Reyna was late. She knew it, yet it didn't make her hurry any. Why should she? She had an excellent reason for her tardiness, and besides, it was always good to make an entrance. The blonde smirked a bit at that. She did so enjoy having all eyes on her. And it wasn't like she was walking extremely slow, but neither was she going to run like some uncivilized ape just to get to lesson on time. She was above such things.

This meant the teen was strutting at a leisurely place, nothing about her looking a bit rushed, even though her potions class had started nearly ten minutes prior. In fact, the Slytherin looked immaculate in her traditional Hogwarts uniform. There wasn't a blonde hair out of place in her elegant bun, and the string of pearls that decorated her lovely neck was a nice touch to the dreary uniform she had to wear.

The ensemble made her scrunch her nose in distaste. It was such a terrible shame that she had to wear such an outfit. Especially when she had so many better outfits to replace it with that she was dying to show off. Reyna thought that at the very least, they should be allowed to pick their own uniform, if they had to wear one. Though it was much more preferable to the witch if they didn't have to wear one at all.

When she finally made it to the classroom, she paused a moment before heading in, smoothing out her skirt and patting at her golden locks, lifting her head high in pride, doing a last minute primp before she finally made her way into the classroom with her haughty presence. Surely everyone would notice her. How could they not? "My apologies, Professor. I had an extreme wardrobe malfunction which hindered me in arriving on time. But please do not worry yourself. I found my pearl necklace."

Reyna explained with the air of someone who was bestowing a great gift onto someone else. In her mind, she was. It was a privilege to be in her presence. She wasn't going to act otherwise, and she was being polite about it. In all honesty, she didn't know why she was even taking the class still. The teen detested touching any of the actual agreements. She supposed she stuck around simply because it was an easy grade, since she usually made someone else do all the work. She was not going to ruin her beautifully manicured nails with beetle eyes or whatever other disgusting ingredients they used.

She was annoyed to find that someone was sitting in her usual seat. A boy someone, who had to know by this time that it was, indeed, her seat. Reyna had only been sitting in the same one every potions lesson for the past six years. The blonde set her obviously expensive bag primly on the table, and leveled him with her haughtiest glare. "You are in my seat, Lesteange. Move." She demanded, clearly under the full impression that he would be doing as she commanded.

Ah potions, the one class he actually showed up and participated in. It had been better when Snape was teaching it but there was nothing he could do about that now. Slughorn was a complete bore and it was all he could do some lessons to stay awake. That day no different. Ten minutes in and he was already half nodded off in his seat.

Leaning sideways he rested his head against his hand, flipping idly through the pages of his potions book to try to figure out what page they were on so he could at least attempt to answer a question should he be called on. That lasted all of five seconds before his eyes were closing and he started to doze off again.

He heard the door open at the front of the class as someone made their way in late and knowing Slughorn he would let it go without even bothering with detention. If there was anything the old man had going for him it was that he was a bit more laid back. Flipping the page again without opening his eyes he shifted his weight slightly getting more comfortable. All he wanted to do was head to the common room and take a nap stretched out in front of the fire. Nodding to himself he smiled, that sounded like the perfect way to skip his charms class.

Too soon he was pulled out his thoughts as he heard the voice of the late comer standing beside him. Opening his eyes he stared up at her, ice in his gaze as he appeared unfazed by her demands. "I do not see your name on it Faulkner and had you been on time you could have been sitting here. But you did not so now I do not know what to tell you." Pointing to the empty seat beside him he shrugged, "Guess you will just have to sit there."

Reyna Faulkner, the girl thought the world revolved around her, but that was a common ailment of the House of Slytherin. She was just the type of girl his parents would love to see him married of to and if they had their way it was certainly the type of thing that could happen. Arranged marriages were still something that was common among pureblood family to make sure the pure family lines continued.

Looking up at her he continued to smirk curious to see what her reaction would be.

Reyna met his ice gaze with her own cold blue eyes. How dare he! She had always found the boy annoying and irritating, and that was usually on his best days. On his not so good ones he was a right terror to have to deal with, and it made very little sense to the blonde, but she supposed it was only one more way in which she was above him. Though it took a moment to keep her temper in check from his idiotic words.

Sure, the seat didn't have her name on it, but she had been sitting in that very same one, every potions lesson, for the past six years. If she had wanted to change her seating arrangement, she would have let him know. When he actually suggested she sit next to him, the teen scrunched her nose at him, making it perfectly clear just what she thought of that idea. As if he deserved to be in such close proximity to her.

