Professor Merrythought whacked the blackboard with the piece of wood sharply. "Wake up students!" She yelled angrily, her grey eyes scanning the room. "I asked you to do one small task for homework and only five of you even attempted the essay? It's ridiculous!" Her chest heaved up and down erratically while she paced around the front of the DADA classroom. Her high boots clacked against the stone loudly, making the students closest to the front flinch each time she took a step. 

Arabella slouched low in her chair, even though she was one of the five that completed the essay on Dragons. Merrythought could be incredibly frightening when she wanted to. It only took a few late assignments of unfinished homework for her to absolutely explode. 

With one last deep sigh, Professor Merrythought swept the tall, pointed hat off her head. The emerald thing was dumped on top of her desk. "Right. You will all have detention except the five who completed the work. On top of this, you will complete four other essays as well on the topics elves, pixies and fairies. The forth essay will be on how these creatures are how they are different to each other." 

Groans erupted around the classroom. Susan Stringle, a sweet girl from Gryffindor, slumped onto her desk. "There goes my life for ever," she said miserably. 

Arabella looked at her in pity and thought about patting her shoulder. Should have done the homework, she thought, but of course didn't say it out loud. That could get her beaten up again. Gryffindor's were so hot-headed. 

As the meltdowns of students commenced, Arabella glanced out the door and willed the class to be over soon. Edmund was out of the hospital wing! Arabella didn't know how, but she knew that she was elated. Apart from Jaelyn, Arabella didn't have a close circle of friends. Of course, she knew others from her house and year and a few others from joint classes from other houses, but other than that, there was no one else close enough for Arabella to confide in and truely trust. 

In hospital, Edmund was bordering close to becoming one of these friends, but Arabella barely got to see him and she was always worrying about him. His illness was so spontaneous and violent, Arabella found herself slightly on guard around him. 

But if he was out of the hospital wing, it meant Madam Pomfrey believed him to be cured or partially at least.

Arabella would take either, if it meant she got another best friend out of it. Especially since Jaelyn seemed to be avoiding her ever since the attack in the Great Hall. 

It was hard to notice at first, but soon, all the two friends seemed to be doing was classwork together. Arabella had begun to notice that Jaelyn was avoiding her eye out of class and was sitting with other Slytherin girls every feast, doing homework. 

Arabella's heart ached at the thought of Jaelyn and snuck a glance across the DADA classroom to where Jaelyn was sitting. Her and Dominic Winterdawn were deep in conversation as they poured over the DADA book on the desk. 

Biting her lip, Arabella looked down sadly. 

The rest of the class blurred together and soon, the great big bells chimed, signalling the end of the lesson. 

Quick as a hippogriff, Arabella had packed up her stuff and sprinted out of the classroom. Down staircases and through secret passages, Arabella never stopped running until she came to the grand doors of the Great Hall. 

She came to a stop just inside the hall and observed the chaos. Students were milling around the tables and waving to their friends as they saw them come in. Robes were discarded over the seats as students threw them off, getting comfortable. The never ending chatter used to be background noise, but now every loud noise was frightening. 

The scene was overpowering. Arabella began breathing heavily, her chest heaved up and down. But she was finding it hard to breathe. 

The noise was loud, too loud. It invaded her head and her ears began to ring. Clammy knees, and shaking hands, Arabella backed out of the hall, suddenly very, very afraid. 

She leaned against a stone wall and closed her eyes. 

"Are you OK?" A girl from Ravenclaw placed her hand gently on Arabella's shoulder. Arabella flinched violently and trembled. 

But she said, "I'm fine." And the Ravenclaw spared her one last glance before walking into the hall. 

What seemed like hours passed before someone else stopped next to her. 

"Arabella?" They said.

She recognised his voice immediately. Memories of that night came flooding into her mind.

"Tom!" She gasped and fell into him. Arabella began to cry. 

Tom Riddle froze. Unsure of what to do with the sobbing mess in his arms. Give him a mudblood to kill, or followers to terrorize, he could handle that. But this was new territory. It didn't help that he had been activly avoiding Arabella like the plague since their night in the Owlery. He had questions before, but now he had countless more and didn't know how to answer them. He was afraid of how she made him feel. 

So he did the only thing he knew how to do. Make a snarky remark. 

"Galloping gargoyles, Caerwyn, we've got to stop meeting like this." 

This made Arabella smile slightly and she pushed herself out of his arms. She suddenly felt cold. "Sorry, Tom," she said. "I don't know what's gotten into me." 

Nor me, Tom thought as he gazed at the beautiful woman before him. Them Tom composed himself, he remembered who he wanted to become. Someone like this could destroy all he had already achieved.

"Well don't do it again, or I'll curse you until your tongue falls out of your mouth and you choke on your own blood." 

The smile slid off Arabella's face and she frowned. She felt as she'd been punched in the gut again. "Fine." 

She began to say something else but a voice cut her off. 

"Is everything OK here, Bella?" Edmund was standing in the doors, gazing at the pair in confusion, seeing and feeling the hostility prickle in the air. 

Arabella instantly made for Edmund, peering at him cautiously. She remembered how he told her that he and Tom were friends once. She wondered if he knew how much Tom had changed since he went into the hospital wing. 

"Edmund Luca," Tom said softly, "my, my, how you'e changed." 

Edmund gazed at Tom Riddle cooly. "As have you," he replied, his voice low. "How about you leave Arabella alone?" 

Tom's eyebrows sprung up and his mouth formed an O. "But I was just helping Miss Caerwyn out! Wasn't I, darling?" Tom turned his green eyes onto Arabella and his steely gaze caused her to shrink into Edmund's chest. 

Edmund took a step forward. "As I said, Tom. Leave her alone." 

Tom flicked his eyes back to Edmund and grinned cruelly. "Filthy mudbloods should stay out of the superior's affairs," he said softly and turned around. Tom walked away from Arabella and Edmund, his goons appearing from the shadows behind him. 

Arabella spun to Edmund. "He's wrong!" She exclaimed quickly. "He's half the man you are!" 

Edmund's eyes were trained on Tom's retreating back sadly. "Thanks," he said, but his voice was quiet and low. Edmund watched his old friend walk away, his awful words hanging in the air like a foul stench. 

Arabella tugged on Edmund's cloak and said, "well? You said you would tell me how you're out. I believe you owe me an explanation." 

"I believe I do," Edmund replied heavily and the two walked to the steps just in front of the Great Hall. They sat down and Arabella leaned into Edmund's side. 

It had been quite a few weeks since my last attack, and so Pomfrey was letting me self medicate," said Edmund. Arabella hummed softly, remembering him telling her while they were in the hospital wing. "Then, a few more weeks passed with no symptoms at all so Madam Pomfrey told me she believed the illness had turned dormant and was gone."

Arabella beamed. "That's great!" 

Edmund smiled back and wrapped his arm around Arabella's shoulder and pulled her closer. "Thank you so much," He said gently and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. 

Arabella sighed happily and took in the moment. "Why?" She asked. 

"For still being my- uh, friend when others wouldn't." 

"Oh, Ed," Sighed Arabella and she turned her head to face him. She smiled softly and felt her heart break into a million pieces and felt his agony he felt for the past few years. 

In that moment, she noticed Edmund lean in slightly. He heart began to beat fast, but this time not from fright. At the last moment, she turned her head slightly and Edmund's lips landed on her cheek, on the corner of her mouth. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach and she gazed at the hallway where Tom Riddle disappeared into.