His Mark
[Knowledge is Power]

7th September 2016
Wednesday

Aileen

''You finally left the Hospital Wing Bones!''
I heard a group of Ravenclaws cry out in excitement as their friend sat down next to them with a bandaged arm.

''The nurse said that my foot is almost a hundred percent healed, but who knows...I might still die.''

I kept eating my breakfast and rolled my eyes at my housemates stupidity.

''You won't die! You're stronger than that,'' His friend said grinning like a fool.
''I really hope so, my head is hurting really badly and she said that it could take a while.''

I tuned the rest of their conversation off as I saw Cordelia enter The Great Hall, closely followed by her brother Julius and his girlfriend.

Momo had given me Cordelia's bracelet on Saturday, which I gave the house-elves to wash and was now holding it gently in my hand.

I don't even know why I bothered with this..., I thought to myself clasping the bracelet tightly in my hand, furrowing my eyebrows in frustration.

After realising that I probably wouldn't get a chance to talk to Cordelia during breakfast- at least not while Julius and what's her face were around, I quickly started to eat my breakfast again, just as a flurry of Owls entered The Great Hall carrying rolls of parchment tied to their feet, or carrying them in their beaks.
I However, didn't bother looking up, I knew that I wouldn't get any letters.
After all, I didn't have any living relatives, at least none that knew of my existence.
But to my utter surprise a snow white Owl landed right in front of me.
''Shoo! Go away.'' I waved a piece of bread at the Owl who in turn only flapped its wings and stayed in place.
''Go find your owner,'' I said through clenched teeth as the owl started eating the bread that landed in front of her.

The Owl puffed out her feathers in annoyance and suddenly extended her leg at me.
I was about to grasp my wand to end this absurdity as I suddenly noticed the words:
''Orphanage'' neatly written on the letter.

I suddenly froze.
Sometimes I almost forgot where I had grown up.
I wanted to forget it.

I took the letter from the Owl's leg and stared thoughtfully at the writing.

'Aileen Gaunt, Hogwarts.'

Had they finally discovered what I had done to those kids years ago and decided to throw me out?
No, that can't be it..., I thought frantically.
I hadn't left any traces, and besides I had only scared them...it was nothing compared to what the older children had done to me.

I reluctantly opened the letter, trying my best to stop my hands from shaking.

~Gaunt

I had sent a letter to the Director of your school
Jonathan Livingston, stating that your place in the Orphanage had been filled and we were out of space. In other words you could not come back here in the summer.~

My heart soared.
I didn't quite know if this was good or bad...
At least I wouldn't have to go back to the Orphanage!
But if I couldn't go back, where else would I go?

I continued to read:
~ But he told us that this was preposterous, and that we had agreed that you would be able to come back during the summer until you came off age. I had to comply and set aside a room for you in the basement.
It isn't small nor is it humid as you might be thinking.

Until then.
Eleanor Plum~

''The basement,'' I muttered whilst crumpling the letter in my hand.

How could they dare to make me sleep in the basement?!
My desire was to kill them all, but I knew that I wasn't capable of that...

I'm not my father, I won't allow myself to sink that low. I tore the letter up and threw it into my cup which contained the remainder of pumpkin juice.

I rose from the table to go to my first lesson of the day, and hopefully forget what I had just read.
One day they would respect me, my name would be known by every wizzard young and old.

Those where the thoughts that got me through the tedious Herbology class, well that and the thoughts about a certain Slytherin girl.

Cordelia

I filed into the History of Magic classroom with my fellow Slytherins, parting from them to my seat at the front row, but beside the window so I was out of the view. I glanced across the row to the Ravenclaw already scanning his text books, ready to answer the questions with a shy and eager mask of a perfect student.

I resented that.

I resented his two-faced nature, the polite golden student and the manipulative Death Eater that I saw that night. I hated how the teachers adored him, but not seeing his true ugly colours.
I guess that explains my outburst in Defense- I wanted Professor Crudwell to know that Aileen wasn't the only perfect student.

Well, and it felt brilliant rubbing information that Aileen didn't know into his face.