"Lestrange, just go back to your place in the back of the class where the slackers sit. That's obviously where you belong." The Slyrherin witch told him, her lips curling into a disdainful smirk. Leyton Lestrange was a disgrace to all things pureblood in her opinion, and not just because of his current love affair with his own cousin either. Though, to be fair, incest of some type was common in most pureblood families. But at least that was to continue their pure lines. The type him and his cousin got up to was just disgraceful and disgusting, and only cemented into her head that she was indeed, better than him.

It was actually rather odd to think that this particular boy had been one she had used to enjoy spending her time with. Reyna had always enjoyed his snarky and biting remarks, because they had always made for stimulating conversation. But things had changed over the years and he had fallen far from the position she had once held him in. It was more likely for her to look him as one would an insect that needed to die than anything else these days.

His smirk infuriated her further, but she returned it with a sweet smile before roughly shoving him off the seat that she viewed as hers. If he wasn't going to move himself she would happily help him along. The teen reached into her bag for her wand, which had a beautifully pearl and diamond studded handle attached to it's end, and flicked it with ease. A big letter 'F' appeared scrawled across the top of the seat, and the blonde gave him a superior look.

"There. Now I've gone out of my way to ensure that your tiny little brain can compute that this seat is taken." She advised him with an air of someone who had just done him a great favor as she slid easily onto her usual seat in a dismissive sort of way and sticking her nose in the air.

Leyton loved to annoy the witches, and had been doing so since he stepped in the doors of the castle. Over the years he had gotten progressively worse though anyone that knew him, knew what to expect of him. His temper very rarely varied from the extremes and in recent years he had troubles controlling it.

He watched her as she stood there, the wheels obviously spinning at his blatent refusal to move from the seat. The witch would just have to get over it because he had no plans on moving from the seat now that he knew it annoyed her. If there was anything that brought him joy it was annoying those in his house. She was just too easy to annoy as it was, her nose always in the air. Faulkner was not better than him, no matter how much she thought she was and he would be more than happy to knock her down a peg or two.

"Faulkner, why don't you get down on your knees, which is certainly where you belong." He muttered darkly, growing less and less impressed with her antics. This was the one class where he did not have a professor constantly riding him and the way she was behaving was certainly going to bring Slughorn in their direction. Turning slightly he reached forward about to pull his book forward when she reached out and shoved him out of his seat.

Righting himself he rounded on her, "Bloody hell woman what is your problem," he growled at her as Slughorn barreled down the aisle to break up their fight before it even got started. Narrowing his eyes at the professor as he informed him they would now be partners and to kindly take his seat he scowled and dropped back down into the seat next to her.

Waiting until he walked away again he turned to look at her darkly, "Way to go Faulkner, we both know the only way you pass is to have someone else do all the work. So get ready to get your hands dirty if you want to pass."

Reyna didn't feel the least bit bad about shoving him from her seat. It was hers after all, and she had asked nicely before having to take matters into her own hands. The blonde simply didn't understand why he had to make things more difficult than they needed to be. If he had just moved as she had demanded he did there wouldn't have been a problem. If he had just not sat in her usual seat in the beginning there would not have been a problem.

As it was, his vulgar comeback had her scrunching her nose again in obvious distaste, her blue eyes looking at him with malcontent. "Serving on one's knees runs in your family, Lestrange. Not mine. I am far above such things." She sniffed arrogantly, turning her nose up at him again and pulling her own copy of the book needed for the class from her bag.

It might have been a cheap shot, but the teen didn't care. If he was going to dish things out then he could be a big boy and take it back. Rarely did Reyna control her mouth, and especially not for the likes of Leyton Lestrange. He deserved a good tongue lashing anyways for suggesting she would belong doing something so vile and demeaning. Besides, between the two of them, he was far more likely to be on his knees for someone or other. And that was just the plain truth.

Before the blonde could respond and tell him that she had no problem now that she had what was rightfully hers, their professor came over to stop what little commotion Leyton had caused (because clearly none of the issue was her fault in the least), and dubbed them partners. Reyna tried to protest this but the portly wizard heard none of it, which made the Slytherin witch all the more offended. She shot a glare at the boy now sitting next to her.

"This is entirely your fault Lestrange. And we both know this is the only class you're passing at all. So if you want to continue passing it, I suggest you keep those disgusting ingredients away from me and get to work. Besides, I've already gotten my hands dirty enough simply by touching you." She offered him a falsely sweet smile, knowing she had him this time around.

Muttering darkly as his eyes flashed he shook his head at her. His days of being on his knees were over for pleasure or for business. Foolish games had gone on long enough and no longer would he serve those beneath him. His his father wanted him to step up he would. No one around him would like the consequences but so be it. "On my knees, I will show you who shall be on there knees," he continued to mutter as he took his seat.

