It was late in the day, lessons had finished and Ariel was in her casual clothes, she had no time for Hogwart's robes, they were boring. She was now showing off a bit more flesh, a miniskirt and a skimpy top that showed off a lot of her clevage. It wasnt out of choice that she wore them it was simply a matter of having nothing else. She was such a natural flirt that when in a clothes store she always opted for slutty fashions.

She sat on the edge of the tower, her feet dangling into the abyss. Her bobbed brown hair blew back as an icy breeze swept through Hogwarts.

It was late on a Thursday afternoon, and Finn had to do some observation. He detested that class and wished that is wasn't a class. He was hoping to be alone, so as not to be distracted, and was disappointed to find someone else was sitting in his usual seat. He sighed, and thought to himself, If only every class were potions... He took a vacant seat as far away from the Hufflepuff girl as he could. He thought she looked rather skanky, and didn't need another one of those in his life.

He sighed again and waited for the stars to show.

She looked over at the new entrant, a Slytherin by any other name. He was distant, she looked down at her self. Who wouldn't be? She was a bit of fun but no body would be serious with a piece of smut like Ariel. If only she was good academically... But she wasn't, she had a plan - marry someone rich. Her grades were less than average and she didn't really have a talent for much else. She kicked her legs back and walked in Finn's direction, her body taking a natural cat-like pose.

Finn pulled out his astronomy book and started reading. He heard the clicking of her shoes, signifing that she was getting closer. He looked up from his book. "Can I help you?" Finn asked quite rudely. He didn't want to be close to this girl. He knew she was no good for him.

She leaned over the desk. "Im bored," she said biting her lip. What was she playing at? It was some compulsion inside of her that said she needed to woo and flirt with every boy that came into sight. There was a decent person inside that was kicking her every word. "Want to entertain me?"

The whole situation was an embarrassment, she didnt go red but was certainly shaming herself. She sat on his desk.

Finn looked over his reading glasses. "Excuse me?" He asked, "Do I want to entertain you? What does it look like I'm trying to do?" He should have stopped, but didn't, "Does this look like a strip joint? I'm trying to study so that I can get a decent job. Not one where I have to rely on knut tips..." He paused and took a drink out of his water bottle. " I know your kind, and girl, you are no good... If you will excuse me, I have work to do!"

This time she went red and stormed away from him, sat down, with her head in her hand. Scorned she was, insulted and too silly to think of a decent comeback. Most guys went for that kind of thing. She guessed most guys at Hogwarts were shallow. Finn was smarter than that. She would need to annoy him more, she stood again in full flow.

"What you doin'?" She asked, giggling as she said it.

Finn slammed his book shut, killing the beetle that had landed on it with a sickening crunch. "What do you think I'm doing?" Finn asked, "There is only one think I could be doing, and that's studying. Some people actually use this tower to study, rather than to whore themselves out." He picked up his book and pealed apart the pages that were stuck together with beetle guts. He tried to focus on his homework again.

She giggled again, her immediate response to confrontation. She never argued back, giggling usually worked but Finn seemed like a cold jerk. She hadnt yet learnt that flaunting herself did not work with Finn so decided to sidle onto his knee. "Need any help?" She giggled annoyingly again, flicking through Finn's book.

A cold smile came across Finn's face. "Do I need to spell it out for you?" FInn asked, "I'll say it slow so even you can understand." He paused. "I'm-not-interested-in-what-you-are-offering!" He paused again, "Do-you-understand?" He disliked stupid people. There wasn't much to decipher from his message.

She stared blankly for a few seconds then stoodup and walked to the window. "What is wrong with you?" Her voice had changed to the real Ariel now, what was beneath the slut. "And why wont you bed me? You're strange." She shook her head, not understanding why he refused her.

"I have bigger issues in this world other than girls like you." Finn retorted, "The state of things in our world, I'm surprised that all you can think about is sex. I have no need to get involved with someone like you." He paused. "Don't pretend that you don't have those kinds of tendencies. You would dress that way unless you wanted people to talk about you that way. Maybe you just want that kind of negative attention, I don't really know, nor do I care." He paused again, "Are we done here?"

Milo walked in, winked at Finn then was disgusted about Ariel's dress code. He looked her up and down and said, "There is a time and a place love, this is neither. Its a school and the Grand Sentinus has laid down a clear dress code for school. Please go and get changed."

