The Lion's Pride Finished

As Aubren followed Dorian into the class, she was expecting it to be full of students sitting in chairs, marking them as late. Thankfully, they were early, and Dorian had saved himself from a major scolding from her. His talk of greatness made her shake her head, hoping he wouldn't go on to say an entire brag-story of why. She kept quiet as she followed him up front, pleased with his choice to do so, her likely choice of seating would be upfront, weather it be the very first row or third. She rolled her eyes as Dorian claimed to be favored, he was indeed gloating about it, but Aubren's choice of words quickly changed as she sat down next to him. Aubren couldn't help but roll her eyes a second time at the way he sat at the desk, something her mother would most likely scold him for. After all, Aubren thought, it wasn't his living room.

She looked at him, opening her mouth to inform him of her very thought when she noticed the earrings. It took her by surprise, the small jewels in her friend's ear changed her train of thought completely.
"I didn't know you wore earrings--" Aubren cut herself off as she found her black robes changed to an embarrassing hot pink. Her face went four different shades of red as she quickly took the eye catching robe off, whipping out her wand and mumbling the word "Colovaria" under her breath. The robe turned back to it's inky black state, all while Aubren gave Dorian a death glare, giving him a wack against the arm. She wished he would've changed the color of anything else in the room, like a book or a quill, but no, he had to be the show off type.

As she put the robe back over her figure, she listened to Dorian talk about his grandmother. When he asked if she heard about her, Aubren paused from her current activity of flipping through her book. She tilted her head slightly, the name did sound familiar. It took a few more moments before Aubren had a faint memory of her father reading the paper, saying the Ministry had hired a women famously known for being to fly. "She sounds familiar. My father might've mentioned it to my mum about it, he reads the paper a lot." With this said, Aubren continued to flip through the pages, her head now leaning on her hand as she did so. Her brown hair, which still was kept combed over, blocked the left side of her face, this way, Dorian could still see her facial expressions clearly.

At his talk of his dreams of becoming an Animagus, she was impressed. The Ministry bit didn't surprise her, in fact, she wanted to work there as well, but his goals to be able to become an Animagus made her curious. She hasn't met anyone with that mindset, let alone use it for the Ministry. However, Aubren couldn't help but tease him, after all, he did turn her robe pink minutes before.

"Maybe not a rat, prehaps a mouse?" Aubren smiled to herself, flipping through her book again. Behind them, low shuffling was heard, whispers and quiet laughs filled the room as students began to pile into the room. A girl greeted Aubren as she walked by, one of the Gryffindor girls that giggled at the two in the common room. Her greeting made Aubren look up at smile at her, saying a hello, and watched her walk down to an empty seat near the back. As she did so, her eyes fell onto a different figure. A lanky boy, with an ice pack to his hand, sat four seats away from the two. His shaggy hair casted a dark shadow over his face, and it didn't take Aubren very long to realize who it was.

She inhaled sharply and pulled her eyes away, praying he didn't catch her looking. She leaned over slightly to be closer to Dorian, keeping her voice in a low whisper. The words "Richie's in this class. Please don't do anything stupid." was all she said to him before she sat back up and faced forward, looking down at her book. It was clear that Aubren was worried about Dorian, something she would probably do a lot throughout their friendships. She didn't want him being provoked or provoking Richie, she didn't want him to get into another fight, this time with the risk of getting in trouble. Aubren pulled her hands up to her chest, doing the same action she did countless times before; rubbing her wrist. She hoped Dorian wouldn't see her doing it, she could tell it made him mad every time he looked at it.

Never had he seen so many shades of red on a person before. There was one person earlier, a name he'd rather forget at the moment, but they had only shown two variations. 'So she hates the color pink eh?' It was an assumption based on her reaction, but one he may end up exploiting in the very near future. He was thinking as far ahead as Halloween. Maybe a pink skeleton in her closet. Even he had to chuckle at the silliness of the plot. Aubren had wasted no time reverting the color of the robe with a counterspell of her own, at which Dorian rolled his eyes when she smacked him against the arm. "You'd think I deboweled you or something." The comment was aimed at how affronted she seemed by his simple trick, but it was all in good jest.

