Hero

The King of the Sea & the Queen of the Land

---

"I can't believe you poisoned him, though."

Admittedly, it was a little mean spirited, but Caleb just couldn't quite stop teasing Beatrice. Her guilt was absolutely adorable, her inability to properly explain or defend herself had left her helpless against Caleb's teasing. The problem was that word had gotten out fast--the star Quidditch player Kalder Sigourney was in the hospital wing. Luckily for Beatrice, no one knew exactly why, but the rumors were entertaining. Most attributed it to a possible Quidditch injury, but the rest were rather amusing: some said he was hexed, there were those who assumed he had been assaulted by Gryffindors, others said he had fainted after Noel had his arm around him (his personal favorite). The list became more ridiculous, but it was funny to watch everyone speculate.

Caleb himself still hadn't known what happened, but his own personal theory was that Kal's poor health had caught up to him. At least, until he found Beatrice and a guilt-filled expression stamped on her face. She had explained that the burn she had suffered actually had a nasty side effect, an alarming rash growing just minutes after Kalder had left her in the hospital wing. As her entire hands had been covered, she should have suffered the worst of it, but since Kalder had been burned as well and didn't seek immediate care, it had gotten him good.

Beatrice wasn't good at hiding how she felt. She wore her heart on her sleeve and was never afraid to speak her mind, but Caleb noted she was also quite sensitive. It was clear that she blamed herself entirely for what had happened to Kalder, usually feeling worse whenever he was brought up in conversation. Which was a lot more often than Caleb had anticipated. Sure, Kalder was popular, but you'd think after classes ended people would find something better to talk about. But anytime his name popped up, she would shrink further and further until she looked to be on the verge of tears.

They were sitting across from one another at the end of the Gryffindor table, Beatrice only poking at her food. Caleb watched her as she would sigh, a curious expression on his face. He decided he would speak first. "Eat. You don't want to end up next to Kalder, do you?" He teased.

It did not help things. Beatrice would push her food away and rest her head on the table. "I can't eat, I'm too worried," She whined quietly.

"That's really sweet considering he thinks you hate him," Caleb grinned.

"I do hate him!" She burst out as she raised her head, only to look down at the table. "But that doesn't mean I wanted him to get hurt..."

He figured he should stop teasing her, but he was serious about the first part. "Come on, Bea. Between Demi and Kalder both ending up in the wing, I'm going to get depressed if you end up there, too," He frowned as he spoke.

"But this is serious, it's actually my fault!" Beatrice replied. "I just--I got so nervous, I knew Demi and him were reassigned partners but I didn't think I'd get him! I figured either I would get Demi or stuck with Noel Jameson!"

Caleb raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Flustered?"

"Yes!" She was surprised at his chuckle. "What?"

It was obvious why he was so amused. Leaning in slightly, he examined her curious face. "So you still like him?" As he had anticipated, her cheeks turned red. "Well that's a yes."

"No, I just...it's..." She seemed to hesitate, though she ended up scowling. "You cheated and saw it coming, didn't you?"

He didn't. While he was gifted with Seer powers and admittedly used them frivolously, he also had excellent intuition. That, and Beatrice was very predictable, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Instead, he tapped his temple. "I knew you liked him when we were younger, but I figured that would've faded away after he disowned us."

"Wh-What?! I didn't like him!" She immediately protested, slamming her hands on the table.

Caleb grinned, although the arrival of Benjamin hopping into the seat next to him would put their conversation on hold. "Hey Sophen!" Benjamin greeted him cheerfully, and when he noticed Beatrice, he hesitated. "Hey...Ballthen?"

"Balthazar." Beatrice corrected him bluntly as Caleb laughed.

"Right, sorry. Um, so I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Benjamin turned back to Caleb. "I was hoping I could borrow your Charms notes."

"Of course. I'll give them to you later," Caleb said.

"Actually, I don't know how many days I'll need, I'm trying to make sure that when Kal wakes up he'll be able to catch up quicker if we all take notes for him," Benjamin explained, scratching the back of his head. "I know Noel's going to borrow Graves' notes for Potions, Blake is handling Transfiguration and Astronomy, I got Defense Against the Dark Arts since that's the only class I usually know what's going on..."