He sat down near Finn. "20 points from Hufflepuff," he added in a childish whisper but laughed anyway.

((Thought I'd bring Flame to join in the fun- lol.))

Flame was, for once, dressed somewhat decently. She wore black skinny jeans which clung to her brilliant figure and were decorated with a few real diamands, they had been cheap. On her top half she wore a black top with a v-shaped neck which showed off a little, but not too much cleavage and, as usual, her orange sash was draped elegantly across her right shoulder. Ok- it was true to say she had not been dressed like this minutes ago, she had been wearing her usual revealing clothes but then she'd seen Scone walking up the Astronomy tower stairs and decided she'd follow, after making her dress more decent. If she was boss of the siblings in their task then she may as well add a little knowledge to that they gathered.

She walked into the astronomy tower casually and glanced around. There was Scone, Finn and some hufflepuff lass. She walked across to a seat near Finn and sat on it, offering a smile to the Slytherin boy she had known so long and a single nod to the professor.

"Hello Flame," he said sarcastically over the top to draw attention to her teenage coldness. He had met her in the potions lesson a few days ago. A late comer. She would now feel his sarcasm and dry wit whenever he met her. He didnt have to look at Finn to know that he would find it amusing.

"So Flame... what time will you role into next weeks lesson? Perhaps you only need seconds to complete the bravery draught I'm planning."

In return to the professor's sarcasm, her own spread across her features. "Isn't this... cosy" a small giggle escaped her. "Everyone would think you and Finn here were having a love affair." She hadn't meant to say that aloud, but it was funny. It'd likely get her in trouble though. Not that she cared. "I'll turn up. Maybe even on time. Can't promise though- it's a busy life I lead and I can't be wasting my time on easy things like that."

"Ha ha ha ha..." He burst out into shrieks of sarcastic laughter until he was barely able to breathe. Then he stopped and looked deadly serious, the contrast was hilarious. "I'll see you in detention tomorrow night. Now thats funny!"

He sat back down and winked at Finn in a brotherly fashion. "Ariel you can join us actually. Mm.. sounds cosy." His unshaven, straight face didn't contain an ounce of smugness, but his voice made up for it.

Finn smiled. It was nice to have someone finally looking out for him. He started to get more and more angry at the comments made by Flame, but kept his emotions in check and managed to laugh it off with his newly found brother. "What do you know about Astronomy, professor?" Finn still referred to him as professor to show respect, and to show that he didn't want people to think he played favorites.

"A little, I studied astrological potioneering with the South African Centaurs after I had completed my NEWTS. I know that most of what they teach you at Hogwarts is based on false information yet I'll do my best to answer any questions." He glanced over Finn's homework, it looked complicated.

Flame smirked at his mock laugh and outwardly snickered when he gave her detention. "And? Am I supposed to be dettered by such procedures? It's not as if your Harshing- is it?" It was a joke in it's own right, noone could match Harshing's cruelty when it came to detentions, and Flame knew the way to his secret place.

Finn glanced at his chart, then at the sky, which was now turning a dark blue. "Tonight there is supposed to be an alignment of the planets. Some people think that when the planets align, the spirit world and ours come together... I'm supposed to observe it, and fill it in on my chart... Then for Divinations, I'm supposed to make a prediction... Probably one that ends the world as we know it for full credit." He gave a light chuckle at his own joke.

"No but I'm good friends with him... I could always persuade him to come and visit us." He placed his wand under his face, it lit up like he was reading a horror story. Scary music played then ended. Milo didn't laugh, laughing at ones own jokes was distasteful. "I'm sure I can think of something that will teach you yet wont kill you."

Milo took the sheet and pen from Finn and quickly filled in some charts, copying Finn's handwriting well. "Thats basically what I did for my outstanding NEWT. If it isnt good enough for the professor, Im sure that I can persuade her to remark," He grinned, "As for divination, any one can pass it. Bull s**t your way through the course."

Flame stared at him and gave a sarcastic little laugh at what she guessed was supposed to be a joke. "Do it. Not like I'll turn up, though. He'd only play games, and games are a waste of time when I know the location of his favoured torture weapon." The laugh wasn't sarcastic anymore- it was vicious and twisted. It spoke volumes of what she was like.

