The thirty minute reign of King Quiet and his consort - Queen Peace.

The Slytherin Common Room was nigh on empty by the time Athena got back from her little exertion in Hogsmeade. With her shopping bags in hand and a hefty bill going in her father’s direction, Athena was in a much better mood than she had been earlier that day. So, after discarding her bags in her room, careful to put them into her trunk in case one of the little mites decided they wanted what they couldn’t have, Athena took a book from her bookshelf and walked back down into the common room where Collie was waiting for her with a cup of tea. Athena did not thank the elf and instead took her seat in front of the already blazing fire without a word. It had been a cool day and now she needed a little time to herself to relax and unwind.

Collie mumbled something about going to get her mistress some food and she soon disappeared. Satisfied, Athena turned her finger clockwise and, as she predicted, the spoon resting against the side of the teacup began to turn. The beige liquid began to swirl around the spoon but Athena paid little attention to it as she pried open the book that must have been countless years old. Surely it was older than her father’s age and her grandfather’s age put together. Certainly, Athena found that prospect daunting and for that reason, she seemed to treat it with a little more care.

Athena was left to read for all of three minutes before Collie arrived, Brew in tow, carrying a platter of assorted foods for her mistress to eat. Athena waved the elves away and she heard two pops before silence once against reigned. The only sounds in the common room were the crackle of the fire, the sound of her breathing and the occasional turning of the page. She did not plan on eating until she reached a page number that was a multiple of ten. Until that point, she would read and stir her tea, basking in the time she had to herself.

Shelby came into the common room form the dormitories. She was giggling as she read the note she held in her hand. The note was from Ethan. With her she also carried the teddy bare he had won for her during the first date. Now she hardly went any where with out it. Though some times she shrink it so it was easier to carry, today she did not. Shelby sat in a chair next to the fire curling up in it with her bare. She hadn't realized there was another girl in there with her.

Relative peace was broken rather abruptly when a giggling blonde walked into the common room, catching a note to her chest like a love-sick bird. It made Athena feel really rather sick and she didn’t want to have to deal with such ridiculousness.

She didn’t look up from her book but she was acutely aware of the young Malfoy girl’s movements. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the girl sat down, almost swooned, and began to make kissy face towards a letter. The girl also had a bear. Clearly Draco Malfoy had not taught his daughter how to conduct herself properly. Athena was embarrassed by just being there. She looked up when the girl sat down and her eyes fell to the bare feet curled behind her in the arm chair. Athena made a mental note never to sit there again and she stopped twirling her tea. She closed her book and sat up a little straighter.

“Malfoy, do you always walk around looking as ridiculous as you do now or is this something new you’re trying? I pity your father if this is all he has to show for in the way of political pawns. I’m disappointed for him.”

Shelby was slightly startled when the other girl had spoke. "Dose it really bother you that much?" Shelby asked glareing at her. "I'm sorry if you don't know what it's like to do more than sit here and read," Shelby spoke snidely then folded up the note and stuck it in her back pocket. She hugged her teddy bare close to her. "I'm also sorry you seem like a prissy B**** who no one likes, and who dosen't have any one who loves you."

A prissy b*tch. Well, that was new – and also a backhanded compliment. Athena was mildly impressed but not much. It was hardly original. Thirteen year olds came up with better and their retorts usually had some sort of underlying innuendo. Athena wasn’t nearly as aggravated by the younger years as many people were. Everyone annoyed her so their age meant nothing to her. She had a dozen remarks for the Malfoy to sit and chew but Athena just could not find the patience or the energy to bother with the blonde. She truly was a waste of perfectly good pure blood. It was a shame someone with half a brain wasn’t blessed and because of the lack of a sensible choice on Merlin’s part, Athena again found herself disappointed. And what was the name all about? Shelby – what the hell? Athena knew her name wasn’t one of the best but she figured sharing the name with the goddess of wisdom, warfare, justice and skill (among other things) was better than a limp, pathetic Old-Norse name that was originally a surname.