Pulling his book over and away from her grubby little fingers he let out a deep breath counting to ten trying to calm himself down before he spiraled into a fit of rage. More and more these days his temper was getting the best of him. These days more time was spent in detention as he just could not escape the comments that came out of his mouth. It did not matter who it was, professor or student. Insult or Hex, there was no stopping it.

Rolling his eyes he flipped to the current page Slughorn was going on about ignoring her glare entirely. "No Faulkner this is entirely your fault. If you weren't such an arrogant princess we would not have had a problem."

Shuffling some parchment around he ignored her prattling. "As I could care less if I fail this one. Might be fun to see you with a black mark upon your record so keep it up and see just what happens." Leaning back in his chair he settled in to not pay attention as per usual.

"Of course you will Lestrange." Reyna replied back to his muttering in a sarcastic tone accompanied by a roll of her blue eyes. The blonde flipped her own book open lightly as she shoved his book over toward him in a way that made it seem as if it were some dirty object as he grabbed for it.

It was still hard to believe she had ever harbored anything more than dislike towards the male now sitting beside her. Sure, the boy was handsome in his own right, and his little barbs and would-be witty remarks were always a good way to pass the time. But he rarely displayed anything of more value. If he even possessed any. He barely even showed any sense of pride, much less deserved any respect for himself.

The teen flipped the pages of her book daintily to the one that included the instructions of whatever potion they would be working on that day, easily dismissing the Lestrange twin next to her who she unfortunately had been partnered with. It was easily done, since he didn't deserve to so much as breathe the same air as her. Not that the air in the room was anything pleasant, with it's disgusting stench of stale ingredients. Ugh. Why did she continue to suffer this class?

Oh right. Because her parents had insisted she get a 'proper' education and expand her knowledge so she wasn't some daft idiot. As if she could ever be such a thing. Just because she didn't find it fascinating to chop up disgusting dead critters and dump them into a cauldron for whatever reason did not mean she was daft. She simply found it disgusting, and Reyna was sure rightfully so. Who actually wanted to handle things like dried spider's legs frogs' spleen anyways?

Because that was on the list of ingredients for their current potion, and the blonde was definitely not going to be touching such things. Not in this lifetime, or any one afterwards either. It was simply appalling to think she should do such dirty work with her precious and newly manicured hands. No. He would be doing it. That much she was sure of. "If you weren't such an inbred fool you would have realized that the slackers sit in the back where they can't create a ruckus."

The teen shot back at him, copying the notes on the board Slughorn told them to with an elegant scrawl scratching across her parchment with the eagle feather quill she had poised in her hand. "As much as the thought of what you could possibly do to me terrifies me Lestrange, and it does, it really, truly does." Reyna replied, every word of hers dripping with sarcasm and disdain for the surly boy. "Why don't you save me the trouble of stabbing you with my quill and getting blood on my beautiful appearance and start measuring out those disgusting things?"

Leyton tried to not let the blond witch at his side get under his skin but he would be lying if he did not admit he found her refreshing. Most people were scared of him or avoid him, but not her, she shot back insults and the such like it was a normal thing to do. While she was an arrogant princess there was just something about her that had caught his eye and held his attention over the last year.

All of sixth year he had tried to get her to pay him the time of day but she always blew him off. She was just the type of witch who could keep him in line, and keep him on his toes. Which was exactly the thing he needed.

Except now, she hated him. There was a thin line between love and hate, but it seemed now she had crossed deep into hating him territory. He couldn't blame her though, he was hating himself enough these days. She was just one more person to add to the ever growing list of people.

Stifling a yawn he looked towards the front of the classroom not even bothering to wipe the bored look off of his face. As Slughorn wrapped up his lecture he glanced back down at his book resisting the itching feeling he was feeling in his fingers to knock her down a peg or two. Now was not the time, and he wanted to have at least one night that week without detention. So, he sat seething letting her comment come and go.

"At least if you stabbed me with your quill I would get to leave class and get away from your never ending whining Faulkner. So please do me a favor, because then you would have to do this assignment all..by.. yourself." He retorted making sure to emphasize each word with a cold malice.

A small, almost smug smirk curled Reyna's lips as she continued on with her notes, quill scratching along in the elegant scrawl of her hand. She knew she had gotten under his skin. Could practically feel his anger, the heat of it building between them. For most people, it would be enough to have them cowering away, or at the very least, avoiding his terrible temper. Not her though.

