Take A Deep Breath

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca was feeling rather bored. What was she to do on a spare day, sleep? There was no time for sleep. She had to find something to do, otherwise she might as well turn into a statue and never move again. Francis could never sit still, as sitting still was for boring people, and the young Slytherin liked to think of herself as never boring, since boring people were.... well, boring. The young Slytherin didn't find herself particularly boring. She thought she was pretty fun. However, today was not so. She had eaten her beans, even though some of the flavours were highly questionable and some caused her to not eat her breakfast in the morning, she had loved each and every one. Now she only had a few left, probably about ten. TEN! How was she to live with only ten fantastically flavour beans? Francis sighed, and decided that she would simply have to save them until she could get more, otherwise her grandma would be furious if she ate them all so quickly.

Francesca hated learning about patience. Patience was for boring people. Francis strut into the Trophy Room, and looked at all the trophies. There were certainly a large number of them. But she never did like looking at trophies, since they were just trophies. They only had names and stuff - nothing too interesting. Francis popped a Bertie Bott's bean into her mouth,smiling at the pleasant flavour, and then stared at the glass closely. It certainly was a nice bean! So nice that she decided to have another one - but that was a bad idea. This one tasted horrible, just like the one she had in the common room. Francis's face scrunched up and she cringed sharply, slamming her forehead into the glass she was standing so close to. While not hard enough to damage the glass, it was quite a loud bang and certainly hurt. "Ow!" She wasn't even sure if she should feel bad for the sore head or the terrible taste, but she was certainly feeling something as she tried to swallow the bean quickly and hold her head.
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

It was a relatively boring day in the life of Rhys Graves. He had spent the morning looking over his notes from class, though that had made him extremely bored, extremely quickly. Life in the castle was dull at best. He was getting sick of having no friends, and was getting even more sick of spending all of his time alone. He had spent most of his time alone, which was understandable as he lived with just his mother. His muggle school life had been spent relatively alone as well. All of the kids thought him strange, and the only involvement they had had with him was letting him play goalie for their soccer team, and the only reason they had done that was because he had been really good at it. Other then that, he had been a loner. But now he lived in a huge castle with hundreds of kids, and he was still utterly alone. He just couldnt make sense of it. Some days he would sit and stare in the mirror and wonder if there was something wrong with him that he just couldnt see, or if it was simply because he was just an extremely hard person to get along with. Whatever the problem was, it upset Rhys. He just wanted a friends. Just one would do.

As he walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, he decided to go to the trophy room to look at the Quidditch trophies. He had taken a major liking to quidditch as of late, and was fascinated to see who had played the years before him. As he rounded the corner into the room, he spotted a girl who looked to be his age scrunching her face up in what he could only assume to be disgust, and then a second later, headbutt the cabinet glass. Rhys was a bit lost for words. He wasnt sure what he had just seen. Resisting the urge to fall to the floor and laugh at the girl, and put his hands on his hips and tried to raise his eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked. "You DO know that there is glass on that cabinet, right?" he asked very matter-of-actly. He was confused as he tried to figure out what the girl could possibly have been doing.

 

[Francesca Grimm]

The pain of slamming ones head into thick glass was brand new for Francesca, but now she knew it and did not want to repeat it. She rubbed her head, and stuck out her tongue which could still taste the bean. She slowly turned her head in an attempt to see who was addressing her, and brightened considerably when she realised that it was a fellow student, and not some professor ready to yell at her or some really old student that would surely make her feel uncomfortable. Her mouth tightened in a grim line as she herself tried to not laugh at her own misfortune. She wasn't sure how he wasn't laughing. "Nah, I just decided to see if I could break the glass with my head for kicks," she replied, rolling her eyes and revealing her Bertie Bott's beans from behind her back accusingly.

