[IC] Hogwarts's Annual Aptitude Test [ FestinaLente and iSuspect ]

[FestinaLente]

He was running.Panting heavily, occasionally coughing.The hoarse sound coming from his throat was betraying the ceaseless need of tasting the cold, refreshing liquid.He needed water – not only to satisfy his persistent thirst, but to also remove the disgusting layer of sweat mixed with dirt and dry blood off his skin and half-torn clothes.In his full-of-thin-cuts hands, he was holding something tightly.As if his whole meaning was depending on whatever he was protecting with so much haste.It’s not as if he had any choice anyway, he had no idea where he was, what his purpose was. Everything was annoyingly blurry, mindblowing and dark.The only hint he could take into consideration was the rustle of the grass under his feet, which tells him he was located somewhere along the nature’s splendor.

“Noah.”

He was tired, feeling how his muscles began to slowly ache.He twitched, trying to not mind the pain. By continuously running…

Running...Until…

There.Right there.Forward,at approximately one hundred feet away. The dim light coming from that direction did make his entire body gain the necessary energy to run faster and the delicate sound of a nearby water spot felt like bliss to his eardrums.
Once stepping in the light, he could feel something smooth tickling his toes, which made him look down in confusion.Sand?Quickly lifting his chin up, he looked around in pure bewilderment.The new scenery didn’t look any familiar – the light of the full moon outlined the shore of a lake.Which meant water, exactly what he needed at the moment.For a second, he had been tempted to head further towards the source of the existential liquid, but something was stopping him from making any move.The presence of another human being…

"Noah!"

Turning his head in slow motion, his eyes did catch sight of a feminine silhouette wearing nothing more than a dirty bra and khaky shorts.The girl was standing with her back towards him and since the intense darkness overshadowed her face and legs completely, it was practically impossible for him to recognize the person.His teeth clenched tightly, and without having time to reconsider, he made a step towards the girl before suddenly stopping, noticing the girl began to slowly turn her head over shoulders.The moonlight could reveal her moving lips only, trying to tell him something unfeasible to decipher.He furrowed his brows irritatedly as he tried to read her lips, soon giving up.There was no point anyway.Once she finished ‘talking’, her lips broke into a smug smile,which can be easily mistook with a seductive one.That naughty smile… it seemed familiar… it was…

“WAKEY WAKEY, HOLLINGSWORTH!”

In a split second, the brown haired boy’s body made contact with the cold floor which made him gasp and mutter some curses under his breath.Propping himself on his elbows on the hard floor, Noah made an effort to open his sleepy eyes and glare up at a blonde boy who was holding his red blanket.If glances could kill, the blondie would’ve already been burnt to ashes.A headache – caused by either the sudden awakening or the collision with the ground – did overwhelm him, but he didn’t mind that.
“Fuck you, Greyback.” Noah mumbled, while rolling his eyes at the bright,refreshing smile of the other.” And wipe that smile off your disgusting face, before making me do it for you.”God, he would do anything to punch the boy’s seemingly innocent face, whose name had been Jacob Greyback.But he couldn’t do that, not to his forever comrade AND roommate .After all, they’ve been knowing each other since the 1st grade.Such a compassionate young man, wasn’t he?However, once he managed to get up, he couldn’t help but kick the other's leg – hard.

“C’mon, you know th--ARGH!You crazy son of a bitch!” Jacob began to whine like a scolded little child, rubbing his leg soothingly.“For real, Noah?Is it ALL you can do?Fighting in this despicable Muggle way?Act like a man and hold your wand straight next time, mate.”

As Noah was making his way to the bathroom, he stopped slightly and took one more glance at his friend, mentally analyzing the words that came out of Jacob's mouth.It wasn’t exactly a glare, but neither a friendly look.Without being aware, he found his face barely softening… Even thought he shows an obvious displeasure towards his friend, he couldn’t help but be thankful for waking him up.Because that morning wasn’t an usual one and with him being a heavy sleeper, it wouldn’t be surprinsing to show himself up late at the breakfast .And that’d be the last thing he wanted to happen, considering the satisfaction he’d give to a certain Slytherin bitch...

---

Noah’s nose twitched in annoyance.The Great Hall – the well-known place where all the Hogwarts staff and children take part at the daily breakfast feast – was strangely noisy.Way too noisy for his liking.The reason wasn’t too hard to guess : that breakfast might be the last ‘decent’ one for the 5th year students.The next few days are going to determine which of the teens are capable enough to survive the Test and, why not, the fascinating yet cruel world of the witchcraft.The winners will receive the well-deserved applauses and praises, while the losers will have to stand all the others’ sympathetic looks and taunts.