The teen had years of dealing with one Leyton Lestrange, and he scared her no more than a first year did. Not because he wasn't actually dangerous. Reyna had seen first hand the types of damage the male could cause when in one of his foul moods, which he was usually in, more than half the time. It also had nothing to do with that she could fend him off with her own wand word. The blonde wasn't exactly a fighter of any sort, having grown up treated like a delicate flower. No. It had nothing to do with any of that. It did, however, have everything to do with the fact that the boy would never actually harm her.

She wasn't quite sure why she was sure of this. Or when she had developed the theory either. What she did know was that for years she had continuously butted heads with him and not once had he ever followed through with any of his threats to actually harm her. Of course, he did make them. He just never actually did them. Not that she was complaining. And though Reyna had never cared enough to really piece it together, the teen had no problems in using it to her advantage and exploiting it, especially when he annoyed her.

Because he was annoying. He always had been. Surly, brooding, moody. Always overreacting and a bigger drama queen than most of the females she knew. And he was always scowling. It never failed. So maybe the blonde had cared a bit more than necessary, but she was a pretty observant person. Most women were. There was also something to be said for the tiny little crush she had had on the boy during one brief time frame that she didn't even remember.

It had definitely not lasted long, seeing as the boy was borderline cruel nearly all the time and it made no sense for the blonde to have such things as crushes. Or any kind of emotions such as that. When it came to that sort of thing, she didn't have a choice. Her parents would make that decision for her, and that was that. Reyna didn't like it very much, but it was the price one paid for being born into the privileged life of a pureblood.

As it was though, their professor had finished his lecture up at the front of the class and instructed them to begin the practical part of their lesson. Which meant they were supposed to now be making the potion. The Slytherin witch pushed all the jars of ingredients over towards him as she scrunched her nose with a look of utter disgust. "Don't tempt me. Now quit your incessant and incredibly annoying yapping and deal with the ingredients Lestrange. Because I am certainly not handling them." She snapped at him I'm a haughty tone, readying the cauldron and arching an expectant brow at him. She wasn't about to handle the vile ingredients, that was for sure.

With a glance forward and another yawn Leyton shifted his weight to the side still ignoring Reyna as she scribbled notes across her parchment. Why she bothered taking notes when all she did was force others to do the work for her was beyond him. Leyton very bad about taking notes, especially in other classes.

Potions he only took notes in if he knew there was a test upcoming. Otherwise he sat and did what he was doing now, which was nothing. Finally and not soon enough Slughorn finished his mindless prattle. Snape could run circles around this man and he was sadly missed in the class.

Looking back at Reyna he raised a brow as she started to push all of the jars and vials his way expecting him to do all of the work. "Dainty bloody princess thinks she's too good to get her hands dirty." Rolling his eyes he pushed up out of his seat and walked to the far end of the table. "Yes ma'am...whatever you say ma'am." He would brew the potion alright, but he would make sure there was enough only for one person to turn in, leaving her to look like the fool.

Smiling he began to ready the ingredients knowing the potion would take the rest of the hour to brew properly. He did his best to ignore her as he did.

Reyna merely sniffed primly at the boy she was unfortunate to have as a partner in that class as she waited for the cauldron to heat up. This much she could do without much fussing, seeing as she in no way had to touch anything. "I am glad you recognize your superiors Lestrange. As it is, I should not have to handle such disgusting products." The blonde easily scrunched her nose at the ingredients she had shoved his way. "My hands are much too delicate for such dirty work, and besides, such work is made for lesser subjects, like yourself, to do."

Again, the teen provided him with a falsely sweet smile, not at all ashamed of her words against him. She had known the boy for far too long to even attempt to watch her words around him. It was the simple truth, and Reyna wasn't going to pretend to be on his level simply because he didn't like that she was far above him.

Unfortunately, that knowledge wasn't enough to keep her from watching him discreetly with veiled curiosity in her blue eyes. It was always discreetly, and she was ashamed to admit it even to her own self that it was an act she had performed more times than she had ever cared to count over the years. It was for a reason she kept buried deep within herself, and one she had never allowed herself any hope on. It was also one reason she was overly arrogant when around him. To remind herself that it was far easier to find reasons to hate him, than to face her true feelings.

For once though, Reyna was glad to have been watching him, even discreetly, as her blue eyes quickly assessed that the boy was using far less ingredients than needed for the pair of them to each turn in the amount of potion they needed. The dirty rotten cheat! Her gaze narrowed on him. "Do you lack even the brains to read properly? You aren't preparing enough ingredients. You will make my grade go down with your utter inadequacy. Must I read the amount to you? Seeing as you clearly don't seem to be able to count higher than two."