To Caleb's surprise, Beatrice actually smiled at him. "That's really nice of you," She said.

Benjamin grinned. "He did the same for me last year when I took that Bludger to the head. Although...his grades are way better than mine, so I have to ask for help," He said sheepishly, though he would stand. "I appreciate it, though!"

"I'll make sure to give you my Charms and Divination notes, Nathan and I share that class anyway," Caleb added.

Nodding, Benjamin would leave the two alone once more. Beatrice let out a sigh, her hand on her cheek. "Maybe I should do something to make it up to him," She mumbled as she would tak a sip of her juice.

Caleb turned to her. "Yeah, you're still smitten with him, huh?" He asked, watching as she could choke on her drink. "The heart can endure the worst pain when it comes to love, huh?"

"L-L-Love?! Don't be stupid!" Beatrice coughed out, clearing her throat. "It was just a stupid crush, and he humiliated me! There's no way I can have feelings for someone like that!"

If she denied it any louder, Caleb was sure someone was going to overhear. "Yeah, I know, which is why I'm surprised you still like him," He said. "I wonder...did it bother you when you found out he was in love with your best friend?"

Her eyes widened and her face paled somewhat. "That's..." Her voice trailed off, and she crossed her arms. "Please don't tell Demi, she's going through enough as it is."

He seemed to have hit the nail on the head, but he wondered if it was a good idea to press the issue further. The two stared at one another for a moment, unsure who would break the silence between them, though the noise of the hall filled in the space. He should've felt bad, but he needed to know the truth. If she really meant it when she said she was over Kalder, then fine, but the last thing Caleb wanted was for her to get hurt.

Caleb cleared his throat, choosing to redirect the subject. "I wonder if Demi heard about you trying to kill Kalder," He returned to his cheerful self, much to her annoyance.

"I'll be surprised if she hasn't, everyone knows," Beatrice shook her head in shame. "How embarrassing..."

---

---

Stifling a yawn, Noel had to force himself to blink twice in an effort to soothe his dry eyes. He felt like he had been staring at the same piece of parchment for hours. There was probably an easier way of copying down Blake's notes but having to do it three times was getting old. He placed the Copy Feathered Quill down for a moment, the two accompanying quills mimicking the movement. Letting out a groan, he rubbed his temples and leaned back in his seat, his sore shoulders hitting the back of the chair. The shit he did for Kalder was annoying. Granted, he definitely saw him as a very good friend, but Kalder's studying habits were out of his league, and while Benjamin meant well, the idea to gather notes every day so Kalder could catch up whenever he would wake went from something nice to something tedious.

As the thought crossed his mind, the door to their dormitory opened, a grinning Benjamin strolling into the room. "Sophen agreed to give me his notes, so that's two classes we don't have to worry about," He stated as he leapt onto his bed, taking a seated position. "My good deed of the day is complete."

Noel glared at him. "You owe me," He stated, cracking his knuckles.

Benjamin scowled at him. "Come on, my handwriting blows, yours is way neater and easier to read. And I write slow." Shaking his head, Noel decided to take a break as he looked at the clock. Benjamin looked at him curiously, noticing he had changed out of his uniform. He had already bathed, his clothes crisp, and if Benjamin was correct, he was wearing cologne. Ah, so that was why he was so testy. "Ah, so Coco was right, you're going after Graves, now?" He asked.

"That makes it seem like it's a possibility. This, my friend, is an inevitability," Noel scoffed, crossing his arms.

Benjamin shook his head, lightly flexing his arms. "No, this--" He showed himself off with a grin. "--Is an inevitability. I just find it weird considering you know how Luke Graves is, right? He'll paste you if he finds out you're sniffing after his little sister."

"She's hot. I'm hot. How is this weird?"

"Because for someone who loves to show off his bloodline to any wanker who'll listen, you're very interested in a half-blood," Benjamin said.

"What, you want her? We can make it a race," Noel grinned as he stood up. "Seeing who got to Pamela Shawns was fun."

