She was such a rude individual. Oliver was tempted to just walk away and leave her standing there and tell her nothing. It would serve her right. "Because of William." And he still couldn't understand how is friend could like this woman and want to be friends with her.

"He was never really good with the opposite sex when we were kids." It had nothing to do with his friend's looks but he had always lacked confidence. "He just didn't know how to act around them. Whereas I did. Which I think kinda got on his nerves a little." Well it was more than a little. Oliver could count on both hands the amount of times William had complained that he got all the girls. "Anyway when you two became friends...well...he didn't say it in so many words but he didn't want me hanging around when you two were together." He paused and shrugged his shoulders. "Not saying that you would have been interested in me but most of the girls kinda went for me over William." He wasn't bragging, just stating the facts.

"So I figured I'd be a jerk to you that way you would never be interested and William would be happy." Oliver thought that was rather admirable of him considering, yes he had noticed Cece back at school and yes he had thought she was pretty, but his mate came first. "As for why I am a jerk to you now, well you started that." And he had just continued on with it.

Childish yes. But that was Oliver.

Did Oliver seriously just blame William for the way he treated Cece all the time? Oh this was so not William's fault. Cece really couldn't believe what she was hearing come out of Oliver's mouth. If his head got any bigger he wouldn't be able to walk through the corridors. That wasn't going to happen though because Cecelia Tillstorm was about to deflate that engorged ego of his. "Despite what you may think of yourself Oliver Jenkins you are NOT Merlin's gift to women. You are not as great as you may think you are. It wouldn't have mattered how you treated me back then, I would have been William's friend no matter what. He didn't need you treating me like dirt to make me fall in love with him want to be his friend."

Taking a deep breath she tried calming herself down. She didn't need to be yelling and risk any nosy busy bodies over hearing this conversation that should be taking place inside Oliver's office. But no, he had to try and get away from her so here they were, in the middle of the corridor... arguing... again when all she had wanted to do was apologize and then move on with her life. "This may come as a shock to you but not all women are impressed with guys like you. Some of us actually like the more quiet bashful ones like William." It was his awkwardness that attracted her to him in the first place.

Moving closer to Oliver, Cece looked him in the eye. "Why don't you just admit it Jenkins. You were jealous that I was friends with William and didn't show any interest in you at all. You hated the fact that William was actually able to become friends with a girl who you never stood a chance at stealing away from him. You hated it so much that you started treating me like I was the enemy just to make yourself feel better." He had pretty much just admitted that to her by saying 'Not saying that you would have been interested in me but most of the girls kinda went for me over William'.

And as if blaming William for the way her treats her wasn't bad enough, now he was accusing her of being the one to start things this time. "Wow, do you ever listen to yourself when you talk? You're actually going to stand there and accuse me of starting this... of it being my fault that you're a jerk? I came here to tell you I was wrong for accusing you of something you didn't do and you have the nerve to say I started it." Shaking her head Cece stepped away from Oliver. "I'm still sorry for accusing you of hurting William, but I will never apologize to you for choosing to be his friend over you." The sad thing is, they could have all been friends if Oliver wouldn't have let his jealousy get in the way. After all, look at Waylon, he was friends with Cece, he didn't go getting all jealous and treat her like crap just because she was friends with William first.

He didn't know why he had bothered. She was so hell bent on giving him a mouthful that she totally didn't get what he said. She just wanted to twist everything so that she would have something to yell at him about.

Whatever.

Oliver was done.

With her, this conversation and the whole teaching thing.

He knew that she wanted him to say something back, but when had he ever given Cece Tillstorm the satisfaction of besting him, so he shoved his hands in his pockets, turned on his heel and walked away from her.

She wanted to have the last word.

Well she just got it.

Well what a total waste of time this had been. Cece should have known better than to ever try and apologize to Oliver Jenkins for anything. The egotistical, big headed jerk that he was. "Go ahead and walk away from me Jenkins, I really don't give a rats behind." Which is what she was seeing now, a rats behind. "It still doesn't change the fact that I apologized to you... twice, but you couldn't see past that ego of yours to even acknowledge it." This would be the last time she ever told that man she was sorry for anything.

Turning in the opposite direction she headed for the stairs, she needed to go for a walk. Some fresh air might do her some good.

The air seemed to be a bit tense around Hogwarts at this time since their final examinations have started. Not that Mordred was a slacker or anything, but he felt that he was ready for those examinations and that he wanted to just find a nice place to sit back, relax and read a book. He got this DADA book that his cousin Fabian got from Durmstrang and decided to read it again. Only a handful knew about his issue with his cousins, but it seemed that his hatred for them died down over Christmas when they decided to stay at their place. The Slytherin had to admit though, that his relationship with them was so strained that up until this day, he just kept them out of his mind. In just a few days, they will be all heading out again and return to their families. The boy don’t mind at all if he sees them again, but he knew that he won’t be talking to them as much as he did before.

Feeling a bit down and exhausted from the exams, the Slytherin went out of their dormitory and wandered around the castle to find a quiet place to sit and hang out with his book. He took a turn around the corner and found himself in an almost deserted corridor and chose one of the windows along the wall and sat on the sill and opened his book.

Ella was aimlessly wandering the castle for what felt like the billionth time this term. Her head was spinning with information for finals and on top of all that, memories of the recent explosion she'd had at a certain sixth year best friend of hers. It was a lot for a second year to handle, honestly, and she wanted to clear her head. Walking always seemed to help.

