Emma in Exile

One

"So are you a scholarship, or what?"

Emma looked up from her seat on the steps in front of the school, her luggage gathered at her feet. Squinting her eyes against the sun, she took in the tall boy in front of her. Everything from his too-perfectly curled brown hair, strong jawline, lilted voice, and the casual ease with which he wore the school uniform screamed Self-Entitled Old Money. "Excuse me?"

"You obviously don't go here." He waltzed forward, hands in the pockets of his pants. "Who starts the school year two weeks into September unless they're here on scholarship?"

"I really don't think my reasons for being here are any of your business." She glowered in his general direction and turned back to her phone. To her dismay he jauntily sat himself down beside her, leaning close enough to peer at her phone over her shoulder. She closed her conversation with her father and, rolling her eyes, turned to meet the insolent stranger impeding on her personal space. "Do you mind?"

He smirked, flicking his head to the side so that his hair gently swayed. "Defensive, I see. Safe to assume you're a scholarship, then."

"Safe to assume you're an asshole." She got to her feet with a huff, shoving her phone into her pocket and looking up hopefully when the massive doors to the school opened. A smile broke out across her face when her brother walked out, her shoulders dropping with relief.

"Emma," Matthew hugged her quickly and nodded at the boy who was still sitting on the steps. "Leo is looking for you, he wants help with calculus."

The other boy looked between them, brow furrowed, before realization animated his features. "Oi, Matthew you didn't tell me your sister was transferring here!"

"It was a last minute thing," Matthew responded, grabbing two of her bags. "I think Leo's in the library."

"Alright, alright, I can take a hint." Hands raised, the stranger cast one more smile in their direction and set off at a brisk walk.

"You know him?" Emma didn't bother to hide her distaste as she shouldered her backpack and grabbed the handle of her suitcase.

"Yeah, that's Reed." Matthew responded as they slowly walked back into what could at best be described as real life Hogwarts, at worst an old castle. So all in all, it was spectacular. "Sorry I'm a bit late, I got held up talking to one of my teachers."

"If everyone at this school is as bad as him I'd rather put up with mom and dad's arguing than stay here." She muttered, shaking her head to get her dark red hair out of her face.

"That bad, eh?" He watched her face closely as they walked into the school, heading up the big staircase at the center of the room. She shrugged, not speaking. "This is where we take all our school photos."

"Cool." Try as she might not to sound impressed, she couldn't help but admire the architecture of the building they were in. She'd resolved to despise her exile to this stuffy boarding school when she was back at home, but now that she was faced with the place it was becoming more difficult. "So how many floors are there, anyway?"

"Only three," he responded with a smile. "It's really not as big as it seems at first, especially because a bunch of space on the third floor is taken up with dormitories."

"Right," her eyes roved the paintings that adorned the walls and she was suddenly overcome by a desire to learn all she could about art history.

"Headmistress Lochland says if you have anything you need to discuss with her to drop by before dinner. I told her I'd show you where her office is, if you want."

"What would I have to discuss with her?" She asked, heartbeat quickening at the prospect of having a one-on-one meeting with the Headmistress.

Matthew shrugged. "I dunno. She likes to be involved in her student's lives and all that. I told her I'd be here to help you transition."