Stepping with confidence in the Hall, he headed towards his seat at the long table with lion-patterned covers while waving at some familiar-looking Gryffindors, earning the same treatment from them.Some of them – no, actually all the students – were already preparing themselves for a good yawn, expecting Dumbledore’s upcoming speech about the H.A.A.T’s rules to be a painfully boring one.Yes, Dumbledore recites the rules every single year a day before the Test there ,and not before entering the arena, so to not waste any of his pupils's precious time of mental self-preparation.How generous of him.Really.
As Noah was waiting for the food to be served, his eyes unconsciously wandered towards the Slytherins's table studying their faces with his eyes narrowed . She wasn't there.Good. Well, not yet, which is unfortunate. But he was content with having at least the morning peaceful, without having to bear with her idiotic ways of getting on his nerves.

[iSuspect]

She jolted up in her bed, her hands resting by her sides. Beads of sweat trickled down her body as she fixed her eyes to look at the time. Her hands raised up to her face and covered it as she sighed then wiped some of the sweat away. She removed her blankets from the lower half of her body and got out of the bed. Her eyes scanned around the room - All the other ladies of Slytherin was sleep. A sly smirk danced across her feminine features as she clapped her hands together causing the ladies to rise up, one even fell out of the bed. "We have to be at The Great Hall shortly." With those words, she nodded her head before grabbing her clothing and a towel and making her way to the bathroom.

She held her hands on the ceramic sides while looking up into the mirror. With one swift movement, she cuffed her hands together underneath the running water then splash it in her face. She wiped off her face then walked towards the showers. Within a matter of minutes, she had showered and placed on her clothing, which was nothing more but her usual wear of the Slytherin house. She placed upon her feet a pair of flip flops then walked towards the Slytherin corridors, where she seen a few of guys walking out. She waved at them with a smile then turned her lips up in disgust behind their backs.

Upon entering the ladies dorm, she saw that everyone was ready and all eyes were on her. "What?" She raised one of her delicate brows up while walking to her bed, sitting on the edge and reaching underneath the bed for her socks and shoes. "Alyssa, we have to wait for you every morning." One of the girls protested while the others nodded and muttered in agreement. Alyssa eyes rolled up towards them then stood while straightening out her clothing as she tied her hair up into a high ponytail then shot a stare towards them. "And yet, you continue to wait, so what is the problem?" Alyssa stood there with her hands on her hips then raised one of them, shaking it at them. "Never mind. Come on, I am starving."

She walked past the girls and walked towards The Great Hall, with them flocking behind her like she was a Queen Bee or something. In her mind, she was - Considering she was the only female to be in the Hogwart's Annual Aptitude Test, H.A.A.T for short. Upon entering The Great Hall, her eyes fluttered up towards the ceiling and saw that it was partly cloudy. She saw Noah then smirked while waving her index finger towards the ladies, letting them know to follow her. She stood right behind Noah then turned to the ladies. "Want to know what's more boring that Professor Dumbledore's speech?" The ladies shrugged their shoulders and muttered the word what. "Hanging around a muggleborn like Noah." She laughed and everyone soon joined in as their eyes peered towards him.

Alyssa turned heel and walked towards the Slytherin table, yawning already as she was not prepared for Professor Dumbledore's speech. Her ears twitched as everyone was applauding because the food was coming through the door. She looked up at the staff then back towards the people bringing out the breakfast. Before they began eating, Professor Dumbledore raised up from his seated position and walked to the podium, resting his hands on the top of it, waiting for everyone to quiet down before speaking. Alyssa eyes were focused on him as she awaited to her what he was going to say about the test.

[FestinaLente]

Just while he was waiting for Dumbledore to make his appearance in front of the podium with his cheek leaned on the palm, a mix of heavy but feminine cologne with soap did reach his nostrils, making him act like he was about to throw up.Which meant one certain thing. Alyssa LeStrange.The prototype of bitchiness. And yes, his no. 1 rival in his whole life as a Hogwarts student.He was definitely surprinsed to hear that her last name had been LeStrange when they first fought in their first year,because he was pretty sure that a surname like LeCow or LeBitch would suit her much better. And no, he doesn’t usually adopt this ‘discourteous’ way when it comes to girls. But she couldn’t be considered a girl, right?Of course, she was looking like one… okay, maybe more like a physically appealing one (judging by the ridiculous amount of popularity she’s gained ), but who could be so sure she was indeed one and not some ready-to-thrust-her-fangs-anytime kind of viper in disguise? He didn’t care about gender when it comes to Slytherin, it was like all of them share the same canting genes.This is why he didn’t even bother himself to look up at her, it would waste about 5 seconds of his precious time.However, there was one thing that made him raise an eyebrow – and it was the way she called him.Once the Queen Bee and her flock headed towards the Slytherin table, the Gryffindors couldn’t help themselves but roll their eyes knowingly, while some of the girls chuckle mockingly at the blonde girl – it was obvious that the Gryffindor gals didn’t have a very ‘nice’ view of her neither.

„Don’t mind her, Noah.” A girl in year 4 who stood in his right did whisper encouragingly.