"I had a really bad one," she explained, cringing at the memory. "Like it was seriously terrible. I would have rather spinach over whatever it was I just ate." Because, whatever she just ate was obviously not fit for human consumption. People would be slamming their heads on stuff left and right if that were true. "I'm Francesca Grimm, but you can call me Francis. I'm a First year, obviously," she said, gesturing to herself, as she was obviously not any older than eleven. She looked at the boy again, finding him familiar because of shared classes, however, his name escaped her. "What's your name?"
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys couldnt help it anymore. The sight of the girl rubbing her head after what he was seen and a bright smile burst from his 'matter-of-fact' face. He chuckled softly to himself as he walked over a bit closer to the girl so that he could have a conversation with her. He was a tad nervous to say the least. This was his first student interaction since coming to Hogwarts. He hadn't managed to make any friends yet, and had been feeling lonely for quite some time. On top of that, he hadnt really every talked to a girl before. He had watched his older brother always hang around girls whenever he had seen him, though those occasions were rare enough, and had always wondered why the older boys acted to weird around girls. 'Must be something that happens to you when you get older,' he shrugged mentally to himself. "Well, i think the glass decided to break your head for kicks..." he said back jokingly, dashing her a gentle smile to show that he wasnt trying to be offensive. His social skills were all but non-existent. He studied the girl. She seemed like a nice sort of girl. Not like some of the Slytherins that he had met who were downright cruel. But then, i guess that was the branding of Slytherin. Mean and cruel.

He raised an eyebrow when she revealed the Bertie Bott's beans, slightly confused as to what they were. Being a muggleborn, he hadn't come across much magical food. "What do you mean you had a really bad one?" he asked curiously. They looked like normal muggle jelly beans, and the worst sort you could get from them was the liquorice tasting ones, and they weren't bad enough to go headbutting glass carbinets over. He smiled slightly when she addressed herself. 'Francis,' he thought to himself. He liked that name. "Im Rhys. Rhys Graves." he said, offering his hand to shake as was the muggle custom he was used to. "Im a first year as well, obviously." he joked softly, thought it would be been obvious that he was. "I think we have a few classes together?" he added, remembering seeing her before.

 

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca laughed along with the boy, as she found her misfortune absolutely hilarious as well. She looked back at the glass, which was still completely fine, and shrugged. He was quite right. The glass really gave her a beating. "Yeah... until next time," she glared playfully at the glass. She had no idea what she was going to do to it, but her youthful mind was plotting. However, the thought of her revenge soon left her mind as she realised that her new companion of sorts had no idea what she meant by the beans being bad. Only people that didn't grow up with these magnificent things could possibly have no idea what they were! Her mouth opened slightly as she began to imagine life without Bertie Botts by her side. "Oh Merlin..." she shook her head slowly, and held the beans out to him. "You have to try one! You can't go through life without knowing what Bertie Botts every flavour beans are. They're world famous - everyone eats these." She jumped, inching herself closer to her fellow Slytherin in an attempt to encourage him to take as many as he wanted - although there were not that many left, there was still enough to educate him. This was far more important than her own appetite for them. "And it really is every flavour. A bit back I think I ate a bad fruit one. Nearly made me barf!" She grinned and shook her head. "It was fantastic!" She loved experiencing the bad ones. But in an attempt to make sure he wouldn't be scared to try one, "they're not all bad either. Some are really nice. Honest! If you're really worried about the flavour, lick it first. That'll tell you." Francis no-longer licked her beans, as the excitement of the unknown was the thrill of eating them - for her, anyway.