At the mention of her father mentioning his grandmother to her mother (so many adults making mention) after gleaning the information from the newspaper, Dorian nodded his head, knowing full well that as far as his family went his grandmother was the biggest success story there was. His maybe wasn't as famous as some other pure-blood families but they had their moments. Even as Aubren focused on her book she didn't miss a beat, capitalizing on his comment about not wanting to become a rat and making a jab at his ego. "Low blow Anson. Low blow. Didn't know you had it in you." Dorian held a hand over his heart and made a face as if in pain, and yet he sounded more impressed than hurt. It wasn't long before other students began to file in, chatting and laughing marking their entrance. "And by the way, I prefer them to be called studs rather than earrings thank you very much." He just had to have the final say.

He was about ready to leave her to her own studying while he did the same when a girl walked by and greeted Aubren. Dorian didn't look up, only showed slight interest before opening his own book and starting a chapter dealing with the fundamentals and subtle nuances of transforming objects into animals and vice-versa. 'The muggles don't know what they're missing out on.' So engrossed was he in his reading that he subconsciously reached for his glasses that he kept tucked away safely in his robe and put them on. After a few beats, he was interrupted by Aubren who had only bad news to share. As soon as the words fell from her lips his legs fell from the table, almost toppling the thing as his head whipped wildly around, eyes scanning the room for signs of impending danger, something that he had come to associate with the name Richie. Surely enough he spotted him sitting four rows down with his head down and what looked to be an ice pack over his hand.

Now let's use this moment of relative peace to remember all the positive traits that Dorian had displayed thus far. "..." That should do it. Dorian's eyes had yet to leave the other male that was so far oblivious to their presence and the fact that they all shared the same class. Some part of him had thought Richie was the type to skip classes altogether in favor of doing whatever it was the typical bully did. Dorian was a bully also but classed himself a sophisticated one who knew his priorities. Turning slowly in his seat, he faced Aubren with an unreadable expression. If she took the moment to gander in his direction she would see the vacant stare slowly turning to mischief dancing in his eyes as some wicked plan brewed to goad Richie. He was too lost in all the ways he could make the other boy miserable to notice Aubren rubbing her wrist.

"Perfect! Target practice it is. Wanna see what else I've learned?" A rhetorical question, one that he didn't give her much of a chance to reject before he drew his wand. He turned slightly in his seat again, waved the wand in preparation for a harmless little spell. Just as he was about to incant the words he noticed two more guys enter the classroom talking loudly and otherwise causing a commotion. "Hey Richie!" one of them called out, causing the boy in question to look up and grin at them. The two assumed their seats next to him and the three started up a conversation that Dorian could not hear. He frowned. "I get the feeling this won't end well. Before he starts trouble I think it's only fair to say...he started it." Dorian was clearing his name before anything even began.

Surely enough when he looked back at the three through the corners of his eyes he noticed they were looking directly at him and mouthing something, ducking their heads when they noticed he had caught their stares. "Yep. Here he comes with his two goons. I suppose you have a diplomatic solution to the giant elephant in the room?" He was allowing her the final opportunity to diffuse the tension before he stepped in and took action. If they so much as flinched the wrong way he couldn't be blamed for whatever happened next. They didn't have long to come up with a course of action.

Aubren did her best to ignore Richie's goonies, she gave Dorian a sort of look when he threatened to use what else he knew in the subject, but didn't say anything. At this point, Richie's idiot face and his two ridiculously tall friends stopped in front of them. Aubren looked up at them, taking a deep breath as her mind raced with thought. Already, she planned on what to say to the shaggy haired boy that looked down at her.

"Hey there, Aubren." Richie smiled at Aubren, giving a nasty glare to Dorian; "Hello, Gray."
From under the desk, Aubren kicked Dorian gently against the calf, letting him know that she would handle the situation, and for him not to say anything. Aubren tilted her head at Richie, her expression melting into a frown.

"What do you want, Richie? Haven't you caused enough harm?" To add on to her statement, she shifted her bandaged hand slightly, a move that caught Richie's eye. The two goons that stood behind the boy, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, nudged each other with their elbows, the both staring at Dorian dead on. They were there just in case he made a move, that way, they could out number him. Richie came prepared.

