silent and decided that she would just listen in rather than join in. Kaia was awful at group conversations. ​

 

[Zayne Baros]

Zayne Baros did not know at first why he was going to this party since he was going to be risking everything since Professor Styx hated it when his prefects misbehaved. Going to this party was one of those things that he could count as misbehaving especially since the fact was that it was in the Forbidden forest. He sighed and he remembered how he heard from it. Another prefect like himself, and Kaia. Kaia was going and that was enough to make Zayne want to go. He wanted to spend some more time with her, and be a part of her life. They had to go through things, for better or for worse, and this seemed more like the latter. He often did not feel comfortable enough with the other people to try to mingle. But he would have to do what he could. He was a seventh year after all, and he wanted to make some good memories. Going to the party with Kaia would do just that. He just hoped that Hades would not be around. He seemed kind of creepy, but Zayne was often used to it. Sighing, he walked out of the dungeons after he had finished putting his outfit on. He managed to slip by the Slytherin house, undetected which was somewhat odd. Was Professor Styx out or something? He had no idea, but he thought that this must be one of his lucky days. He slipped out of the castle without bringing about any notice to him, and walked across the lawn at night. It was rather eerie, but Zayne held no fear within him. What was there to be afraid of? The only thing that lurked outside were the professors and none were along the path he took.

He approached the dark forest, and looked around with his gray eyes. He sighed and hoped that he could find Kaia around here somewhere. She was the only one that he came around with anyway. He approached the group and saw several other prefects there, but he did not see Kaia just yet. He looked around while listening to the music, and wondered why they were all talking about it. It was just music, that was all that it was. Shrugging his broad shoulders, he turned around until he saw Kaia leaned up against a tree. He approached her with a smile on his lips. How could he not smile to the woman that would be his wife one day? He beamed, “I am so glad you are here. I don’t really know anyone else, and well, didn’t know if I should have come or not.” They both knew that Professor Styx could be a huge hard ass, but he was just happy that she was here. He turned a bit to wave a greeting to the others before he too leaned against the tree that Kaia was leaning against. He appreciated her a lot more than most guys would. It was the way he was raised. Zayne wondered if he should hold hands with her, or if they should sneak off to avoid trouble in case it came.​

 

[Justin Kuya]

Justin wasn't a complete idiot, he did take care to make sure he was not seen leaving the castle. Being a prefect, he knew that this was against the rules and all of that boring, serious stuff. Usually, he made sure to keep in Professor Styx's good books, because that had to be better than being in his bad books. However, he couldn't very well let Kiara go to this thing by herself. Knowing this school, it would be crowded with people, which would mean that the chances of getting caught were going to be pretty big. Then again, it was his last year, it didn't really matter, not as much as it once would have. To his knowledge, he would be on speaking terms with most of the people there, of course he was not sure who would be there, but he could guestimate social circles and predict who would actually show up. The only person he was quite confident wouldn't be out there was Andy, which was good. The Slytherin did not need his Ravenclaw cousin fainting or something in the dark. It would be his responsibility to drag him out of there, before he was eaten by something or worse, something could crawl on him and he could have a heart attack. That'd be a total buzz kill.

Justin crossed the lawn alone and approached the Forbidden forest. Upon entering the forest, he could hear some movement. Hopefully, Kiara would already be here. He was not really looking forward to spending much time with anyone else, he hadn't seen Kiara the entire day. It was rude. A small smirk grew on his face as he closed in, he could hear music playing and the sound of people. He nodded to everyone he passed, Kaia, Zayne, that strange guy he didn't know at all and that Ravenclaw kid Kiara mentioned once before. Being a somewhat jealous and possessive person, Justin was wary of the Ravenclaw. He already did not like him and he felt that he did not need to give a reason. Kiara was his and that was final. Justin smiled at Athena. "This is coming together pretty well," he commented, before standing beside Kiara with his arms across his chest. He might not look like it, but he was happy to be here. He didn't mind half the people in his year, and Kiara was here, that was always a plus. "Hello Kiara," he added. He was a little annoyed with her for leaving without him, she should have been able to restrain her excitement enough to at least wait for him to finish getting ready. Unfortunately, there was no point in making a big deal of it at the party, but he was going to make sure Kiara at least knew he was mildly cross with her.
​