Francesca nodded as he introduced himself. They name vaguely rang a bell - probably from class and sorting and stuff. But she really liked his name. Graves was a name similar to her own - and she was nothing like her name. She wasn't grim at all! And this boy didn't seem particularly grave-ish. She looked at his extended hand, and shrugged to herself. In order to make sure her hand was clean, she rubbing it on her robes, and accepted his hand, shaking with a little more force than was necessary - but she had a habit of being a little too rough. She then chuckled along with him. "Really? A first year like me?" she mocked. "Here I thought you were a seventh year!" Which she thought would have been pretty impossible. "Probably," she agreed. "But I have a really bad habit of turning up late. I sleep in, get lost, get distracted by bad beans..." She shrugged to herself. She had a feeling that she was probably going to have to work really hard to get back on track academically. "I'm terrible by myself. I need my Grandma or big brother to boss me around - they always said I was a bit thick! I'd probably lose my head if it wasn't on my shoulders!" She then began to laugh, finding that when she teased herself, everything was funny.
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys chuckled softly as the girl playfully threatened the glass. He was already starting to like her, which was slightly strange considering he never really got on well with people at first, let alone had people grow on him so quickly. The boy was happy that he was finally making friends, or at least a friend. Life in the castle was ever so lonely without anyone to talk to or hang out with, and he was slowly going inside staring at the walls of his dormitory day after day. Raising an eyebrow, he inspected the beans when she offered them to him. He was always uncertain when it came to magical food. You could never really tell what would happen or what exactly you were putting in your mouth. Taking a greenish coloured bean, he eyed it suspiciously, not sure of what to make of it. He knew that the moment he put it in his mouth, he would regret it. He was very tempted to lick it first, but didnt want to look scared in the eyes of Francis. Sighing to himself mentally, he decided to just suck it up, and with a faint groan, popped the bean in his mouth. Grass. Freshly mowed grass to be exact. Swallowing it with difficulty, the look on his face displayed all too easily what had happened. "Well, i now feel like a dairy cow..." he said to the girl, a disgusted look on his face, "You could have warned me that there was a grass flavoured bean in there." He was confused as to why people would buy beans that tasted like grass. Maybe it was a wizard thing, but Rhys was disgusted with the taste. He didnt know how people could eat them.

He grinned at her joke about him looking like a seventh year. He was happy to take the attention away from the fact that he had just eaten a horrible tasting bean, and was even more happy that the girl was continuing talking to him. He thought he had a real chance at making a good friend. "Being late is my middle name. I get up early enough, its just the navigating my way around this castle that confuses me. Its so huge!" he exclaimed, explaining his problem over the last week. Rhys had always been a morning person, and had no problem with getting up and leaving to make class on time. He wished that he had a magical map that would help him navigate the castle. It would definitely make his life easier. He laughed along with the girl at her head and shoulders joke. He definitely liked this girl. "What were you doing because that cabinet attacked you anyway?" he asked her curiously. It never hurt to make more conversation.

 

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca was happy to have met this boy. She liked this boy. The other boy she met was nice, but he had managed to get a little annoying - enough for her to call him a mean name, and he totally deserved it. So, she watched as her fellow Slytherin examined the beans. She really hoped that he got a good one, she was pretty such there were a few left, but you could never tell. She watched him carefully, and snorted in order to stop herself from laughing at the face he pulled. It must have been similar to the face she pulled before slamming her head against the glass - although, probably less horrified. "What an udder-ly horrific face you pulled, Rhys!" Francis replied, chuckling to herself at her rather lame pun. "I had no idea what you'd get. They're 'every flavour' for a reason I guess. My brother's and cousins and I all eat them and see who gets a bad one first. They're not all bad," she threw another bean into her mouth and continued. "Like this one - it's apple!" She then held the pack out again. "I don't have many, but I promise some are nice. It's like an exciting lucky-dip," she peeked into the pack, counting the very few she had left. "You never know what you're going to get."