As she turned down yet another corridor, the badger spotted a very familiar head of hair belonging to a boy sitting on one of the window sills, engrossed in a book. The blonde wasn't sure if she should interrupt him or not, since they weren't exactly best friends or anything, but curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to know more about the boy mostly because her best friend was in likeeeeee with him and so she approached the window, a friendly smile on her face. "Hey Mor-" Don't say bid. Don't say bid. Don't say bid. "dred." Yes! She'd done it. Soph would be So proud. "What brings you to the..." Where were they again? Ella looked around and spotted the door to the Prefect's bathroom. Oh. Right, the fifth floor. "fifth floor corridor?"

Footsteps.

Well he wasn’t exactly keen on talking to someone, but he figured that it was just someone passing by. He didn’t own the castle, so anyone including that person walking was entitled to grace the halls and corridors of their school. Mordred frowned at what he was reading and got his wand arm in front of him, mimicking the wand movement of a certain defensive spell he learned from Durmstrang.

Mordred murmured the spell countless times while doing the arm movement. As he got accustomed to the spell and pronounciation of the spell, he looked up and looked up from his book and concentrated on the piece of wall in front of him. “Everte Statum. Everte Statum.” The Slytherin looked down again on the book and squinted his eyes and read the note Fabian wrote down.

He was about to wave his arm when the person he heard walking came to his side. Mordred looked at the blonde girl and let his arm fall on his side. “Oh.” It was Sophie’s best friend. “Ella.” The Slytherin gave her a nod and faced her. “Just…reading.” He showed the book to her which was way different from their DADA book. If a person really knows the boy, it would have been obvious that he was troubled. It was his way of masking his sadness when things go down on his end. “Erm…what, brings you here?” he asked the same question at Ella and gestured her to sit beside him.

So it seemed Ella had interrupted Mordred. She felt a bit bad about this but he didn't exactly ask her to leave or anything so she remained where she was. 'Oh. Ella.' Well that was an interesting greeting. The second year nodded as if saying, 'Yup. That's me.' She then turned her attention to the book he was reading, running her hand over the cover curiously. "I've never seen this one before." She said with a hint of awe. Ella was quite a big fan of the subject in case Mordred didn't know. "So you like Defense Against the Dark Arts too, then?" Hey look, something in common. That was a good sign, yeah?

Something about the way Mordred was looking...or talking, really...made Ella a bit concerned. He didn't seem to have the same sparkle that he usually did. Yeah, yeah. Ells thought he had some sparkle. Not just because of his hair, either. But something about the way he was acting now seemed a bit...off. She smiled as he gestured for her to sit and hopped up onto the sill next to him. "I'm just...thinking about some stuff." She said truthfully, fiddling with her hands. "Actually, I'm trying not to think about stuff." The second year corrected with a nod of her head.

Mordred grinned and handed the book to Ella so she could look at it properly. “It’s actually Durmstrang’s Defense Against The Dark Arts Book.” The boy said with a little hint of pride. He spent his last term there anyway, but his stunt was short-lived since he had issues with the school. It was nonetheless, the best school for DADA but clearly the learning environment was nasty. He figured that it was best to just go back and stay in Hogwarts and learn advanced magic outside of school. So did he like the subject too? “Of course.” Because he was exceptional in that field. The Slytherin smirked at Ella as he watched her slightly amused with the book’s cover. “Go on, open it.” Mordred pointed at the book and gestured Ella to read a page or two. He was sure that she’d be amused with the content…or maybe scared?

Mordred crossed his arms and leaned on his side as he continued to watch Ella with his book. His eyes may be watching the girl but his thoughts were somewhere else. Memories of him and his cousin Fabian from Durmstrang came to mind. That book was a treasured one by his oldest cousin and he remembers getting all excited when he gave it to Mordred before he even started his first year in Hogwarts. Those memories were scarred now. He and Fabian may have settled things a few months back, but for obvious reasons his trust toward his older cousin was broken. Mordred looked away and stared at the wall across the window and let out a sigh. The thought of his cousins and his father getting along all too well after what happened made him really mad, and the fact that he was (as of the moment) the only Mordaunt who was in Hogwarts didn’t help at all. The Slytherin wanted to punch the wall in front of him out of frustration.

His thoughts were broken when Ella told him that she was thinking of stuff. Well, would you look at that? The both of them were in some sort of dilemma, and he was sure that the examinations weren’t helping the both of them. “Hrm…about what?” Mordred closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. He really felt sad and mad at the moment, and he blames himself for over-thinking on things that should have been settled months ago. Maybe hearing Ella talk would help...

Ella hoped she didn't look too eager when Mordred handed her the book. Truthfully, she was freaking out a bit inside. She always felt extremely excited to get her hands on a book she had never read before. She handled it gently and looked up as Mordred then explained it was actually a Durmstrang text book. "Really?" She said, turning the book over in her hands to better inspect it. "Did you go there?" Cause Ella didn't know too much about the boy come to think about it. She smiled when he then shared that he was also a fan of the subject. How could one not be a fan? It was exciting to learn defensive magic. She could feel Mordred watching her and smiled sheepishly when she noticed the smirk on his face. When he instructed her to open it, she didn't hesitate, skimming the first couple of pages of chapter ten with her finger. "Wow. This is quite...advanced magic." She said in surprise. They taught this type of stuff to students? Ella thought that was probably a bit dangerous but kept that bit to herself.