”You know her--” A boy in his year – his name being either Zayn or Zack, he couldn’t remember exactly – added, only to be cut off by a blonde familiar-looking boy.

„Wait, wait a minute!” Jacob Greyback stood still for a second, as if trying to make an effort to hold back his laugh, though failing miserably. ”Did—did she call you a---ahaha- m-muggleborn?” He said between laughs, wiping a nonexistent tear off the corner of his eye. ”W-What a dumb-ahaha!Does she even know what a muggleborn mean?” Noah smiled, knowing what his friend was trying to say.

„Well, he isn’t pure-blooded either. So your point is invalid, Greyback.”A dark-skinned boy in his 6th year did reply matter-of-factly from the Ravenclaw’s table while adjusting his glasses.Noah narrowed his eyes once their eyes met– he wasn’t sure whether the older boy was trying to sound sarcastic or to take Alyssa’s side.Although he was betting on the first option, since the Ravenclaws were ‚smart’ enough to not side with the hypocrites.Or to not side with anyone.Unlike some of the Hufflepuffs ; well, not exactly siding with them, more like being forced to.

Yes, Noah was neither .He was half-blooded, though most of his life was spent in the care of his muggleborn mother in London, after a forced break up with his pure-blooded father – one of the Hollingsworth’s successors – due to family matters.Although once his mother died at the tiny age of 12, he was more than ‚welcomed’ into the prestigious but cold family, whose symbol – a salamander – was tattooed on the right side of his stomach.And then again, what’s with this sudden interest in his life matters?

„And since when is my wizard status more important than the Test’s rules, Williams?” Noah asked with a fake ‚curiousity’, though his next sentence did prove its rhetoric effect.”Oh, right, since a Slytherin little bitch decides to stick her filthy nose into my personal life.Which makes total sense, because it looks like my life is by far more interesting than hers. ” Some of the nearby Gryffindors did chuckle approvingly, as well as 4 or 5 Raveclaws, despite Slytherins’ death glare. The dark-skinned Williams guy did crack a small smile, sign that he was by Noah’s side.

Once the Dumbledore left out a loud, intimidating cough, all the students turned their attention awkwardly to their principal , letting the heavy silence overwhelm the room. After checking the mic, the old man began reciting his so well-known speech, that you could easily mouth him after 3-4 years of living in the castle.The history of the H.A.A.T, the founders of the game, the famous rules.Shit like that.Meanwhile, a bunch of house-elves were rushing through the students to set the various mouth-watering meals and drinks, which lessened the boredom of looking at an empty table.

Noah licked his lips hungrily at the sight of his plate, yet something stopped him from trying the food yet, looking up at the old man. „... and this year we’re going to have only 550 participants in the Test : 185 out of 300 Slytherins, 189 out of 300 Gryffindors, 114 out of 300 Ravenclaws and 62 out 300 Hufflepuffs.An interesting decrease, in comparison to the last year, when the number of the players did surpass 800.” Loud gasps could be heard in the room.Yes, it was shocking.But Noah wasn’t impressed, not after the last year’s game where out of 800 students, only 68 managed to pass.„And here’s the answer : 549 young men and only one courageous lady!What a surprinse!” Okay, now THIS is shocking!Noah’s eyes widened before he turned to glare meaningfully at his female mates – they just shrugged out of shame. Gryffindor’s bravery and determination my ass.These chicks are just scaredy-cats.

Then, no one needed to inform him who the ‚mysterious’ female player was, all the glances were fixed on a certain blonde gal.Which made his whole appetite vanish as their eyes met.

[iSuspect]

Alyssa and her girls chatted as they didn't bother to eat anything that those disgusting little elves brought out but she was indeed starving. She sat up straight then looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw all of them laughing. She smirked then looked at everyone eating. Her stomach growled lowly as she saw one of her girls reach for some food and she did the same as well and soon everyone else followed. "The food is so good here. I love being at Hogwarts." Her brow raised as they all nodded their heads then continued eating. She peered her eyes towards the Gryffindor table once again then back up as Professor Dumbledore began his speech.

His speech was so well known that even she couldn't help but to mockingly mouth the words along with him. Alyssa took a sip from her cup and her flock as they are known as, took a sip after her. They continued to listen but of course, Alyssa yawned again. She wasn't really paying attention but then again, who was. It seemed like all of their heads turned towards him when he added a little something extra to his speech this year. She raised a brow then mouthed '550 participants'. Everyone went to muttering to themselves as he raised up another hand to seize the chatter. It was no secret right now who the lucky female was as all eyes were on her - Even Noah's.

When she saw Noah looking at her, she winked with a smirk then turned back towards Professor Dumbledore but realized that he was done with his speech. "Hey, watch this." Alyssa whispered to her flock of comrades as she pulled out her wand and aimed it towards Noah's goblet. "Wingardium Leviosa" She said as his goblet started to rise up in the air and eventually floating over his head.