Francesca nodded quickly as Rhys explained that he had the same problem as she did. "I agree. I'm not used to having half a million rooms. My Grandma's house has only three rooms and she managed to squeeze us all in." Her mother's house was much bigger, but she barely remembered what it was like living in the manner. Francis looked back at the glass, now trying to remember why she even came here. What was the purpose of this room anyway? She then turned back to Rhys, and shrugged her shoulders. "I have honestly no idea. I just came here after fuming about my beans." She looked at the packet, and shook her head. "My Grandma said that 'you have to learn patience dear'," Francis explained, putting on her best imitation of her grandmother, knowing quite well that, if the elderly woman were here, so would smack her silly. "I really need to get more. I do like them very much - I promise there are really nice ones. I had raspberry once. I really like raspberry!"
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys giggled at her pun, thinking it was quite smart and funny. He was enjoying himself, which was a first since he'd been at Hogwarts. He looked at the girl again, admiring her slightly. He was still too young to have any great intimate interest in her, but he could feel a little bit of a crush developing, which was a weird sensation for him, as he had never had a crush on someone before. But he knew that this had to be different then just a 'hey, lets be friends' feeling. Still, he didnt mention anything as he was way to shy and embarrassed to say such a thing. Plus, he had only just met this girl. For all he knew, he was just being silly. "Very funny," he said, pulling a jokingly pained face at her. "Well, now im slightly scared to try another. I wonder if anyone has had a dog poo flavoured one?" he wondered to himself, but voicing it so Francis could hear it. It was always a mystery, the wonders that wizards and witches could come up with. He watched her take another, and was impressed when she had picked an apple flavoured one. He eyed the box suspiciously as she offered it to him again, and nervously took another from the box. He eyed it for a minute, trying to figure out what it was, and then realised the stupidity of it and tossed it in his mouth. With a bit of an excited yelp, he realised it was watermelon, which was his favourite flavour. "Its watermelon!" he exclaimed happily. He was glad that he had received a nice one this time. Had it been a bad one, he probably wouldn't have ever eaten the beans again.

Rhys grinned and nodded understanding when Francis explained living at her Grandma's house. "Yeah, i lived with my mum in a two bedroom apartment in New York. This place is absolutely massive compared to it." he explained, looking up at the ceiling which seemed so much higher then the roofs he was used to. He noted her comment about having to get more beans, and made a mental note to buy her some for the next time he saw her. He thought that it might be a nice present to get her, and she really seemed to like them. "Raspberry is a very good flavour." he agreed with her. He fidgeted with his hair for a moment. He could never get it to sit how he wanted it to, and it trusted him majorly. Suddenly, a thought came to his head. "What are you doing later?" he asked the girl. He wanted to go down to the lake later as the sun was going down. He enjoyed the sight, but really didnt want to go down alone again.

 

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca grinned widely when she realised that Rhys liked her pun, and then laughed. She was used to her brother flicking her earlobe in response to such play. It was nice to not always have to be physical in order to make friends. Sometimes, Francis just want to talk and have a laugh with people, not have to push and shove and play some pretty crazy games with her cousins and brothers in order to keep up with them. The girl got tired. Francis tilted her head in thought as he continued, wondering what other flavours the beans could be. It was certainly a fair question. "Well... I've been eating beans for ages. Never had anything that tasted like dog poop." Her eyes then widened. "Not that I've had dog poop! Or any poop!" She added, making sure that she didn't give the wrong impression to her new friend. She had just managed to make him think realise that she wasn't completely weird, and she really wanted to keep it that way. She liked talking to him. She cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly. "But anyway, I'm pretty sure there's some goods ones left. There always is. You were just a little unlucky." Francis watched eagerly as Rhys fished out another bean, and cheered when she was told that it was a good one. "See? Luck!"

"I think the castle could house my entire family - and it's pretty big," Francesca continued. "Like really. If they all died or something, probably five percent of the entire population would probably disappear too." Obviously, the young Slytherin was exaggerating, but most youth did, and she was no different. Francis nodded, a smile small on her face. "So's watermelon." And with one final glance at her beans, Francis packed them away in her pocket before she found herself eating all of them and leaving none for anyone or herself. At the thought of being asked what she would be doing, Francis scrunched up her face in thought. What would she be doing later? She honestly had no idea. "I have no idea," she admitted. "I've been planning on going everywhere - seeing where everything is and stuff. I want to go to the towers, the dungeons, the forest, the cliffs - everywhere!" She just needed someone to do it with, because while adventuring by ones self was okay, being with someone else was so much more interesting. "Why? Do you want to do something? I'm in!"
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys shrugged to himself when Francis stated that she hadn't had anything that tasted like dog poop. It was a probably for the best, as he considered the fact. He couldn't imagine that dog poop would have tasted all to great anyways, and the thought of it made him feel slightly sick. His eyebrow raised slightly when she tried to cover up her misplaced wording, stating that she had never had dog poop before. "Oh really?" he said suspiciously, the tone of his voice joking as he nudged her gently and winked. He was playing with the girl, and he wanted to make sure she understood that. The worst thing he could have done right now was offend this girl and have her not want to be friends, as he was really enjoying himself.

