The Great Hall

Keeping her eyes on the wine, Viper sighed. "During my time at Hogwarts, the other Houses weren't very forgiving when it came to dealing with Viper past offenses."

Kiara sighed.
" I will not punish you for your families actions Viper, and I am not a cold blooded killer who will just watch someone die regardless of there family blood or history. I thought you knew that"

This time Viper met Kiara's gaze. "I do, however its not a question of a person's moral fiber. It's a question of trust, something I have always had a problem with. Unfortunetly, on both sides."

Diana was sitting a few seats away from Helena. Helena was currentlhy in an animated conversation with another Gryffindor. Something told Diana it was only so she wouldn't have to talk to her.

She sighed. Fine, if she doesn't want to talk to me, it her business.

Suddenly her vision was covered by a pair of hands. "Guess who it is."

"Nick?" She thought wildly. No, it couldn't be, why would Nick be here?

But indeed as the hands fell to reveal the culprit, it was Nicolas Casillas.

"Oh my god, Nick!" She embraced him immediately.

"Hey there Capulet!" He said noticing Helena over Diana's shoulder.

"Nicolas?" Helena said. "What are you doing here?"

"I transfered." Nick said. "I wanted to know what was so good about Hogwarts that you two kept raving about it."

"That's great!" Diana said noticing the red from his robes. "And your in Gryffindor too."

"Why of course cousin. What house did you expect me to be?" He said. "Slytherin?"

"Funny you should mention that." Helena said.

Diana caught her eye, deploring her not to mention anything about that.

It seemed as if Helena caught her message. "Do you need a tour around the school?"

"Yeah," he said. "Actually I do. It took me a little over ten minutes to find this." he glanced at the hall.

And with that the three of them headed out of the Great Hall.

Ana sat quietly at the Slytherin table, eyes skimming a book on duelling, making notes of any spells that seemed they could be particularly useful, with one hand.

Eating with one hand really slows you down, she thought to herself.

"Helena," Diana said panting. "I thought we were going to meet in the Library?"

"We were," Helena replied. "But it's been trashed by a mad horse."

"Oh," Diana said wondering if that mad horse may have been Persephone.

"And where were you?" Helena asked. "With Darien Vaight maybe?"

"What if I was." Diana said defensively.

"Well then that wouldn't be any of my business."

"What're you doing Ana?"
Darien's head appeared in front of the book.
"Move. Your. Head."
"Someone's a little bit edgy this morning..." Darien grabbed a few slices of toast and muched loudly.
Ana ignored him, wrote down two more possible spells and hurridly ate the rest of her breakfast. She closed the book, pushed it into her bag, and grabbed Darien by the arm.
"What the- Where are we going?"
"Library..." Ana replied vaguely, glancing down the list of spells.
Darien sighed. Why was Ana so obsessed with this competition? He noticed Diana at the Gryffindor table and had an idea.
"I'll catch up with you-" He headed across to the gryffindor table.
Ana sighed and continued walking.
Darien glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Ana leave the hall.
"Diana? Can I have a word?"

Diana was about to comment on the bitterness of Helena's voice when Darien came to them.

"Well speak of the devil..." Helena glared.

Diana gave her a look and she turned to Darien, "Sure."

Darien held out the slip.
"Okay...um...my family holds this duelling competition thing once every five years, and this year I'm old enough to take part...and the second half is team duelling, well pairs really...and I just wondered if you'd like to be my partner...If you don't mind spending a smidge of time in the vicinity of some pretty unpleasant relatives that is..."

Diana ran her eyes through the slip. Duelling competition? At the Vaights?

"Sure.... but wouldn't your father mind me being there? I mean when we had dinner, he wasn't exactly forthcoming..."

The twins smothered laughed form Slytherin table.

"I knew he would ask her' Amy whispered.

"Darien don't take this the wrong way, but you so predicable" Aiden thought.

I stick my tongue out at you...metaphorically. Cos it would look distinctly weird if I just did so for no apparant reason...
Darien thought back...

"So when is it?" Diana asked.

"Wait..." Helena said. "You're actually going? Are you suicidal? You're going into a pit of snakes!?"

"I'm sure I'll be alright." Diana said uncertainly. "Right Darien?"

"I won't let them hurt you." Darien tried to make himself seem taller.
"Anyway, we can just hide out in the house if we need to. And father probably won't even want to talk to me...and Ana'll be in charge for the second half so she'll stick up for us...a bit anyway." He smiled.
"It's a duelling contest, they'll all be to busy watching to worry about us. And if they offend you, we can just pound them into the ground...unless it's my dad, in which case I think we'd better just run in the opposite direction."

"Ugh whatever Darien." Helena said and then she stood up and walked away.

"Hel!," Diana said. Helena ignored her. Diana sighed. "I don't know what's gotten into her lately. I mean one second she's fine and we're friends and the next, she hates me."

"Um... I get the feeling it's me she hates, not you." Darien murmured awkwardly.

"So who else is coming?" Diana asked. She wanted to know just what snakes would be there.

"Um...A whole load of relatives...allied families...dad's sisters, brother-in-laws and families. Dad, mum, me, Ana...Amy and Aiden, we invited them with our spare tickets, you and me...Oh and my crazily violent uncle. He hates me."
Darien counted them off on his fingers.
"Oh, and Dad's friends and some collegues of his. I think that's it. Five duelling pits so... maybe fifty people...possibly fifty-five. Not many really."

"Wow," Diana said. "About fifty fully grown wizards who aren't that happy to see me."

The twins apeared at in either side of Darien.

"By the way we.."

"Have a proposition..

"for you both"

"Want to practice.."

"Teams with us?"

Darien winced.
"Same here...But oh well. We'll survive...I hope. Just kidding. We can just sit near the twins for most of it, and Ana...until she goes to host the second part. That way people won't really come and insult-or talk- to us."

"Hmm." Diana nodded. "Alright."

"Nicolas won't be too happy about this though," Diana said.

"Good thing he's not invited then."
Darien almost growled.

The twins looked at eachother and then back at Diana and Darien.

"So when do you want to practice"

"Hm..." Darien thought for a moment.
"Um...you guys free tonight? But where're we going to practise?"