A smart girl would try to attempt to explain to Penelope that doctors were called doctors because they just were, a smart girl would ask Penelope who Merlin was and offer her a different kind of sweet, perhaps from Millie’s offered collection, a smart girl would listen when she told her that Miss Parkinson would ruin her and listen to Tony when he told her that they would all get into trouble if she didn’t stop, and a smart girl would have stood down and did anything else when the taller, older girl with more magical ability than she did stood up and challenged her, but perhaps tonight Autumn just wasn’t a very smart girl.

If the rest of the common room wasn’t already staring at them, they certainly would now because Autumn started yelling loudly in anger after staring her down, as if it was some sort of war cry from one of her books, and jumped Jessamine, kicking, hitting, pulling hair, scratching, biting, just everything all at once in a very short amount of time. It was as if she had no self control, but Autumn was furious that this girl was picking on Penelope and that for no reason at all, had been saying cruel things to her at the house table during the welcome feast. It was unbecoming of a young lady to resort to using fists instead of magic, sure, but if Millie could still look like a lady after punching that street urchin back on High Street, so could Autumn.