The first day after Christmas break, all the Slytherins in Briar's year were gathered in the corridors and chattering amongst themselves. Briar wasn't really talking with the rest of them, but she'd nod and give them smiles that didn't reach her eyes when they'd occasionally say something to her.

Briar was leaning with her back against the wall, her arms crossed, while Blaise rudely categorized everyone. He chuckled, "Goyle is the meathead who can hardly read."

Goyle frowned slightly before he shrugged, admitting that it was true.

"And Crabbe is just like a puppy. He'd do anything Malfoy tells him," Blaise ridiculed with a cruel smirk.

Crabbe frowned and protested, "Hey! I wouldn't do anythi-"

"Shut up, Crabbe," Malfoy snapped when he stepped up to the group.

Crabbe immediately stopped speaking and glowered when Blaise gave him a pointed look.

Blaise finally turned to Briar with a snide expression and taunted, "And here's Davies, who thinks being depressed is a personality trait."

Briar felt a rage alight inside her as she turned towards Blaise, about to spew fire like one of the dragons from the Triwizard Tournament. She was breathing heavily through her nose as she began to react to his horrendous comment. She took a step towards Blaise, but she never got the chance to give him a piece of her mind because Pansy slapped him across the face. She growled, "Apologize this instant, you pig-faced idiot."

Blaise blinked in shock and held his now bright red cheek while staring at the vehement Pansy.

Briar smugly smiled, feeling proud of her roommates' good form and feeling warm at being defended so intensely by Pansy. It felt good to see that her roommate truly was on her side.

"I'm not apologizing because you know it's true," Blaise retorted pridefully, but Pansy got up in his face and reiterated her previous comment more forcefully.

"Apologize. Now," She snarled as she glared daggers into his eyes.

Briar slowly smiled and tugged her wand out of her pocket. She mused, "Or, I could just hex him."

Blaise snapped his eyes to the wand spinning around gracefully in her hand, and everyone noticed the fear that flashed in his eyes. He had yet to get on Briar's bad side enough that she had gotten into a fight with him, but he had seen enough bloody noses and bruises on Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle over the years to know that he didn't want to start a fight with her now. He uttered quickly, "Sorry."

Pansy growled, "Say it like you mean it, Zabini."

Blaise let out a heavy sigh and groaned, "Fine. I'm sorry, Davies."

Pansy took a step back, and Briar smiled satisfyingly before pocketing her wand once again.

Harmless chatter fluttered around their group once more, and Briar leaned against the wall casually again. Her eyes were drifting about the sea of faces moving past when she spotted a familiar tuft of brown hair. A smile began to slowly creep on her lips when he hurried closer to her.

She straightened up and stopped leaning on the wall, subconsciously straightening her robes as Neville approached. He got close and rambled, "Briar! You've got to see the mimbulus mimbletonia my uncle gave me. It's grown so much over the holiday! It's fantastic!"

"That's incredible, Nev! Is it in the greenhouse still?" Briar asked with a bright smile on her face. His joy was infectious, his happiness spreading to her and forcing her smile even wider.

She noticed from the corner of her eye that Daphne and Pansy looked to one another with curious expressions and simultaneously mouthed, "Nev?" Briar didn't bother to react. She knew that if she responded with annoyance, Neville would assume it was because of him, and she certainly didn't want that to happen.

Neville nodded excitedly, his eyes remaining fixed on hers, seemingly unaware of the group of Slytherins who had gone silent to watch their exchange.

Briar offered, "Well, you can show me at our tutoring session today, if you'd like."

He nodded and cheered, "Yes! I'll see you then! Bye!" He then turned around and darted off, his eyes only briefly glancing at the Slytherins who had been studying him for the past couple minutes.

Once he was gone, Pansy leaned in close and whispered in Briar's ear, "And you're sure you don't fancy him?"

"Shut up, Parkinson," Briar retorted with a roll of her eyes and the smile dripping off her face. Her usual look of indifference settled over her features again.

Malfoy tauntingly sang, "I think Davies is in love."

Briar glared at him and snarled, "Watch it, Malfoy. You're all getting on my last nerve today."

"But not Longbottom, eh?" Theo teased with a wink sent in her direction.

Briar rolled her eyes and stormed off, annoyed by her friends' mucking around in her affairs, and wondered if she could be any more obvious in her clear adoration for Neville Longbottom.

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