So Mordred wanted her to talk about her troubles? Ella actually hadn't expected that. She watched as he then closed his eyes, feeling a bit more concerned than she was before, but decided not to comment on it yet. Instead she took a deep breath and revealed what she had been thinking about. "Very recently I kind of...yelled at a friend over something that was actually a lie someone told me. I should have just talked to him about it but I freaked. I just...can't believe I did that, y'know? I think it's this month...since last May I've been really...different I guess." And she frowned, hoping she wasn't turning into some awful person. That's how it felt sometimes. "Your turn. I can tell something is wrong and I'm a pretty good listener, y'know." Plus internalizing things was never a good way to deal with them, at least in Ella's experience.

“I spent my third year in Durmstrang, so yeah I learned a thing or two about advanced defensive spells…” because that’s what Durmstrang was known for, anyway. “Though, I spent my first two years here…we…well, we had to move out because of my father…” he trailed off as he spoke that last word. Something was not right when he said the word ‘father’ and he almost regret saying it. If it wasn’t for his dad getting hurt, then they wouldn’t have to transfer up north and learn magic in Durmstrang. And his relationship with his cousins wouldn’t be this strained. If he had to blame someone, it had to be his dad. “It is pretty advanced. I got hurt from time to time, but I guess its part of the learning process…” The Slytherin rubbed his lightly scarred hand and clasped it in front of him. Mordred hung his head and realized that he didn’t just get physical scars but deeper wounds that maybe only time can heal.

If there was something that the boy cherished, it was his relationship with his family. As a kid, he was raised by his Nana since his parents were always out of the house hunting dark witches and wizards in and out of town. Both Aldrich and Catherine thought it was wise to stay away from Mordred since their job was too dangerous, and that these dark wizards might come after their son. It was something the boy never understood, and he developed a weak relationship with his parents. His nanny and his own personal house elf were his family, and didn’t seek out the love and care of his parents. Time came when he had to start Charms School- a preparatory school for young witches and wizards before they start formal training at Hogwarts. As a young boy, he found himself doing things pretty much on his own without getting any help from his parents. And just like in muggle schools, there were times when they had to bring their parents to celebrate some sort of Family Day, which the young boy always dreads. He envied his class mates when those activities came. He would often just sit in the corner and watch the day pass by, but occasionally a parent would coax him to join their family just so he’d feel that he belonged…

As Ella told him what was bothering her, Mordred looked at her and just smirked. “Jumping into conclusions, huh?” Well, it was typical. He would probably do the same and then he’d just hide his face in embarrassment when confronted. “And…you haven’t talked to this person about it?” Because if she did, she won’t feel miserable. “Time is ticking, Ella. You don’t want to make things worse if you prolong it. I guess you should just talk to this person….and settle things before it’s too late.” Because he himself waited for a long time to get his own problems settled. If he took the initiative to fix the mess he had with his cousins, his dad won’t be involved—and he’d be standing on his side.

The Slytherin sighed and weighed his options before him. “Should I tell her or not?” Mordred’s brain gave him hundreds of pros and cons about his next move. He forced himself to stop thinking and just be a normal person for once. “Screw it Mordaunt. Just spill.”

The boy flattened his hair and pursed his lips. All of a sudden, the floor looked interesting without taking his eyes off it. “It’s my father…” The boy allowed himself to slouch and grabbed the edge of the sill turning his knuckles white. “Things back home is a mess…well, not really a mess but a lot of things have changed since my return from Durmstrang..” The Slytherin didn’t want to go in detail since he would just bore the hell out of Ella. “You see, it’s not easy being the new kid in a rival school, and long story short—I got physically hurt during my stay there.” True story. “I…well, got beaten up by my cousins just so they could prove a point…” Mordred bit his lip forcing himself not to say bad words against them. “Things have been settled during Christmas though…my cousins explained that they had to do it so that I won’t return…because if I did, I’d just get hurt…” What did his cousins thought of him? A little girl? “And ever since then, my father seemed to favour them over me…” Not weird at all because his father came from that school too. “I just…feel that I’m losing my dad.” The Slytherin brushed his hair and leaned on his side again and stared at the wall in front of him. “My parents are not the affectionate type of people anyway, but they are my family…they should..they should care for me…”

Ella placed the book between them on the window sill as she listened to Mordred explain about Durmstrang. "Oh, I didn't know that. Did you...like it very much there?" The second year actually hadn't heard too much about the school so she didn't know what kind of place it was. Ella raised her eyebrows a bit as the boy continued on, interested to hear that he had moved from Hogwarts, to Durmstrang, and back again in only four years. That was a lot of moving around. She noticed the change in his voice when it came to his dad, too. Though she didn't comment on it. She understood all too well about problems with parents. And he had gotten hurt at Durmstrang? This caused Ella to frown quite a bit. "Not seriously hurt, right?" And she found her eyes studying him in search of any scars. They landed on the hand he was holding and without thinking about it, reached out to pull it towards her. She wanted a better look. "Ouch. Did this hurt?" The second year asked, eyebrows raised, before releasing Mordred's hand again.

The smirk? It unnerved Ella and she frowned ever so slightly. "Yeah. I um...I just...well the person who told me the lie was a friend too." So she had trusted that the information was fact. She listened as Mordred then offered her some advice. Problem was, she had already talked to him. She still felt bad about things, though. "No. We did talk and I guess it's resolved. I can't help but feel bad about the whole thing, though. It isn't really like me to get so...angry." No that was something new that Ella was discovering about herself, the anger thing. "Thanks though, for the advice." She really did appreciate it.

The blonde watched curiously as Mordred seemed to debate whether or not to tell her about his predicament, whatever it was. Ella honestly wasn't going to force him. She just figured it might make him feel better to talk about it. It usually worked for her. When he finally did speak, she made sure she was listening attentively.