She titled the wand a little bit as the cup did the same movement as the liquid from Noah's goblet would pour down over his head. She gasped as she was instantly grabbed by the arm by Professor Snape. He took her out of the great hall and around the corner, pointing his finger at her. "Do you want to be taken out of the Test?" He asked her as Alyssa tried to explained why she did what she did. "Do. You. Want. To be taken. Out. Of the Test?" He asked much more firmly now as she lowered her head, shaking it no.

Snape was fuming as he stepped back a little. "I'm taking ten points away from you." Alyssa looked up at him. "Ten?" He raised a brow then quirked his head to the side. "Care to make it twenty?" Alyssa stomped her foot on the ground and walked away from Professor Snape as she seen her girls waiting outside of the great hall for her. "What did Snape want?" Eliza asked her as she shrugged her shoulders then looked at them. "He took ten points away from me." They all gasped them and comforted her as she scanned her eyes towards Noah.

She released herself from her girls grasps then folded her arms over her chest, smirking a little. "Oh, this isn't over by a long shot, Noah. Believe that." Alyssa whispered as she leaned against the doorway that lead into the great hall then back towards the Slytherin girls dormitory, where she was screaming at the top of her lungs. "Can you believe Snape? He may be the Head of Slytherin but..." A knock came over their door as they all hushed up quickly and Alyssa cracked the door open. "Yes?" She raised a brow towards Professor Snape. "Dumbledore is holding a meeting with you and Noah in his office. Pronto." With those words spoken, he had walked off and Alyssa followed after closing the door.

Upon entering Professor's Dumbledore's office, she seen the drenched Noah and snickered but Professor Snape made her hush up with that glare of his. Alyssa looked at Noah again then rolled her eyes while folding her arms back over her chest as she wondered what Dumbledore had to say to her - Well, to the both of them.

[FestinaLente]

Noah blinked once.Twice.Three times.Everything happened so quickly that his mind couldn’t immediately comprehend what was going on with him.Just two fucking seconds ago he was quietly munching his croissant with cherry juice in peace, and now his face, hair and clothes were completely drenched in a sweet, red liquid. It didn’t take long for his blood to boil through his veins, ready to explode anytime. The bitch went too far. Which meant only one thing : revenge.

Noah closed his eyes as if mentally trying to calm himself down and not do any scene to make her feel even more satisfied. Eventually, he rushed out of the hall under the examining eyes of the fewer students that decided to stay a little longer in the Great Hall to chat, followed shortly by Jacob and two other students.

---

„What a cow.Just what her problem is?” Elena, a girl in her 6th year whom Noah had been mates with in the Quidditch team and presumably Jacob’s girlfriend, said .With her hands folded, she was watching Noah wash his face at the closest bathroom since the Gryffindor’s Dormitory was at least 10 minutes away.

„She’s a Slytherin, what can you expect from her?” The boy named Zayn added, grabbing the nearest towel in order to hand it to Noah.

The students’s words seem vague to Noah’s ear. His anger apparently vanished after the cold water refreshed his senses, but not completely.However, what did the three students who were by his side not know was that one single wrong word and Noah might explode anytime.This fact could be comfirmed by the intense silence he unleashes, which isn’t a good sign.He was staring at the mirror with an unreadable expression, thousands of thoughts crossing his mind.

„That bitch needs to be fucked, Noah.You have to do something!” Jacob said as he leaned his back on the doorway, waiting for some reaction from his green-eyed friend. You don’t say. ”You can’t sit and wait for her next--”

„OKAY, FINE, SHERLOCK!” Noah suddenly yelled out loud which startled the three students, lifting his chin and giving Jacob a long death glare. Elena and Zayn stood still and swallowed their own saliva, seemingly afraid that he might lose his composure too much just like in those times when Alyssa did indeed received her well-deserved punishment from him.Jacob, however, only stood there unimpressed at Noah’s sudden outburst and decided to let him externalize his wrath. Although, what they didn’t know was that someone else had been walking up towards them with firm steps.” I AM AWARE OF THAT TOO! BUT WHAT CAN I DO NOW ? NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL, FOR THE MOMENT. TOMORROW I AM GOING TO TAKE PART IN THAT CRAPPY TEST AND I –CANNOT – AFFORD A BLONDE SLUT TO MESS WITH MY MIND. MY FUCKING FUTURE DEPENDS ON THAT TEST, GOT IT?AND--”

„N-Noah...ah...” Elena’s face went pale and tried to mumble something once she got a glimpse of the person that now had been sitting right behind him.The reaction was soon shared with both Jacob and Zayn, who were trying their best to make Noah shut up by mouthing or making lip-sealing signs.

„AND THAT FUCKFACED BITCH WILL PAY FOR THIS, I SWEAR ON ANYTHING--„

„Noah!”