The blonde's words were cutting, and smothered in disdain as she called him out on what she knew was his attempt to make her look like an idiot. But she was not having it. Not today, and not any other day. "You will brew the correct amount Lestrange. Now, do stop acting like a child. It is beneath a man such as yourself." The Slytherin witch stated with another snobbish sniff, only realizing a moment too late that she had just basically complimented the boy.

A light blush flushed over her facial features as her eyes widened a bit once she realized her mistake, and she quickly busied herself with smoothing out her robes and keeping her eyes anywhere but him. "Just do it correctly Lestrange!" Reyna snapped at him, annoyed and flustered with her slip of the tongue.

Sometimes Leyton was surprised he had lasted as long as he had at the school.  His mother was always reminding him when he was home ho w he needed to be acting and he always ignored it.  Leyton was simply not interested, and neither was Luca half the time.  But now they were expected to act like men, their time to act like children and do childish things was over.  

He couldn't help himself sometimes and he knew that his father would only put up with him "shaming the family" for so much longer before he attempted to disown him.  Leyton would have liked nothing better, but in a world but on who you were and who you knew the boy would not have lasted five minutes without those said connections.

The witch beside him was a prime example of pureblood expectations.  She was entitled, haughty, everything that was expected of her. He was the complete opposite of what was expected of him.  His father was quick to remind him where is loyalties better be, and how he better be looking for who he was bringing to the table for families to marry in to.  Leyton wanted no part of it, he was just barely a man, he wanted to live life how he pleased not settle down.  Those were not options for him though.

Glancing up at her he narrowed his eyes as she began to berate him once more.  "Obviously I can read Faulkner if I have lasted seven years at this bloody school."  Rolling his eyes he stirred the ingredients together for the next step of the potion trying to concentrate in order to get it right. "Just sit there and be quiet, please, lest you rather have the cauldron blow up and then we will both fail."

Adding another set of ingredients to the boiling liquid he chuckled, "Did you actually just attempt to pay me a compliment Faulkner.  I think the world must be coming to an end." Watching the blush creep over her cheeks he couldn't help but smile, actually smile, if only for a brief passing moment. "As you wish."  Still smiling he stared down at the bubbling brew feeling pretty pleased with himself.

Reyna gave an arrogant sniff at the boy who told her to simply sit there, as if she had any reason to listen to any demand he might make of her. Of course, she would love nothing more than to sit there and look pretty, as she was prone to do in that class, while he did the work for them both. However, he seemed perfectly content to not brew the potion to the point where there would be enough for the both of them to turn in, and that made her perfectly content to make cutting remarks until he did.

"You could have fooled me Lestrange. Personally, I have no clue how you managed to make it this far with your clear lack of intelligence." The blonde retorted, her barbs coming easily with her quick mind and sharp tongue. "And do not presume you can make demands of me or tell me what to do. That, I assure you, is a privilege you will never be granted Lestrange."

The teen's haughty and arrogant comments fell from her lips smoothly, even in her tone that had no right to be as cutting as it was soft. While Reyna knew that his tongue could be just as vicious as hers, she had noted over the years that he rarely let it loose in such a way with her. There was, of course, always the verbal sparring they seemed to engage in whenever they clashed, and while she never held back in them, she could always tell when he held back remarks he would normally let fly. This had never been more apparent than in their previous year, when he had paid her a frustrating amount of attention.

While the blonde enjoyed being doted on and adored, and loved attention, to be on the receiving end of not entirely bad attention from the boy who currently worked on their potion had been unbearable. Not because she actually hated it, but because she actually enjoyed it. Somewhere deep down, anyways. Because only there would she admit just why she had enjoyed it. Not that she didn't consciously know anyways. Of course she did. But there was no use in falling prey to such emotions and thoughts.

Reyna understood that she had been born to privilege, and with that came certain obligations. One of which was her duty to her family, and upholding it's good name and status. Her life had revolved around the rules and regulations of a proper pureblood, and the teen walked and talked the way of life as if she had been born to do so. Which, technically, she had been. And now that she was seventeen and in her last year at Hogwarts, her future was being laid out like a map even as she sat in that potions classroom berating the boy.

It wasn't much of a future, all things considered. It was simply doing her duty to her family and Faulkner name and reputation. A marriage would be arranged, and by that summer her life would become one of playing hostess and wife. It wasn't exactly what the blonde would choose for herself, and often times it was with a bleak outlook she viewed the idea with. But it was what was expected of her, and meeting expectations was what she had been born and raised to do. So she accepted it long before that year even, and was resigned to that fate.

