Natalie usually loved independent study. It gave her time to collect her thoughts and process the last few days. What she hated was when the whispering started. They were supposed to be studying or quietly reflecting on their week.

"Draco Malfoy was in Madam LeGrot's office this morning. Did you see him?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. Here we go. Gossip ahoy. Natalie looked up to see who had spoken. Romilda. Of course. Why was Romilda Vane even trying to become an Auror? She needed to write for the Daily Prophet. Or Witch Weekly. She was already almost a year behind others her age in the program. Natalie could appreciate the girl's persistence, but go on already. Auroring obviously was not for her. She could not recall any of the laws and procedures, she was absolute pants at wandless, she had zero common sense, and no instincts to speak of. She was going to be killed if they put her in the field. Why she had not been booted from the program yet was beyond Natalie. Nat had despised the other girl in school. She was a gossip and a flirt and got crushes on people at the drop of a hat. This had not changed.

"He doesn't look near as pointy and pale as he used to. Wonder what he was in there for? You don't suppose he's the one responsible for the Dark Mark on Halloween, do you?"

"Don't be an idiot," Malcolm Baddock snapped. "He wouldn't be in Madam LeGrot's office for a chat if he was being tossed back in Azkaban. Not all Slytherins are evil-doers, you know."

Natalie grinned. Mal was a notorious defender of all things Slytherin, being one himself. Not all Slytherins are evil-doers was his favorite thing to say. It would probably be engraved on his tombstone.

Romilda kept on. "I just wonder why he was here."

Natalie kept her nose in her text but replied. "Well, I suppose that would be between Draco Malfoy and Madam LeGrot, don't you?"

"Nobody asked you, McDonald."

"Just offering my opinion, Vane."

"Well... don't."

Natalie rolled her eyes. Kevin Whitby buried his face in his own text to hide his snickers. Jimmy Peakes was pursing his lips. The slight rivalry between Romilda and Natalie had gotten worse since Natalie had landed Harry Potter as her mentor somehow. Natalie was hoping it was not because Romilda was still carrying her torch for Harry, but the way the little twit acted around him, Natalie was thinking her hope was in vain.

"What's Harry like?" Laura Madley whispered to Natalie.

"The same."

"Come on... details, Nat. Not all of us were in Dumbledore's Army like you. What does he have you do? Does he have a girlfriend?"

That was punctuated with several giggles. Natalie ground her teeth.

"We do not speak of Harry's personal life. We talk about work and training. He goes over my stuff from class and has me look at solved cases without the solutions to see if I can figure them out. Nothing so special. He does the same things any of your mentors do."

"Oh you're no fun," Laura said, looking pouty.

Natalie wanted to hex her.

"My mother said she heard from your father that you had to do another sitting, Nat," Orla Quirke said, giggling.

This got another round of snickering that had Natalie's eye twitching. For some reason her fellow trainees found it vastly amusing that Natalie's father had a portrait done of her every year.

"I did."

"Another painting with smiles and lace and hair bows done by some old codger with foul breath," Romilda asked nastily.

Natalie snapped her text closed and glared, "As a matter of fact, no. I wore black and had a serious look on my face when Dean Thomas painted me."

"Dean Thomas!" Laura squealed. "He's new, isn't he? Just started his ad in the Prophet? Mother wants him to do a portrait of the twins for Grandmama for Christmas."

"I heard he does nudes," Romilda said slyly.

Natalie pinned her with a glare. "He does."

Kevin started snickering. "Did you do one, Nat?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Natalie snapped. "And even if I did, I wouldn't go telling you lot, now would I? Perverts."

"All right, all right, settle down," Kingsley snapped as he strode into the room. "Less chatter and more studying please."

Natalie opened her text back up, feeling very irritated indeed. Perhaps she'd hit the training room before heading home tonight.


{SUMMARY} Most of Natalie's fellow trainees are a bunch of silly twits and gossip-mongers.