RUN - James Potter

Chapter 7

"Why is Antonella... over there?"

It had been weeks since the first day of her sixth year at Hogwarts, and it wasn't anything she wished it would be. With more homework than she could handle, an early start to her weekly Wednesday crying sessions, and more students requiring tutoring than ever before. The red headed girl hadn't even lifted a book to figure out the mystery that is Headmistress Hoggs.

"You haven't heard?"

Antonella's head was deep in a book, as it usually is, but this time it was to avoid any oppertunity for a certain black hair boy to say anything. She missed the days were Ravenclaw only ever shared classes with Gryffindors in charms, now, she shared every class with him. There was no escape, and well, no way to end her misery.

"I swear if her nose is touching the pages of that book because of Potter-"

His name was a trigger. Antonella hated him so much. She spent ages in the libraries, both the school and the private ones in Ravenclaw to maintain her grades- yet it seemed he never studied or completed an ounce of homework. As he completed in all in class. It infuriated her, even more that when Lily wasn't in their class, he enjoyed comparing her to his "future wife".

"He told her that he could make her beg... if only she asked."

There was a time where Antonella mistook the boys interest as a somewhat school boy crush. That by him teasing her, he secretly meant 'I love you' and boys will be boys. And they would fall hopelessly romantically in love, grow up and have a son. Naivety. It was the pathetic excuse used to excuse the behaviour of boys, that they were entitled to embarrass them silly on their looks, their academics and to offer a space in their bed... if only they asked.

"Oh... merlin!"

She did not look up to her two friends, with Matilda sympathetically watching her and Asterin's eyes wide with either horror or something Antonella did not ever want her to explain. Matilda had watched the entire scene unravel in their defence against the dark arts class, where they were learning non-verbal spells. And to no ones surprise, James' words earned himself the title of the recipient to be hit by a non-verbal in their sixth year.

"And it get's worst Asterin, they are partners in Potions... I tried protesting."

Snapping the rather boring books on different magical lotuses used in healing potions, she eyed them both before picking herself up from the end of the library aisle and sat down at the large open table. They were in the Hogwarts library.

"Finished mopping?" Asterin asked.

"Finished snooping?"

The girls stayed quiet until Antonella spoke again, softer then her vicious attack before, "Sorry... sorry," she massaged her temples as she groans, "Bad day."

A short nod from Asterin was enough for Antonella to know that she won't be stealing her cat, as for merlin's knee caps, she would be requiring a therapeutic cuddle with Mr. McFishy tonight. Glancing at the book in Matilda's hand, and knew from the broken spine and gold embedded letters on the front. Hogwarts: A History.

"Found anything?" Asterin asked for Antonella.

Matilda's head did not move. It meant she had found something. Pushing herself up from her seat, she moved around the the square table. Resting her chin on Matilda's right shoulder, she could see exactly what she was reading.

'Though the founders being highly acclaimed wizard folks at their time, many have written that Headmaster Corpus begun the year after Hogwarts initiated. Countless historians have hypothesised that the founders worked in harmony with one, only to realise the importance of such an unbiased educator. Their theory goes, that in 991 AD, they sought out the highly established owner of Corpus Herba and Poculum, the only store at its time to sell potion ingredients. There is very little information on how Colby Corpus became known as the first headmaster, but rumours at the time suggests that it was his wife, Feyre, that acquainted the future headmaster with the founders...'