Benjamin shook his head. "I'm not touching her knowing her brother can hunt me down. Really kills the boner," Benjamin slowly nodded, though he perked up. "Caleb Sophen was talking to this gorgeous blonde, she's more up my ally." He admitted, although he fell silent. Noel raised his eyebrows at him, and Benjamin continued. "You could race Kalder, he seems to like her. You told me how disappointed he looked when you both had to trade partners, right?"

Kalder certainly seemed downcrest, although the look in his eyes had been something else entirely. As to what, Noel had no idea, but... "Kalder has never expressed an interest in anyone. If he really did want her, he would've spoken up a long time ago. And if he chose to keep it a secret, well, that's his loss then, isn't it? Not to mention his sudden change in attitude has gotten on my nerves."

"I guess you have a point," Benjamin admitted.

Of course he had a point. The whole crew was annoyed with him, but Benjamin seemed to have a little more sympathy. Noel wasn't having any of it, if Kalder wanted to be moody and secretive then that was his problem. Blake had repeatedly tried to get a reason out of him only to be rebuffed, so why should he care? Fixing his shirt, Noel wandered over to the small mirror on his desk. "She'll be my little Christmas present," He told Benjamin with a sly smile.

"That's mighty ambitious. I'm willing to put a galleon to that," Benjamine grinned back.

"Ye of little faith! You're on."

Justice Heart - 20 Years Later (Magical Girl Spoof)

@Hero Hey, just wanted to say you can tell people about being a magical girl. They just wouldn't notice visually - so she could hypothetically let her husband know (though he wouldn't recognize her from seeing her fight on TV, for example). I guess I wasn't clear enough on that - I'll go clarify it in the OP.

Unless this is specific to your character's magic.

@RabidAnubis

Oh sorry, I just assumed, I'll change it.

Justice Heart - 20 Years Later (Magical Girl Spoof)

@HeroOh yeah, Fiona got the message too, just to be clear.

@AtomicNut

Oh, I'll edit my post, then.

Justice Heart - 20 Years Later (Magical Girl Spoof)

The bubbling of the pot came down to a quiet simmer as the flame was extinguished, steam pouring out as the lip was lifted. A pair of excited squeals could be hear in the living room, the wonderful sound of the same kids' show being played on the television for the thirteenth time accompanying them. Despite the noise, Fiona Corona hummed softly to herself as she lifted the pot with gloved hands and took it to the dining room table. Setting it down, she removed her gloves as she wiped the sweat off her forehead, although she let out a small gasp of surprise as her son ran straight into her leg and sitting on her bare feet. After six years of that habit, she was no longer toppling over, though it was still surprising, moreso when his little sister decided to mimic her older brother and cling onto her other leg.

Letting out a sigh, Fiona looked down at them and put on a fake scowl. "And what are you two up to?" She asked, trying to copy the voice of a grouch she saw on one of the shows they liked to watch.

Her daughter, Sarah, happily babbled nonsense as a response, her excitement over taking her and robbing her ability to string together a coherent sentence. It was at that moment the family dog, their shiba inu Hokey (as Caleb had lovingly named him) began to bark. The three stopped in their movement, and two seconds later the kids released their mother and ran to the front door, chanting "Daddy's home!" as they ran to greet him.

As Aster opened the door, his two children would tackle his legs. Being much sturdier, he took it in stride, though was decidedly less amused as they decided to cling to his legs, making walking a much harder task. Fiona bit her lower lip as she watched her exasperated husband, taking his briefcase and coat from him. "Welcome home, darling," She greeted him gently, hanging his coat in the closet.

"Glad to be home. This is payback for all the times I laughed whenever Caleb used to knock you over," He admitted defeat as he would carefully walk through the hall to the dining room. Scooping his son into his arms, Fiona would take Sarah and place her in her high chair.

Once settled, the family began to eat, resuming the usual routine. Aster would ask how school went, Caleb would respond, Fiona would inform Aster of any issues, and dinner was had. It might have looked boring, but it was bliss for her. She loved how excited her children were to see their father, although she found it odd that Hokey kept barking. He probably saw something in the backyard, but his barking was relentless. Aster was telling her about his day, and as she listened, Hokey's barking got louder. Finally, they couldn't ignore it. Letting out a sigh, Aster would stand up. "He might have to go outside, I'll take him out," He said, patting Caleb's head as he walked past.