So the hair flattening?...It was making it a little hard to concentrate on Mordred's problems. Just saying. But Ella found herself concentrating once more as the boy explained that he had been psychically hurt at Durmstrang. Psychically hurt? This scared the second year and she found herself turning her body so she could watch Mordred more carefully. When he was finished, Ella didn't know exactly what to do or say. All she knew for sure is that she felt incredibly bad that he had experienced all this, and that he seemed so upset right now. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to make sense of everything he had said.

"So your cousins hurt you...so that you could leave Durmstrang where you might have gotten hurt worse by the other boys?" This seemed quite extreme to Ella, though she didn't want to judge Mordred's cousins, not knowing if they had truly done that out of love or not. "And your father...he favors your cousins because they still go there?" This part was a little confusing to the second year but she figured Mordred would elaborate if he felt like it. "I...Mordred, I'm really sorry. You don't deserve to be treated badly...especially not by your parents." And she frowned, knowing one couldn't always control these things. "I know what it's like, y'know...to have a parent who doesn't care." All too well, actually. "My mom...she left us...last May." So yeah, Ella knew what it was like to feel second to someone or something else. In her case, Ella was second to her mother's career.

Like it? “At first I was excited to go to that school, since the original plan was for me to start my formal education there…along with my cousins.” The Slytherin just shook his head in disbelief that he’d hate his dream school. “…not until I found out that they are pretty hostile to new students…I mean, Hogwarts has its secrets, and those are not to be shared with the other schools, right?” Mordred took a deep breath before he continued. “They didn’t trust me…so they had to do something about it…” The boy’s voice trailed off as he looked at his hand which was now being examined by Ella. He winced at the sight and didn’t want to remember what happened to it. Oh, and did it hurt? “No. Not really.” He said flatly. Breaking his trust and his formed bond with his “brothers” hurt more than what happened to his hand.

Once Ella released his hand, he sat back on the window and propped his right leg up and rested his right arm over it and listened to Ella. “Can I just comment that it’s totally okay to be angry?” Because she didn’t seem to be that type of girl. She's too kind. “You’re going to be fine.” He said as Mordred pat her shoulder ever so lightly and continued to stare at the wall.

“That’s their explanation…” he nodded and looked up at the hallway’s ceiling trying to remember their last Christmas get together back at their manor. “I do get their point…and if they are telling the truth, then fine by me. If not…I really couldn’t care less.” To him, they were not his family anymore. “I really don’t know my father’s reasons, but it’s ridiculous to be spending so much time with them when they have their own dads.” Mordred closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He wanted to be just like Aldrich-- a powerful and wise Auror. And there was Mordred, trying his best to prove that he is as good as his cousins, and he ends up being neglected by his hero. His dad.

The Slytherin slowly looked at Ella as her tone became sad as well. It must be really awful to have a parent leave for reasons unknown. “I feel the same…mine’s just…worse. I guess..” he trailed off and hung his head. “Sometimes I can’t handle it anymore. I mean, sure my parents are there…but they don’t act like I exist.” The Slytherin held his head and analyzed their situation. “Well, we can always look at the bright side of things…” The Slytherin rested his head against the window and closed his eyes again. “It’s going to make us independent…don’t you think?” His thoughts brought him to his youngest cousin Ethan who was slowly coming of age to start in Hogwarts. He made sure that he will be there for him no matter what and will protect him at all cost. He made a vow inside his head that he will be the best brother Ethan never had.

It made sense, the being excited about going to a new school thing. Ella had been ecstatic when she learned she'd be coming to Hogwarts. It was like some kind of dream come true, being able to get away from the bullies at her muggle school. Though she was sure Mordred's situation was a bit different. She listened carefully as he continued to speak, brows furrowed. Did Hogwarts have secrets that were meant to be kept? "Yeah, right..." Though the second year didn't think anyone would be attacked because of that. Wait! So the hand had been because Mordred was a new student? That was just...it was barbaric! Not to mention incredibly evil. Ella shook her head in disbelief. The second year was a bit surprised when Mordred then said it hadn't hurt, with literally no emotion. "Oh. Okay..." She was sorry she had asked.

It's okay to be angry. Ella shrugged at this, eyes concentrating on the wall. "Not for me." She said quietly. "I've got to be postive for my dad and brother...and strong, too. There is no room for anger." It simply wasn't an option for Ella to walk around upset all the time, even if she felt that way. The pat on the shoulder made Ella start, and she eyed Mordred with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm sure I will. Thanks."

Right. So she had understood him correctly. She watched as he explained that he couldn't care less if they weren't telling the truth, not sure that she bought that. The second year found it hard to believe that someone could just stop caring about family like that, though her mom had done it so maybe Mordred could too...As for Mordred's dad spending more time with his cousins than with him, that was just plain wrong. "Mordred if he can't see how awesome you are then..." Then what, exactly? "Then he's clearly blind or something, yeah?" Cause from what Ells had seen in classes and heard from Sophie, Mordred was pretty smart and apparently very dreamy.

Ella wasn't sure if Mordred's situation was worse than hers. On the one hand, she couldn't imagine if her mom had stuck around but had completely ignored her all the time. That would have been horrible. On the other hand, her mom leaving had left her with this feeling like she had been such a disappointment that she wasn't worth sticking around for. Which was equally horrible. Either way, it was all bad. She followed suit when Mordred leaned his head against the window, doing the same with hers. The glass felt cool against the back of her head and it was actually quite soothing. Her eyebrows raised as the boy suggested there was a bright side to their situations. Independent? "Yeah...yeah, I guess it will." Though were they meant to be independent at this age? Weren't they supposed to be kids and worry about independence later? In Ella's opinion, she'd had to grow up WAY too fast. She hated it. Maybe there was another bright side to this, though. "It also means we can be better. I mean we won't do those things to the people we love, yeah?" At least Ella never would.