So, Athena remained silent for a long while, counting the ticks of the clock on the mantelpiece. She was admittedly a little bit thrown by the ‘no-one-loves-you’ comment but she kept her composure and focused on stirring the tea. Athena bit her tongue and straightened in her chair, inclining it so she appeared to be looking down upon Shelby.

“And you look like a love-struck child that’s probably being strung along for sex. I do hope you don’t end up like Krum’s whore. Think how pleased Daddy would be then. Thrilled, no doubt. Oh! Let me guess. He’s everything you’ve ever wished for. Kind, sensitive - all that bullshit. And what is this? Oh, you love him. How sweet. He must be blind!” Athena exclaimed the last sentence before letting out a measured laugh, one that sounded, appropriately, like a cackle.

"And at first you seemed so smart," Shelby said, "If you where really smart you'd know it doesn't matter whats on the out side but whats on the inside," She knew that was an old muggle saying that was suspicion to be use to make ugly people feel good about them selves but that didn't mean it could be true. just because She wasn't anything like her older sister didn't mean no one could love her. "You don't know Ethan nor myself. You really are just a lonely B****." Sub, S Corp and Ethan where the mean ones. She was the slightly nicer person. she wasn't going to try to come up with something better than calling Athena a lonely B****. That was good enough for Shelby.

“And at first you seemed so smart,”

The fool almost sounded disappointed. Athena couldn’t help but roll her eyes and think, I am smart, certainly smarter than you could ever hope to be. The girl was a lost cause. She was young and in love. She clearly didn’t have her parents breathing down her neck trying to find her a betrothal. Athena had that and quite frankly, she’d had her fill. She didn’t care about relationships. If she wanted sex then she’d go and find Kendall. She didn’t need anything else. She didn’t need the bullshit that came with it. She wasn’t about to be oppressed by some man that thought he was better than her. She also wasn’t going to be told she was a lonely b*tch by a child.

Athena scoffed and rose from her chair. She took her wand from her pocket and made the teacup disappear. She leaned down and picked her book up before hugging it to her chest and turning to Shelby. Athena held her wand aloft and glared, silently wondering which spell she should choose. In the end though, she settled for a warning.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with. Shut your mouth before you get yourself into trouble.” Athena gestured to the door with distaste and gave Shelby an order. “Go on. Run along to your little boyfriend.”

"I know you know who your dealing with just not what your dealing with." Shelby said quietly unmoveing. "and i don't take orders from you or any one else for that matter. And antoher thing i know just as much as you and possibly more. I'm not Suz or Scorp, I'm not my father nor my mother. I am who i want to be when i want to be. Right now i wish to read my letter in peace. so if you wouldn't mind takeing your prissy little ass up to the dormitory where i am not I'd gladly leave you alone." she didnt' need to be with eathn all the time like this girl obviously thought she did.

Athena’s lip curled and her dark eyebrows furrowed at the Malfoy girl’s response. Obviously she had no idea what she was saying because her words made next to no sense. Athena was dealing with a child – nothing more. Age meant nothing next to knowledge and knowledge was something Athena possessed in great amounts. In comparison, Shelby was a second year just getting a taste of the Dark Arts. Athena had been swathed in the addictive liquor that was that form of magic since she’d been old enough to read. Her father had made sure of that. Her ‘mother’ was a master of mental magic so Occlumency and Leglimency was something Athena could do without a problem. The possibility of using any spell on the cocky blonde was a wonderful prospect. She was so close to doing so also. Clearly she’d not been on the end of one of Athena’s spells before.

“You’re a baby,” Athena hissed, her dark eyes gaining a malicious glint. “You have to toe the Malfoy line. You can’t just ‘be yourself’. You’re not your own person, Shelby. You’d do well to remember that. You’d also do well to remember that I am your superior in both blood and status. What are you honestly worth? The youngest Malfoy, pathetic and useless. No one would want to marry you. I doubt your father can even find a suitor. That’s the only reason why you’ve still got that little boyfriend of yours. Now, why don’t you run along before I write a letter to your father detailing his daughter’s potty mouth. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.”