Nicholas is turning the corner around the outside of the citadel, bundled up in his jacket, bookbag swinging from one shoulder. The three of them are on their way to the kennel to drop off some supplies before heading to herbology.

Jules from RitCast rams his shoulder into Nicholas’ as they pass each other, and Nicholas goes stumbling at the unexpected attack. Not that it’s ever a surprise when he gets into it with Jules, they have history.

Back in year seven, something happened that Nicholas doesn’t even remember now and Jules went at him like Nicholas tried to curse the guy impotent. Ever since then Jules goes rabid whenever he sees Nicholas.

“Watch yourself,” Jules sneers down at Nicholas from his barely three-centimetre height difference, the expression turning his already resting bitch face even more contemptuous. Jules is all sharp angles and wouldn’t be bad looking with his dirty blond hair in short waves, if only he wasn’t the kind of miserable that means he wants everyone else to know it.

Stavros turns the corner and snatches Jules’ bookbag off the boy’s shoulder, spins it twice underarm and hurls it up onto the roof where it catches on the gutter.

“Sorry, my hand slipped,” Stavros says.

Nicholas cracks up laughing, linking his arms with Stavros and Rafael as they walk off. “Hey, do us a favour, Jules,” he calls over a shoulder. “After you get your bag, come back down headfirst.”

“He wouldn’t, he’s got no mercy for the rest of us,” Stavros mutters snidely.

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They can't go out running all the time and honestly, the classroom kennel is barely big enough for Rito to trot around in -he’s smaller than Thoth of course but still twice as big as Nicholas- so he's lying down. He's still big enough that Thoth keeps tripping over him anyway.

Thoth accidentally kicks Rito in the side while pacing and the sheep bleats back in annoyance. Thoth chuffs and keeps wandering around on all fours, occasionally rearing back into his bipedal form to scratch at the walls and Hearth barks whenever the werewolf starts scratching at himself.

They can't go out tonight – there's an astronomy class that could potentially see them. They brought the lens of course (which is a bitch to use when you don't have thumbs) but it only shows where people are, not how far their line of sight is.

Thoth paws at the door and the handle turns, the door opening into a short hallway and the courtyard bathed in bright silvery moonlight.

They forgot to lock it.

Rito's head snaps up in shock and Hearth is up and bounding around, squeaking madly and trying to distract the werewolf. Thoth turns around and follows the bouncing fox while Rito edges around towards the door.

When Thoth is the furthest away, Rito folds down into Nicholas and he frantically searches his pockets for his wand – except he left his wand on his bed because he didn't think he'd need it tonight.

Thoth smells human and a snarl tears out of him as he whips around. Nicholas throws himself out through the door and tries to shove it back shut long enough to try a wandless locking spell from the outside but Thoth slams his way through and Nicholas scrambles back and explodes into Rito.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

But he’s at the wrong angle and Rito is too big for the hallway – one horn jams against the wall, hip hitting the other side. Rito automatically snaps back into a human in a sudden rush and Nicholas is left flat on his back and wheezing.

Thoth falls over Nicholas and his jaw gapes open, only to scream in pain when Hearth tears into his side. Thoth rears up and bats Hearth away, the fox being thrown back across the room into the small bed frame.

Thoth turns to Nicholas again but he’s scrambling under the werewolf’s legs into the room and throwing himself just to the side of the door. Thoth leaps for him and Nicholas shudders apart, tired but still fast enough to take the claws in ram form as they rake across his belly.

Hearth snarls, hefting himself back up with a painful limp and Rito kicks the door shut now that Thoth is back in, hefting his bulk in front of it to barricade the room shut.

There's a long pause as everyone waits to see what happens next.

Thoth looks around, confused. He sees the blood spilling across the stone floor in a slow trickle and whimpers sadly, crouching low and hunching over Rito, trying to lick the injury clean.

Rito snorts and hits Thoth lightly with a front hoof. They can't be infected with the werewolf disease while in animal form but it hurts like a bitch and licking isn't going to help anything. Thoth seems sad though and whimpers at Hearth too when the bright red fox limps closer.

Rito tosses his head, nodding towards the tunnel in the back of the room. Hearth hesitates but limps his way up and drops the transformation only a bit further in.

"Mother fucking fuck," Stavros hisses and there's a click of his dislocated shoulder snapping back into place. "Fae skata. Gah, I can't believe we forgot to lock the stupid door."

Rito bleats because Thoth is slowly turning towards the noise – not yet able to see or smell Stavros but it's getting close.

"You want me to try and make a break for it?" Stavros asks, quieter this time. "Heal you, lock the door?"

Rito bleats twice for no. He's blocking it, and he's had worse injuries before - it's certainly nothing their self-studied crash course in healing can't fix.

Thoth starts to growl but soon after Hearth is scrambling back down. At least tomorrow is a Sunday.

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"You done hiding in your bed like a little pup?" Stavros asks when Rafael slowly pulls open the curtains.

Rafael doesn't even react, hunched in on himself as he starts to go through his trunk at the foot of the bed, searching for homework to do.

Nicholas sighs and straightens up where he's lying back against the headboard on Stavros' bed, opposite from Rafael. He gets up halfway and cries out, clutching his stomach.

Rafael is already hovering over Nicholas with his wand out and a diagnostic spell halfway done but it's a trap. Nicholas grabs Rafael and rolls them both onto Stavros, who pins Rafael’s legs while Nicholas lays across his chest.

"How many times do we have to do this?" Nicholas muses, propping his chin up on a fist. "Come on, Rito is an absolute unit, you think a scratch can hurt him?"

“Yeah, lamb is a tough meat, you need to cook it really slow,” Stavros adds on.

“I swear to-“ Nicholas turns on Stavros with a glare. “Rito weighs eighty kilos, Hearth weighs ten. Who’s going to win that fight, huh?”

“I’m not insulting you, Nicky! You know I love lamb koftas,” Stavros says easily and then ignores Nicholas, peering over him to smirk at Rafael. "And Hearth has short king energy but he wears it with style, fuck you very much you lanky mutt, you’re not the scariest thing in the room."

"I shouldn't even be hurting you in the first place!" Rafael snaps back, struggling until Nicholas starts making pained noises and Rafael stops because he doesn't know if it's all fake and he's not willing to risk it.

"I healed Nicky already," Stavros scoffs. "Come on, Raffy, you can be such a baby sometimes."

Nicholas smirks. "If you want to make it up to me, you can do my homework."

"Get me food from the kitchens," Stavros chimes in.

"Give me a back massage."

"Suck my dick-"

Rafael surges up, Nicholas and Stavros tumbling off the bed. "And wow, look at that, I don't regret it."

Nicholas is cracking up. "Suck my-!"

Stavros' laughter sounds like barking. "I would do it because I'm a good friend."

Nicholas wheezes.

Rafael frowns at them but he eventually smiles. "Should have slapped you idiots around a bit more."