Mordred just nodded at Ella and rubbed the back of hand hoping he could erase the scars. As he did so, snippets of how he was beaten up and taunted flashed before his eyes. His cousin’s classmates even joked that Hogwarts were for losers, and that he was better off outside Durmstrang. They took their words seriously and threw him outside the doors of the school while it snowed heavily. He remembered his fury when Fabian showed his face in the window and tossed his wand at him. He ended up throwing hexes and curses at the window as Fabian continued to look on looking sad. The spells bounced back since the walls of the schools was protected and he ended up wounding himself. His last memory was lying flat on his back with traces of crimson on his shirt as he watched the snow fall on his face.

“What I meant was it’s okay to vent out…your happy emotion doesn’t last forever…” he said as he turned to her direction and looked at Ella. Mordred figured that she’s too young to even worry about his dad and brother. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? The Slytherin studied Ella carefully and saw that she was really confused with what’s happening around her. “You have to get rid of it…that…sadness you’re feeling.” Or was it frustration? Ella may not admit it, but it seems that she’s angrier…she just doesn’t know it.

Then it was back to his dad. Mordred looked away and propped his other leg up the sill and clasped his hands on top of his knees. “It’s more than that, I’m afraid…” Mordred don’t know exactly what his father was looking for, but he had a feeling that he won’t be able to fish out that information. “They have ignored me before…what makes it different this time?” he asked as he tried not to roll his eyes and instead he roughly loosened the knot of his school tie and pulled it away from his neck. “I just need to keep on proving myself to him…” and he was more determined to show it. He just needs the perfect opportunity. He’d do anything to win his father back.

The Slytherin nodded slowly at what Ella just said. They will definitely be wiser when they become adults. Mordred will forever remember this talk he’s having with Ella and stay true to what he was going to say next. “I’ll definitely be better than my father.” A promise that he will never break. His thoughts then went back to Ethan. Mordred assumed the role of brother already even if he hasn’t started in Hogwarts yet. “You know, my cousin who’s eight will be attending Hogwarts after I graduate…” he trailed off as a small smile crept on his face. “He’s going to be an awesome wizard…I’m sure of it.” He just wishes he could be there when Ethan starts school. “The thing is, I’ll be gone when he starts…I just hope he fits in nicely.” And find great friends to share adventures with.

Ella nodded, frowning slightly. It was true, one simply couldn't be just happy forever. There was a million other emotions out there to feel and Ella couldn't exactly ignore them forever, even if she was trying to. Stubbornly, Ella crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Modred. "I'm not..." Sad. That's what she was going to say but was lying to Morbid really the right choice? Not after he had shared so much about himself with her. "Okay. And how would I do that exactly?" Besides eating loads of ice cream and gummy worms, of course.

It was more than that? The second year frowned, not knowing what to say to make the boy feel better. It was extremely frustrating actually, not knowing how to help him. Hopefully listening was enough for now. She frowned as the Slytherin came to the conclusion that proving himself was the only way to earn his father's love again, at least that's what it seemed like he was saying. "Forgive me for saying so but shouldn't a parent love you no matter what you do, or how well you do it?"

Ella nodded when Mordred proclaimed he would be better than his father. The second year felt the same about her mother. She stuck her pinky out to Mordred and raised her eyebrows. "Want to make that an official promise, then?" And she motioned her head towards her outstretched pinky. Mordred did know about pinky promises, didn't he? The small smile? Ella hadn't expected that and she found herself smiling in return. So Mordred had a younger cousin who would be coming to Hogwarts...that was great! And he clearly cared for the little guy. Which made Ella think much more highly of the older boy. "Y'know, I'll still be here when he comes to Hogwarts and some people say I'm pretty friendly..." Cue a wider smile this time. "I'd be happy to keep an eye on him while he's here, y'know if you wanted." Oh! Merlin's beard! She'd almost forgot. "I bet Sophie would be willing to help too. She's pretty awesome like that." Hint.Hint.

“Oh?” Mordred raised an eyebrow at Ella when she said she wasn’t…sad. “If there’s one thing I’m sure about you is that you can’t hide your emotions well.” The Slytherin had to be blind not to see. He may not know Ella well, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. “When I’m frustrated, I’d usually go to the Room of Requirements and practice dueling…with dummies of course.” The Slytherin crossed his arm and remembered the time when he’d stay there most of the time reading alone or practicing spells. “I can teach you something to help you vent out.” Only, if she’s willing of course.

“They should…I know that.” Mordred let out a frustrated sigh when Ella told him that his parents should love him no matter what. “I…just don’t feel it. They are far too busy to even tuck me in bed when I was little.” The Slytherin almost regret saying that to someone he barely knew, but figured that he should let it out soon since he can feel that he was going to blow up anytime soon. The boy hugged his knees and let his sadness emanate out of him. It was wise of him to let it all out now before they all head back home. He propped his chin on top of his knee and murmured to Ella. “I’m sorry about this. You really don’t have to listen to me whine about my problems back home…” The Slytherin then looked at Ella with her outstretched pinky.

Mordred stared at it, wondering what it meant. He got his pinky out and showed it to Ella. “Is this how you make promises back in the muggle world?” Because sadly, the boy had no idea how it was done, and ultimately, he didn’t have anyone to share a promise with. Those muggle practices seem weird and awkward to the boy, but he was more than willing to learn those things. He wanted to teach such practice to Ethan just so he won’t look like an idiot like Mordred when he starts Hogwarts.

