Author:?

The window was opened, blowing chilly autumn wind and swaying your (colour) hair. You shivered. The weather today was much colder than yesterday, and the feeling of Fall, your favourite season, made you smile.

Being so high up in the tower was not something you minded, just the walk here was a tad tiring. Though, good company made it all worthwhile.

You hadn’t talked to Draco during breakfast or Magical History, and you could tell that it bugged him beyond thought. Good, you thought, your feelings still a bit hurt after yesterday’s chat with the girls. You knew Pansy was with him when he was ’busy’, you felt it in your gut and that dreamy smile she wore all morning just proved your suspicions.

You weren’t sure what they did, but…Maybe you didn’t even want to find out.

Divination was never your favourite lesson, but it was certainly hilarious since you sat with Blaise. He was as charming as ever, and Millicent beside you couldn’t help but steal glances at him whilst he talked to you.

“Look at that…” He licked his lips with a wolfish smirk, making you gaze at him curiously. His eyes trailed a female Hufflepuff who had just walked in the classroom “-there are some fine hotties in different houses.” You raised a brow at him, and he glanced at you “What? Can’t I admire?”

Millicent shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her eyes displaying displeasure.

“I suppose there’s no harm in it.” Your answer was not satisfactory to either of them “Different houses have some nice students.”

“To be honest…” He mumbled, his eyes still following the pretty girl “I think she’s quite bad.” You had to hold in a snort as he grinned.

Your (colour) eyes found your boyfriend, he sharing a table with Pansy and Goyle. You narrowed your hues softly, tensing your jaw. She was also looking at him, her eyes dazed and a small smile playing on her lips.

“I’m guessing he’s in trouble again?” Blaise asked, following your gaze. You didn’t reply “He wasn’t with Pansy, if that’s what you were worried about. He was with me.”

“And what exactly was so important?” You shot, coldly. Blaise raised his hands up.

“Now, now, no need to get feisty” A smile was playing in his voice “Umbridge proposed a deal for us.”

“What deal?”

“Just to, you know, keep an eye out for anyone who’s…acting suspicious” He explained “The whole ordeal with Potter has left her a bit…on edge.” He watched your face, making sure you were listening closely “We’d get privileges. No more detentions. No more flunking tests.” His eyes pierced you like a needle “We’d have more power than prefects.”

You frowned.

“And why didn’t I hear of this?” You asked, turning away from his snake like eyes. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him shrug.

“She probably doesn’t want to get you involved since she knows your family” Blaise explained “And besides, you weren’t exactly within arm’s reach” He added, his gaze turning sharp “Where were you?”

“Studying.” You told bluntly.

“And before that?”

“…Studying.” You squeezed out, and you could tell he didn’t believe you. He sent a look Millicent’s way and the girl bit her lip, guilty. You noted this little act, and nearly groaned – Blaise knew you were with Potter. And if he knew, then Draco was sure to find out if he already wasn’t aware - “But alright.” You quickly mumbled before he could come up with any more questions “That still doesn’t explain why she is so bloody happy.” You finished, your hues travelling to the dark haired girl. She saw you staring and gave you a smile.

You, begrudgingly, gave one back.

“Pansy was there too” Millicent stated “And you weren’t. You can bet she’s ecstatic with spending time with him away from you.”

Their explanations seemed reasonable, but you still weren’t that keen on trusting anyone’s word. You’d have to find out the truth on your own.

…

…

…

“Now, take the pot-“

“Take the pot” Blaise mocked the teacher. He’s been doing that for nearly an hour, and she had yet to notice.

“-and fill your cup to the very surface. Don’t blow on it.” Blaise snorted “Gulp it all down in one go. Then, and only then, may you look at the tea leafs.”

“This is ridiculous…” You muttered, filling your cup with boiling hot water.

“No, don’t blow on it!” Trelawney screamed, her hand latching itself onto your housemates wrist “You’ll blow the magic away!”

“But it’s hot!” the girl complained. The professor shook her head.

“Y-you must…” She stammered, but the Slytherinette didn’t listen.