"You'd never get away with killing me, and pain doesn't work. You'd never manage to 'teach' me anything. It takes a proper teacher to do that." She turned to Finn. "Why did you take divination? It's a drop-out subject."

"Thanks professor," Finn said admiring his work. It looked rather close to his own handwriting. His blind bat of a teacher would never know the difference.

"How do you know I'm not a seer?" Finn asked facetiously. Clearly he wasn't a seer, but wanted to have some fun with Flame. He kept a straight face. He changed his voice and started moving his hands, "I see bad things in your future. You have made a wrong decision that will come back to bite you in the end... You will die alone and very young... You should have used your talents for a better cause..." Finn tried hard to stifle himself. He waited for Flame to say something.

Cold snicker escaped Flame, heartless and distturbing. Eyes turned on Finn and twisted smile worked it's way across her features. "Very funny Finn, I almost laughed." She cracked her fingers and glanced around. "But it's not me who's fighting for the wrong cause. It's any idiot who stands on the side of the resistance who has chosen the wrong cause. I'm out to get them- the whole family is out to get them. They will fall, and they'll fall hard, Finn."

Eyes rolled around the room. She was the one family member stood in their. She didn't know the standing of Ariel, but she had pretty much decided Scone was one of the resistance and Finn backed him up.

Milo stood as Flame's slur of comments, she was using her authority in the Family as power over him. He bit back what he would have liked to say - now the Grand was controlling Hogwarts he couldn't say anything against the Family or he'd be locked up, possibly killed. He took his wand out without thinking.

"Thats enough Miss Lestrange. Any more from you and we shall go and see the Grand's puppet who he has running this menagerie nowadays."

"It's pretty sad that you thought that I was automatically talking about politics, Flame." Finn said, still sitting, "I just meant to say that you made a bad friend or something that was going to bring you down... Don't take things so seriously..." Life was something to be enjoyed, Finn thought, not something that was to be so serious all the time. Political affiliations did that to people. They turned best friends into enemies, and enemies into friends. They clouded people's judgment, making them do and say things they otherwise wouldn't.

Eyes flashed dagerously at Milo Scone's threat. Head turned to face him, sick smirk plastered across her features. She took a few steps towards him tilted her head and then giggled.

"Do it, professor. I am family, and I have done nothing wrong. Scorn me not for being free to speak my mind. You would not understand it."

She turned to Finn. "So your prediction was as fake as I thought. If it had been real you would not remember it." She moved over and sent a single, unarmed hand towards him, wanting to stroke a single finger down his face. "And which friend might that be?"

Finn was intrigued. "Have you made friends with someone you know you shouldn't have?" He asked, "Are you regretting a decision you've made? It's your prediction to interpret, not mine." He gave her a small smirk. He knew she probably did. After all, nobody lived without regrets.

Flame shrugged. "Not recently, and those I have were sorted out. Have you seen Anastacia Histe around recently? No? I didn't think so." she laughed, knowing she was unlikely to be seen again. "I don't regret my decisions anyway. Never have."

Milo just watched her with dead eyes, finding how one so young could be such an arrogant, self centred she-smut to be simply fascinating. He looked at Ariel (who seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth...) with a similar face - she was under the spell of Flame. And there was Finn, same house, same opportunity but with a decent soul. Its amazing how upbringing can affect a mind.

"Whatever..." Finn said. He didn't need to play quien es mas macho with someone like that... He could have ripped her apart if he wanted to, but decided better of it. He knew Flame regretted things, it was human nature to do so. Finn regretted loads of things and he was a better person than Flame was. Finn watched the night sky, and looked down at his chart. His brother was much better at astronomy than he was. The chart was perfect.

Flame smirked and then felt eyes upon her. She turned to see the professors eyes set upon her. She stared at him for a second and then sighed- this was no place where she could think without distractions, but she would have to live with it now. It would look odd if she just left now, as if she'd had other reasons than just coming up. Eyes scanned the room lazily and then she shrugged- this was boring but at least she could keep an eye on Scone.

Flame then remembered she had an essay to hand into Scone in her pocket. She pushed her hand into the said pocket, which was hard due to how tight her jeans were, and held it towards him. It was longer than he had asked for- reaching four feet instead of three, but she hoped he did not mind.