"I know, that's why I came here to apologize." Richie's snake like smile dropped, his face showing concern. Wait, what? An apology?! The words didn't even sound right coming from Richie, espically Richie. Aubren's mouth parted slightly, opening and closing again. She didn't believe him, obviously, even though he looked so sincere.

"You were right, Aubren. That was very wrong of me, I shouldn't have done that to that chubby--...short kid. I'm sorry, I can't even say how sorry I am, now can I?"
His words sounded hurt and upset, Aubren blinked a few times at the lanky figure before her. Was he serious? What was he playing at? For once, Aubren was left completely lost and confused for words. Richie leaned against her desk, taking a quick glance at Dorian as he did so, as though he was making sure that he was watching. Both of his palms pressed against the wooden surface as he leaned towards her, a close space that she and Dorian had been in at the stairs. This time, it wasn't Dorian, it was Richie, and there was no feeling of protection with the guy at all. Aubren leaned back, giving herself and Richie more space.

"You're a liar, Richie. I know your games."

Richie seemed prepared for that. Giving Dorian another sneaky glance, he tilted his head at the brown haired girl with that frown of his. Seeing Richie look upset or apologetic didn't look right, either. It was so abnormal, that it was frightening. At this point, students would give glances, only three or four were staring full on at what was happening; that small amount being the same girls from the common room. They had their eyes locked on the situation, watching intently.

"This isn't a game, Aubren. I never meant to hurt you, I was upset." At that, Richie suddenly grabbed Aubren's damaged hand, this time more gently then he had ever before, and pulled her hand to his face. He gave Aubren's delicate hand a kiss before smiling at her.

Aubren.Was.Horrified. So were the common room girls that were watching. Richie's goons hadn't parted their stares away from him, it was terribly similar to them keeping watch of the blue eyed boy in case he tried anything. Aubren snapped her hand away, her face pale and sick looking. Richie's smile didn't cease, he knew what he did. The smile didn't vanish even after Aubren whacked him with a hard force of her textbook, ordering him to, and I quote, "Take his horrible snake behind and leave to his seat.", and the smile didn't vanish as he did just that, making sure to give Dorian a knowing stare as he walked by him. Richie sat down and leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head and feet on the desk, the same way Dorian had done it. From across the class, he winked at Dorian, mouthing the words "Oopsie" before his goons began cracking up, like he was the funniest person he believed he was.

Aubren's face was red once again as she rubbed her robe sleeve against the top of her hand repeatedly, as though she was trying to scrub off the germs Richie left on her, like they were infectious.

"I hate him. That foul, loathing, no good snake. What was he playing at?" The poor girl looked as though she wanted to shrink to a small spec and never be seen again, and after getting her hand kissed like that by Richie infront of an entire class made it understandable. She looked at Dorian, her brown eyes meeting his blue. She was unreadable, a part of her longing for Dorian to hit him with a book again, another part not wanting him to get in trouble. If they weren't in a class, Aubren would sure as hell have hexed Richie with a Slugulus Eructo charm.

He saw the look, but did he understand what it meant? The answer to that was plain by the look he gave her in return, urging her to speak up and let him know if she had a plan or if she would rather he take matters into his own hands. A good beatdown was in order. It was too late for her to tell him anything anyway, as Richie and his cronies were already towering over them. The sickly sweet smile Richie turned towards Aubren as he made the unnecessary introduction made Dorian roll his eyes, then as soon as their eyes met and made four his took on a certain glint as he prepared to pounce. A sudden sharp pain in his shin made him think again, balling his fists and dousing the urge to get to his feet and start throwing punches.

As soon as Aubren spoke the blue-eyed boy's expression became distressed, disbelief the only thing he felt. "You can't be serious!" he snapped. That was all he managed to utter, eyes shifting to the two abnormally tall first years that crowded his personal space. He knew all too well what the looks they were giving him meant. The second he tried anything they would be all over him. He trusted in his own skill, but this was literally three against one if it came down to a physical skirmish. He wasn't against drawing his wand if push came to shove, but would Aubren help in a wand fight? She seemed like a strictly rules person so it seemed fairly unlikely that she would risk demerits, no matter the circumstance.