But the boy who was her partner in class that day made it difficult at times for her to stay resigned, as her secret feelings boiled up whenever he was around. She hated him for it, even though she couldn't truly hate him at all. It had always been a hopeless case, seeing as even though he was as pureblood as she, there was not a chance in hell her father would agree to marry her off to a family with such a reputation as the Lestrange family. So Reyna had bottled whatever she felt and kept a tight lid on it, determined to rise to the expectations her family pressed on her. It was merely common sense. There was no point in allowing herself to feel something for anyone and open herself to the pain she would no doubt suffer when it was ripped away.

In the end, the teen settled for ruffling his surly feathers whenever the chance presented itself, and it was probably one reason why she had been so adamant to retrieve her seat that day in class. She may not be allowed to care as she so wanted, but so long as she veiled her want to be around him with disdain for his very presence and existence it could do no harm. That's what she told herself anyways, even as she continuously tempted herself by doing so. It was an odd backwards way of flirting with the boy, but over the span of so many years with him nor anyone else ever being any the wiser, she was confident that she could atleast allow herself that much before she ended up with someone she couldn't possibly ever care for.

However, her slip of the tongue was far too close to the chest for her liking, and she inwardly berated herself for it as he chuckled and called her out on it. And though she did her best to calm the flush of her face, it did no good when she caught him smiling at her out of the corner of her eye. Actually smiling. Secretly, Reyna preferred the smile, and was pleased with herself for being the one to put it there, but his scowling was a safer choice in order for her to keep her secret, well, secret. "Certainly not. I merely must have been overwhelmed by the fumes in this dingy cold little room and it clearly made me temporarily not of sound mind. You must excuse my brief moment of insanity in stating such a ridiculous notion."

It was an absurd and rather pathetic attempt to cover her tracks, and the slightly nervous edge to her tone didn't help her any. But it was the best she could do in her flustered state, even as she delivered it with all the haughtiness she possessed. The blonde ended up rolling her eyes in annoyance at both herself and him before giving him a dismissive look and gesture, as if to say he wasn't worth her time, an act she had performed on him many times before and which she knew would get under his skin more than words could. For some odd reason, the boy had always shown his extreme dislike for this particular action of hers towards him, and she had never really figured out why.

Being one of two boys born to his father and having no sisters or really any close female relatives Leyton knew very little of the details of the things that pureblooded woman were subjected to. He only saw a fraction of it with his father towards his mother since he was away so often. There was no pretending that he even tried to comprehend everything they had to go through and most of the time he could have cared less. It wasn't his place to. All he needed to worry about was finding the right family to join with his and even his father had most of the say in that matter, with very little being left to him. Especially with the current state of displeasure his father was feeling towards him.

Narrowing his eyes at the witch beside him he simply shook his head trying to keep his temper in check while wanting nothing better than to blow the potion up all over her. There was nothing he hated more than the way she tried to dismiss him. He was not so worthless as everyone made him out to be and one day they would all realize it. No matter what it took to make them see.

"I have no idea how you have lasted as long as you have Faulkner when it is very clearly obvious you are unable to follow even the most simple of instructions. So you must just be dying to watch this cauldron explode, or maybe thats just me because then I would get to see it wipe that look off of your face once and for all."

There was so much more he wanted to spit back at her with venom but Slughorn chose that opportune moment to come stand at the end of the table and watch him curiously. Faking a smile he stirred the bubbling liquid once more to get the old bag to walk away before turning his frustrations inward.

Thirty more minutes Leyton, thats all you have have left. He told himself. He could get through this if it was the last thing he did. Leyton knew there was no way he was going to class that afternoon, detention or no detention. He needed to relieve some stress before he exploded and even worse things happened.

Feeling pleased with himself the feeling passed as quickly as it came as did the smile upon his face, it fading away quicker than a rainbow after a summer rain storm. Her words cut quickly to the core and a scowl soon replaced the smile on his face. "Yes well maybe if you are feeling so poorly you should leave right away and head towards the nurse. Do not let me stand in your way."

Even as he spoke he refused to let his gaze rise back up to meet hers turning all of his attention back to getting the potion in front of him right. Which surpringly enough was becoming increasingly harder sitting next to her. Even if he was concerned about her it lasted for less than a blink of an eye before that haughty dismissive tone was back in her voice and he felt himself putting the wall back up. It was becoming easier and easier to do around her.

"And what look would that be, Lestrange?" Reyna responded back with a bored tone, sounding for all the world like she didn't care one bit about what he was referring to, performing a lazy roll of her eyes as she sat primly in her seat. It couldn't have been further from the truth though.