”THE REVENGE WOULD BE SWEETER THAN--”

„Noah!Behind you!” Jacob yelled suddenly, pointing behind him.

„WHAT! WHAT THE HELL YOU WAN--oh.” Noah rolled his eyes and turned his head over shoulders, though once he got aware of Minerva McGonagall’s presence, he quickly swallowed his words and covered his idiotic mouth.„P-Professor McGonagall !Oh...my sincere apologies.I had no idea you were here... ”

McGonagall narrowed her eyes in a scolding manner, sign that she wasn’t pleased with the boy’s rude attitude.Although, considering the previous incident and knowing the famous long-term relationship of rivalry between him and the blonde Slytherin, she decided to overlook that. „You better reflect on your behahiour, mr. Hollingsworth, because this will be the last time I tolerate it. This is an educational institute, not a headquarters for delinquents.” She said on a calm, but not-as-friendly tone of voice which earned a moment of silence, followed by a slow, forced nod coming from Noah.

„Yes ma’am...”

„Good.Follow me, Noah. Professor Dumbledore is asking for your and miss LeStrange’s presence. ” She stated, turning her back as a sign for him to follow her.Noah stood there confused and took one more glance at his drenched clothes.

„Now?” Noah asked almost mockingly, pointing to his wet shirt.

Gonagall glanced harshly.”Now.”

This is going to be sooo fun...

---

Once Noah stepped inside the office, he couldn’t help himself but refrain from making any scene. The office looked by far more familiar than it should : old but elegant-looking furniture, and two sofas with a small table in-between.Dumbledore looked up while sipping from a cup of tea and smiled kindly, waving at him.

„Noah,my boy. Here you are, have a seat!Oh,want some biscuits ?It goes well with tea.”

McGonagall waited for the boy to do as Dumbledore said, but he refused to, standing up next to the sofa.„Sir, I believe I didn’t come here to sit and chitchat.Plus, I’ve got a shower to take, as you can very well see.” He stopped, knowing it might’ve sound a little harsh, before continuing to speak. „So?What’s the problem?”

Dumbledore furrowed his eyebrows, as if trying to choose his words carefully.„Well, I suppose you know that very well,my boy. It concerns both you and miss LeStrange.This negative atmosphere you two emit are going to definitely affect your Test abilities.”

„What is there to solve, sir?” Noah cut him off, and the feeling of the sticky juice on his skin didn’t make him feel any better. ”I’m sorry for sounding rude, but this matter should be solely my and LeStrange's concern. We will fix that somehow.”

„How?By throwing a bucket of toilet water in her head like you did in year 3?Or by placing a bunch of clothing-eater bugs in her uniform like last year?”

Noah took his time to remember his previous actions with an internal smirk before carelessly shrugging, as if it was something completely natural.„So what?She deserved--ouch!” Noah quickly stopped talking and rubbed a spot of his head that was hit by McGonagall's wand, sign that he went too far.Dumbledore resorted to just laughing, not affected in the least.

„It’s alright, Minerva.” His head slowly moved towards the opened door which revealed a moody Snape and Alyssa Lestrange. ”Oh, seems that miss LeStrange is here at the right time!”
A long, awkward silence overwhelmed the room, mainly because of the exchange of glares between the two. Noah felt the need to lick his dry lips at the sight of Alyssa’s snicker and a sudden urge to spit in her face. The amount of disgust he felt for the girl was so great that his stomach began to ache. Dumbledore studied the two students’s faces for a while, before breaking the silence. „Exactly what I was talking about.This tension between you two needs to disappear, my children. It’s not only unhealthy for your psychic state, but a bad example for the rest of the students as well.”

„Then let me motivate why will I and she never have a ‚decent’relationship,sir.” Noah suddenly stepped ahead, pointing to him and then to her.”Bacause one : she’s an attention-seeker with such a huge obsession for me that, instead of wasting her time qualitatively, she does nothing but flick her hair over shoulders and make up childish pranks; and two : you all are promoting her hypocrisy!And since you all are going to do nothing about this, I--” Without him realising, he did already stick his hand inside the pants’s back pockets and took a firm grip of his wand, pointing it to Alyssa.Though once he opened his mouth to say the spell, McGonagall grabbed his hand tightly while Snape took a step ahead, as if trying to cover Alyssa anytime.

„Put your wand down, Noah.Or would you fancy not only 50Gryffindor points taken,but a possible expulsion from the Game as well?” Noah bit his lip and put his wand back, knowing the teacher was right.He couldn’t do any mistake which could compromise his entry in Test. Dumbledore coughed a little, inoffensively at first, but the act itself is telling them it was moment for him to speak up.