 

[Athena Zhefarovich]

As the clearing began to fill up, the Slytherin was glad to see people arrive who she’d actually invited. She figured one or two other, not quite familiar people was something she could deal with. Waving at her cousin, Athena wanted to find out how her holidays had gone but she didn’t want to leave Kiara alone. Luckily, Justin arrive just as she was about to excuse herself. Saying hello to her fellow Slytherin, Athena gave Kiara a small wink. “I’ll leave you two alone” she stated with a smirk before continuing. “I’m going to say hello to my cousin.”

Heading over to Kaia, Athena stopped for a moment to pick up a butterbeer from the cooler. She took a quick sip, arriving at her cousin’s side to find out that another person was already there. “Hi Kaia. Hi Zayne” she stated, looking from one to the other. Athena didn’t know why the two had never dated. Zayne was hot, very hot. And, if it wasn’t for the fact that Athena thought that Kaia liked him, she might have tried to get in on that. Knowing it was none of her business, Athena didn’t make any of the remarks that she might have made to Kiara and Justin. “See? I told you this would be a good spot. Far enough that no one will hear the music, but close enough that we can cut and run if a professor shows up.” The Slytherin was putting on an air of confidence, but she knew the risk that they were all taking. That’s why she’d worn sneakers tonight. She hoped that the small sliver of moon and the shadows would also make it difficult for a professor to get a good look at their faces.

 

[Kiara Tine]

Kiara nodded dutifully at the other seventh years as they entered the clearing. Though the only person she cared about was not here yet. She waved slightly to Oliver and smiled at Jordan, but that was all she did. She didn't really want to talk to them until she was sure that Justin was okay. She did hope that he would come though. It wouldn't be as fun if he didn't come. However as soon as she was about to make her way over to talk to Jordan and Oliver, she heard more footsteps. She turned towards the sound and spotted Justin trudging through the trees. She smiled when she saw him, but knew that he was not in a good mood. She rolled her eyes slightly. He was such a sook, he really was. She walked over to him and pouted at him. He was really not even going to give her a hug? She tilted her head and through her arms around his neck. She barely registered that Athena had said anything and instead kept her attention on her sulky boyfriend. "Awe, Justin.... Are you sulking. Oh poor baby." She cooed at him as she rubbed her face on his neck and made cooing noises. If he was going to at like a baby, she was going to treat him like one. "Come on baby, come sit with me. Is baby hungry. Does baby want a drink?" She asked. She knew he was going to hate this, but she had no idea what she had done wrong. If it hadn't been for the fact that he didn't hug her or kiss her she would have thought that the problem was caused by someone other then herself. But seeing as he was being a big baby and was sulking, she was sure that he blamed her for something. It was probably some small little thing that she would never guess in a million years. Why was she dating him again?

"Come on Justin, you have to help me out here." Unfortunately, if there was just one thing that you could say about Kiara and Justin, it was that they were extremely stubborn. They didn't change their ways for anyone. Not even each other, which was a constant annoyance to Kiara. However, she didn't really like anyone else enough to even remotely consider letting them near her, let alone touch her. Though, Justin still gave her grief about her flirty ways. It seemed that he thought she should pay attention only to him. She was sure that he had gotten jealous of Athena more then once. She rolled her eyes at it though. She wasn't just going to stop being friends with Athena, just because he wanted her too. Kiara glared at Justin as it seemed that he still was not going to cooperate."Don't make me speak French to you!"
​

 

[Jordan Trace Vanderhol]

Jordan couldn't help but notice that most of the years Prefects were in the Forbidden Forest. And unfortunately none of the people who came were ones he had ever bothered talking too, not that in his seven years he had bothered to talk with many people at all. He preferred to work on his music and do so alone. He knew he would never be a famous musician, however he enjoyed the music he made from his guitar even learned the basics of piano during his breaks when he went home. Looking around at the others they all seemed to know each other in one way or another. Everyone had someone to talk too and he wondered if there was really a point in going, he should've come only if the other guys in his dorm came. Then he'd at least be able to hang around them without feeling too odd. Listening to the music that the Slytherin Prefect had playing he wondered if they'd like it if he played some music. He knew a lot of covers even had a few of his own songs he could play.