I quickly switched focus on writing out the notes that Professor Tamney was jabbering about, determined not to fall behind Aileen academically wise. After ten minutes of intense writing I flexed my ink stained hands to release the tension.
As I did so, I jumped as a demanding hand tapped my shoulder.

"Hey, could I borrow your notes? I'm sort of lost" I recognised her vaguely as one of the girls who shared a dorm with me. She had short dirty blonde hair that looked like it was hacked with safety scissors and she wore large glasses that enhanced her pale green eyes. I remembered her as quite loud in the dorms.

"Of course. I think I'm done anyways. Sorry if they're messy" I handed my inky pages to her, feeling slightly conscious of my untidy scrawl.
"Thanks. Hey, you should come hang out with us. The names Juliet. Juliet Jackson." While she was talking, her hand was doodling at the corner of her parchment, drawing an intricate pattern.
I smiled politely at her.
"I'm Cordelia. And I'll think about it."
I whispered back before turning to the front.

Except I didn't turn entirely to the front, rather to the hunched over Ravenclaw student called Aileen.
As predicted he was engrossed with his note taking, though slower than in other classes. I smiled, having the book on the very topic Tamney was talking about on my desk was really to my advantage.

Since I was done, I casted my attention on Aileen, watching with faint amusement as his blinks became a fraction slower, his disinterest in the subject slowing him down.
A rush of savage pleasure rushed through me followed by a moment of hot shame.

Ever since that night, I've been so worked up about it, so angry and vengeful, which was really out of character for me. I was so angry at his actions which was bottled up inside me, burdening my mind,turning me bitter and unhappy with my 24/7 curse-Aileen marathon. This was a different side of me, and I didn't like that side.

Besides, didn't one say that being angry was like holding a red hot poker while expecting the other person to get hurt?

I sighed, deciding to let go of my grudge. I was too chicken to take revenge anyways, so what's the point of being angry?

It's best to put that night behind me so I can move on and not dwell on how embarassing it was.

"Hey." Another tap tugged at my attention.
"Why do you keep staring at that Ravenclaw? Do you," Juliet Jackson pulled a seductive suggestive face,"like him?"

I looked at her like she asked me if I had kissed the giant squid.

"Can Filch get a girlfriend?" I retorted, feeling uncomfortable with her constant interaction.
She gave a loud snort followed by a high pitched giggle, which cued ninety nine percent of the class to look up, the one percent being Aileen.
"Miss Jackson, care to explain what's so funny about Emeric the Evil slaughtering thousands of peasants?" Tamney demanded, his voice cutting through the air.
"We're talking about Emeric? The evil dude?" Juliet asked with an air of utter confusion.
"Yes, Miss Jackson.The evil 'dude' as you put it."
"Ohhh. I thought we were talking about.... Uric? Uric, yeah! The one that wears an octopus on his head?"
"It's a jellyfish, Miss Jackson" Tamney corrected in a resigned tone.
"Oh. Anyways, I was thinking about how awkward it is wearing an octopus on your head. Like, what if it tries to eat your head? What if it gets ink on your robes? What if..."

I watched her ramble on, torn between amusement, awe and the awkwardness of the situation.

Poor Professor. He really didn't know what he was getting into.

Indeed, Professor Tamney looked like he was being confunded.
"What if it tries to eat your friends? Or steal your wand and curse your-"
"Enough Miss Jackson. I see your point. For your information we are talking a about Emeric the Evil, not Uric the Oddball. The difference between the two is obvious." The professor blinked and dove into his lecture like a life saver raft.

Juliet gave me a wink and accepted her companions high fives.
I shook my head and returned to my notes,staring blankly at them.

It took the clanging bell to make me realise that what I was staring at wasn't ink and paper, but a mass of curly, red hair, dutifully scribbling his notes for today.

I've let it go, why am I still staring at him?
Why, why, why for Merlin and Morgana's sake? He's not even particularly good looking.

Liar, liar, pants on fire, chanted the accursed second voice.

Are you implying that I think he's good looking? Oh god, I'm talking to myself.. I'm going crazy...

"You so like him" Juliet whispered into my ear as she passed.
I groaned in frustration and slammed my head on the desk.