Because the blonde honestly did want to know, and did honestly care. But that wasn't anything she could either say or show, other than in the backwards way she had of sounding so completely disinterested in anything to do with him or what he thought or said that he was likely to tell her anyways just to annoy her since she didn't really care to know. It was a trick she had used a lot just to gleam some idea of what went on in that head of his without him figuring out that's what she was doing.

The Slytherin witch completely ignored his derogatory words aimed at her intelligence. For one, she didn't feel the need to prove herself to him, or to anyone else for that matter. Mostly because Reyna knew for a fact that she was intelligent and strong in the mind, even if she was physically rather soft. Her brain was the only real weapon in her arsenal, and while the blonde could be rather nasty with her wand if she were angered bad enough, she rarely allowed anyone to get close enough to get under her skin enough for her to get truly angry.

And secondly, if he only knew just how often and cunningly she manipulated their little conversations and spats, he would be singing a different tune. But none of that mattered, because she didn't mind being underestimated. There were times when such things came in handy. Besides, why would she even begin to bother to prove own self and worth to those beneath her? The very idea had her scrunching her nose as their professor came over to inspect their potion.

The teen offered a sweet smile, and though it was fake, it was a lot better than the one the boy beside her gave. Then again, he was obviously angry, that much was apparent to her. Years of having known the boy and watching him subtly meant she could read him a lot better than most others could, most likely. Not to mention that he never really seemed to be able to control that temper of his, so it was rather easy to spot anyways.

It was a bittersweet feeling that filled her when that very rare smile of his disappeared and was replaced with his usual scowl. While it was better that way, Reyna's true feelings bubbled too close to the surface for her to really feel relieved now that she wasn't tempted by his handsome smiling face. In fact, the teen had never felt so ashamed in her life. She had never felt shame at all, to be honest, and she utterly detested it now. Who was he to make her feel such a thing? Never had she regretted a word she said, but now she found herself wishing she hadn't taken back her compliment with her last remarks.

His own words regarding her taking a trip to the hospital should she not be feeling well had her taken aback, as they were completely unexpected. If Reyna didn't know any better, she would say he almost sounded concerned for her. Even though her mind said it would be easier and better if he didn't care at all, she couldn't help changing an almost curious glance at him. For a moment, the blonde hovered between retorting with another biting remark, and being somewhat decent to the boy.

She sighed softly, and the words were falling from her lips before she even consciously decided"I apologize. I should not have taken back my compliment. Especially because it's true. And I feel fine. Thank you for your concern." Her words were soft, and oddly polite even though they were barely more than a whisper as she avoided his eyes. The teen flipped the pages of her open book absently, simply for something to do to keep her from having to look at him as her face flushed again.

"You know exactly what look I speak of. The one where you look down at your nose at me with the most haughty expression you can muster.  That may work with the girl in this school but it does not work with me.  You ought to know that by now.  Not too much longer now and you will never have to see me again so you ought to be thrilled with that prospect."

Shaking his head he continued to scowl.  He knew that there was so much more to her, and that she could be so much more but their upbringing hindered them in more ways than they would ever admit.  It made them untrusting of others, friends were only friends for the connections through family most of the time.  Life could be very lonely because of these things but they knew no different.  

Leyton, knew no different.  He could count on one hand how many people he truly trusted.  Which was absolutely no one.  There was no one he could rely on but that was fine at least the only persons expectations that he had to live up to were his families.

Letting out a deep breath he settled back in his chair staring down at the cauldron in front of him, there would be just barely enough for two but at least it would keep him from having to hear her whine until break about having him for a partner.  Deep down he truly was not what he put forth.  He could be loyal, loving and compassionate, but that was not the manner in which his father expected him to act.

Hearing her speak again he glanced upward away from the cauldron he shrugged his shoulders putting on an air that he could not care either way. "Yes well.. no problem. You still might want to see the nurse if you are feeling ill later," he muttered before dropping his gaze back to the bubbling cauldron glad to have it to focus on.

Reyna rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help the slight curling to her lips as a pleased smirk flitted across them for a brief moment. Of course, she knew that particular look did not work to make him feel inferior. Rather, the haughty, dismissive look of hers served only to irritate him beyond measure, and it pleased the blonde to know that her apparently considering him not worth so much as the time to even acknowledge him seemed to matter to him to the point where he openly protested it. Though she did not say as much.

