Sisse did know, ever since they had returned to Hogwarts Sisse had begun to see it. Cam and Sloane might be sitting with the rest of them but they hardly allowed a word from the others to steer their conversation. It had annoyed Sisse, but she usually was so busy steering the rest of the group’s conversation and making sure no one felt left out that she simply couldn’t focus on it too long. “I know what you mean.” She agreed with a thoughtful frown. Adding “I feel like they’ve been doing that a lot, actually.”

“But weren’t you supposed to be tutoring them?” Sisse asked suddenly, remembering an earlier conversation about studying transfiguration that day. How rude if that had been the case.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

So, she wasn't crazy then. Something was different with Sloane and Cameron, and perhaps their fight at the end of the summer was the catalyst. Sloane rarely ranted about fights with people to her, anyway. "Weird," Alice muttered. She didn't quite know what to make of it and had no intentions of asking. Sloane was easily the most short tempered of the group, Alice had no desire to be at the other end of it.

"Sloane doesn't need help in transfig. We were just doing a studying game, mostly." How Alice and Sloane became pitted against one another instead of Cameron having to answer questions she still didn't know. "It was supposed to just be an easy group study session, and then it turned weird and Cameron mentioned dueling and ... I don't know. The whole thing was just uncomfortable." Everyone knew to some degree how terribly Alice was at DADA. Edison was the most knowledgeable, considering how they were frequently paired in class and the private tutoring he offered. But even Sloane and Cameron had to realize dueling was the thing she avoided most.

  

“How insensitive.” Sisse objected pursing her lips. Cam could be clueless sometimes but he had been around them for so long to know that while he and Sloane enjoyed hands on magic Alice loathed dueling. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry Alice. What did Sloane say about that?” Surely Sloane wouldn’t have let that slide.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

"Not insensitive," Alice protested immediately. Really, she hadn't thought Cameron mentioned it maliciously. He was just trying to shift the focus from his insecurities. "It was just me, I guess. I don't know." She flopped back dramatically on the bed, her curls fanning out around her head. "Sloane turned dueling into physical fighting. That's when I left. Who knows what they did after that."

  

“Physical fighting?” Sisse’s eyes widened. Sloane was the bold one of the girls, but she couldn’t imagine why physical fighting might have come up instead of dueling, it seemed so…. uncivilized.

“I’m sorry Alice.” Sisse laid down beside her, looking up at the bedclothes above them.

She cast about for something to say that might cheer Alice up as she traced the gold embroidery in the red cloth. “At least you still have me.” She nudged her with a self conscious laugh. “If my mother had her way you’d never need to worry about dueling with me.” Nor would Sisse ever ask Alice to unless Alice asked for help first.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom

It was the dormitory Alice always missed most throughout the summers away from school. With seven younger siblings and a tiny farmhouse housing them all luxuries like canopies and individual blankets weren't to be had. Her eyes traced over the delicate gold embroidery above them as she shrugged. Sloane and Cameron were what they were, there was nothing to be done anymore. Their talking was better than last year's tense silence at least.

"Your mother is wrong," Alice echoed her sentiments from earlier in their conversation. "But I appreciate it nevertheless. We can have charms competitions instead."

  

“I like the thought of that.” Sisse giggled. And just like that things seemed just a tad more normal than they had been, like the weight of growing up had been shed for a moment and they could just enjoy being who they were and what they were: two friends who knew that no matter what they had each other.

  

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Thank you Bee <3 Your magic has made Sisse bloom