Rhys chucked at her comment about the castle housing her entire family. "I think the broom closet could house my entire family!" he said in reply, laughing hard. It was sad but slightly true. Rhys yes opened in shock at her emphasis on how big her family one. He didnt know anyone who family was as big as that. "Wow. Your family is really THAT big?" he said in awe. His family consisted of literally 4 people, and they weren't even really a family anymore. They were just a broken home and another home with a new family. It saddened him slightly to know that his dad had just moved on to a new family so easily, but he couldnt really blame him. Everyone deserved to be happy. "Well, i was planning on going down to the lake to watch the sunset. Would you care to join me?" he asked her, and was happy to hear her say that she was in.

 

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca snorted as he elbows her, and rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, ha ha. Very funny," she said, folded her arms across her chest. "I don't even have a dog." She added. In fact, Francesca had never had a pet, except a fish that her mother gave her - but it died and Francesca never really got attached to it. After all, she saw it simply as a fish, not something cuddly.

Francesca grinned at mention of the size of the broom closet. "I haven't seen that yet," she explained. "I'm a really bad flyer. Like really, I'm a danger to society when on a broom." She shook her head at herself. Here she was, a pureblood brought up in a purely magical environment, and she could not handle a broom to save her life. It was truly sad. "So, I never really thought about doing all that flying stuff. I'm pretty nervous for Flying classes. My grandma got my older brother a broom, and as kids we all had little brooms and stuff - but I'm just terrible. Like a fish out of water!" Which she thought was a good example. She was, afterall, born without wings and obviously not supposed to fly, no matter what those that made and sold brooms said. No matter how much magic or how safe they apparently were, Francis was sure she would find her death on one, or at least severe injury. She then began to nod at Rhys reaction to her family size. "Yeah. My mum's one of eight, and my dad's one of seven and I've got ten other siblings!" she shook her head. "But I live with my grandparents and three of my brothers - but our cousins come around a lot. Like a real lot. They might as well move in."

Francesca looked behind her - out the window - and saw the lake just sitting there, being all pretty and inviting. She had heard lots about the lake - moreso than the school itself. Apparently there were creatures in there or something, and she had been planning on finding all of them. She had been there before, meeting a Hufflepuff girl that she accidently hit with her shoe. "I would love to!" she said, grabbing Rhys hand to pull him along. "I've always wanted my own lake-" she stopped, however, when she walked directly into someone, causing her to have a sore head, and for them to loose their balance. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, forgetting that she was still holding Rhys's hand.
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys chuckled at Francis when she mocked getting grumpy at him. He was only joking around with her, and he knew that she was only mucking around with him. "Well, i thought that i was funny." he said, winking at her. He was enjoying mucking around. "To be honest, i had never owned a pet until i came to Hogwarts. I purchased an owl and a cat when i came though, because i knew i could have pets. My mum never allowed me any when i lived with her." he admitted. He had always wanted a cat, and had finally gotten one.

Rhys couldnt help but frown when she explained that she couldnt fly. He found flying so easy. It was his favourite thing about magic. He laughed at her 'danger to society' joke but couldnt help shaking his head. "I am going to have to teach you to fly." he stated proudly, "Im trying out for the Slytherin Quidditch team. If i, a muggleborn, can fly, then you can." he said, a bit of a joking tone in his voice. He hadnt thought that there was a witch or wizard out there who couldnt fly. "Ten siblings!?" he exclaimed when she mentioned it. "Ten! How is that even possible?" he asked, shocked. He couldnt believe that anyone could have THAT many family members. It seemed unbelievable.