Fiona nodded, lightly dabbing Sarah's cheek clean. A familiar bell chimed, signaling a message on her phone. As she unlocked it, she raised her eyebrows as she read the message, unamused. Lily was drunk already, it seemed. As she opened the attachment, her eyes widened, and the immediately locked her phone as Aster returned. Why? Why now? She thought they were past all this!

"Everything alright?" Aster asked her as he reclaimed his seat.

Probably not considering her first instinct was to let out a groan, but she somehow kept it together. Putting on a smile, she walked over to her husband. "It's a message from Lily, I better go make sure everything is alright," She told him as she would take the plates from the table.

Aster frowned, though nodded. "Ah, did she get into another scuffle?" He asked understandingly.

Not yet. "I'm not sure, there was something weird in her message, but I want to make sure everything is okay," She admitted as she would walk to the kitchen, placing the dirty dishes in the sink. After walking back to the table, she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right back."

"Be careful out there!" Aster grinned as she would walk to the entrance of the house.

Slipping into her heels, she took her phone and wallet and stuffed them into the back pockets of her jeans. She really, really, really hoped it was just Lily messing with her, maybe some sort of practical joke, but by the gods she knew it was real. Jumping into her small, compact car, she pulled out of the driveway and stepped on the pedal hard, zooming away.

Justice Heart - 20 Years Later (Magical Girl Spoof)

Quick question before I finish my post, are we all getting attacked?

Mahoutokoro School of Magic: A Harry Potter Universe RP

Chi for my American transfer female. My bae @Hero's making a Russian transfer male, but I don't know what house she's leaning towards.

@Dirty Pretty Lies

Probably Ka, love me some Quidditch.

Justice Heart - 20 Years Later (Magical Girl Spoof)

Will post tomorrow!

The King of the Sea & the Queen of the Land

---

"That's not enough, Beatrice, if you don't add more, it's not going to come out right."

"Quiet, you, I know what I'm doing!"

"You were supposed to brew it counterclockwise."

"Shut up! You're distracting me!"

From the moment the class had officially begun, Kal was in hell. He wished he could say it was because of Demi, but somehow even the pain he suffered from his broken heart didn't compare to the disaster that was Beatrice Balthazar. He couldn't wallow on the love of his life possibly exiting his life forever because Beatrice wouldn't follow his directions, it was almost like she was content on failing on purpose. And as vindictive and petty as she was, Beatrice took her grades very seriously. Hell, they used to be partners back in second and third year, and she was actually a decent potions maker. So the fact that she was messing everything up infuriated him to no end, he had no idea why she was suddenly so bad at Potions, especially now when his N.E.W.T. was so important to him--and to her! She needed the N.E.W.T.! So why was she doing this?! The entire time she was unfocused, shaky, constantly bickering with him, but he wasn't going to let her drag him down.

It took Kal some very unconventional methods to salvage the potion. Kalder never did follow the books to a tee, often taking creative liberties and experimenting in his own time as a personal hobby. Beatrice seemed determined to fail them both, so it took Kal every ounce of concentration and pulling out every bit of knowledge he had to make the potion serviceable. Serviceable! He was the top of the Slytherin class, and he had to settle for a serviceable potion because Beatrice had her head who knows where! The massive disappointment in Professor Blackthorn's face was punishment enough, though he could have sworn that it wasn't just about the potion.

Kalder considered it a mercy when the class was dismissed. As he packed up, he felt a stinging pain from his hands. Opening his palm, he realized his right hand was burned. It must have been when Beatrice had dropped the entire ladle into the potion, and he had dove his hand in without even realizing it. Great. He blew some air onto it, using his left hand to pack the rest of his belongings. As he got up, he realized Beatrice was looking at him, a very guilty look on her face.

Letting out a sigh, Kalder sternly looked at her. "Hate me all you want, fine, but I'm not failing because of you," He informed her coldly.

Beatrice shook her hand, wringing her hands. He wasn't the only one who had gotten burned, it seemed. "It's...I just--whatever, you take the lead from now on, then," She huffed, still trying to save face.

