Simple Kind Of Life

Brother

Savanna Zabini had inherited a lot from her mother (the former Cho Chang), but her patience was not one of those things. The woman needed to be awarded a prize for handling her husband, even Savanna knew that; but, unfortunately, what kept her mother married to her father stayed within her and Angelo, because Sav had her father's short fuse. As such, the moment she heard a stomp against the marbled floor, she released the loudest, aggravated noise.

"For Merlin's sake," she hissed, halting Rose Weasley from stomping down the corridor again, muttering curses under her breath. "Shut up."

Of course, just as Savanna had a lot from her mother, Rose had inherited a lot from her own (the former Pansy Parkinson). Although she insisted on denying the blatantly obvious, Rose had a flare for dramatics (although, Sav supposed, Rose got that from her father, too. Then again, who was she to talk; her father was Blaise Zabini).

"Well, excuse me," Rose returned with a cutting tone, her nostrils flaring. "One of us has to worry about Ana's whereabouts! And apparently that's going to be me."

Savanna kicked off the wall, nudging Rose's shoulder a little too harshly. "I am worried," she defended, "she is my friend, too, but I know the meaning of discretion. We aren't supposed to be out of our dormitories, remember? So reel it in, Weasley."

Rose aimed a smack of her own at the Ravenclaw. "McGonagall isn't even here," she said through clenched teeth, but she lowered her volume. "And if you want to keep those hands, I suggest you never hit me again."

"Don't threaten me." Smack. "I'm not scared of you, Rose Weasley."

The girls narrowed their eyes at one another, a second away from a physical fight, but then—

"We got it!"

Heaving, two boys, one Gryffindor and the other Slytherin, turned the corner of the corridor, racing up to them, disheveled hair, wrinkled robes, and cheeks red. Fred Weasley bent over, desperately pulling in air while Al Potter clutched his side, cursing about running seven minutes straight and being out of shape. 

Fred was the first to catch the girls in their standoff. "Not again," he said through puffs of oxygen. 

Al groaned. "James and Louis creating a ruckus, taking the fall with Filch so we could be here. Quit it now."

"You two are the worst," Fred supplied. "How are you even friends?"

Rose turned her frown at her cousin. "What are you on about? Sav and I are best friends."

"Best friends who have disagreements, but love one another through it all," Savanna added, throwing an arm around Rose's shoulder, grinning up at the two boys.

Al shook his head, signaling Fred to not even ask how those two functioned. Instead, he marched into the classroom Savanna and Rose were supposed to be guarding; inside, at the front in a corner desk, Al found his best friend. His silver eyes were downcast, fingers running over the crumbled edges of a parchment that had belong to his sister.

Al swallowed, nervous. "Mate?" He reached for Rose before she took the step forward, knowing perfectly well she needed to keep her distance. She frowned at him, disagreeing; she wanted—needed to be beside Scorpius, but was still kept in place. "I've got news."

Scorpius didn't look up at the sound of Al's voice. Instead, he counted the lines Ariana had created on the paper before she dropped it and ran off.

The friends looked at one another, unsure on how to act. Al took a deep breath, shrugging, before saying, "Ariana broke into the Headmistress' office. Went in through the Floo. I tried asking Snape where she went, but he locked it. I couldn't trace the last location. Dumbledore assured me she was safe, though."