Taking your porcelain cup you felt the pads of your fingertips burn from the heat. You frowned, softly, bringing the liquid to your lips.

“(Name), don’t be stupid” Blaise stared at you “You’ll burn your bloody tongue off.”

You ignored him, bracing yourself for the hot beverage to sting your mouth.

But it didn’t. The tea was pleasantly warm, and in one big gulp you drank it, setting the cup back to the saucer.

“It’s not hot.” You said, flipping some pages of your Divination book “It’s enchanted. Drink up.” You told. Blaise shared a look with Millicent.

Why were you so keen on knowing your fortune anyway? It’s not like you believed in this stuff.

Your finger wrapped around the now empty cup, eyes gazing down to look at what sort of picture the tea leafs formed. Tilting your head to the side, a questionable look formed as you failed to understand what the hell they looked like.

Peeking at you book; you flipped a couple more pages, but didn’t find anything close to resembling your image.

“I will…feel unhappy till rain washes away my pain?” Millicent read hers out loud. She looked up from her book, giving you a deadpan look “Why did I take this stupid class again?”

“Yours is better than mine” Blaise blurred “A sudden loss will affect your mentality and you will go insane.” He read off “Why is it that every time I take my fortune someone has to die?” Millicent giggled at his comment. You raised a brow.

“Talk about Debby Downer…” You mumbled, still unsure of what your leafs meant. Finally, you found something resembling it.

“If the tea leafs are burned that means change will affect your life strongly” You read “The position of…” You trailed off, your eyes skimming down the lines “-make your loved ones suffer?” You lifted your eyes up from the book, sharing confused look with Blaise and Millicent “So…There will be a change that will make my loved ones suffer?”

“I think you’re reading too much into this, (Name).” Blaise said, shutting your book “This is a load of bullshit and you know it.”

~*~

Perhaps you unconsciously wanted to know your fortune because you felt something might happen….

Perhaps it was because you didn’t sleep well….

Though, the first one was more likely.

The Slytherin table was deadly quiet, as was the whole Great Hall. You glared fiercely at Pansy who was standing, a scowl gracing her pug like features. You sat next to Blaise, arms crossed over your chest and anger burning in your heart – how dare she insult you.

After the tea fiasco you had to sit through one more boring lesson before stumbling into the Great Hall for lunch.

And that’s when she hugged your boyfriends arm, pushing him to sit with her as you stared.

“Can’t you see?” She growled at you, sneering as your stoic expression didn’t change “He doesn’t want you” A small smirk tilted at the corner of her mouth “He wants me.”

“Chiudi il becco [1]” you growled, abruptly hopping on your feet. You felt your cheeks burn in anger and you nearly smirked when her gaze faltered, unnerved “I suggest you stay away from what is mine, Pansy.”

She narrowed her eyes, refusing to back down.

“You really are as dumb as you seem in Potions” She hissed at you  “You’re old news, (Name)-“

“Calm down, the both of you-“

“-Pansy, I think that’s enough-“ Mona tried to interfere, sending a dirty look to the onlookers who were ogling at your table. Her words were encouraging enough – the Great Hall fell back into awkward chatter sending silent glances at your form.

Your eyes shifted from her triumphant smile to Draco, quietly taking a sip from his glass. You stared at your boyfriend, hoping he’d deny what that pug-faced-best-friend of yours said, but he avoided your demanding (colour) orbs.

You swallowed, hard, feeling your insides sting as if poked by a hundred needles. Your nails dug into your soft palm as you held the urge to bite your lip or take out your wand and hex the both of them to oblivion.

You really hated when Draco decided to play his stupid little revenge games.

But if that’s how he wanted to do – then so be it.

Collecting your pride of the floor you closed your eyes and took a deep breath in, exhaling in the next second and rewarding him with the last loving look you’d send his way. At least for now.

“Have fun with your new little toy, you brat.” You spat at him, your gaze hardening. He stiffened, shooting his head to you – he did not expect you to give up. Panic suddenly filled him, Draco tried opening his mouth to say something, anything, but it felt clogged and he found himself having trouble to breath normally.