Rolling his eyes, Kalder repressed the many, many negative thoughts he wanted to tell her. But he couldn't insult her, especially since she looked so damn guilty. "Come along, then, Madam Appleton is sure to have something that'll fix you up," He said, taking her bag in his left hand.

"What--Oh no you don't, Sigourney--" She started, attempting to grab her bag from him, but she let out a shriek of pain, immediately releasing it. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"That wasn't a suggestion. Let's go," He stated, his left hand taking her by the elbow and having to drag her out of the class. He stole a glance over at Demi and Noel's desk, but after seeing Demi's expression as she watched Noel leave, he found his anger flaring up again as he noticed Noel's wink. Pulling Beatrice along, he ignored her resistance as he led her to the infirmary. Dropping her bag onto the floor, he pushed her in. "Get that treated, I'll find you when you finish." He said.

"Huh? What?" Her face paled.

What the hell was wrong with her? "Potions homework." He reminded her.

She nodded slowly, remembering. "Fine, we can meet up in the library," She said, seemingly recuperating, though that turned into a scowl as she tried to pick her bag up again.

Shaking his head, Kalder left Beatrice at the infirmary, quickly making his ways through the halls. The noise from the students gave him a headache, but he had to ignore it. He had just enough time before Transfiguration to get his target, and sure enough, he managed to catch Noel, Benjamin, and Coco speaking to one another. Coco grinned at Kalder. "My main man! You look like you have a spring in your step!" He greeted him cheerfully, though paused as Kal had to catch his breath. "A bent spring, but a spring nonetheless."

"He's right, you look like shit," Noel said, examining Kal's face.

He really didn't care right now. "What were you--and Demi--" He stopped to take in a deep breath, stabilizing himself. "How did you end up getting Demi as a partner?"

The three raised their eyebrows at Kalder. "...'Demi'? You mean Graves?" Benjamin asked.

Crap. "Isn't that her name?" He tried to cover himself. "Demi Graves."

"Man, here I was thinking it was Demitria, I need a better memory..." Coco grumbled to himself.

Noel chuckled, though he shook his head at Kal. "Professor Blackthorn said I could use the help, I'm actually okay with the change," He admitted, a sly smile on his face. "She's brilliant, so it looks like I won't need your tutoring anymore." It looked like Noel didn't know the reason behind the transfer. That was fine and all, but Kalder had the urge to wipe that stupid, smug smile off his face. His stomach was starting to hurt, too. Kal figured he was getting sick. "I don't blame your frustration, was Balthazar trying to fail you both?"

"She got Exceeds Expectations, which means she should know what she's doing," Benjamin said.

"I'm convinced she's trying to blow me up," He admitted bitterly, rubbing his temples. Of course he would get a headache now. "There's no way I'll get an Outstanding with her sabotaging me, I don't know what to do."

Coco had a mischievous grin on his face. "I'd let her blow me," He chuckled, delighting in his childishness.

"I want to agree, but she's so temperamental," Noel admitted. "Like I can definitely picture her ripping someone's dick off."

"Yeah, but those types of chicks always get super shy in bed, you know," Benjamin grinned. "Like, 'oh I'm only doing this because I like you!' or something."

"She's gorgeous, too. And those lips..." Coco nodded in agreement.

"You two actually have a point. She was a nervous wreck in class, kind of acting like a girl in love," Noel suggested, his arm around Kalder. "Maybe our main man Kal can finally lose it to her if he plays his cards right."

This was getting ridiculous. "Yeah, no, she hates my guts. I don't know what was wrong with her, but I promise you that I wouldn't touch her with a fifty-foot pole," Kalder stated, shrugging off Noel's arm. The movement made Kalder dizzy, and he ended up putting his hand to the wall to keep himself from losing balance. The only person he wanted was Demi. Beatrice was just a former friend. That's all. But Demi was what he wanted. His thoughts were seemingly getting scrambled, Demi's words starting to play themselves over in his head again. Demi, Beatrice, Noel--everything was getting too much for him, he couldn't focus. Actually, wait, that wasn't mental. The next thing Kalder knew, he was looking up at the ceiling, falling back as his head hit the ground.