As she grabbed his hand, Rhys blushed a bit. A girl had never held his hand before, and he was somewhat awkward about it. As they took off down the corridor, the boy almost bumped into Francis as she seemingly bumped into another student. He noticed that she was still holding his hand, and could still feel his cheeks burning slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked Francis. He was slowly beginning to realise just how accident prone this girl was.

 

[Arturo Raven]

Arturo regretted coming to this school. Really, there was one person he favoured here, and he met her on the train. Otherwise, every one else was fodder. It was not easy going to school with ones family, especially if ones family member happened to be teaching. That was the most difficult thing to get used to for Arturo. However, he was here now, and he had to put up with it. Unfortunately. At least he was in Ravenclaw. Only Dante was in this house, and he was very quiet. Arturo barely noticed his older brother's existence, and that was just how he liked it. However, this did not necessarily mean that he was currently in a good mood. In fact, the Ravenclaw was not in the best of moods, and so decided that, rather than blowing his cap, he would take a walk to calm himself down.

He entered the Trophy Room, and immediately heard something that he would not want to know. Two Slytherins were there, probably about his age, and one stated he was a mudblood. Well, this was most certainly not going to cause his mood to become brighter, so, in a rare case of forethought, the Ravenclaw decided that leaving the area would be best. Otherwise he would surely do something that would bring the Raven name into question. He did not care about what they were talking about, and he was sure he would find a more... less scum-filled place to calm himself. Mudbloods were not worth his time and half-bloods, or whatever sort of bad the girl was was worth less.

Arturo took a moment at the door to take a calming breath, as he was worked up and knew that his temper was simply growing. He did not want to be in the position of walking down the hall and just jumping down some random person's throat. He looked outside, hoping to receive some sort of calming sensation from the outdoors, but found nothing. It was then that he felt someone touch him, causing him to loose balance and stumble slightly, whilst having a sore head. What was with people and their irritating habit of not looking where they were going? Did mudbloods and blood-traitors lack the appropriate eyesight to not be complete neanderthals? Was it a trait their sort formed from their bad breeding? He quickly turned to look sternly at the girl, feeling his temper raising at the both of them. Now he had to talk to them, and he was not looking forward to it. "Are you okay?" he asked, staring at the stupid girl and the red cheeked boy. Stupid people should be thrown into the lake upon entry to the school in his opinion. "Perhaps you should invest in watching where you are going. Merlin forbid you and your mudblood totter your way off the cliffs." Maybe she was a mudblood too. She was probably stupider than the guy, as far as Arturo could figure right now. Then again, the boy had yet to speak to him yet.
​

 

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca was glad to know that she was not the only person to not have had a pet. Her grandparents just did not like them all that much. While the opposite was for flying - when if concerned her brothers and cousins, as they were much better balanced on a broom than Francis would ever be capable of being. She noted what Rhys said, hoping to perhaps bring up the offer at a later date - when they're outside and had more time to do some probably stuff, or maybe even after flying lessons. She also found it impressive that he was on the team -as he was just a first year. He must have been really, really good then. Now she had someone to support during games! She was glad she had met Rhys today.

However, now being faced with the Ravenclaw she had accidentally caused injury, she was not sure what to do. She knew of those types of purebloods. The ones that didn't like anyone that could not claim 'pure' magical heritage,and she didn't quite get it. The young girl did not want to even consider what sort of home life people like this had if they were filled with so much hate. She knew that she could have easily been like this boy, and like her sisters. Francis was grateful for her fair, morale grandparents and cool brother's and cousins. Because, if it weren't for them, and if she lived with her mother, she would never have been Rhys friend. And that would suck more than rotten-fruit flavoured beans. Her stomach twisted at the slur that went flying out of the Ravenclaw's mouth as if it was just a cute nickname for something. If she ever used the term 'mudblood', her grandparents would kill her. She was raised to be respectful. What if Rhys knew what mudblood meant? Would he be upset?

