Snake's Burrow/Serpent Headquarters/Potion Room/Archive 1

Bella and Xavier
"Damn, it's hot outside," he sighed, running through his hair. He stepped into the Potion Room, not expecting anyone to be in the room in the first place. He shrugged his jacket off and threw it on a table somewhere, lifting his head to look for ingredients to do what he came to do. And then he saw Bella. Or rather, he saw a stranger who had Bella's vibe. "You mind if I ask who the fuck are you and why the fuck are you in here?"

He took a slow look at her, tilting his head and snickered. "Can't tell if this is a glow-up or a what the fuck happened to you type of situation," he laughed, walking over to her. "You have freckles now. What are the odds?"

"I dig, I dig." He offered a smug grin and turned to look at the shelves. "Why were you taking polyjuice potion? And more importantly, who's the poor soul who's appearance you stole?"

"Probably having brunch with his family, or whatever richass people do," he sighed. He sounded sour about it, having left Hogwarts on a bad note with Donnie. "He's less like a leech and more like a pouty toddler. Seventh year is going to a mess."

"Felicity might kill me if I ever considered dropping out," he snorted. "Or she might be completely supportive. It's like flipping a coin." He leaned against the counter, suddenly grinning. The prospect of Bella not at Hogwarts would be odd, but he imagined there'd be some sort of communication system between them all. "Thinking about inducting anymore members soon?"

"I'm... working on it," he said, turning around and busying himself with the vials on the shelves. "It's getting better. Somewhat bothersome." He pulled up his sleeve to display that tattoo. A horned serpent, curled around a wand was on the inside of his fore arm, drawn with intricate detail. "Still pretty sick though, right?"

"Yeah, yeah but there isn't really a way to casually bring it up in conversation you know?" he argued, making a face at the shelves. "Anyway, yeah, the elders hooked me up."

He took a couple of vials off of the shelves and carried them over to table. "If you see an empty flasks around, mind handing them to me?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Making a little special something for a little special somebody," he hummed, heading for ingredient cabinets. He hadn't noticed Bella's simmered mood yet but he was starting to get a little chill. "Hey, I need to restock actually. Thanks for reminding me."