"Kalder? Oh shit, are you okay?" He could hear Benjamin's voice, but it sounded so distant, and as their faces came into view, they blurred in front of him. What was happening? He could hear their voices, could distinctly tell that Coco ran off for something, but his chest and head hurt too much to get a grasp on what was happening. "You're gonna be fine, Kal! Noel, help me!"

But none of it mattered. The last thing he remembered was him hallucinating Demi's face.

The King of the Sea & the Queen of the Land

---

"Kalder. Kalder? Kalder!"

His name sounded empty coming from someone else, and if it were possible, he never wanted to hear it again.

I truly hope that, one day, you’re brave enough to find and fight for your real happiness.

Demi's words were on an unrelentless loop, constantly playing over and over and over, again and again, never stopping in any waking moment. And when he was asleep, those same words plagued his nightmares. He wasn't entirely sure how he was still functioning, it was as if the day were a dream as he floated by, doing everything he was supposed to be doing but with no soul in his actions. Why didn't he say anything to her? Maybe it was because he had sincerely hoped she would have believed him. He should've tried to convince her better, maybe shouted, ran after her. But her words had been the complete opposite of what he had hoped for, leaving him completely stunned. Why hadn't he done anything? Why did he tell her? How he wanted to turn back time and change everything, change it so she wouldn't have said those words to him.

What's the point if you were my happiness? His sour thought rested in his head before being dissolved by her words. Letting out a groan, he ran a hand over his face. As he exhaled, he tore his gaze away to look at Blake. The girl had been rather patient with him this week, never asking what the issue is but more than aware that something was bothering him. The pair were in the nearly empty common room, Blake having picked up Kal's slack on the Quidditch team.

Shaking her head, Blake let out a sigh. "If you're going to keep shirking your responsibilities to me, I may as well take the Captain role from you," She snapped at him, annoyed.

Oh, right, Blake was mad at him, too. Everyone was mad. He had been rather distant, uncaring, treating them like...everyone else at the school. His friends were right to be mad, of course, but they were more so because he refused to talk about it. Demi hated his guts as it is, if he told people about their relationship it would just make things worse. Not that it can get any worse than this. After he would take a second to let his mood shift, he stared at Blake. "If you want it, take it," He informed her, rolling his shoulder. He was sore. "I'm useless."

"Too bad, Kal, I need you to be useful," She informed him, pushing her notes into his arms. "You never showed up for tryouts, so I wrote down my observations. Despite our joking, Coco actually did a decent job as Beater, and he works well with Noel. There's a promising fifth year Catcher, and everything else is...just look at it, okay?"

Kal sighed. "Just take the position, Blake. I don't want it anymore. You're doing the work, you should get the credit," He replied.

Too bad Blake wasn't having any of it. "You know, for some reason despite being a total asshole, you're actually well liked around here," She informed him. "Stepping down would hurt the team morale, and why would you do that when we both know you aren't a complete asshole?"

"I just don't care anymore," He said, his voice rising. "I don't care about Quidditch, I don't care about school, I don't--I don't care. Everything can go up in flames and honestly it would be a mercy right now."

"That would be running away from the problem, and you are not a coward. A zombie, maybe, but not a coward."

I promise you, if you knew any better, you would NOT be saying that. "I can't handle this right now, I'm trusting your decision." Kalder stated as he stood up, placing her notes on the table.

"If you're going to go somewhere, go eat," Blake told him, frowning. "Don't think I haven't noticed, you haven't eaten in a week."

Right. Without responding, Kalder walked out of the common room, walking through the halls of the castle. It was still early, so not too many students were up, but the silence was killing him. Making his way to the library, he halted in his tracks as he spotted Beatrice and Caleb. The pair were engrossed in their conversation, with Beatrice looking angry at something. Well, Beatrice was always angry. Not always, that isn't true, but her anger at him had been for a good two years, so this looked like she was mad at something else.

"--I don't care what used to be, Caleb, I care about the now. And right now, she's starting to pull herself together. So if you're going to take his side about things, then fine, but don't be surprised when I get pissed about it!" Beatrice made her statement crystal clear, looking up in time to catch Kalder. To his surprise, she simply marched away, an indignant look on her face.