Whatever pleasure she derived from his first few words was lost by the end of his little rant, and the small smirk that had settled happily on her lips faded away as fast as it had appeared. "Yes, I am simply ecstatic at the thought." She offered back in retaliation, her reply cool and dripping with sarcasm as she once again rolled her blue eyes, her tone suggesting he knew nothing of what he spoke of. Which, to be fair to the boy, he didn't. How could he, when she kept it so very well hidden and buried beneath a false hate?

The blonde was well aware she had responded in a way that would've best been kept to herself. But being forced to spend so much time in the presence of Leyton was wearing down her carefully built walls, leaving her unable to completely hold back the things she really wanted to say. Besides, there was more than one excuse she could use for saying what she did, and even so, she was not obligated to provide an answer should he question her on her words anyways. Of course, at this point, with her carefully constructed pretenses of dislike towards him wavering, she might fight herself answering before she could stop herself.

Reyna was becoming what she could only term reckless in these moments spent with the boy. One reason she had always gone out of her way to make sure she either angered him to the point where he could not stand to spend another moment in her presence, or simply refused to acknowledge him even being in the same room as her was because her true emotions always bubbled up within her, threatening to break forth. While it was always a hassle for the teen, it was never so hard as when she found herself in his company for longer than five minutes. An entire lesson spent sitting so close beside him to the point her fingers itched just to simply touch him once was pure agony.

The Slytherin witch was not at all used to seeing things she wanted, and not being able to have them. Her entire life revolved around always having the things she so desired, and never had she been denied anything. He represented the one thing she wanted and couldn't have, and it made her blood boil. Though she took a breath and forced herself to remain calm and cool, as her upbringing demanded. It was not fit for her to lose her temper and create a scene. And the anger would be entirely misdirected anyhow.

At the same time, the blonde knew she had no right to be so angry. Reyna had always known, from a young age, that she did not determine how her life ended up playing out. Those choices did not belong to her to make. It was a terrible trade off for growing up so privileged, but that was the way it was. And for all the luxurious things in life she could afford and have, living her life as she saw fit was not one gold could buy her. She knew she was not the only one who had been born into such a life. Generations of pureblood women before her had walked in her very shoes and still held their heads high, proud to do their duty to their families, as was demanded of them. The blonde had always been determined to live up to that, and take her place amongst those witches who would sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of their family honor and prestige.

Except for when she was around the Slytherin male beside her who seemed to exist if only to tempt her to be as selfish as most would pin her for. To tempt her to throw away all expectations but her own. To tempt her to give in to the feel of emotion versus continuously fighting them.

By this point, inside, all her emotions and thoughts seemed to bubble in a way that was uncannily like the potion in the cauldron, and to Reyna, they seemed on the verge of exploding. Which was not at all acceptable. But it was becoming increasingly hard to keep up her ruse of a haughty disposition towards him when she had no doubt the boy next to her was so much more than what he allowed to show through. She had no doubts, because she had seen glimpses of proof of it.

Unfortunately, his careless demeanor left much to be desired at the moment for her to give in to her own emotions. Even if the pull to do so was extremely strong. The blonde had no desire to be humiliated by rejection. So Reyna matched his careless air with her own, giving him that same dismissive look he seemed to hate once again for his efforts and replying with a tone that was as haughty as it was bored as she flipped another page of the book before herself that she was in no way actually reading. "Perhaps you are the one who needs to see the nurse Lestrange, as you seem to actually be concerned for my well being. That must clearly mean something is wrong with you."

He wasn't surprised that she felt as such, the coolness always evident when in his presence. Leyton had no idea why he had chased the girl much of last year when she obviously had no interest in him. It was a pity though as she really was half decent if you got past the icy shell that she presented to everyone. He had seen rare glimpses into it over the years. That was what had drawn him to her but now she was just as icy as ever and any shot he had ever had was long gone now.

The boy knew she would make someone an excellent match some day and he could only hope that when he was forced to settle down it was with someone that he could actually stand. Leyton knew the pressure was on, this was the year when such matches were made but he had very few options and could care about them even less.

All he wanted to do was live his life how he pleased. Even with his father in Azkaban he could feel the long reach of his power even now. His mother had written him again making sure that he was coming home for Christmas and what was to be expected over the break.

Just another joy of being a Lestrange. Even his mother was feeling the pressure now. Hearing the flipping of a page and her speaking again he glanced up away from the potion as he stirred it once last time to finish it up. Pouring it into two vials he narrowed his eyes at her. "Maybe I will." Grabbing his bag he threw it over his shoulder and picked up the two bottles dropping them each on Slughorn's desk and heading out the door, ignoring the wizard as he told the boy to return to his seat. All he wanted to do was put as much distance as he could between himself and Reyna.