“I have to warn you though. Ethan is one hyper child. He’d run around, climb, or eat anything that he sees. I’m a bit worried he’d get in trouble when he gets here…” The Slytherin scratched his head and thought about the possible havoc Ethan might do. Besides, he believes that he will be leaving a good record once he graduates from school and he wants his cousin to take care of it. Mordred grinned at Ella’s idea and gave her an enthusiastic nod. “He will need older students to look up to. And I trust you and Sophie are up for the…challenge.” Mordred can’t help but think of how lucky Ethan would be. “I’m pretty sure Sophie will do a great job looking after him, and they’d get along pretty well…” He’d have great friends once he starts Hogwarts, and that thought made the older Slytherin happy. “His name is Ethan, and he’ll be visiting Diagon Alley with me when I get my 5th year supply. Maybe we should meet up there and I’ll introduce you to him…” He was sure that Ethan is more than happy to meet new people. Heck he’d love to meet all of Diagon Alley.

Frown. Was she that obvious? This made Ella kinda upset as she wasn't aware of how easily people could read her emotions. "It's that obvious, huh? Is it a bad thing?" Being able to tell how she was feeling right off the bat? Ells felt that it kind of was. Her green eyes looked at his, eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer. She nodded when Mordred went on to share how he usually dealt with his frustration. Dueling with dummies? That actually sounded kind of brilliant, and a great way to let out one's anger. She smiled and looked at the boy in surprise when he then offered to teach her something to help her out. "You...wouldn't mind?" Though he had offered so..."Yeah, I'd like that."

Ella hated seeing Mordred like this. Even if she didn't know him very well, she could tell how bad his parents had hurt him. She could also see that he hadn't talked about a lot of this stuff before. They had been too busy to tuck him in? That was...completely awful. Ella reached her hand up and placed it on Mordred's shoulder lightly, giving it a squeeze. She wasn't trying to freak him our or anything, she just wanted him to know she was there. Sometimes just knowing you had some company helped, at least it did for Ella. She removed her hand when the boy spoke up again, frowning at him. "No. Please don't apologize. I'm happy to listen, okay?" And she gave him a small smile.

O__O Mordred didn't know about pinky promises? This caused Ella to smirk. Not because she thought Mordred was dumb or anything, because she had a chance to teach someone her most excellent way to making lasting promises. "Yeah, my Granddad taught me when I was really little." She said, smiling sadly. She still missed her grandfather a lot. Noting Mordred's pinky, Ella hooked it with her own. "See? After you make a promise with someone, you hook your pinkies like this to make it official. Sometimes people kiss their own pinkies to seal the deal but we don't have to...Our promise is official now, by the way." And she smiled. "I never ever break pinky promises. Ever. Granddad said in the old days people who broke them actually had to cut their pinky finger off! I don't know if he was serious though..." She added thoughtfully, a small smile on her face. There. Now Mordred knew what a pinky swear was.

Ella giggled as Mordred began describing his cousin. "He actually sounds like a lot of fun, Mordred." Ella said with a smile. "And don't worry, I've already been trying to keep Laura out of trouble...what's one more?" And she laughed softly. Ells was glad that Mordred seemed to like her idea and she returned his grin with one of her own. "Oh I think we're up for it." Who was she kidding?! Sophie would DEFINITELY be up for it! Anything to help her future husband crush. Ella then nodded when Mordred talked about how well Soph would do with his cousin. BEAM. She SO couldn't wait to tell her bestie about all this. "Yeah, Sophie is brilliant don't you think? She'd be a really good role model." Just saying..."Ethan, huh? Yeah. I'd love to meet you guys there. Sophie will come too, I'm sure. Just send me an owl when you'll be there and we can meet up and go for ice cream or something." BEAM. And Mordred liked ice cream, yeah?

Mordred smiled at her and shook his head. “It isn’t a bad thing when you are with your friends…they don’t have to guess something’s bothering you.” The Slytherin paused and chose his next words carefully. “Although sometimes you have to mask it especially if YOU need to be strong for them…say your father and brother…” Mordred sincerely felt bad for Ella since she suddenly had to become the mother in their household. She was right, though. They shouldn’t be worrying about these things since there’s a world to explore before them. “Right…and about your family…is there anything I can do to help?” Because in so many ways, Ella’s problem is heavier than the sadness he is feeling. He can deal with the loneliness since he’s pretty much alone growing up and the boy is getting used to it.

“And about the spell, it’s something I have done in Durmstrang before…and I’m pretty good at it.” No, no he wasn’t flaunting his skill. Mordred got the book again and flipped the pages and showed the spell to Ella. “Everte Statum. It’s used to push something away from you. It’s like Expelliarmus, but this spell is to send the caster to fly off the wall…and possibly knocking him out…” Maybe he shouldn’t have said those last words as it might scare the girl. The Slytherin shrugged and stared at her and waited for her answer. “We can do it down the lake…”

But before he could even hear Ella’s answer, she hooked her pinky with his and explained what it meant. “Oh.” The Slytherin looked down at their hooked pinkies and grinned at it. “I don’t have to worry about my pinky getting cut off. I’m dead serious about my promise.” The boy looked at their hooked pinky one last time and looked at Ella. “You must be really close with your grandfather…” he asked as he unhooked his pinky with hers. “I miss my grandfather. He and my grandmother would often go to the manor and spend some time with me when I was young. We’d play pretend most of the time and I’d always wear my mother’s old school robes…” Mordred smiled sadly and looked at his hands. His grandfather, Alexander and grandmother Victoria felt more like parents to young Mordred and he was very devastated when they passed away.