Shaking his head, Caleb scratched his head. "You know, I never knew I was usually on her good side," The brown haired boy admitted curiously to Kalder. "Turns out being on her bad side just has a slight touch of vengeance in it. Who knew?"

He had no idea what Caleb was talking about. "Honestly, Caleb, I'm shocked she hasn't tried to curse me," He said.

"I would be very wary of your surroundings. You've made quite a few enemies, Mr. Popular," Caleb grinned, accompanying Kalder to the library. "You seem alright for some reason."

What? "Blake said I'm a zombie, and...it's fairly accurate. If that's what you consider alright..."

"You're walking and talking, you haven't had a nervous breakdown, you're distant but functioning. Heartbreak has a multitude of effects on the mind and body," Caleb stated, returning a book to the shelf in front of them. "But life is never easy or straightforward. No good deed goes unpunished, Nathan."

Wait a minute. Kal froze, looking at Caleb. "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?"

Caleb looked Kalder straight in the eye. "Sticking to our convictions and promises is trying. It certainly seems like a fairy tale when everything goes smoothly, but that just isn't how life works. If you want that happy ending, you have to do something about it. Things aren't going to just play out because you want them to. You have to work for it. The question is, will you or won't you?" He was entirely serious as he spoke.

Even if he found some way to get out of his engagement, even if he resolved his issues, would Demi even give him a chance? It felt like she closed the door on them for good. "I don't know," He muttered, raising an eyebrow at him. Did he know? "Are you reading my fortune again?"

"I do it every day for those I care about. If I can help out in any way I can, I will," Caleb grinned. "Even if you don't consider me a friend anymore, I do what I can."

Kal groaned. If Demi was already a sore subject, he most definitely did not want to talk about this. "Caleb...we were never not friends."

Caleb nodded slowly. "I believe you. But...you know that's why Beatrice won't forgive you, right?"

Of course not. Ever since first year, the three of them were friends. Hell, Kal and Caleb had been closer than he had been with anyone. And then... "She doesn't understand."

Now it was Caleb's turn to sigh. "Had to show your posse you don't hang with Muggleborns, right? Even though we were friends for years, you got popular and a lot of attention, especially once you got into Quidditch. So of course when people asked, you said we weren't friends. And then you decided to say that as you looked Beatrice in the eye...you have to have some grand balls to do that."

Kalder turned to Caleb, bewildered. "I can't change what's happened, Caleb. Even if I apologized, Beatrice won't forgive me. I can't change anything, I can't do anything, and to be honest I'm getting real fucking sick of people constantly throwing that in my face," He said, his frustration clear. "I have to do what I do for the pride of my family, if they find out I get excommunicated. You know that's what happened with Lynn, don't act like you don't. Just like you said, reality sets in, I go and make a scene and do the right thing and then what? I get cut out of my family with nothing, not a sickle to my name, nowhere to live, no way to support her--myself--" He had to catch himself for a moment, his hand on his forehead. "I don't want to play the victim but why the fuck don't I get any sympathy?"

Caleb's brown eyes were wide, a look of surprise on his face. He seemed to have taken Kalder's words to heart, however, seemingly nodding in agreement. "Nathan...that's the first time I've heard about any of this from you." He admitted, holding up a hand to stop Kal from interrupting him. "But you know, I have to disagree. You're trying so hard to do everything yourself that you don't even stop and consider that you have friends that want to help. I'm not saying you don't deserve sympathy, but...while you've been moping around, your friends have been trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with you and you don't say a word. Blake has been doing your duties as captain, Noel and Benjamin have been actively trying to take notes so that you can catch up, and Noel's been watching your back this entire time."

Kalder had enough. "I don't want to hear it from you, Caleb." Kal turned to walk away, though he was surprised when Caleb deliberately stepped in front of him.

"That's too bad, Nathan, because that's what I do as your friend. Friends aren't just around to inflate your ego, they're there to kick your ass when you do something wrong, too," Caleb told him rather nonchalantly. "And if you think things are done and over with, I'm going to give you a warning. Things aren't done, there's going to be big changes coming your way, changes you're not going to like. First one will be in Potions, and...don't blame him, it's no one's fault."