But never talking to these people before, Jordan wasn't sure which one he should go too. He had his guitar strapped onto his back. The one who seemed to be throwing the party wasn't someone he really wanted to talk too, she had an aura around her that screamed mean. He wished he had convinced Meera to come with him, even though she was a sixth year. He didn't know of course if she had any enemies in the crowd there of course. Perhaps it was better that it was just he there. He stood near the Ravenclaw Prefect and wondered if he should say anything to him. He didn't of course as was the way of Jordan. He wondered about a lot of things and did barely any of them. He had been able to ask Meera to the Yule Ball however, that had been nice. Maybe he could have a decent conversation with the Ravenclaw Prefect.

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Professor Styx had a reason why he was not patrolling the Slytherin house like he normally had. He had heard that there would be a party, but he had no idea where, so he remained hidden and then waited for the seventh year Slytherins to leave before Professor Styx followed them, unaware that there was another professor already hot on the party's trail. His dark, black robes flowing behind him, the Head of Slytherin House marched down across the lawns, and he noticed that they were heading right for the Forbidden forest. They were not that smart, were they? What could he expect though. He just wanted to know if any of his Slytherins were there. If so, they were in for a heap of trouble. Every single one of them. Merlin help them if they were prefects. Professor Styx entered the dark forest, taking out his main wand just in case some creatures dared to cross his path. He did not come back here often, but this was one of the first times he was going to bust a stupid party all the way out here. If they wanted to party, why not in a classroom during the daytime? Surely the leader of the operation was not that clueless.

Upon hearing the music, Professor Styx guessed the boundaries and he cast a spell surrounding the areas to prevent the students from running. It was a fairly good charm. Then he aimed the wand at the box creating music and it shattered, ruining the music. Professor Styx stepped out of the shadows and he folded his arms across his chest. He looked over the students, and while he could see no Gryffindors, he could see plenty of his Slytherins. He was not aware that this many got out. Three of them were Prefects, but not for longer if he had his way. Then there was Kiara Tine. Even Kaia Styx was there, and if she were in his house, she would be in more trouble than she ever would be with Professor Spenser. He looked over the crowd before he stated, "Rather careless of you, to lead a professor right to your destination." Professor Styx paused for a moment, taking in every name before he stated, "Every Slytherin needs to get over here, now." His voice was livid, yet it was not raised above what it normally was. Instead it sounded simply quiet, cold and deadly. The look in his eyes was nothing short of infuriating. Right now he was busy trying to calculate the punishments and how many points he should take away.​

 

[Connor Barnard]

Connor was very disturbed with the information she had been given by a Slytherin student well after curfew. After taking care of the girl and sending her off to bed Connor promptly headed out of the castle and into the night air. She had been told about a party in the woods, the Forbidden Forest. Connor who very much had been young like these seventh years just a few years ago knew where they were coming from having a party. However she also knew that there were better ways in handling the party. Like having it during the early evening before curfew in the Courtyard with the Permission of the Headmistress would have been a better option. Not now, not in the middle of the night. Connor wondered what sort of trouble she would find once she arrived at the party. Alcohol was one option running through her head as she made her way through the grounds. If that was the case she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the number of students which the girl had told her might have gone to the party. Connor pulled out her wand not to use lumos, but just to prepare herself before walking through the trees to the location of the party. Dark creatures were sure the roam the woods here, attracted by the magic that surrounded the castle. She could hear the traces of music from somewhere to her left.