Mordred closed his eyes and sighed once more. “Thank you, for listening. It’s not every day that I get to talk about my family really, because I have no one to talk to about it, except Ch…” SHE was another worry. “Chloe. My friend before I started Hogwarts…” If he only had a time-turner, he would have turned it back to the day when Chloe boarded the muggle plane going to America, and join her in her school. But with the way her family sees Mordred’s kin as a threat, communication was almost impossible between them. But then again, they had ways, all thanks to David, Chloe’s older brother. “Do you have a boyfriend? Or…do you fancy anyone around here?” Very smooth, Master Mordaunt. The Slytherin almost regretted asking that question since he thinks it was a personal thing to ask.

The Slytherin raised his eyebrow when Ella said that Ethan was a lot of fun. “He is, but he can be a little irritating sometimes.” Mordred grinned and shook his head in disbelief. How Ethan keeps that kind of energy, he doesn’t have any idea. Oh, and Sophie. “Sophie will be great, yes.” The Slytherin nodded as he bit his lip trying not to laugh at the scene that was playing in his head. “They will get along…very well.”

Ella shrugged. That was probably true. Her friends probably found it helpful that they knew when she was upset because she wasn't one to bring it up. She didn't like people feeling bad for her. Mostly because she knew a lot of people out there had it worse. She nodded at the masking emotion comment, knowing Mordred was right. "I do try...I guess I'll just have to try a little harder, yeah?" And she frowned slightly, wondering if it was even possible to try harder than she already was. The second year smiled at the boy's next comment, shaking her head. "I don't think so. The listening helped, though. Thanks for that." Now she had a little less weighing on her heart, which was a good thing.

The blonde listened curiously as Mordred went on to explain the spell he wanted to teach her. So he had mastered it already, huh? "That just means you'll be able to show me how to do it correctly." She said with a small smile. "Everte Statum." She repeated, eyeing the text that was now being showed to her. Truthfully, she was just a tad bit freaked out that the spell was meant to make someone fly into the wall but she wanted to learn it anyway, her curiousity outweighing her fear. "One time I knocked Messer, a Hufflepuff, on the ground with Expelliarmus..." She added thoughtfully, a small smile on her face. "I want to learn, if you'll teach me...oh and maybe the duck pond instead? It might be less crowded." And less likely Ella would make a fool out of herself in front of a big crowd.

Ella smiled, relieved. "Yeah, I'm dead serious too. Looks like we'll both be keeping our pinkies, then." And she laughed softly. Her smiled disappeared a bit when Mordred commented on her being close with her Grandad. "We were close...he died when I was eight." She said sadly, shrugging. "He used to take me on these great adventures, y'know...to zoos and museums and amusement parks. He was quite smart." And she smiled, proud to have had such an awesome grandfather. She then listened as Mordred recounted his experiences with his own grandparents. So he lost them too, then? "They sound like they were really great, Mordred." She said sincerely. "My Gran is still around. She lives with us. She's a bit crazy though, in the best way possible. She started her own acting group and they perform Shakespeare." And she giggled, rolling her eyes. "I think she really misses my Grandad sometimes though." She could see it in her eyes and the way her smile wasn't as big as it used to be.


"It's not a problem. I'm happy to do it." Ella said when she was thanked. Honestly, she was happy to be able to help, even if it was just to sit quietly and listen. She turned to listen more carefully when the Chloe person was mentioned. Hmm. Chloe. So Mordred could talk to this Chloe girl then...but the important thing was, did Mordred like like her...cause if he did O_O Sophie would be crushed...and then Ella would be crushed because she was. Ugh. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Ella's train of thought was broken by Modred's next question... Mr.GoodHairSayWHATAboutBoyfriends?! Cue an immediate blush from the second year. "I...nope. No boyfriend." Ella answered sheepishly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. WHY on earth was he asking this, anyway. "As for liking someone...I erm...sort of do." SORT OF was a HUGE understatement, by the way. "It doen't matter though, he doesn't like me...like that." Sigh. And as they were on the subject. "Do you have a girlfriend...or fancy someone?" It was only fair that he answer since she had.

The badger laughed as Mordred grinned and talked candidly about his cousin. "Little boys can be irritating sometimes. I know my brother is. I can handle it, no worries." If Ella could handle her big bestie of an ogre here at Hogwarts, she could totally handle little Ethan. She also smiled as Mordred seemed to hold back laughter at the thought of Ethan and Sophie interacting. "Sophie will be able to keep up with his energy. I'm sure of it! Hey, she can even teach his some charms, too! She's quite good at that subject, y'know." Yup...and she wasn't trying to talk up her friend in front of her crush or anything...nope.

The Slytherin nodded and grinned at the girl. He realized that it felt good giving out great advice to people he barely know. It was one of the things that Mordred have yet to discover about friendship and building relationships with the others. “Just don’t forget to let it out when you can’t handle it anymore…you don’t want to head down to St. Mungo’s.” he said as he drew imaginary circles near his temple. It may look like he’s joking about that bit, but he knew very well that one can lose his marbles if one kept his problems all by himself. Heck, he almost did after he got back from Durmstrang. Luckily, there was Aurora and Beezus to tell all of his woes. “Oh, and you’re welcome.”

Show her how to do it correctly. “Of course. I practiced it countless times on fellow students back at Durmstrang.” And they did too on him. Oh, and did she manage to knock Messer with Expelliarmus? Impressive. “Hm. Your intention must be really strong…and your aim wasn’t on Messer’s weapon…” How else would she disarm a boy like that? Clearly, she needs to work on her targeting. Yep! “And just so you know, it feels like being thwacked by a frying pan if the spell hits you…” The sensation was surreal that everything gets blurry and painful all over.