„Well,well, since everything is finally settled, we can move on to the reasons as to why I brought you two here.Which is..." Dumbledore took one more sip of his tea, and with one subtle smile, he continued. "... team work! ”

[iSuspect]

When herself and Snape entered the premises, there was silence for a long time. She glared at Noah then rolled her eyes with a huff. Her ears twitched while her eyes fluttered up towards Dumbledore as he started speaking about the tension between the two of them. Her eyes then snapped towards Noah as he wanted to talk about why they will never get along. Alyssa wanted to comment on being an attention seeker but she let him finished before interjecting herself. When he raised his wand up at her she reached for hers but Snape stepped in her way while McGonagall grabbed his hand.

Alyssa removed her head from behind Snape and stuck her tongue out at Noah.

Her eyes went back to Dumbledore as he finally got to the point as to why they both were there. Her and Noah had to work as a team? Without even realizing it, she rose up from her seated position. "What?! That's wizard suicide." She walked a little closer to Dumbledore now. "Professor, a muggle and a pureblood will never coexist as a team. Especially me and you." Dumbledore eyed her. "I suggest you two figure it out." Dumbledore said. "You two will work as a team, eat as a team..." He eyed them both. "You will do everything as a team until you learn to get along and the tension disappears." Dumbledore said.

Alyssa huffed then turned towards Noah. Her foot stomped on the floor as she trotted off towards the door. Snape grabbed her and walked her back to her seat. "Miss LeStrange, I think you owe someone an apology." She folded her arms over her chest then looked up at Dumbledore. "Sorry." Dumbledore lowered his head with a sigh and spoke. "Not me, Miss LeStrange." He then raised up his index finger and pointed towards Noah.

"Noah, I'm sorry." She raised up from her seat again while still speaking towards him. "I'm sorry that your parents made you and that you were born." Snape placed a hand on her shoulder then pushed her back down into her seat. McGonagall stepped in front of Noah and Alyssa. "If you two do not do as you are instructed by Professor Dumbledore, you'll both be expelled from the games. Do I make myself clear?" Alyssa nodded her head while looking down at the ground. "Then it is settled." McGonagall said.

Alyssa stood up then looked at Noah. "I hope you have a great day." She smiled, which of course was fake. She was fuming on the inside as herself and Snape left the office. After walking a few distances away, Snape stopped in front of her. "Do anything to mess this up and I will expelled you from the games myself and sending you packing back to that small shack where you came from. Do you understand?" At first she didn't bother to respond to Snape until he asked her again. "Yes, I understand. Look, it's been a long day and I really want to sleep, okay?" She walked past him and into the Slytherin's girl's dormitory.

She placed on her nightgown and eventually went to sleep.

---

The next morning arose as she was seen staring out of the window, sighing softly to herself. Pamela woke up and rubbed her eyes with a yawn. "You okay, Alyssa?" She asked. Alyssa nodded her head then walked over towards her flock of girls. "Today is the test day and me and Noah have to.. We have to... I can't even say it because of how ridiculous it is." Pamela raised a brow towards her. "You guys don't have to pretend to be in love, do you?" The rest of the girls laughed as Alyssa placed her hands on her hips.

"No! We have to work as a team! Don't you ever use Noah and love in the same sentence again. If you do I will..." A knock came over their door but it was a special knock. It was Dumbledore. "It is time, Miss LeStrange." With those words spoken from his lips, Alyssa nodded and grabbed her necessities for the test. She followed behind Dumbledore closely. They were walking towards the Gryffindor's house and he asked for Noah. Alyssa rolled her eyes but when Dumbledore looked down at her she had a smiled plastered against her face.

When Noah would exited from the Gryffindor house, Alyssa would hug him tightly, more or less trying to kill him so they wouldn't have to coexist. Dumbledore would break them apart then raise a firm index finger up at her. "How did you sleep, Noah?" She asked softly while trailing closely behind Dumbledore.

[FestinaLente]

Noah Hollingsworth can be a temperamental boy occasionally.Fine... more than occasional. Frequently.

Or even better : all the time.

Yet, how could he remain all calm and collected when, in just a few hours, he will have to spend the following 10 days in the presence of the most obnoxious person he’s ever met.And as if her presence alone isn’t enough, he has to...to... team up with her.Her, a damn Slytherin!Unbelievable.Was is even legal to allow a Gryffindor and a Slytherin help each other?Two Houses who hates each other with passion?
Okay, it might make sense to team up two people from different House since they both are not looking for items with the same emblem which means no predictable and pointless fights. But still...He couldn’t afford himself to listen any more to what Dumbledore has to say about this outrageous idea that,as soon as he finished his speech, Noah quickly rushed out of the damn office room towards the Dorms to take a shower after slamming the door loudly, leaving an annoying metallic noise echo through the narrow halls.

---

„You two... what?”

The question that left Jacob’s mouth was followed by a short cough, spitting a good amount of orange juice on his shirt.Jacob swore under his breath as he examined his now stained shirt before lifting his glance up to see a newly showered Noah who has been wiping his hair hastily with a towel.Once he was done, Noah wrapped the towel around his neck, exposing his nearly-defined chest.