Turning her walk she was glad for the years of training she had at Durmstrang. Even gladder she knew how to sneak up on people without them hearing her. Though the darkness made it hard to see in woods, she was glad when she began to catch a glimpse of the light of the party, as well as the voices. Oh yes, it seemed like they were enjoying themselves. Connor knew she'd have to take mental note the instant she saw all of their faces in case some ran. She hoped her mind was with her and that her usually very good memory would come into use. Of course, she knew it'd be easy for punishment to come across the entire year because of this. It would be how Durmstrang would of treated the situation. The music stopped just as she came to the edge of the party. She felt herself passing through a wall, she sensed whoever had put it there had it so no student could escape. Because she was watching the other Professor, the Head of Slytherin, begin to talk to the students. He soundly cool, not the normal angry tone most would have. It reminded her very dearly of the Professors she once had. "How careless you all were with the information of the party as well, even younger students knew of it and informed me. Professor Styx," Connor said as she herself revealed herself from the shadows giving a nod to the older Professor. She was glad he was there, that he too had discovered this party. She looked around gathering faces in her mind. He obviously recognized many more than she, Connor knew she'd never teach these students, not with being the Charms Professor of the younger years. "The rest of you, come to me." She stated to the students, her tone clipped with authority. She wished to speak with Professor Styx, unsure of the point deduction she should give to the students she would be dealing with. "One at a time, names and houses. I take it that you are all seventh years," Connor said to those who weren't Slytherins and forced to be dealt with by Styx. She did not feel bad for them, they had broken the rules. Coming to mind she was sure to have to talk with Styx, the student who informed her of the party also gave her the name and house of the student who threw the party. She was a Slytherin, he would want to know. If he didn't get it out of the students himself of course.

 

[Zayne Baros]

Kissing Kaia had to be the best thing that happened at the party. Zayne allowed himself to get carried away a bit until the music suddenly stopped. His stomach sank as he immediately thought, 'Oh sh*t, we are busted.' Zayne tore himself from Kaia as he looked over at Professor Styx, and then another professor that he did not really recognize which meant that she was new. He swallowed hard because he saw the look in the professor's eyes. The Slytherins were done for. He looked over at Kaia and he bit his lip. He whispered, "Just so you know, I love you, and these were the best times in my life. But I think I am done for." Zayne frowned before he bowed his head and marched to where he was standing close to Professor Styx. He felt like the worst person in the world with what he had done. He was unsure if Kaia would be punished as harshly as he would be. He knew that Professor Styx expected the best of his prefects, and here he was, after curfew, partying. Zayne rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and awaited for the words of his Head of House. He dared not to look at the cross professor. He did not have the courage. Instead he waited and he dared not to say a word on who gathered this party. Athena was already in enough crap from what he had heard. She didn't need anymore. Zayne would take the blame if need be.​

 

[Kiara Tine]

Kiara was about to walk over to Athena and comment on the party, when she suddenly heard the music stop, at first she thought Athena had turned it off and so looked towards it, only to see that it had been destroyed and was no longer there. What was going on? She did not notice that there was a very evil looking man standing at the edge of the clearing. However, Kiara froze mid step when she heard a most dreaded voice. Professor Styx! Kiara turned to where the voice had come from and visibly paled. It had not occurred to her that her own Head of House would be the one to bust up the party. She had figured that they had gotten away with it. She immediately realised the consequences of their actions and she looked to both Athena and Justin out of the corner of her eye. After all, if Athena were found out, Kiara didn't think she was going to be left off the hook with a slap on the wrist, especially considering who it was standing before them. Kiara moved slowly over to Professor Styx, but kept her eyes on him. Kiara may have been very scared of the man, but she wasn't going to turn into a puddle of goo. Especially in front of these people. She just hoped that Styx did not ask them directly who had started it. If Kiara was confident that she would have been able to lie to his face, she would own up in a heart beat, but for now, perhaps silence was their safest bet. She looked over to Justin and she just hoped that he would see what she was mouthing to him. "I love you." She would have said something to Athena too, but she dared not, for fear of the Professor catching the exchange. Kiara wasn't worried about the woman, she didn't even know who she was, so she was not at all important in Kiara's eyes.
​

 

[Justin Kuya]

Justin shook his head as Athena slinked away. Now he was alone with Kiara, and she looked about ready to cuddle him. Which she promptly did. Well, the Slytherin was not going to go for it. He was determined to prove to her that he was just as stubborn as she, and he was not going to allow her to upset him without facing the consequences. The cold shoulder. He began wiggling with discomfort when Kiara put on that ridiculous baby voice. She knew it annoyed him. He was not acting like a baby, there were quite a few cases where Kiara herself behaved just as he was. He was just giving back what she served on a fairly regular basis. Justin rolled his eyes. She didn't even know what she had done! "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you," now he knew he was being a little childish, but he was always childish in some form. Why change now? At the threat of having to listen to French, Justin glared mildly. "I will flick your nose, you know I will." He poked her nose as a warning, but then decided to drop the defensive and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm not sorry, but I guess I can show my enjoyment tonight a little more." He even put on a happy smile.

