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"Today's the day!" Missy squealed. She leapt onto John's back effectively knocking the graduation cap off his head and the scrolls out of his arms. He barely managed to stay upright, his scrawny legs nearly buckling under the unexpected weight. "Yes, em, I suppose it is." His voice was soft and it had a slight sad tone to it. Missy eyed him. "You're getting all emotional, it's silly." He grumbled something unintelligible and slumped away. "Oh dear John." Missy singsonged, trailing after him. With a delicate wave of her wand she sent several Gryffindor banners cascading to the ground. They had won the house cup. As usual.
"I know it's going to be hard to leave the castle. You must remember, this is the only home I've ever known." Her voice was unexpectedly soft and it caused the tall Ravenclaw to pause and glance at her. She was chewing her lower lip slightly, but the moment she noticed his staring her lips broke into a devilish grin and her eyes turned an even lighter shade of blue. "Why would you want to stay though? There's so much to do out in the big wizarding world, and we can do all the magic we want!"
"Within reason." John automatically countered. They'd had this conversation several times since the two came of age. "Oh hush Thete!" Missy smacked his arm lightly, using the nickname she had made for him years ago. While the Slytherin wasn't exactly like the others in her house, she did have a slight disdain for muggle things, that included his name. She swept into the great hall where a smattering of students sat enjoying the last few hours before school would end for the year. The 5th years stared with nearly vacant eyes around them, their O.W.L.s only recently finished and the waiting period causing a daunting future. The 7th years, the few even in the room, where all dressed in graduation robes. While they had all recently finished their N.E.W.T. exams, many of them were too excited about their future careers and plans out of school to worry about outcomes. Both Missy and John were confident in their scores, it was just figuring out what to do with them that was the issue. The idea of an entire future of unplanned potential terrified John.
"You still haven't told me what you want to do after school dear Thete." Missy propped herself on top of the table and stuck her tongue out at a ghost that past by and tutted at her. John sat down on the bench next to her and absently leaned against her legs. "Oh I don't know. I considered being an Auror..." Missy let out a derisive snort. "An Auror? Why would you want to be that? It's so boring and good." She had started twirling her wand absently in the air and John noticed a young student (a 2nd year Hufflepuff it seemed) chasing after her quill which hovered a few inches out of her reach. "I thought it might be fun. Traveling throughout the wizarding world, just passing through, helping out, teaching." He had momentarily forgotten his anxiety and was looking at Missy with excitement. His face crumbled when he saw her expression though. She was looking at him with a contemptuous sneer. "Where did you get that from, the stupid pamphlets the Ministry shoved down our throats?" She finally released the Hufflepuff's quill and turned properly to face the lanky young man. "You are the smartest person I know, next to me of course, why tie yourself down to being no better than a nanny to the misbehaving! You could do so much more!" He knew that was a compliment, her form of a compliment, but it came out so scathingly he actually flinched.
Suddenly angry, John rose and swept his cap back on his head. "It's my future and I'll do with it as I please. What do you even care? You're obviously planning to cause nothing but trouble out there, you just don't want me to be an Auror because you know I'll have to stop you from your fun." The words had come out fast and sharp and Missy actually looked hurt. "Koschei..." He said quickly, using the nickname he'd given her, but it was too late. She acted like she was made of steel, but when Missy's feelings were hurt, they were hurt deep. And she did not let you forget. She stood and fixed him with one of her frozen gazes. "Perhaps I will cause nothing but trouble. But here's the thing Thete. You couldn't ever dream of stopping me." With that she stormed out of the Great Hall, but not before sending all the students papers into the air. John watched her go with a mix of shame and apprehension. In the many years of their friendship, he'd learned to be careful of her feelings.
He knew this was different though. Their futures hung on a delicate string at the moment, they could tip one way or another. They were on the precipice of their new lives. This was completely new territory for the two of them, and while he'd like to think they'd be friends forever, he wasn't sure on that.
Later that day, as the sun started it's decent and they grew closer to the graduation ceremony, John made his way to the dungeons where he knew the Slytherin common room was housed. He had found the entrance years ago out of pure curiosity and now he stood outside it, waiting for a student to pass. After a few minutes a 5th year rounded the corner and nearly jumped out of his shoes at the sight of the slight figure leaning awkwardly against a stone arch. "What the hell..?" The student began, but John quickly interrupted. "I know Missy is in there, can you tell her I'd like to speak with her?" The boy looked at him suspiciously, but most of the school knew of their infamous friendship. He gave a curt nod before disappearing into the common room. Several minutes passed before the door opened and the boy emerged. "Missy wanted me to tell you to 'kindly shove off', her words, not mine." John sighed. "Can you tell her to meet me at the Black Lake, at our usual spot? Before we have to be at graduation preferably." The 5th year looked annoyed at being used as a messenger, but he obliged. John didn't bother to wait for a response, he knew it was no use.
As per usual, but the time John made it to the gnarled tree that had been hit by lightening several times on the outskirts of the lake, Missy was already sitting on a low branch. The tree had been their spot for years now and Missy loved that after all it had been through it was still strong. Somehow she always managed to beat him there, he suspected a secret passage or spell. She regarded him coldly as he took his usual spot below the tree's branches in the soft grass. He leaned against the blackened trunk and sighed. "I'm sorry Koschei.." He began, but Missy cut him off. "No you're not Thete. And you don't need to be." With her usual deftness, Missy leapt from the branch and landed with a thump in front of John. The sun was setting behind her and it made the edges of her brown hair look like they were on fire. "Go be an Auror. You'll be great at it." He perked up slightly, but her next words sent a shiver down his spine. "I'm going to do whatever I damn well please out there and pity the fool who tries to stop me." Her tone was pure ice and for the first time he saw a side to his best friend he never thought he'd see. The cruelty some of his fellow Ravenclaws murmured about behind his back.
"Goodbye John Smith." The name felt like an insult coming from her and it was like a slap in the face. "This has been fun." Without another word, she twirled on her toes and stormed away. John watched her and made no move to stop her. What had happened? Just this morning they had been tighter than freshly bound parchment. He knew Missy had her faults, but she always behaved for him. They were inseparable. Not anymore. In that moment John vowed to stop whatever she tried to do if it risked the lives of others. She was his responsibility. If that meant clapping her in irons, so be it. They were friends no more.