Usually, Thomas was a bit more attentive in Care of Magical Creatures, but he had found himself distracted. The castle was filled with too many whispers for anyone to be at ease, and it didn't help that a few of those hushed words were about him. For the most part, his mother's scandal had faded into the background; it was a rare occurrence that he heard about it, and it was usually only used as a low jab. However, since the release of the diary, it had become a topic of conversation once again.

That was unacceptable.

The fourth year had thought he'd done a fair job at blatantly ignoring Jemima. He knew it would be difficult to keep his temper in check, so he had chosen a spot as far from her as humanly possible. It had worked, for the most part. That is, until she collided with him and sent both her belongings scattering and the books he had previously been clutching.

"Are you oka--You." The initial concern he held for anyone else he might have bumped into quickly dissolved into a furious scowl. It was her. Of all the damn people in the bloody castle, it had to be Jemima Farley.

"Sorry isn't enough," was his indignant reply as he quickly swooped for his own books, leaving her belongings to lay untouched in the snow.