«PROFESSOR DONQUIXOTE!» you shouted, stepping in the Great Hall.

Most of the students were having lunch at their tables, but the room grew quieter when you marched in savagely.

Among the teachers, Doflamingo tilted his head, the sly smirk crawling on his face.

«The little troublemaker has some trouble to report?»

«I FREAKING DO!» you barked, standing in front of the professors' table.

Principal Edward was not there, but most of the other teachers moved their focus to you.

Rocinante and Marco leaned closer, while Shanks looked at you without stopping chewing at his meat.

Jinbe, Mihawk and Lucci also turned to you.

For a moment, you felt intimidated and swallowed, then you cleared your voice.

«Someone enrolled me in the Duelling Club, even if I had no intention of being there this year.»

«Oh, really?» Doflamingo's tone sounded totally uninterested now.

«Really! Can I know who made the list?»

«I did.» he replied.

«Because...! Wait. You what?»

Taken aback, you blinked.

Corazon grimaced, looking at his brother.

«Seriously, Doffy?»

«But...! But you can't!» you stuttered, still not sure what was going on.

«All the previous participants are automatically re-enrolled every year unless they ask not to.»

«What?? I never heard about such rule before!»

«Well, miss, that's not my fault.»

Marco rolled his eyes at the colleague's attitude, while Shanks chuckled.

«You can back down if you want, miss L/n.» Doffy snickered «Of course, since the pairs have already been made, this would cost some points to our beloved house.»

You pressed your lips together.

Suddenly, you became very aware of all the students' eyes fixed on your back. Especially your housemates'.

Doflamingo had his victorious grin plastered on his tanned face.

«There's no need.» you grumbled, sharpening your eyes «I'll be there.»

«That's what I thought.» he sneered.

You looked at the other teachers.

«I'm sorry for bothering you during your lunch.»

«No problem! It's always fun when you're involved!»

You grimaced at Shanks' remark. He earned a glare from Mihawk too.

Back at your table, you slumped beside Perona, who had already started her meal.

«It didn't go so well, did it?»

You groaned, bumping your head on the table.

«Senpai?»

You rose your eyes at the childish voice.

Momonosuke was staring at you with concern in his big eyes.

«Are you okay?»

«Sure.» you smiled at him, ruffling his short hair «Nothing to worry about.»

«Hey, Y/n!»

Kid and his gang approached, taking the seats nearby and attacking their food with no hesitation. Momonosuke took a step back, intimidated.

«I saw you joined the Duelling Club.»

In the row in front of you, Dellinger snickered.

«You lost a quite interesting show just now.»

You snorted.

«I'd rather not talk about it.»

Kid shrugged, mouth full of food.

«Doesn't matter, does it? I'm gonna win the tournament.»

«Shut up, Eustass!» Cracker called from the other side of the table «The winner will be a Charlotte!»

You sighed, trying to ignore the umpteenth argument that burst around you.

Quickly swallowing your food, your eyes roamed across the hall to meet a sharp golden gaze.

On Ravenclaw table, Trafalgar stared at you for a second before standing up and heading outside, followed by his usual gang.

Shachi sent a devious glance at you, probably because he knew you were going to be his first opponent at the Duelling Club.

Ugh.

«Kid, Y/n, we're gonna be late for Ancient Runes.» Killer said, standing as well.

The redhead grumbled something, but you jerked on your feet.

«Shit, you're right!»

You quickly collected your stuff and helped Killer tearing Kid away from his lunch.

«See ya later, P.»

«Think about what I told you!» she waved as the three of you disappeared outside followed by Wire.

Ancient Runes was one of those elective subjects where students from all Houses were mixed together.

The desks were arranged in couples and you quickly reached the empty one Reiju reserved for you, like the year before.

«Hey!»

«Almost on time. You're getting better, Y/n.»

You rolled your eyes, pulling the book out from your bag.

Kid and Killer took place in the last row.

«How are things going in Ravenclaw?»

«Not as lively as in Gryffindor or Slytherin, judging by the rumours.»

«Ugh, don't make me thing about it. They are quarrelling all day long. And do you know what happened to me today?»

«If you're talking about Professor Donquixote clandestinely enrolling you in the Duelling Club, I doubt there is someone who doesn't know yet.»

You grimaced and she smirked.

«It's just the third day and you're already making news.»

«As always, not by choice.» you muttered.

«Oi, Trouble Maker!»