Justin remained by Kiara's side for the party, since he liked her, and was protective of her. All sorts of things were in this forest, and while he knew he would be able to do very little to actually fight off anything, at least he wouldn't be too far from her. He picked up some butterbeer, and offered some to Kiara, before taking a few sips. It was nice, really nice. He'd have to comment on it to Athena some time. The Slytherin had grown accustomed to the music playing in the background, so he was quite surprised when it stopped. At first he thought it was some joker being annoying or something, but when he heard a particularly familiar voice from the darkness, his face froze. Styx, here? Cr@p. Justin looked around the group of students. Zayne appeared to be avoiding eye-contact, which was a tempting option for Justin too. Kiara, on the other hand, seemed to just be staring at Professor Styx, much like a cat would stare at an on-coming car. They were called to him, and Justin's heart sank a little. Justin nodded reassuringly to her, though he wasn't very confident that they would be in a good place after tonight. Should he begin writing some sort of will? He looked at Professor Styx carefully. After being here for years, Justin had grown a rather large, extreme caution and fear of the man. Only a complete idiot would be willing to go out of their way to annoy this man. However, Justin was no snitch, and was not accustomed to giving up his friends. Nevertheless, he was not stupid enough to blatantly lie to his Head of House. Silence was the best option, that, or 'no comment', which was Plan B. He momentarily looked at the other professor, but he didn't know them. Obviously, another new professor had come.
​

 

[Oliver Cade Halliwell]

Oliver hadn't been at the party long and hadn't done much in terms of enjoying himself, most of the other students who had attended the party all seemed to know each other and Oliver didn't know very many of them other than Kiara, but their relationship had ended a long time ago. As the party began and Kiara's boyfriend showed up, which put Oliver in an even worse mood. As people started to dance and talk to each other Oliver found himself on the edge the party along with a Hufflepuff student. It was someone he had seen a few times before but he didn't know him well. Oliver thought for a moment maybe he would be able to have a decent conversation with him but then the music went off and everyone went silent. Professor Styx appeared in front of the group and began to bark orders at the Slytherin's present. Oliver looked over at Kiara but was unable to meet her gaze so he began to back out of the clearing into the forest. As he tried to make his escape he felt something holding him back. Professor Styx must have cast a spell to keep him there along with everyone else. Defeated, Oliver returned to the party and awaited the punishments.

 

[Athena Zhefarovich]

The party seemed to be a success. It wasn’t overly large and aside from the few seventh years that she barely knew, there were no other party crashers. Athena felt her guard slipping a little as she began to enjoy herself. She finished up her butter beer, throwing it into the bag that she’d assigned as trash. She didn’t want there to be any evidence of the party, otherwise people were going to wonder what went on and she definitely didn’t want that. Silver eyes glancing over at her fellow seventh years, the Slytherin knew that this was going to be something that they all remembered. How little did she know that that was likely to be the case, just not in a good way. As the radio shattered into pieces, Athena’s eyes widened. Her eyes whipped around, widening in horror as she saw the source of the spell. Her uncle, the Head of Slytherin House, stepped out from the shadows, his tall frame seeming even more imposing than usual. “Sh!t” Athena muttered under her breath. The Slytherin had more than briefly considered that they might get caught for this, but never had she thought that it would be Styx who caught them. She had foolishly chosen to ignore any scenario that ended with Styx finding them out.

