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"i didn't even do anything, and he comes up to me all 'high and mighty' as if he's a king and starts shooting spells at me!" ricky exclaimed in disbelief, pacing back and forth around the empty common room, consisting only of the group of four friends.
"ricky, it's okay—" seb tried to say, but ricky shook his head
"not only does he wrongly accuse me of something so stupid and unimportant, but then he starts throwing insults at ash? nope. absolutely not." he gritted out "'blood traitor' 'selfish' 'picking the wrong side' they're completely obsessed with their bloody pureblood mania—"
"ricky." big red whispered, gesturing to the red haired girl who had been silent the entire way back up to the common room.
the curly-haired boy glanced down at his best friend, seeing her eyes focused on the flames dancing around the fireplace and he sat down next to her
"i'm sorry ash..." he began softly "but don't listen to him. he's mad if he thinks he has a right to say those things about you."
ashlyn shook her head, looking down "you shouldn't have fought him."
"and what else was i going to do? let him go on?" ricky questioned confused "i'm not going to let him think he can step all over you or anyone else. these are the times where we need to do something and stick up for ourselves and each other, no matter what."
ashlyn looked up at her friends and seb placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while big red gave her a nod
"thanks guys..." she said with a light smile
"i really hope porter got stunned bad..." big red muttered
"red!" seb scolded
"what?! she's the one who always makes fun of my hair!" he replied defensively
ricky shrugged "i think i just used a jelly legs curse on her...it was meant for ej, but, you know..."
"damn," big red sighed disappointedly while seb whacked him on the arm.
ashlyn managed a weak chuckle and stood up "we should head down to dinner."
the three boys nodded as they all started to make their way towards the portrait hole to exit the common room.
"how did you not get in trouble with a teacher, by the way?" seb asked confused
"bowen!"
the four stopped in their tracks at the sharp and firm voice of professor mcgonagall, ricky closing his eyes at her tone before they all slowly turned around
"good evening professor! lovely weather we're having aren't we?" ricky said with a charming grin, acting "may i say—"
"no, you may not." professor mcgonagall interrupted firmly, ricky falling silent as he swallowed nervously "it's come to my attention, bowen, that you stunned miss porter."
"what-that's not true!" ricky exclaimed
"well, professor slughorn told me that mr caswell had told him of the events that happened in the courtyard, and that it was your spell that caused for miss porter to be in the hospital wing. are my facts wrong?" she questioned
"i—well, no, but—"
"then how exactly is it not true?"
"it's not—"
"then that is sufficient enough for me to have to give you detention. you will also do well to head to the hospital wing to apologize to miss porter." mcgonagall told him
"detention?? but ej started it!" ricky replied frustrated "does he not get a detention too?"
"whatever punishment mr caswell receives for his actions is at hand with professor slughorn."
ricky scoffed but fell silent. he knew there was no point in arguing with his head of house and transfiguration teacher because she was very firm with her decisions and thoughts on matters.
"i'll go to the hospital wing." he mumbled
"that would be right." the woman nodded curtly before looking to ashlyn, seb and big red who were about to follow ricky "and i am sure mr bowen is able to make his way there without you three."
ashlyn, seb and big red suddenly stopped walking and turned around silently, giving ricky an apologetic look and the boy just shrugged as they parted ways with him, following professor mcgonagall down to the great hall.
ricky made his way up the stairs to where the hospital wing was located, the fury boiling inside of him. he was almost a hundred percent sure that ej caswell hadn't gotten any form of actual punishment for starting the fight. and how was it his fault that ej didn't know how to block his spell right for gina to get hurt?
when he took a turn to arrive into an empty corridor to which the hospital doors were at the end, he suddenly heard hushed, angry voices and pairs of footsteps walking in ricky's direction, causing for him to suddenly hide behind a large marble statue when he noticed who it was.
ej and nina.
"—what on earth were you thinking dueling him for?!" the brunette girl's angry voice whispered
"it's my fault now?" ej asked back in a low voice
"you apparently started it! look how that turned out!"
"i was protecting you." ej told her frustrated
"by picking on the guy and getting yourself into trouble?!" nina questioned "i told you i took care of it. i don't need you to look over for me and watch my every move—"
"you know these are dark times nina." ej interrupted her dangerously "your uncle told me to keep a close eye on you especially with what you're preparing for-"
"i'm ready enough without being suffocated by you!" nina said "just because you became one of them this summer doesn't mean you're all high and mighty now. you're still under a close watch by him yourself."
ricky suddenly froze at the sound of that being said...surely she didn't mean...he couldn't have...they're all only sixteen...
"but i know a hell lot more than you. and you can't afford to be distracted by people like bowen."
"he pushed me to the ground on the train once. i was done with it and left it alone and so should you-"
ricky let out a scoff before suddenly clapping his hand to his mouth to stop the sound but he knew they'd heard it because the two had fallen silent.
slow footsteps were starting to make his way and ricky held his breath, trying to stay as still as he could.
but before they could find him, the loud sound of doors opening stopped ej and nini from doing so.
"guys, gina's awake." a voice informed the pair and ricky stayed in his position hearing footsteps disappear before coming back, waiting a long few seconds before nina spoke up again
"ej, come on let's go."
ricky continued to wait, soon hearing ej's footsteps dying out along with the brunette girl's before he finally peered his head out to find himself in the empty corridor once again.
as soon as he was sure the coast was clear, he bolted back in the direction he'd come from, rushing to the gryffindor common room to wait for his friends to come back.
he needed to tell them what he'd just heard as soon as he could, because he was certain of something that a few weeks ago, he would've been wary of. he wasn't surprised though...not in the slightest.
