Magic? || Years 1-5

Paint: Magic? AU

Amisty stared up at the crisp wall ahead of her, pondering what exactly she'd be tagging it with. A bag of spray paint is slung over her shoulder, jingling slightly as the cans knocked against each other. She looked down the street, searching for any eyewitnesses before grabbing a can and shaking it.

'Another DA tag wouldn't hurt...' She thought to herself, flicking off the cap and stepping back again to examine her canvas. "As long as that Umbridge witch is Headmistress, at least. These infuriate her the most."

She pressed down, spraying out a thin layer of scarlet. That was always the best part. Ruining perfection. The red clattered to the ground and she grabbed the gold, finishing up a few details before she lined it all in black. She stepped back, a smirk playing on the edge of her lips. Two scarlet letters, a 'D' and 'A', were circled in gold, dripping down and sparkling as they dried.

"What are you doing here?"

She whirled around, coming face to face with none other than Draco Malfoy himself. He was the leader of the Inquisitorial Squad himself. Umbridge's little gang she handpicked to do her dirty work. Also one of the top students in her Chemistry class. Obnoxious and pretentious, but he had charm to him if he tried. Not that he ever did with her. Not anymore.

Amisty scowled, shoving the paint back in her bag as discreetly as she could and crossing her arms across her chest, "It's a part of the campus, is it not?"

It happened so quickly she barely registered what was happening until the moment had passed. Her bag was dangling from his hand, the paint clanging to the ground and rolling around miserably.

"With paint?" Malfoy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not the usual supplies a student carries around."

"I'm in the... art... program..."

He scoffed, "So you're the little graffiti artist that's been running around tagging everything."

"You have no proof of that," Amisty protested crossly, itching to snatch her bag back.

He looked down at the paint on the ground, the wall behind her, and then her guilty expression and paint-stained fingernails. "I beg to differ."

Amisty shifted from foot to foot, searching for a different approach.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" She asked sharply. "Turn me in to the Headmistress? You know as well as anyone that I'm not afraid of her."

"Clearly, judging by how you're still vandalizing even after her warning."

"Then what are you going to do?" Amisty's eyes narrowed as he turned to look at her work.

He grabbed her by the wrist, leaning down so they were nose-to-nose, "Expulsion sounds rather attractive."

She paled. She had nowhere to go if she lost her scholarship.

"So what?" She lied through her teeth, praying it was believable. "Anywhere is better than this hell hole."

"Language, River," He scolded sharply.

"I'm getting expelled, anyway, might as well milk the moment," She replied sarcastically and then immediately winced.

"You're a good student, River," He sighed. "Why are you throwing it all away?"

"I refuse to be taught by a tyrant," She growled lowly, yanking her arm out of his grasp.

"She's not a tyrant," He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Besides, you're the one running around tagging the university grounds."

"I've always tagged the university grounds, now I'm just doing it for a reason instead of for fun," She countered, eyes widening. "You didn't hear that."