"Hey, shut up!" she snapped, dropped Rhys's hand and scrunching her hands into fists in front of her. "We just met - you can't say stuff like that to people. It's rude - yah big boob!" She was eleven, and so that was the best she could think of, other than butthead - but she was a little too angry to think of that one. ​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys has still been somewhat focused on the fact that Francis was still holding his hand, and hadn't paid the Ravenclaw boy much attention. It was a slightly weird sensation that he was feeling. It was like a cross between being shy, awkward and awesome all at the same time. He didnt quite understand it, as he was only just coming into the age of even noticing girls, let alone not trying to run away from 'cooties' and what not. As the term 'mudblood' shot out of the boys mouth, Rhys finally came back to reality, and looked up at the event unfolding before him. He had been almost tempted to laugh at Francis's insult, thinking it the funniest thing he had ever heard, but had realised that it was in fact a heated argument taking place in front of him. He had heard the term 'mudblood' before, though it took him a second to remember where. A memory game to his head of a time where he had been with Vrael, and had remembered seeing the black eye that had covered his face. Rhys remembered asking where he had gotten it, and Vrael had only waved it away, but he had told him one thing that day. 'Rhys, you are special in every way, shape and form. Do not ever let blood,' he said the word as if it was venomous, 'Let you think you are any less. If anyone ever calls you a mudblood, never ever stand for it. Because you are better then they ever will be.' Vrael had said, the words ringing in Rhys's head as the memory faded. Anger suddenly flushed through the boy. Not because of what the Ravenclaw had said to him, but because of the memory of his brothers bruised face, and the fact that it had been caused because of this word.

Suddenly, the anger hit breaking point, and he stepped past Francis, standing in front of her as if to shield her, but standing face to face with the Ravenclaw, only inches from his face. The anger seared through Rhys's eyes, and a look of pure hatred overcame him. "Call me that, one more time." he said, his eyes never leaving the other boys. Rhys had dropped Francis's hand as he had walked past her, and they now hung by his side, clenched in furious fists, ready to hit the boy if he even dared say the word again. Rhys's face contorted in rage as he faced this boy. Suddenly, a million memories flooded through his head. His brother and father leaving him, his mother hating him and yelling at him for being who he was, his brother's bruised face and finally a group of Slytherins making fun of him in the common room. All these memories ran through his head as he stared deep into the other boys face. Rhys was suddenly not himself.

 

[Arturo Raven]

Arturo's eyebrow rose at the girl. He could have laughed. Honestly, that was the weakest, most pathetic attempt at an insult the Italian born boy had ever heard in his life. How could she have been accepted into school if she was that stupid? It seemed schools were just accepting students for the fun of it these days. What was the world coming to? "You sound like an uneducated giant. 'Boob'? Really?" he asked. Considering giants were already considered dim-witted, the only thing that was stopping the girl from going full stupid was that fact that she was obviously not a filthy half-breed, well, not a part-giant anyway. She was much too small for that. "I have heard sturdier insults from three year olds. Then again, they don't have the stain of mudbloods on them. Try not to speak too much for fear that you will cause a severe drop in the intelligence of surrounding people."

As for the mudblood, Arturo was tempted to repeat himself, just to push the Slytherin's buttons. However, he did not. He was no parrot and did not jump for mudbloods when asked to. He cared little about the fact that the Slytherin was obviously irritated to a great degree. Furious, in fact. Arturo took a step toward the Slytherin, invading his personal space slightly and holding eye contact as his own temper began to flare. His arrogance stopped him from noticing that two against him were bad odds, no matter how better he thought himself to be. Two against one were never good odds for the singularity. However, his temper also stopped him from backing down. Arturo was never one to back down without some incentive, usually provided by a more level-headed family member. "Do I look like a parrot or a house elf?" he questioned, looking at the boy with a arrogant smirk. "I do not answer to things like you."​

 

