Harriet Roswell and the School of Witchcraft

Chapter 16

"Has anyone seen Toby?" Lemony asked as she painted her nails. Alex watched, absorbed.

"Toby? Not since this morning when we were getting up." Alex said.

"Why? Do you like him?" Diana asked.

"Actually he snored quite loudly, and I brought some extra snore blockers with me." Lemony said.

"You just got learn to sleep through noise" Alex said "imagine it's just a lawnmower, right next to your ear."

"I heard a rumble" Diana said with a book and tea in hand "right through my ear plugs."

"You brought ear plugs? I wish I'd done that, I thought I'd be the loudest one snoring though" Lemony said.

"...can you do mine?" Alex asked nervously. Lemony grinned and patted the bottom of her bed.

"Come choose a colour." He said, Alex grinned moving. Romero came into the room wearing baggy pants and an oversized t-shirt, he turned around as he walked towards his bed.

"I am clean" Romero said.

"Thank you for your basic hygiene." Lemony said.

"You have thoroughly shamed me into looking after myself. But it's for the best so no hard feelings."

"Maybe he found that vending machine" Diana said "and it made him so sad he went home. God I'd love a biscuit, I like a treat before I sleep. Also does anyone know where the gym is?"

"Yeah. I found it, you know because I work out a lot" Alex said double blinking "but apparently we're not allowed to use the gym until we've had our first P.E lesson anyway."

Diana glance at her phone "not until Wednesday? That's my streak ruined."

"We could go for a run round the field in the morning if you want." Alex suggested.

Diana shrugged "I won't be wearing my makeup up at that time."

"What times that?"

"Quarter past six."

"Are you sure you don't mean, half past six?" Alex asked.

"Alright, I could do that" Diana nodded "anyone else want to join us, Lemony?"

"Not this week."

"Harriet?"

"I got up 7:45 this morning, and that was a big win for me." Harriet nodded.

"Good job, if you add exercise to your routine it'll help you study." Diana encouraged with one of her beautiful smiles. Harriet thought hard, she really, really, really, really didn't want to do that. But she needed to make sure she had solid friends, and she was trying to change her entire life. Also she wasn't sure if Diana was asking for help at the thought of exercising with Alex, especially with that awkward double blinking he was doing at her.

"Sure, I guess I can add exercise to my routine this year. Let me just change my alarm to 6:30" Harriet said, a tear running down her face.

"Great! I've never have friends who've wanted to exercise with me before, what about you Romero?"

"I'll exercise after I have my first heart attack" Romero said taking a swig from a coca-cola bottle. Diana gasped.

"You found the vending machine!"

"I took me forty-five minutes and six flights of stares, but yeah, I found it."

"Have you got any chocolate?" Diana asked.

"I did stock up a bit- because it turns out, that headmaster guy really wasn't joking about all those eating disorder posters, and theres also like pictures of starving african kids and I mean like? What? I feel, bad, I got bad feelings from it. I also feel like its somehow racist but I'm not sure how."

"I'd just take all the posters off" Alex said.

"You can't theres like, laminated glass over them."

"I'd just draw clothes on."

"I feel like thats against the rules" Romero squinted "but I'd appreciate it. Anyway I got 'tunnocks teacakes', 'kitkats', 'aeros', cookies, and whole bunch of 'crunchy' bars".

"Can I have a teacake?" Diana asked.

"Sure" Romero said.

"Can I have a crunchy bar?" Lemony asked wide eyed.

"Yeah, they aren't vegan though."

"I'm allowed a treat." She said and Romero handed over the crunchy bar.

"Can I get an Aero?" Alex asked, and was given. Romero was totally pulling a Lukas. Harriet new this game well.

"What about you Harriet?"

"Kitkat?"

"Sure" he said chucking it onto the bottom of her bed.

"Thanks."

Harriet opened up her 'kitkat' as she opened up her alarm to change it to 6:30am.