Now as for this farce of an apology, surely the idiot didn't expect anyone present would believe in his sudden change of heart did he? Dorian certainly wasn't buying it, and by the looks of it neither was Aubren, thank goodness for that. But whether she believed him or not was beside the pressing issue of him inserting himself into her space, getting too close for comfort. It wasn't jealousy that Dorian felt urging him to take action, but rather an undeniable hatred for the bully who seemed to be riling him up with every glance that he took at Dorian as if daring him to do something. Then, as if to pour salt into the already peppered wound, Richie did something so bold, so out of line that it was all the young Gryffindor could do to restrain himself. He kissed her hand. He put his filthy mouth on her against her wishes.

If the girls thought they felt horrified then they couldn't begin to comprehend what Dorian was feeling. Common sense be damned he flew from his seat and was ready to close the short distance of mere feet between himself and Richie when the two that had been watching him so intently had their wands in hand faster than he had expected them to retaliate and pressed the business end of the things against his chest, nudging him back to his seat with unspoken threats of casting some spell that would do a number on him no doubt. He complied only because he knew when to pick his battles. He knew better than to try and reach for his own wand. If they were serious he'd be out before he could touch the thing. Reluctantly he sat back down, eyes fixed on the filthy vermin named Richie, his focus never once shifting.

What was possibly the only saving grace to this entire ordeal was Aubren taking her book and, would you believe it? Smacking him with the thing. So she had been paying attention after all. Dorian was glad that he had proven that there was more than one way in which books could be used to teach someone a lesson. Dorian watched Richie and his goons retreat to their seat, and maintained eye contact a bit longer, long enough to see Richie mouthing 'oopsie'. He inhaled as deeply as he could and closed his eyes, counting to ten before opening them again and staring into Aubren's eyes. "Well I tried. Take cover. Things are about to get bloody." It was a promise of violence. Whatever she saw in his eyes would tell her exactly how serious he was about what was to happen next. Their mistake was not rendering him unconscious when they had the upper hand.

Dorian pushed himself out of his chair with a piercing screech and was on his feet in record time, wand at the ready and aiming in the direction of the bigger of Richie's two goons. They were all still laughing, thinking they had shaken him too much for him to even think of doing anything. Whatever reservations Aubren had about dueling in a classroom, she could rest assured he didn't share the same sentiment. "Depulso!" The tall youth went flying from his seat and across the room. One of the girls screamed and the room burst into a panic as kids started ducking for cover. This seemed to serve as a call to action. He was, of course, expecting retaliation. This wouldn't be fun if they just rolled over and played dead.

He felled one of the benches and was using it for cover, peeking over the thing and otherwise engaging the other side in a standoff as they ducked for cover as well. By now the one he had sent flying had recovered and had joined his friends. It was three against one, terrible odds. His current focus had to be taking out the two goons so he could get to Richie and put an end to this. He flashed Aubren a look, much like the one he had in the Common Room earlier that day when he had introduced himself to her. "Now you're gonna get it Gray! I'll teach you to mind your own business." He scanned the room for Aubren. "I'll admit this isn't one of my brighter ideas. On the upside, it doesn't look as if they know any seriously dangerous spells or they would already be on the offensive." The classroom had become an arena.

Aubren had no idea what Dorian was going to do at that point. She didn't like the sound of blood being spilled, and her eyes widened a tinge. No matter how desperately she wanted Richie to get a beating, she knew better. She also knew that she didn't want her friend getting killed, or worse, expelled, from Hogwarts. She watched Dorian stand up, the chair's screech making him seem even more intimidating, if that was even possible at that point.

"Dorian, No!" She tried to get up and stop him, but was proven too late by the sound of a loud crash as one of the goons flew across the class and landed in a heap of mess, drowning Aubren in a large wave of panic. She felt her arms be pulled back and dragged off to the back of the class, where the other students watched in shock and terror. Aubren was about to run off and drag Dorian out of there, saving his idiotic butt again, but was pulled back again by the same hands, those hands belonging to the two Gryffindor girls she recognized, one being that said hello before, the other being in the group that had giggled at her and Dorian.

"Why is he always getting into these sorts of messes?!" One of the girl's said, her hair ginger and tied into a high pigtail.

