Matt glanced up into turquoise glasses and then winced at the peppy voice of the small girl in front of him. He quickly decided that she was probably a first or second-year and hence didn’t deserve much polite attention. The fourth-year was much too tired for anything other than dreary procrastination and guilty dozing.

He squinted at the girl – Janvier – as she excitedly chirped and then laughed to himself as she offered him her hand as though she could help him up. She was so small she’d just get squashed on the floor. Instead, Matt shook her outstretched hand and then pulled himself to his feet slowly on his own. He cracked his neck, yawned, and then looked down at Janvier once more. She really was quite tiny.

“I’m Matt. Um, I just kind of slipped. It’s no big deal, really. I’ll be fine.” His response was much more casual than it would have been a few months earlier. The casual atmosphere at RMI was quickly influencing the way he acted with other students. The Cetus hadn’t realized how much he had changed until he had gone home for winter break and been scolded by his father for being too blunt and offhand. It hadn’t been too difficult to take up the aloof yet polite personality expected of his Pureblood surroundings, but all his efforts were already being eroded quickly now that he was back at school.

He glanced at the huge mess on his desk and absentmindedly ran his hands through his hair. He’d already forgotten Janvier was there. Matt picked up a few books and began closing them, and then turned back to the girl. “Hmmm? Sorry – did you say something?”