𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 || 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

F I F T E E N.

The One With The Secret Organisation.

That evening, Kayla and Benjamin sat silently in the common room. Kayla's eyes were glued onto Benjamin's left foot, which was bouncing anxiously as he stared into nothingness. Jade and Claire had been in Umbridge's office for the past hour, serving their detention. Kayla could tell that Benjamin was extremely worried about Claire, and Kayla was too. Her experience of Umbridge's barbaric detention was still fresh in her mind; she suspected Claire would be a mess afterwards.

"It's been over an hour," Benjamin commented into the silence. His eyes had moved from the wooden floor to the large clock that was perched on the mantle. "Why isn't she back yet?"

Kayla had to refrain herself from pointing out that two of their friends were in detention, not just Claire. "I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Benjamin sighed and didn't speak for the next few minutes, which seemed to pass at an agonisingly slow pace. The common room seemed unnaturally silent, so the sudden noise of the door opening made Kayla jump.

Benjamin sprang from his seat and almost looked ready to curse someone when he realised it wasn't Claire and Jade who had entered, but a couple of 5th years, including Kayla's younger brother, Draco.

Benjamin ran his fingers through his hair and was about to sit down when the door opened again and in walked the girl he was so infatuated with. He rushed towards Claire, who was on the edge of tears.

"Of course you don't give a shit about me," Jade spat as Benjamin examined Claire's hand with upmost care.

"Well you're not almost in tears, are you?" Benjamin shot back. Claire was in tears by now, the droplets silently rolling down her pale cheeks.

Jade scoffed and watched as Benjamin lovingly comforted Claire. "It's pathetic, you know that? You're never going to-"

Kayla knew well what Jade was about to blurt out, so she decided to butt in before she could expose Benjamin's secret. "We're patrolling again tonight, Jade," Kayla said calmly, hoping her tone would alter the atmosphere in the air. "We could head down now?"

"There's no way I'm facing Umbridge after this," Jade chuckled, holding up her bloody hand, the words I will behave etched into her skin. "Do you mind if I don't go?"

Kayla smiled. "Course not. Cassius probably won't show up again, so I can patrol with Graham."

"Thank you so much," Jade breathed, hugging Kayla briefly. "Wait, you're good at healing spells. Can you-"

"Course," Kayla replied and partially healed Jade's hand with a flick of her wand. She turned to help Claire, but found she had disappeared along with Benjamin.

"They're being pretty distant lately, don't you think?" Jade commented, her voice hushed. "Do you have any idea why?"

Kayla shook her head and assured Jade that their friendship would be back to normal in no time, though she hardly believed herself.

Kayla felt on edge as she walked to Umbridge's office alone, but she didn't know why. As she expected, Cassius hadn't shown up and Graham stood alone.

After they had both given reasons for the absences of their friends, they both began patrolling together. They made the usual Slytherin conversation—potions homework, Slytherin quidditch and annoying Gryffindors. Kayla found herself wanting to defend the Gryffindors, although she had no idea why.

Kayla and Graham turned down their 10th abandoned hallway as it neared 9pm. Curfew had fallen and they'd bumped into no student so far; Kayla suspected they wouldn't at this point.

Graham was about to being another boring conversation when Blaise Zabini came running towards them, Pansy Parkinson by his side. They skidded to a stop in front of the seventh years.

"We've found that secret organisation," Blaise panted, holding onto his stomach to catch his breath. "Draco has gone with Umbridge to bust them. We've to catch as many of them as possible before they get back to their houses."

Kayla and Graham nodded and speed-walked down the hall, the former internally cringing at the thought of her brother working with Umbridge, as some sort of double act.

"There they are!" Graham called out, pointing at a gaggle of students running through the corridor in front of them.

Kayla followed him in sprinting towards the students, who were also running as if they're lived depended it. They reached the corridor just as another gang of people rounded the corner.

Kayla crashed into someone, and she blindly gripped onto their jumper, surprising herself by stopping them in their tracks. Graham wasn't as quick, and followed the group further down the hall.

"Poor Georgie," the person who's jumper Kayla was clinging onto, said. "He's been caught by that ugly oaf, while I've been captured by a pretty girl."

Kayla felt her cheeks heat up but blamed it on annoyance as she looked up at Fred Weasley, who was wearing his usual smug smile.

"Weasley," Kayla said, attempting to avoid his eyes but failing; he seemed determined for his brown eyes to meet her hazel ones. "It's past curfew."

"Oh I'm well aware," Fred smirked. "Usually I'd love for you to be clinging onto me in an abandoned corridor after curfew, but I have a feeling we're not on the same page."

"Shut up," Kayla growled. "You're disgusting. And in big trouble."

Fred chuckled and wrapped his fingers around Kayla's wrist, his fingers long enough to touch each other again. He broke the contact between Kayla and his jumper with the same effort needed to break a chocolate frog in half. "What are you gonna do? Take points off me?"

"I'll turn you in, to Umbridge," Kayla stated, wondering where the bloody hell Graham had disappeared to.

Fred scoffed. "And give me another detention? I doubt that'll make a difference," he said, holding up his hand, which seemed scarred beyond repair. "But I suppose you'll heal it again, won't you Kay?"

Kayla crossed her arms across her chest. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work," she said, watching Fred raise his right eyebrow. "You're not as charming as you think."

"You sure about that?" Fred asked, tilting his head to one side, resembling a cheeky puppy. "You seem pretty willing to let me go."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

Kayla scowled, partly because he was right. She didn't want to turn him in, but her stubbornness wanted to prove him wrong. "Fine. I'll let you go, but only because speaking to you gives me an actual headache."

"Sure it does," Fred grinned, showing no signs of waking away. "We still have to organise our duel."

"I'm not duelling you Weasley," Kayla groaned, exhausted with his comments, but at the same time, enjoying them.

"Keep telling yourself that," Fred said, tapping her on the nose. Kayla hated the childish action, and how it made her skin tingle. "I'll talk to you later."

"No you won't!" Kayla called as Fred strolled away from her, as if it was the middle of the day.

Fred grinned at her before turning the corner and disappearing from sight. Kayla couldn't wipe the image of his stupid freckled face from her mind for the next hour.