Potions? What? Kalder was bewildered, though Caleb ended the conversation, clapping his hand on his shoulder as he walked past Kalder into another section of the library. Don't blame who? Potions? Changes? What changes? Slamming the rest of the books onto the table, he decided he was going to go after Caleb. As the thought crossed his mind, however, the nearby clock informed him that he was going to be late for class. As he sprinted through the halls, he felt like there was a weight on his chest. It looked like sleepless nights were finally starting to catch up to him. As if he needed more problems.

Skidding into the classroom just before the clock would turn, he found himself breathing rather heavily. He ignored the many looks he had got, going straight to his table and throwing his stuff down. Plopping into his seat, he looked up, an unfamiliar shade of brown hair in front of him. That's odd, usually Beatrice's blonde hair was in front. Did he sit in the wrong place? He ended up doing a double take as he realized that rather than Demi, it was Beatrice who know occupied the seat next to him, and she was content in pretending he didn't exist.

As that thought crossed his mind, his eyes met her rather cold ones, and even colder smile on her lips. "Running late, are we, partner?" She asked him innocently, her hand on her chin.

What the hell? "What are you doing in Demi's seat?" He asked, not even trying to hide that he wanted to know what the hell was going on. "Where is she?"

While she started out smug, Beatrice was much too wrathful to properly keep it up, but she managed to give him a rather sly smile. "She requested a change of partners," She informed him rather cheerfully. "And I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. Her new partner is absolutely gorgeous..." Her eyes trailed away from Kalder to somewhere behind them, a subtle move.

Kal stared at Beatrice for a moment, his throat dry. No, this was not happening. Demi had closed the door completely. Slowly turning his head behind him, he felt his heart jump up to his throat as he saw Demi writing something down, and next to her a pretty content and slightly bashful looking Noel. This is what Caleb had warned him about.

"Lucky her," Beatrice sighed happily, turning her focus back to the front of the room.

Unfortunately for her, Kalder was no longer having any of it. Sitting up straight, he fixed his posture, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "That's enough." His voice was low, almost like a growl, but it was enough to let Beatrice know that he didn't want to hear another word--and it was not up for debate.

Recognizing his tone, surprisingly she would concede, his threat even managing to wipe the smile off her face. He should have been satisfied, but whatever little hope he had of fixing things had fluttered away. Why?

The King of the Sea & the Queen of the Land

---

His heart beat against his chest fiercely as he processed her words. A joke? Why? Why would she think that? Did he really seem cruel enough to lie about something like this? After everything, did she not know him at all? Considering that she was probably further broken after he hit her with the news, yeah, she had every right to feel that way. It hurt to see her cry, it hurt more to know that it was his fault. He had meant everything he said, even if she would curse him she deserved to know the truth.

Whoever said that the truth would set you free was full of shit, though.

Kalder wasn't able to think straight as he watched Demi's tears roll down her face. His feet remained planted on the ground, barely a reaction as she slapped his hand away. The ring went somewhere, rolling away, but the damage was already done. He had to say something. Anything. He couldn't stand to watch her cry, but he sure as hell wasn't going to run no matter how much he wanted to. His mind wasn't able to form an answer to Demi's pleas, his feet taking steps without his consent. What was he doing?

Closing the distance between them, his hands moved and placed themselves on both sides of her face, thumbs gently wiping away her tears. His eyes had an intense determination in them, fueled by his own personal anger and frustration. "It's not a joke, Demi," His voice dropped in volume, as if afraid someone would overhear. "But I...I promise I'll make it right. Somehow. I can't stand the thought of not being with you," It was probably the most overused phrase, but he was so drunk on his own emotions he wasn't paying attention to his words, although once again his body seized the moment. Without waiting for a response, without waiting for her to yell or cry or hit him or hex him, he dropped his right hand to her arm and pulled her to him, his other hand at the back of her head as he leaned down. His lips were on hers, his body pressing her towards him. He didn't know if it was love or lust but in that moment he didn't care.