Athena wished that she was standing anywhere but front and center. She was frozen in place, not daring to look at any of her classmates, for fear that Professor Styx would somehow know that it was she who had planned this. She pointedly avoided the man’s gaze, choosing to focus on the ground as he began to speak. Athena heard the professor’s words, her heart beating like a drum gone wild in her chest. She had never heard that specific tone before, and she knew at once that he was livid. Athena didn’t know how, but her feet began to move of their own accord as she joined her fellow Slytherins. She heard another professor speaking, but she didn’t bother to look at her. Instead, she stood beside Zayne, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her shirt as her eyes remained fixed to the ground. Athena could feel herself shaking a bit and there was nothing she could do to stop it. This was going to be bad. Very bad. As Athena peeked up at her fellow Slytherins, waiting for Styx to say something else, her eyes darkened. She almost felt like mouthing a quick apology to them. She didn’t though, for fear that her uncle would see and know that it was she who had led everyone into this. For all she knew, he probably already knew. Professor Styx seemed to know everything. After a moment, Athena dropped her eyes back to the ground, trying to brace herself for whatever was to come.

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

The four Slytherins had obediently come to him, and it appeared that none were as stupid as he might have thought from forming this party. Professor Styx briefly looked to the other professor, wondering if she would escort the others to their Heads of Houses. However thinking over her own introduction to the party, he wondered who exactly told her about the party. Professor Styx instead turned his focus on his group, knowing for a fact that they were all in deep trouble. Only one seemed foolish enough to stare straight at him. His finger tapped his arm as he finally turned his head to the other professor and he spoke, his voice unchanging from the tone he used before, "Don't bother with demanding names and houses. That one is Kaia Styx, a Ravenclaw prefect; the one that tried to get away was Oliver Halliwell, also a Ravenclaw prefect; and the last one is Jordan Vanderhol, a Hufflepuff. All are indeed seventh years." Professor Styx knew the seventh years better than rest of the student body due to the fact that they had been here so long. "If a younger student was out of bed and informed you, if they were in my house, might as well tell me the name before I deal with the Slytherins. However," his eyes turned to look at the small crowd of seventh years, "someone will be coming forth and taking responsibility for this mess." If it were one of his Slytherins, Merlin help them. It was doubtful they would remain Prefect or even be kept back from Graduation. That would be the absolute worst thing he could do besides expulsion. Their parents could come and watch the seventh years, only to discover that their child was stupid enough to break some serious rules and was forced to remain behind. It was definitely an idea.​

 

[Connor Barnard]

Connor refrained from giving the Professor a look when he spoke to her. She felt judged already for the actions which she had taken in dealing with those not of the Slytherin house. Instead her eyes grazed over the students which he was talking about. She wondered if all of them were friends, it seemed like an odd bunch. Most of the students were seemingly Prefects. They were going to be in big trouble, breaking the rules. They were to be setting the model which other students were to follow. She wondered what punishment would ensue for the Prefects. The name Styx rang in her ear and she glanced at the other Professor wondering the relation. But it was brief she merely nodded her head to him her arms at her side. "Oh indeed, they are from your house, Styx. But it is not right to tell the name of a tattletale in front of the people getting caught, for their anger can be great. She has been sent back to the Common Room to await your punishment. The person did leave the name of the party thrower as well or who she believes it to be, of course I believe that person now has the chance to confess," Connor said eying the group of Slytherins. It was down between the two girls, she wasn't sure which one was Athena, but one of them was. Connor's eyes went over to the three who were her charges. She would have to write the Head of Houses once returning the castle. She had half a mind to make the students clean bathrooms without magic. But she was sure at least for the Prefects, they would be in big trouble with their Head of House. The Hufflepuff she wasn't as sure.

 

[Athena Zhefarovich]

Athena could feel her panic growing as Professor Styx began to name the other students in the clearing. She had hardly heard the other professor speaking, but she knew that it had to be one of the new professors. Otherwise, she would have known who the seventh years were. Most of them anyway. She barely knew Jordan, having only seen him around in classes and never speaking to him before tonight. Athena couldn't believe that an older student had ratted them out. If she ever found out who it was, she would make sure to get revenge on them and they would not see it coming. Athena made that vow to herself, her hands fisting into her shirt for a moment. As Professor Styx spoke to the crowd as a whole, the Slytherin prefect lifted her eyes to look around at her fellow seventh years. She wondered what they were thinking. Were they like her, fearing for what was going to happen? Athena hoped that, whatever ended up happening, her father didn't find out. He was rather strict when it came to school. Some of the students were too far away for her to see their eyes. She couldn't tell if they were going to break or not, but she desperately hoped that they weren't.