[Francesca Grimm]

Francesca glared. Obviously, while she was raised to be a polite, respectful girl, this boy was raised to just be mean. What would his guardians think of his behaviour? Surely they were not like him? Francis hated to think that there was more pureblood supremacists. As a pureblood herself, she hated them. The last thing she wanted was her friend Rhys to hat purebloods - because she was one. Would he think she was just this Ravencalaw? She certainly hoped not. She wasn't even sure what to say. He just looked arrogant and rude and not worth her or Rhys time, but what he said about Rhys was unforgivable. "You sound like someone from the Nineties. You're completely outdated and a total butt!" she yelled. All she wanted to do was pounce on the boy, or throw him out a window if she could, but she was not sure of her chances of getting to him before Rhys did, as Rhys seemed fit to stand in front of her. The Slytherin girl stood on her toes to peak past Rhys. If her fellow Slytherin went to attack the Ravenclaw, she wanted to be able to stop him before he got in trouble. And if the Ravenclaw hurt Rhys... she would be ready to help her fellow Slytherin.

Things quickly became even more heated, as Rhys and the Ravenclaw got really close, just glaring at each other. She really didn't like this. Were they going to fight or something? Before they both looked really mad, but now they looked inconsolable, and she wasn't sure she would be able to break them up if they were this mad. Franny tentatively pulled on Rhys's sleeve. "Rhys..." she said, watch the Ravenclaw as he began to speak. Her jaw dropped as her own temper flared for Rhys. She moved to stand beside Rhys, trying to intimidate the Ravenclaw into leaving them alone. If he wasn't going to listen to Rhys then she would at least try to encourage him to leave. Now there were two people all up in his face, and surely he wouldn't be stupid enough to continue jeering at two angry Slytherins. She screwed up her beans, and threw them at the Ravenclaw's face. "Go away now," she said as lowly as her voice could go, ignoring what little was left of her beans as they scattered over the floor.
​

 

[Rhys Graves]

Rhys and the Ravenclaw boy were now only centimetres from each other. Their noses were separated by a fraction of space. Rhys had never felt such anger for another human being before, and he sure as hell had never hated anyone more than he did this boy right now. He didnt even know the boys name, but knew without any inch of a doubt that he hated him, and would continue to hate him for a long time. When the boy started picking on Francis, Rhys lost control a little bit. He shoved the boy, as hard as he could, in the chest. "You say another word to her, and i'll put you in the hospital wing." he threatened, every word spitting with contempt. He wanted to lash out at the boy. He wanted to hurt him, to make him pay for what he had said to Francis and himself. Rhys had never been in a confrontation like this in his life, and somewhere in the back of his mind he felt worry and fear for the way that he was acting. But that was completely squashed in comparison to the rage that he felt deep inside of him. It was like a hungry lion just waiting to rip into a defenceless deer, with only a feeble gate standing in its way.

Before he realised it, he could hear Francis next to him, yelling insults at the Ravenclaw. As he watched the girl hurl her most favoured beans at the boys head, instinct overcame him. He needed to protect her. He needed to get her away from any harm that was likely to befall her. His instincts went into full defensive mode, and just as he was about to last out at the Ravenclaw boy in front of him, he heard his name spoken, very softly, but enough to snap him back into reality. He soon became aware of Francis pulling on his sleeve, and turned his head just slightly to look at her. He could see worry in her eyes. The rage died just a little, though it still remained in force, and he managed to gain control of his rage for a few seconds. Looking at the Ravenclaw, he heard the boys last words and couldnt help but smile at the pathetic excuse for a human. "No, you dont. A parrot or a house elf would have much higher standing than the likes of you." he said, his words filled with vicious venom. Turning from the boy, he took hold of Francis's hand, enlacing his fingers inbetween hers, and pulled her away from him. He needed to get away from the Ravenclaw before he hurt him, and he needed to get Francis somewhere safe. "Come on, Francis." he said, his voice as calm as he could make it, reassuring her to follow him down the corridor.