"Tell me.. What's the extreme of depression? It's hysteria. What is the extreme of laughs but tears? And the extreme of screams is silence while the extreme of pain is sedation."

― Noha Alaa El-Din

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I wake up still asleep on Tom.

I stumble back in surprise and horror, hitting the floor quite hard. "Ow," I grumble, and someone hauls me up by my arm.

"Morning, Oceana." Avery's voice rings in my ear. I look up to see Avery smirking at me.

"Morning," I grumble, my eyes narrowing at the awful nickname. He was mocking my damn eye colour. The imbecile.

He helps me move to sit on my own bed.

"You looked cozy." He grins a cat-like smile that has me glaring at me.

"We were exhausted," I say, and Avery rummages through his bag and hands me something. It was a bagel. I look up at him in surprise, and he scowls, a red tint on his cheek.

"I thought you all would be hungry." He admits, making me smile at him.

That was incredibly thoughtful.

"Thank you," I say sincerely, and he hands me the bagel with a smile of his own. Abby grumbles profanities under her breath.

"Why are you guys awake and talking so loudly!?" She demands, annoyed before her eyes flit over to my own, and she squeals, making Pan and Chris shoot up in surprise. "VALENTINE!!" She screams and almost jumps on me, but Avery grabs her.

"Oceana is still hospitalized. Don't break all her bones." He gives Abby a look, making her flush in embarrassment.

"Val, are you alright?" Pan asks with a yawn, and I nod.

"Somewhat rejuvenated," I answer, taking a bite from my bagel.

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever met a group with such idiots in it than this one." Tom snarls. We all whip around to stare at the boy. His eyes were hard, and he was gazing at us all like he wouldn't enjoy anything better than cursing us.

"Riddle." Chris greets the Slytherin and Riddle sneers.

"Killick," Tom responds, not even looking at my blonde friend.

"Avery. Where is that bastard Malfoy? I need to teach him a lesson. I'm going to boil his blood till he begs for mercy. He indirectly placed me here." Tom snarls, a cruel smirk on his face. Everyone freezes at his words except for myself and Avery. I assume we were both too used to Riddle's threats.

Avery shrugs.

"I have no clue. I've been in here with you lot since yesterday." Avery states. "Lestrange is keeping Walburga out of here." He adds.

"Oh, thank god." Abby breathes. "I would've punched her." My friend says sour.

"You should." Riddle muses smoothly, catching the bagel that Avery threw at him. Abby glances at Riddle, eyes wide.

"Did he just-?" She whispers at me, and I nod, mouth filled with my bagel.

"Mmmmhmmm."

"He talked to me." Abby almost screeches, making me give her a look.

"You two, alright?" Avery asks both Tom and me.

We both shrug at the same time.

"Sure."

"I wasn't even weakened in the first place." Tom scoffs, making me give him an industrious look.

"Good. You are both awake." A healer walks in. It was the same healer who had helped me my first day here. I learned her name was Madame Strout.

"Any pain? Tiredness? Aching? Bruises?" She asks us in a firm tone, daring us to lie to her. Tom and I both shake our heads. She gazes at us for a second and then her eyes soften. "You both singlehandedly saved Ms. Ollivander's life. That spell was performed impeccably." She praises us, making Tom sit up straighter, an air of arrogance returning to him.

I smile up at the healer, not knowing what to say.

"Headmaster Dippet requires both of you in his office at once the second I discharge you. This is me discharging you two. The password is Lemon-trout. Now go! Hurry along!!" She shoos us away, moving to check on Greta.

I watch as she checks her vitals.

"Will she be alright?" I ask the question most of us were thinking.

Madame Strout smiles at me, her brown eyes warm and kind. "Your friend will be just fine, Ms.Dumbledore. Yourself and Mr.Riddle made sure of that." And with those parting words, she walks away.

I get to my feet, putting on Abby's slippers.

"I'm borrowing these," I tell her, and she waves me away.

"Go ahead. I'm staying here with Greta and the rest until class starts." She answers, making me nod.