Athena's breath hitched as Professor Styx stated that one of the students would be coming forth to take responsibility. She waited, not moving, her gaze forward but not directed at anyone, especially not her uncle. She was debating whether she actually should step forward. It was hard to decide if it would make Styx be a little easier on the punishment. She listened to the other professor speak, her gaze moving towards her for the first time. She looked hardly older than they were and Athena wished that she would have been a little faster and gotten to them first. Surely, they would have been able to get away with this had it just been her. Listening to what she said, Athena was most curious to find out who the snitch was. A Slytherin. A female Slytherin. That narrowed it down plenty. The prefect vowed to find out who it was before year's end, though she already had a few suspicions. As the professor eyed them all, Athena kept her gaze on the professor, her silver eyes which had darkened considerably looking at the woman with a cool expression. The only hint of nervousness that Athena displayed was that her finger was in her mouth and she was chewing the skin off of her finger.

 

[Kiara Tine]

Kiara finally had to drop her gaze from her head of house. She was sure the fear in her eyes was showing through and she didn't want him to see it. Of course he was sure to already know exactly how they feel, the point was that these others, Oliver and Jordan, had no idea. Kaia obviously would, considering her last name, but even so, at least her head of house was Professor Spenser. Though Kiara couldn't help but to think that the others had gotten off easy. It was a scary thought, running through her head that maybe they should just own up, perhaps he would go easier on them, but if she did that, Athena would get into more trouble and she didn't want that at all. Maybe they would be better sharing the blame. It would be easier if they could all have heart attacks together. Kiara didn't really know Zayne very well, but he wasn't putting up Athena so that was good enough for her. She had to wonder if one of the others was going too. If they did, she was going to hurt them. Irony was, that Professor Styx was the person they least wanted to find them, so of course, they should have known this was going to happen. Irony and Karma was no friend to Kiara afterall. She also doubted that it would be kind to any of the rest of them. Unfortunately that was just how things seemed to go these days. Kiara sighed and peeked at the other students. They were all the same as she, they were all curious, but worried about where this was going to go from here.

The words from the second Professor angered Kiara. Of course there was a snitch. That made sense. She had to grit her teeth to stop from yelling out. She already had a few people in mind and she was going to have to make sure that Athena allowed her to help find the snitch. Perhaps they would find out soon enough. The nerve of this Professor to speak in such a way, it was so angering. Kiara knew that she was never going to like this woman, and she was happy that she would be leaving the school soon, if only to make sure she never came into contact with her again. No-one was going to give up Athena. At least none of the Slytherins here.
​

 

[Kaia Baros]

Kaia wave at her cousin and thanked her for the invite, and watched as she walked off. Once she was sure that her cousin was distracted, she turned towards Zayne and smiled. Not that she was embarrassed to be seen with him, Kaia just wanted to make sure that she and Zayne's engagement was kept on the down low. That way she could find a way and the perfect time to tell her dad the news. Maybe even after Graduation, then it wouldn't seem as bad. "I'm glad you came." Kaia whispered softly into Zayne's ear as her hand grabbed onto his softly. The party was too busy to pay attention to the two lovers holding hand, which Kaia was thankful for. It was kind of lame, but since Kaia was rather shy and not so good with people, she figured she would be spending most of her time with her beloved fiance. They never had enough time alone, mostly due to people always being around, and Kaia worrying that someone was going to catch her. After a moment of talking with Zayne, Kaia leaned over and guided Zayne's face so she could catch his lips in a softened kiss. Everyone else seemed too busy to be looking at the two of them, and Kaia felt like she wanted to show him some more affection, so why the hell not? It wasn't until the music stopped and gasps filled the area that Kaia broke apart from Zayne to see what had just happened. "Sh*t, I knew we were going to get caught." Kaia released Zayne's hand and bit her lip. Her grandfather looked pissed, and he was likely going to torture all the Slytherin's for sneaking out too. Kaia didn't want to let Zayne go for that reason alone, what if he was kicked out?!