"He's too stubborn! He gets angry, Richie isn't really helping the cause, Oh, why do you have to be so stupid-" She caught the look he gave her. That same boyish look with the same smile, the mischief and reckless decisions all wrapped up in that grin. Aubren hesitated, feeling torn at the seams. She wanted to help him, she wanted to hex Richie for being a horrible slug, she wanted to drag Dorian out of there and yell at him. Then again...her responsible trait wouldn't allow it. She knew he was going to be boiling in all the trouble he would fall into, and she knew, even after the little time they've known each other, she would be the one to drag him out of it everytime.

When he scanned for her again, she waited until he saw her to mouth the words "Get out of there!" A sudden green spark popped from one of Richie's spells at that very moment, the spell backfiring to not fly towards where Dorian was, but take a complete right turn and hit the wall above where the students stood. The green spark cackled as it made contact with a rather large book shelf, making the students scream and rush to the other side, avoiding the falling books that would surely injure them greatly. A book had landed inches away from Aubren's figure, if not she had turned to face the destruction, holding onto the ginger haired Gryffindor as the girl clung to her in return.

"YOU ARE ALL GOING TO GET EXPELLED! STOP IT!" Aubren cried out, earning quick back lash from Richie.

"SHUT UP, ANSON! WHERE DO YOU GET THAT GOODY-TWO SHOES MOUTH OF YOURS?! YOUR MUDBLOOD MOTHER!?"

Aubren's face went bright red, looking, for a split moment, wounded. It was true, her mother being a mudblood and marrying her pureblood father. It made Aubren halfblood, something Richie looked down upon extremely. She distinctly remembered being in the Great Hall, talking to other Gryffindors about their bloods, when he called her "Half-Trash" repeatedly. It never fazed her, but it stung. She looked away quickly, as though she was fumbling around for something, a wand prehaps?

Was she asking him to surrender? That was so far out of the question that it didn't exist. To admit defeat to someone as boorish and stupid as Richie and his squad would immortalize him as the weakling who backed down at the slightest sign of danger. All his big talk would prove fruitless and he'd lose the momentum he had been trying to build. It would never happen. He would rather one of them strike him with a particularly nasty hex that would render him unconscious. Not that Dorian had any intention of going down without a fight. The odds were stacked heavily against him but he could manage himself. Though admittedly this was his first time partaking in magical combat, usually reaching for the muggle art of self-defense that entailed the use of one's own body rather than magical talents. This proved far more deadly than anything he'd ever gotten himself into.

He was currently facing away from Richie to look at Aubren, and so he had missed the latest cast from Richie's wand. He only noticed that something was approaching when it flew harmlessly by him and veered into the far wall above where the others took shelter. The sinister green glow seemed to take on a life of its own as it crackled and sputtered, colliding with a bookshelf inside the classroom which, thankfully, did not break apart. Its contents were under a different impression, however, as they fell heavily to the ground below. Luckily none of them made contact with any of the kids. Aubren's rebuke gave Dorian pause as he considered the truth in her words, but Richie's retort made his blood boil even more.

Dorian was a pure-blood, just like what he assumed to be the majority of the school. Many of the family names he recognized as their families seemed to maintain contact in one way or another. Where he differed from the others was in his upbringing. His parents had never shown any superiority over muggles or muggle-born. Quite the contrary in fact. Many of his tutors had been muggles, some aware of the world beyond their own and the others completely oblivious. Seeing as many of his best teachers had been muggles, the slight aimed at Aubren's heritage was taken personally by him. He only glanced back at Aubren for a split second, enough to catch her look away from Richie. Dorian wasted no time. He needed to get the others away from Richie before he did something they'd all regret.

Standing to full height and aiming his wand, he quickly incanted the spells. "Lumos Maxima!" A brilliant white ball of light emerged from the tip of his wand and pulsed brightly, serving its purpose to momentarily blind the three while he cast his next spell. "Lapifors Oppugno." The majority of the tables and chairs in the classroom began to split and multiply several times over, assuming the form of dozens upon dozens of rabbits of varying sizes and colors. The creatures were otherwise harmless, but at the command of his spell, they began their furry assault. Caught in a confusion of fur and beady eyes Richie and his goons found themselves being pressed into a corner and all their focus directed at their little attackers. "C'mon everyone! Let's get out of here before they do something stupid like burn down the classroom."

