strawberries and mint | T. R.

5.

For a couple of days that followed Lora's conversation with Izy, she had nothing to do but wait and observe. Sometimes it felt like she was at a circus, just watching the action unravel around her. Of course, she couldn't know exactly what has been going on amongst the ranks of Tom's small army, but the subtle whispers and worried glances already told her everything she wanted to know. She could supervise how merely a couple of her mischievous words that she knowingly entrusted Izy affected the entire slytherin cult. And of course, it's leader most of all.

Taking into account the fact that Lorelei was in the same house and most of the classes as her new personal lab rat, the girl took immense pleasure in watching how her conversation with her flippant roommate slowly crawled its way from Izy to Tom. First it was Nott that found out, that was quite the obvious turn of events, Curtis then shared this new information he had acquired with his friends Avery and Black. The way Avery's attitude towards Lora changed was so comically obvious, it took everything in her not to sneer every time she'd catch him staring at her with this  indescribable fearful look. Then it was Lestrange who found out and babbled it out to some of his slytherin friend that weren't associated with Tom's club. From those students, the news about the fact that the new girl was actually intending to hurt Edward Lestrange and not just acting on impulse spread like wildfire around the school.

After only two days Lorelei could hear murmuring in the corridors and muffled whispers in the Great Hall. Some even were bold enough to come up to Lora and ask her to mentor them, teach some of the forbidden skills she possessed, the girl never said no, but she soon realized that having the guts to ask her for this great favor was as far as everyone's boldness went. No one was actually intending on breaking several school rules and risking being expelled just to be able to show off in front of their friends.

It seemed that the one person who Lora actually hoped would find out about her openness to teach whoever desired to be taught free of charge discovered it last. But thankfully, Lora was able to catch the exact moment when he was at last informed.

It was the evening of the third day if you were to count them from the moment that the library conversation happened. A lot of students stayed in the Great Hall after dinner in order to finish some of their assignments or just spend some time with their friends. The early fall night sky mixed with the comforting orange candlelight created a gentle warm atmosphere inside of the cold stone walls of this room. The hushed conversations and soft quill scratching brought this newfound sense of peace and belonging to Lora.

Yes, the library was still her most beloved place in this gloomy castle, but it was also a very lonesome place. People didn't go there to mingle, they went there to concentrate on their studies and that usually meant being alone. The Great Hall on the other hand was habitat for those longing for interaction and company. And tonight Lora felt that need, for the first time in a while. She wanted to be around people, even if she didn't precisely yearn to be with them. Just observing them from afar was already enough to make her feel less alone. So she sat there, at the front of the slytherin table with a book in hand that she wasn't paying any mind to for an hour or so now, just silently watching and belonging.