„Have too much earwax to get what I said, Greyback?I said the old fart geezer forced me and LeStrange to work in a team... during the entire Test!”Noah spoke venomously, his eyes sparkling of what it seemed to be wrath.His cheeks were burning, though it would be hard to tell if the reason was the temperature of the shower water or his increasing anger.

However, Jacob seemed to carelessly eat his last piece of cookie while sitting cross-legged, leaving crumbs on his bed,opposite to Noah’s.That’s it, until he did finally catch what his roommate said, when he eventually stopped chewing the food.„Oh.” Jacob’s mouth became O-shaped, chocolate cream covering a small part of his bottom lip. ”...no... nonono... I can’t believe that.You... Alyssa LeStrange... working together. Something smells fishy here. Dumbledore’s aware that you two will end up ripping each other’s head off, isn’t he?I mean, you barely stand each other for 10 minutes, let alone 10 whole days.”

„Glad you understand the gravity of the problem, Einstein.” Noah rolled his eyes at the oh-so-obvious statement and threw a shirt on him, before heading towards the nearby table and pouring some juice in a glass. ” Breathing the same air with that gal will be hell.”

„Hell and heaven.” Jacob pointed out with a sly smirk as he gulped the juice down, causing Noah to raise an eyebrow, as if demanding him to continue.” Look at the bright side, mate : there are 549 guys,me included, enrolled in the Test and you’ll be the only one who’ll get the chance to spend some time with her.”

Noah narrowed his eyes examiningly at the blonde boy, having a faint idea about what could Jacob possibly mean.Of course, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t play stupid. „And your point is... ?”

„She’s hot, man.Hot.Bitchy,I know, but hot.Long legs, pretty face,that nice ass...” Jacob’s brown eyes darkened slightly, sign that he did indeed find Alyssa Lestrange sexually attractive.That kind of dreamy stare meant only one thing – he is imagining himself doing something perverted with her.And you know what’s worse?That even Noah himself couldn’t deny her physical beauty. Although this has nothing to do with his constant feeling of hatred for her.

Noah was watching the boy with an unimpressed look, resorting to just grab a pillow and threw it in Jacob’s face.„If Elena hears that...”

Jacob’s smirk suddenly vanished, his face turning suddenly white, much to Noah’s self-satisfaction. Gosh, he loves whenever he gets the chance to blackmail Jacob by using his girlfriend.„She won’t. Your lips are sealed, Hollingsworth.Plus, you need to get over Blythe--.”

„It has nothing to do with Blythe!” Noah suddenly cut him out and turned his head towards Jacob, his anger level increasing alarmingly at the mention of that name. Blythe Lewis – an attractive but naive redhaired Hufflepuff in her 5th year,his deskmate in the Potions and Herbology classes, his ex-project partner and, recently, his ex-girlfriend. The reason of the break-up? Someone has spread rumors around school about him cheating on Blythe.Rumors, obviously, completely untrue. While Noah was trying to overlook them, Blythe became more and more self-conscious of them to the point of turning into a paranoiac.The cherry on the top could be considered the moment when an unfamiliar-looking girl threw herself at his neck and kissed him right in front of Blythe, which caused her to dump him at once. It didn’t take Noah long to realize that the source of the rumors could be a single person : Alyssa Lestrange.The girl who kissed him was more or less paid by her to do that, he could bet on anything. The incident obviously left a sour taste in his mouth, thinking that the Slytherin bitch sticks on him like some disgusting leech and continues to mess with his live on so many levels. On the other hand, the relationship wouldn’t have lasted long anyway, with Blythe’s continual lack of trust.
Noah soon shook his head to erase the thoughts out of his head and took a deep breath. ”Look, I’d rather make out with Sybill Trelawney than hanging out with a Slytherin.Keep that in mind, dickhead.”

Jacob took one doubtful glance at him and just shrugged. „Suuuure, mate...”

---

In the next morning,Noah woke up early.Way too early for his personal liking. His watch’s hand pointed toward hour 5 in the morning.And, well, he has a very good reason to : the Tests.Oh, and one more thing : Alyssa Lestrange. A familiar wave of frustration did overwhelm him again. He didn’t like team work, which is why he and Jacob didn’t team up at all in spite of them both participating in the Tests .And now he has to do it with her . He scratched the back of his head in irritation and eventually got up to finish packing everything necessary, since yesterday he was too lazy to do that. And by ,everything’, it meant the only things he was allowed to take : a blanket, a knife, an empty bottle, soap, mouthwash, aspirin, bandages and, of course, the wand.In half an hour he managed to prepare his backpack properly, using the other half to wash himself and change his clothes. When the clock pointed 6 o’clock, he decided to use the 1 hour left to take a nap…

---

“Noah.” Jacob’s hasty whisper along with a firm grip on his shoulder followed by a shake did manage to wake Noah up, whose ridiculously long eyelashes were fluttering sleepily. “Open your eyes, Dumbledore’s here!”