He didn't put it past them to do just that. The students didn't need to be told twice, already charging towards the exit in mad dashes. Soon enough Aubren and Dorian were the only ones left in the room with the other three and the rabbits. Dorian was next to her now, crouching and looking her straight in the eyes. "What do you say we get going and lay low for a bit? It doesn't look like he has any intention of giving up." Truly enough Richie et al were already regaining the upper hand, using counter charms of their own to either immobilize the rabbits or return them to their original state of chairs and tables. The ones that were on them weren't harmful in the least, only ever serving as a distraction. Richie looked just about ready to explode.

Aubren blinked a few times at Dorian, not being able to believe this was all happening. Why her? Out of all people? Max would murder her for being in a situation like this, not only that, but for Dorian putting her in it. She put the thoughts behind her as she suddenly threw her arms around him in a hug, a tight hug at that. The act was so out of the normal that it was surprising, even if it only lasted for a few seconds.

"That's for not getting seriously hurt." She mumbled, pulling away from the hug. Aubren had looked worried, a look that would be familiar to Dorian by now. That look suddenly vanished as she suddenly hit him on the arm, a fierce gleam in her eyes.

"That's for being an idiot and starting a wand fight!" Aubren hissed, glaring at Dorian. She wasn't mad at him, well, not really anyway. She was mad at him for starting a full on war and putting himself in danger, but there was still a sense of worry in her tone. With the words, cackling sounds came from the corner of the room, most likely from Richie failing at another spell against the fluffy attackers. She glanced over at Richie and his goons, each desperately pushing away the bunnies with their best attempts. Quickly, Aubren grabbed Dorian's wrist and yanked him, pulling him along and straight out the classroom doors, walking rather quickly, a speed walk at sorts. As soon as they were out of the class, Aubren began rambling on and on, talking quickly and making herself flustered. She kept it up as they bounded the corner, keeping her voice to a hissed whisper.

"We'll be expelled! No, not me, you! What if you got hurt? What if you injured a student?! What if--"

"That's enough. Miss Anson."

A teacher stood in their way, making Aubren freeze to a sudden stop. Her eyes went wide, fear stabbing her in the chest. That was it, she believed they were done for. She could already see herself being expelled on his first year, all because of a fight. The teacher crossed their arms, narrowing their eyes at the two. The class of students stood around, staring. It was obvious Dorian and Aubren wouldn't be off the hook so easily, someone would have said something at some point. The teacher snapped their attention to Dorian, making Aubren stay stood stock frozen in her position. If there was one thing that scared Aubren, it was being in trouble. A bad mix if she was to be best friends with Dorian.

"Can someone please explain WHY I was reported of a wand fight? Or why there are BUNNIES running around in the Transfiguration classroom?!"

There was an awkward silence, lasting a good minute or two. It was clear that Dorian was in major trouble, not only him, but Richie and his goons as well. The students, who were all gathered behind the teacher, stared at Aubren and Dorian. Her grip around his wrist tightened before she suddenly spoke, her voice sounding calm and collected. However, it was obviously faked, her hands shook from the anxiety trembling through her.

"I will. I know what happened, it was Richie. First year Gryffindor, he provoked the mess."

The teacher looked at Aubren, their look turning to an annoyed one at the mention of Richie. After a very, very long sigh, the teacher reached out and placed a hand on Aubren's shoulder, pulling her away from Dorian and towards them instead. This forced Aubren to let go of his wrist, in which she gave him a worried look once again. The teacher scanned around the class of students, as though they were watching for someone to say anything else.

"You may return to your rooms, all of you! That includes you, Mister Gray. I cannot press anything against you until Miss Anson tells me what happened. In the meantime, I want everyone in their House common room until further notice...and will someone disarm that bloody bunny spell!"

With the last order, three Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff ushered off towards the direction of the class, their robes casting behind them. The teacher gave a final scan of the crowd before leading Aubren away, the two immediately going into conversation. The class watched the two leave in the opposite way, before they could see nothing but the color of their hair and color of their robes. Silently, the students began to file away, some heading up the stairs as other's ventured down them. The Gryffindor girl, proving to be a friend of Aubren's, walked by Dorian before pausing, turning to face him.