"I'll be back," I promise.

"Dumbledore come along. I don't like waiting." Tom scowls, and I roll my eyes.

"You don't like much of anything." I muse back, walking alongside him.

"Why don't you put something more decent on. You look like a harlot." Tom looks at me in disgust, and I look at him wide-eyed, rage filling me.

I smack him. "You DID NOT just call me that!!" I seethe and smack his shoulder again. "You have no right to call me that! I am wearing shorts!!! SHORTS!!!!" I yell, and his face deepens into a scowl.

He doesn't respond, and I give him a disgusted look of my own before I start to march ahead of him.

He was silent the entire way to Dippet's office. "Lemon-trout," I demand at the opening to the Headmaster's office, and the staircase begins to unfold descending to allow us entry. I walk up the steps, still furious at Riddle.

Entering the door, I see Headmaster Dippet staring at me. Tom steps through the door behind me and Dippet claps his hands in delight. "Hogwarts Heroes!" He booms and Tom and I stare at each other in surprise.

"Pardon?" Riddle asks, putting on his usual charming facade.

"You two saved a student from being murdered!" He cheers and steps up to engulf us in a hug. Tom looked like he wanted to push the old man down the stairs. "Had Ms.Ollivander been killed, we would have had to close the school," Dippet explains.

"Close the school? Close Hogwarts?" Tom repeats in barely concealed horror.

"Yes, my boy! But all is well. She was saved. Had you two been even a second late, she would've died. Also, Ms. Dumbledore, the condition of the Great Hall has been restored, so no need to be wary about the wall you destroyed." Dippet chuckles as if the matter itself was a joke.

"Excuse me, sir, but how is Malfoy going to be punished?" I ask, raising a brow and sitting on the couch beside me, arms crossed.

Dippet stares at me with a smile. "I think the young lad had learned his lesson. However, he'll be serving detentions for the rest of the year." He sits across me. I stare at him in disbelief.

"He hurt my friend.... almost killed her, and he's getting a mere slap on the wrist and detention!?" I seethe, standing up in a fit of rage.

"Well, he will be getting a talk to from ministry officials. But considering Ms. Ollivander is his fiancee, our hands are tied." He tries to explain, making my hands flicker with magic.

"That is bullshit!" I snarl.

"A girl... YOUR student almost died!! She's under your protection, Headmaster." I snarl sarcastically. "So if anything happens to her or ANY of the damn students here. That's your neck on the line!"

Headmaster Dippet sighs, leaning back in his seat. "Valentine I'm aware of that thank you very much. I'd much appreciate it if you showed a tad ounce of respect for your Headmaster as well." He tells me, eyes hard. Mine just harden even more.

"Don't try to intimidate me." I laugh, harshly. "Tell me what punishment Malfoy is going to get, or I'll walk out of here this second and give him one myself!"

"Ms. Dumbled-" Dippet was seething, but he was interrupted by Tom.

"It has been a truly traumatizing event Headmaster Dippet, and I'm sure Ms.Dumbledore is just severely emotional at seeing her friend in such a manner. She just requests that the proper punishment be appointed to Mr. Malfoy, who had indeed attempted to not only kill but sexually harass Ms.Ollivander." Tom strolls to stand beside where I was sitting, leaning on the arm of the couch I was on.

"Perhaps a restraining spell for the rest of the year and a threat to throw the lad in Azkaban," Tom demands, voice so smooth it was like silk. He gazed at Dippet with such natural authority; I knew Dippet would not refuse.

I'm silent, bewildered he'd stepped in.

"Very well. Mr. Riddle, Ms. Dumbledore." Dippet's eyes go from one of us to the other. "I will do all I can to ensure that Ms. Ollivander is not harmed. An owl has been sent to her family explaining all that has occurred. They'll be arriving shortly to check on their daughter." He informs us and then points to the pair of us.

"You two are the brightest students I've ever had the honour of teaching. I can see how close you two are. Make sure you stick together." Dippet advises.

"The world is a monstrous place to spend alone."

- Don't spend the rest of your life alone