You glanced at the Gryffindor area.

Sabo gestured towards you. Koza, beside him, looked totally uninterested.

«I saw your little show at lunch!»

«Oh, please, no.»

He gave you his thumb up.

«Are you actually enrolled in the Triwizard Tournament too?»

«NO!» you scoffed as he sneered.

You crossed your arms on your chest.

«...getting back to your question,» Reiju started again «my housemates seem to be handling this Tournament thing pretty quietly.»

«Is there anything Ravenclaw doesn't handle quietly?»

«But» she continued «we had our first Quidditch training, and Trafalgar started an argument with Diez Drake, which is very unlike him. So I guess he is a bit nervous too.»

You frowned, rethinking about your latest interaction with Law.

Something was definitely up with that guy.

You were pondering whether telling Reiju about it, but Professor Nico Robin walked into the room and the lesson started.

«Today's class will be about Parseltongue.» the woman announced, after indicating the right pages on the book.

Slytherin students immediately became more attentive.

«Across the ages, wizards and witches able to speak this language have always been very rare. It is an innate ability that cannot be learnt. However, our ancestors found a way to translate this kind of communication into writing – in ancient runes indeed.»

Tashigi raised her hand.

«Is it true that people able to speak it must be registered at the Minister?»

Nico Robin nodded.

«It's kind of controversial, nowadays, because of the privacy issue. The problem is that Parseltongue has been historically associated with dark magic. I suppose you all know the story of the Chamber of Secret, here in Hogwarts.»

«That happened ages ago.» Yonji scoffed «We hadn't a Parseltongue speaker ever since.»

«How would you know?» Hawkins quietly replied.

«It's not like they would go around advertising it.» Koza agreed.

«Silence please.» Robin required before continuing «This is not what the lesson is about. Today we are going to learn some runes indicating basic commands in Parseltongue, since you can still find ancient doors sealed by it. This could be useful especially for our future Triwizard champions, so make sure to pass the information in case they are not in this class.»

This last trick assured the complete attention of most of the boys for the rest of the class.

At the end of the lesson, Reiju waited for you to get your bag ready to walk out together.

«Was there something you wanted to ask?»

You curled your lips.

«Well, I–»

«Hey, Reiju.»

You both turned to the little group of Ravenclaw girls, right outside the classroom.

Monet and Kalifa glanced at you coldly, while Tashigi stayed aside, eyes avoiding yours.

«How come you still hang out with that girl? You know Slytherins are trouble.»

You quirked an eyebrow.

«Excuse me?»

Reiju placed a calming hand on your arm and gave them her confident smile.

«I'm pretty sure I get to choose whom I hang out with. Plus, three of my brothers are in Slytherin, so try not to offend my own family, please.»

Kalifa emitted a high-pitched scoff, but she turned and walked away, followed by the other two.

«I thought Ravens were quiet people, but you have your fair amount of bitches, I see.» you commented.

The pinkette sighed.

«This tournament enhanced the rivalry between the Houses. And it will get worse when it starts.»

«That sucks, especially for you. Will you be okay?»

She smiled.

«Don't worry about me, Y/n. Most of my Housemates are decent people.»

Suddenly, you decided to trust her.

She had been one of your best friends since the first year, after all.

«Do you have time now? There's something I would like to tell you, in private.»

It was a cold autumn day, with orange leaves flying around the Black Lake.

The two of you chose a desert spot on the shore, under a huge oak.

You told her about your encounter with Trafalgar Law and his strange warning.

Reiju listened to you carefully, tapping her long finger against her chin.

«He had been more circumspect than usual, actually.» she said «I have no idea what he was talking about though. Looks like he thinks someone from your House is doing something bad. But... "like last time"?»

«Yeah, it's strange. Something that happened already?» you shrugged «Honestly, we started so much shit I don't even know what to think.»

«Who else knows about this?»

«Just me and Perona. I didn't report to Katakuri or told anyone else. Trafalgar was aggressive with me, sure, but if I talk to my housemates they will eat him alive.»

«I agree.»

«This is not good though.» you bit your inner cheek «If he does something, I would be responsible too for not warning my comrades.»

«I see. Let's do it like this: I will keep an eye of him and try to figure out what's his problem. You keep an eye on the other Slytherins, just in case. What do you say?»

«I like it.»

You offered her your hand and she squeezed it.

Neither of you noticed the ginger guy peering at you on the other side of the lake.