one day at a time.

Maddison Kane looked stunning in her blue knitted top with bell sleeves and dark washed jeans, perfectly paired with her blue canvas shoes. Her excitement was palpable as she stood outside the Slytherin Common Room Entrance with a bag slung over her shoulder, eagerly waiting for someone special to arrive.

As other students passed her, Maddison could sense their judgmental stares and heard their snickers. But she paid no attention to them, as her focus was solely on the person she was waiting for. However, the longer she waited, the more her excitement turned to anxiety, and memories of the recent incident with Alexander flooded her mind, causing her self-esteem to plummet.

Maddison's nervous habit of picking at her nails had become more pronounced lately, leaving her fingers sore and the skin around them broken. Doubt started creeping in, and she began to wonder if her plans for the day were a good idea after all.

With a heavy sigh, Maddison decided to turn back and head towards her dormitory. As she walked away, her disappointment was palpable.

Just as Maddison was walking away the door to the Slytherin common room swung open revealing no other than Alexander Greengrass. The source of Maddison's issues over the last week or so. The boy smirked when he saw the blonde looking defeated. Pulling out his wand Alex looked around to see if anyone was watching. He pointed at the girls' shoes and uttered an incantation under his breath causing her shoelaces to untie and for the girl to fall down. Quickly the boy stashed the wand away and sauntered down the hallway.
He had at least halfway learned his lesson from the last encounter with Maddison. This time he tried to at least hide what he had done. “Nice one Kane,” he spat at the girl as he walked past her and up the stairs to the rest of the castle.

Lost in her thoughts, Maddison stepped on her untied shoelaces and tumbled forward, crashing onto the unforgiving stone floor. Desperately trying to stop herself, she reached out, but it was too late. The sound of a footfall could be heard just before Alexander's foot narrowly missed her face.

Pain shot up Maddison's arm as she landed, causing her to gasp. She sat up slowly, cradling her wrist, trying to hold back tears. Alexander's snide comment echoed in her ears as he walked away, leaving her alone and vulnerable.

Maddison struggled to tie her shoes with her injured wrist, her eyes stinging with tears of frustration and pain. She leaned back against the wall, taking deep breaths and trying to compose herself. Despite the agony, she knew that she couldn't let Alexander get the best of her. She would have to find a way to turn the tables on him, no matter how hard it would be.

Kole had been making his way down towards the Slytherin common room in anticipation of Elle's arrival. He had a hunch that she would soon be seeking refuge from the social setting and her housemates, and he was determined to be there for her when she needed him. As he descended the stairs, he caught sight of Alexander, who had a self-satisfied look on his face. Kole couldn't help but roll his eyes. That boy was always up to something.

As he turned the corner, his eyes fell upon his sister Maddie, sitting on the floor with her arm held close to her body and her shoes untied. A look of concern creased Kole's brow as he quickly made his way over to her.

"Maddison," he said gently, kneeling down beside her. "Why are you sitting on the floor?" he asked, his voice full of worry.

Maddison groaned when Kole found her. “I tripped,” she said getting frustrated with the while situation. She was a big girl; she could take care of herself. “Shoe came untied.” it wasn’t a complete lie. “When I started to fall, I tried to catch myself. I hurt my arm.” She said going back to fiddling with trying to tie her shoelace with one hand. “I can’t get it tied, and Alex saw the whole thing happen.”

Kole's worry for his sister quickly turned into anger as he remembered Maddison's words about Alex witnessing the whole incident. He furrowed his brows and asked, "You didn't trip, did you?" suspecting that his sister may have been lying to him.

Without waiting for an answer, he instructed her to stay put and went in search of Alex. When he caught up to him, he growled his name and demanded an explanation. "Greenwood, you care to explain what happened back there?" he asked, his voice dripping with anger. He wanted to know what Alex had seen and what he had done about it.

"Well well well," Alex sneered, "It's the baby Kane coming to protect his big sister now is it?" His laughter echoed through the corridor as he mocked Kole.

Kole's fists clenched at his sides as he gritted his teeth, ready to confront Alex. "I have nothing to explain to you," Alex continued. "She fell. Maybe if she didn't have her nose stuck so far up in the air she could watch where she was going."

Kole's frustration had reached its boiling point. It had been building up for a long time, and Alexander's cruel words were the final straw. Without hesitation, Kole lunged at the boy, wrapping his arms around his waist and taking him down to the ground. He pinned him to the floor and delivered a powerful punch to his right eye, fueled by all the pent-up rage he had been carrying around for far too long. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the corridor, and the impact of the blow caused Alex to cry out in pain. Kole didn't stop there, he continued to pummel him with his fists, lost in his anger and the need to make Alexander pay for all the harm he had caused.

Maddison's patience had reached its limit as she struggled to tie her laces for the umpteenth time. In a fit of frustration, she jammed her laces into her shoes and rose from the ground, using her good arm for support as she rushed to catch up with her brother. But by the time she arrived, it was already too late.

"Kole!" she bellowed, desperation creeping into her voice. "Please, stop!"

Maddison's intentions were not to shield Alex from harm, but rather to prevent her brother from stooping to the same level as the despicable Slytherin who lay battered and bruised on the ground. In a moment of panic, she gripped Kole's hand just as he was about to strike again.

"That's enough," she commanded, her voice unwavering. "Let him go."

Kole's mind had been clouded with rage, causing him to act impulsively without thinking of the consequences. But Maddison's sudden intervention had snapped him out of his fury, making him realize the gravity of his actions. He looked down at Alex, still pinned to the ground, then back at Maddison, who was holding his hand tightly.

In response to his sister's command, Kole reluctantly let go of Alex and stood up, placing a hand on Maddison's elbow as he did so. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice heavy with guilt and regret. He knew he had lost control and could have hurt someone, but he was grateful that it was Maddison who had stopped him.

As they walked away from the scene, Kole couldn't shake off the solemn feeling that engulfed him. He knew that he had been lucky that it was his sister who had intervened and not a professor who could have punished him severely.