Kaia watched worriedly as Zayne stepped away to find out what his fate for coming out that night was. Kaia just hoped that Professor Styx wasn't too hard on him. Kaia glanced at the other Professor and narrowed her eyes. Honestly, she would just rather deal with her grandfather and be done with it. Though she did want to find out who it was that had squealed on them. They'd be lucky if Kaia didn't poke their eyeballs out or something. Kaia bit her lip, trying to hope that no one would stand up and either point the blame, or take the blame. If no one said anything, then they might not have to watch the person who did throw it, suffer. Kaia glanced over at Zayne once more and bit her lip. She needed to be careful. Her grandfather might easily be able find out about her engagement, and then she would be in some serious trouble. It was because of that reason and that reason alone, that she stayed silent. ​

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Kalif looked over at the professor and he stated coolly, "And you trust this student to actually be waiting in the common room for punishment?" He doubted that someone would wait so openly, especially when the seventh years would be going back to the common room after this, thus seeing the snitch anyhow. She had to be dense or naive. He shook his head before he looked down at each seventh year, noting their behavior. He noticed that Athena was looking coldly toward the other professor. That was when he knew that it was her. For not stepping forward, he knew what he had to do. Professor Styx shrugged, "Looks as though my prefects here and Kiara are protecting one of their own. Especially since I already know the culprit here. So, let's begin the punishment: Kiara, you lose fifty points and detention every Saturday until you graduate. The rest of you, same as well. However, your prefect status as been suspended. Each of you will not have access to the prefect commons for some time, perhaps until the end of April, and you can join Miss Tine for detention. All of you will have your parents notified." Professor Styx paused, before he decided that he was done with them. "Now get out of here, and go straight to your dorms. I expected more of you. That is, except you, Athena Zhefarovich. You remain right here. I'm not done with you yet."​

 

[Athena Zhefarovich]

As her Head of House began to speak once more, Athena's gaze went once more to the gorund. She couldn't bring herself to look at the man, fearing what she might see in those eyes. Her cheeks paled as Professor Styx stated that he already knew the culprit and she took a deep breath through her nose, fear rising within her. Athena stole a glance at Kiara as Professor Styx spoke to her about the punishment she was going to get. Detention every Saturday until graduation? Athena felt as if a rock had fallen into her stomach as she realized that was all of their punishments. She knew her uncle's detentions could be horrible, and she knew there were many Saturdays left between this moment and graduation. As the second bomb dropped for the prefects only, Athena's head shot up. Until that moment, she hadn't realized how much being a prefect meant to her. Suspended?, she thought. She didn't care about not having access to the prefect's room as much, but the idea of not having her badge was not something she wanted to think about. A grimace crossed her face. Then, the third bomb dropped and Athena's mouth dropped open. She hadn't even thought about something like this being enough to notify her dad. Athena's father was a Zhefarovich and like all the others, he was incredibly strict. The idea that her father would find out about all of this and her punishments made Athena feel like crawling under the big rock that the radio had been sitting on. This was it. She was going to be dead. Even Levi hadn't ever gotten into this much trouble during his years of schooling.

As the Slytherins were dismissed, Athena could feel tears burning behind her eyes. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to hold them back either. The tall blonde didn't want to cry in front of her classmates, but she didn't think she was going to be able to stop. Before she had even taken a step to follow the others, Athena heard Professor Styx say her name. The teen froze in place, her eyes widening in horror. What more? she thought to herself as she felt rather than saw everyone preparing to leave. Athena's back felt itchy, almost as if her tattoo had decided to remind her of how much she had just shamed the Zhefarovich name. She knew that was all in her head, but she couldn't get the thought out. Brushing away a tear that had managed to fall, Athena closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself before looking up once more. The worst part was that Athena had no clue what else he planned to do. He had taken everything away from her and he was about to get her in huge trouble with Axel and probably Kara. And, she was sure all of the seventh years here were probably going to be pissed at her. She would be if she was them. This sucked big time. Continuing to bite on her finger, Athena waited. She hoped that the other professor was slow about things and that she wouldn't leave her uncle alone with her in the forest. If they were alone, she feared he might curse her or torture her somehow. She wasn't sure he could do that as a professor, but as her uncle, he might be able to, and with those sort of blurred lines she didn't like her chances.