“Ah, uh, what?” Noah mumbled half-consciously on his pillow, through the mention of the principal’s name did make him open his eyes instantly. “Shit.” Noah quickly got off his bed and a hold of his backpack, not before giving Jacob a short handgrip. Once Noah was out of the Gryffindor’s Dormitories, with his hand running through his hair in an attempt to rearrange it, he was taken a back by somebody’s hug. For a second he thought the person could be perfectly fit in his arms, though the smell of her strong and overly familiar perfume, followed by the obvious intention of murdering him, did make him stomach ache at the realization of the person . And here we are, me and the pathetic bitch. As she kept hugging him tighter and tighter, he wrapped his arms around her and dig his nails into her skin at the pressure she was pulling. Dumbledore interrupted their upcoming session of fighting right in time because one more second would mean him scratching her skin enough for the blood to rush out. However, he made sure to leave at least some red marks down her spine.

“Not as well as you did. And… keep your ‘undying love’act for the arena, LeStrange. I’m allergic to idiocy. ” He said with a disgusted expression as he walked alongside her.

Dumbledore sent him one reproaching glare, pointing a finger toward him. “Noah.”

“What! This is called honesty, professor! Friends should be honest to each other!” Noah was quick to add and, to make their friendship look more plausible,he closed the gap with Alyssa and bent down close to her ear. ”Right, darling? ” He whispered with a subtle hint of huskiness, his lips barely brushing against her ear, before stepping back and giving her the fakest smile in the whole universe. That’s it, until he ‘accidentally’ stepped on her foot as he walked past her. Hard.

---

Once all the students gathered in the back garden of the castle, the noise felt more and more uncomfortable for Noah’s ears.Alyssa,who had been standing by his side, didn’t help easing the discomfort neither.A lot of expressions could be read on the students’ faces : nervousness, excitement, fear, confidence and the list can go on.Talking about strategies and various magic spells seem to be their main activity at the moment.A few others were quietly waiting for Dumbledore to show up in front of them, on the specially-made stage , to keep a short speech about how proud of themselves they must’ve been to take part in such a challenging Test. Challenging Test my ass. Noah’s nose twitched at the thought.
Once Dumbledore did make his appearance on the stage, he made a quick check on the mic and, afte a short wave, he began to speak.“Ladies and gentlemen, today… 18th May 1984…a momerable day for our skillful students.This is the first day of the 409th Hogwarts Annual Aptitude Test, which will begin in less than one hour.”

Lovely.

After about 5 minutes of encouragings and boring advices, Dumbledore stepped back and took off his wand much to his students’ shock.Moving it slowly in circles, it creates a strange blue-colored smoke which, as soon as it vanishes, a huge black screen could be seen.The screen soon began to light up, revealing some sort of a map which consisted in four islands, each of them connected by bridges.Noah felt the sudden urge to swallow down his saliva – there will be water.Lots of water.The fifth island – named Sea’s Heart ,which could be located right in the middle of the bigger islands, was marked with a red star, signing that it must be the ending spot they need to go to once they finished collecting the items. Noah couldn’t help but internally swear, because it won’t be easy to use magic in order to reach that small piece of land – he will be an instant target for the rest of the students. So he probably would have no choice but to swim… unless coming up with another idea until then. He could only hope Alyssa Lestrange was able to swim towards there without breaking a nail , so that he wouldn’t be in charge of carrying her along.

Map

Small, shining white specks began to spread around the map. Many of them could be spotted in the forest sides of the islands, while some of them were being seen in either the mountain and plain side, at an fairly equal distance.It didn’t take him long to realize – the shining specks were them .The players. The map didn’t look that appealing anymore, it will be danger anywhere.He assumed the mountainous area to be the coldest one with snow storms, though it might be good for hunting.The opposite area – the desert – is hottest one and the need of water could be unbearable, but at least it seemed the most unpopulated.The plains are rich in vegetables, cereals and animals but it will be hardest place to hide. And the forest – the best place to hide and also the best climate, but also the most populated one.Which means danger.And what’s worse?That no one do know in which place they could end.

“Children, 3 more minutes will break us apart from the start of the 409th H.A.A.T. Once the time is up, each of you will be directly teleported to a random place on the map.Use your own spells wisely and…”

Noah used those last minutes to re-examine the screen.Judging by the looks of the map, each player will be placed at a strategical distance of one another.The closest one should be detected at a fair distance of 400-500 meters.In his case, it should definitely be Alyssa.

“… may the odds be ever in your favor.”

He took one more glance at Alyssa and said nothing.Not as if he needed to, his sharp eyes says everything. Do what we were told to do.There’s no other way.