Mordred nodded and grinned as Ella talked about his grandparents. He had to agree that they were great, and cool people to be with even if they are old. They have become wise because of age and their knowledge being passed down to them was something the boy would forever cherish. His grandparents both came from pureblood families and their stories about their ancestors, the adventures they did as kids, the things they missed in life and the pieces of advice that came with it was something Mordred held dear in his heart. “I’m sure your grandfather’s in a better place. I know my grandparents are very happy now…” wherever they may be. They lived a full and happy life, and it was logical that they went to the other side of the door peacefully.

So no boyfriend for Ella, but she likes someone? Oh, and the blush didn’t go unnoticed. “Yeah, you do…” Mordred kept an eye on her as Ella tucked her hair behind her ear. But then, he doesn’t like her in what way? Like a girlfriend? Well would you look at that. Mordred has the same dilemma as Ella. “I…actually do…” Mordred looked down and started to massage his hand. “She…well, she’s a great friend…and then, I started to like her…” The Slytherin winced a bit as he bit his tongue. Things have gone complicated after that, and thought that it was best to just forget about her…their friendship…and his feelings…for Chloe. “..but I figured we can’t be together even if I tell her I like her…because her family doesn’t like my kin.” Something about his family being dangerous, purebloods and Slytherins…not to mention that their family has Durmstrang products as well. “I still like her though…but I don’t think I’ll be able to tell her. You know…” he said as he brushed his hair. “I might scare her away or something…”

Mordred chuckled as he imagined Ethan strolling the halls of Hogwarts following his new found friends, Ella and Sophie. It was a sight he wanted to see, but sadly it was impossible…he was just happy that Ethan will have a blast. “Don’t underestimate a Scofield.” Ella may have a hyper brothers, but Ethan is just too much. “Yeah, Sophie’s really good in Charms.” Mordred noted that fact because he was able to witness it first hand back at the Lake. “She’s a fast learner, I must say…” The Slytherin stifled a laugh as he imagined a grown up Sophie teaching a young Ethan how things are done in Charms. He was sure that the boy would be sticking to her all throughout her last years in Hogwarts. “And with that being said, let’s see how well you’ll do with the spell I’m going to teach you.” The Slytherin got up from the window sill and tucked his book under his arm. “Duck pond it is. Let’s go?”

Ella noted Mordred's grin and raised her eyebrows a bit, never having seen the boy smile much before. She didn't take Morbid for a smiler though her opinion on ze boy with the hair was quickly changing. She smiled, nodding when he insisted she remember to let her feelings out once in a while. "I won't. Promise." She meant that, too. She was going to try and get a handle on this keeping things inside thing.

"So you're an expert, then? Brilliant. I'm actually quite excited to learn." Ella said enthusiastically when the older boy assured her he could teach her. This would be fun...hopefully. The second year nodded when he then commented on what had happened in class with Messer. "Yeah, it was strong. I guess I was not completely focused on his wand, no. He wasn't mad or anything, luckily." She would have felt horrible if he had been. O__O "...by a frying pan. Oh. Okay...thanks for letting me know." And the second year totally wasn't nervous or anything now...nope.

The badger smiled sadly as Mordred suggested her Grandad was in a better place now. "Yeah, I'm sure they're all at peace. I bet Grandad is playing golf or something. He liked to golf." Grin. He was quite good too. And hopefully wherever he was, he was proud of her.

Ella rolled her eyes at Mordred but she clearly wasn't mad as there was a small smile on her face. "Yeah...yeah. It's awful, y'know. Liking someone. I wish I didn't." And she meant that. She really did. And then he was studying her and Ella felt like a lab rat or something. She raised her eyebrows at him before completly registering what he was saying to her about his own love life. So Mordred did like someone, huh? Maybe it was Sophie! That would be awesome if it was. They would make such a great couple and- ...Wait! Sophie's family didn't know Mordred's. She was sure of that...Which meant...O___O No. NO.NO.NO. The second year wanted to punt Mordred off the Golden Gate Bridge, right now. She really did. HOW could he like someone that wasn't Sophie? This just...couldn't be happening. She wanted to insist that Sophie was the girl for him. That she was brilliant and pretty and WAY better than whatever lame girl Mordred liked. Unfortunately, the blonde couldn't say any of those things...because MorBID didn't know Sophie liked him and Ella wouldn't be the one to reveal that secret. UGH. This was AWFUL. The worst part was, she almost felt bad for Mordred. Because they were going through the SAME thing right now...well except for the family part. HOWEVER, the fact the this new development meant that Sophie was ALSO in the same position made Ella angry. And sad. And confused. Ugh.Ugh. Ugh. The second year tried to keep her emotions neutral as she responded. "I think...maybe you should just tell her. I mean...it's better than not knowing and then...well you will at least know one way or the other." And then Sophie would know too so she wouldn't have to sit around thinking about Morbid all the time.

Ella smiled. "I won't." At least she'd try not to underestimate what this boy might be capable of. Was he really that bad, though? Now she was quite curious. Oh, and Mordred the friend crusher thought that Sophie was a fast learner? "Yeah, she's pretty brilliant. I think lots of boys must like her." Umm. That was subtle, yeah? ...SQUIRM. Grateful for a change of subject matter, the second year quickly jumped off the window sill and stood next to Mordred, smiling. "Yeah, let's go." And maybe just maybe Ella could send Mordred flying into the pond. Hmph.