"You better be grateful, teachers like her. They'll believe her. Oh! I saw you hold hands a lot, are you guys, like, crushing?"
In an instant response, a Ravenclaw girl elbowed the Gryffindor, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Beth, I thought we dropped that subject already. You heard Aubren say they were friends."

The Gryffindor quickly followed behind the Ravenclaw, her footsteps echoing up the stairs as she tailed after her, yelling out; "You saw it too!"

The hug was unexpected, to say the least. In all fairness, he had been expecting her to slap or punch him for the stupid thing he had done by starting a fight in the classroom. It was a tight one, but he didn't return the embrace, uncertain of whether or not he even should. He knew the other girls in the class might have a thing or two to say about this. Dorian was too busy grinning from ear to ear to notice when her expression shifted into something angry, and the hit that followed. He winced purely from the sheer unexpectedness of it. "What wa-" He didn't have to finish. A hug for not getting hurt, but a hit for starting a fight in the middle of the classroom, and one involving the use of wands no less. Not a very good start to a new school year and even newer friendships.

"It's his fault if you really think about it. He kept egging me on with his eyes, and his two friends made me feel afraid for my life. If you ask me it's more self-defense than 'starting a wand fight'". A tenuous justification for his actions, but in retrospect, it could pass for a likely state of affairs. All three were bigger than he was, and quite frankly they were all scary in their own way. Dorian followed the sounds with his eyes to see Richie and the others desperately fending off the teeming rabbits. It was only their sheer numbers that practically flooded the classroom that made them so effective in what they were doing. A sense of pride bloomed inside him. He had done that. It wouldn't last forever, but he had managed to keep them busy long enough for them all to make their escape.

Without warning he found himself being dragged along by Aubren as they made a speedy retreat from the classroom. Her grip was tight, but he was too busy keeping up with her panicked pace to give it a second thought. Her words didn't exactly inspire any form of confidence in him. Expelled? Surely she wasn't serious. No teacher would expel a student for doing what he felt necessary to protect himself and others under threat. 'Hey that's a pretty good excuse. I think I'll stick with that story and hope it sticks.' If questions were asked and he started getting askance looks, he would gladly play the victim and sleep like a baby at nights. The grin on his face never softened once during all the events; that was until he heard the chilling adult voice silencing Aubren as soon as they rounded a corner. The students that had exited the class earlier were gathered like moths to a flame, apparently having fetched the teacher and being told to remain until explanations were given. Dorian gulped quietly, hoping that he didn't have any detractors in the crowd who might have paraphrased when recounting the events.

As if to confirm his suspicion the teacher zoned in on him out of all the people there and pressed for answers to the burning issue of the classroom now overrun with bunnies. Dorian had the dignity to look a bit taken aback by the teacher's presence and the fact that he was in big trouble, but ever the pragmatist, he knew there was no real point in full-blown panic. People tended to get into even deeper poo when they allowed the erratic behavior to rule their senses. Aubren's iron grip on his wrist, however, told a different story, causing him to press his lips firmly together so as not to say anything stupid. Luckily one of them seemed to have the right words as she spoke up, sounding much calmer than he would have thought she could manage given the situation. They were buying it. It wasn't until the teacher started to pull Aubren away that Dorian's racing heart returned to a normal pace. The fact that the teacher had pulled her aside to speak meant he was willing to listen to what she had to say. She would tell the truth.

Dorian hesitated only slightly when the teacher dismissed them, but not wanting to provoke their wrath further he complied after giving Aubren a thumbs up as if wishing her good luck. He began walking away but was soon overtaken by a girl he recognized from earlier. She had been seen talking with Aubren. The way she started made him feel even more at ease. If the teachers liked Aubren then they would be safe for the most part. As the girl continued Dorian stiffened in place, staring blankly straight ahead. What was she even saying? Friends held hands... He was saved by the arrival of another girl on the scene. The boy was in a daze as he walked slowly in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room. "We don't hold hands that often. Ugh! These stupid girls are driving me insane." He elected to not think about what the girl had said for the moment. There was still the aftermath of his little wand fight to think about.