You knew what you did cannot be undone – and surely when your family found out you’d hear no end of it, but for now you felt bittersweet. A victory tinned with blood.

Flipping your hair, you grabbed your book back and turned away from the Slytherin table. Without a glance back, you trotted out the Great Hall, feeling acid burn your throat, eyes stinging and your vision too blurry to be normal.

…

…

…

You found yourself inhaling cold damp air, your face met with darkness of your favourite hiding place. Flinging the bag somewhere near the bench, you threw yourself on it. Your feet were sore from running all the way from the castle to here, cheeks burning hot like your forehead.

Salty tears slid down your cheeks, a hand covering your mouth to silence the whimpers that threatened to escape.

…You weren’t sure how much time did you spent there, alone in the dark crying, but gradually you felt your heavy chest lift just a bit from the familiar surroundings. Gulping, you rubbed your eyes, sniffling and mumbling some curses in Italian before another tear escaped your reddened orb.

You must’ve looked like a mess – hair knotted from the wind, face rosy red and puffy, eyes big as moons and uniform dirty from squeezing past dusty narrow spaces. But you pushed those pesky thoughts out of your head – the last thing anyone would care about was your appearance once you’d show up again.

God, you hated Draco and what he was doing to you. He was selfish, snobbish and, and-

-You still loved him.

Your stomach flipped and you felt a new wave of dread wash over you. You shook your head, as if hoping to clear it. Of course, that didn’t work.

And Pansy. You will get back at her for this, for taking what’s yours, for ruining your reputation – for everything.

…But would you really? You weren’t cruel; you weren’t like most of them. Maybe if you were you wouldn’t be in such a pitiful situation right now.

Alas, contemplating on what could have been was not an option.

Instead, you took out your wand out of your wrinkled robe, murmuring a soft Lumos. The former garden lit up white. The glossy walls gleamed, puddles of water resting under your feet. You groaned, only now noticing the heavy rain hitting the glass roof above your head.

The damp air was cold and refreshing, cooling your skin and calming your erratic heart. Sighing, you leaned back to rest your head on the wall. Shutting your eyes, you listened to the humming rain.

You didn’t want to go back. You didn’t want to face them; you didn’t want to deal with any trouble you got yourself into. You could practically hear the howler you were sure to get from your mother, about how you’re breaking the family apart, ruining the Chavarone’s relationship with the Malfoy’s, about what a bad example you are for your younger siblings-

“You really think that?” His soft voice was pleasant to your ears and you released a sad smile.

“Think what?” You cleared your throat, sending a glance at the Hufflepuff beside you. You put your quill down, the black ink leaving a couple of drops on your almost finished paper.

“That you’re a…” Cedric didn’t look at you, instead his eyes drifted to the Herbology book in front of him “-bad Slytherin?”

“Am I not?” You rose a brow “I mean, look at me” At your words, his eyes fell on you.

“I am.” He said, and for a minute you forgot what you were about to say. You cleared your throat awkwardly.

“What I was, uhm, trying to say” You tried again, finding it hard to look him in the eyes “I’m not that witty, I don’t have perfect grades-“

“And how is that bad, exactly?” He raised a brow “You almost sound like you want to be like Pansy.” You frowned, disliking how close to home he hit with that one.

Pansy was the perfect Slytherin. Popular. Cunning. Smart. A total bitch, but everyone looked up to her. Whilst you…You were the stoic Princess who hardly ever spoke. Everyone thought it was because you were the Power House of Slytherin, dating Draco and all, and refused to speak with anyone since you didn’t hold them as equals.

In reality, you just didn’t know what to say.

“But I’m a pure-blood Slytherin ‘queen’ or something, and everyone expects me to be someone I’m not” You ranted “I just…don’t know what to do.”

“How about you try being yourself?” He offered with a small smile.

How silly. You couldn’t even do such a simple request.

Parting your eyes open, you felt the heartache pass for a moment before it came back again, this time such a sharp pain that you thought you were stabbed.

Tears sprung out again.

How you needed him in a time like this.

~*~

When Harry slid through the narrow passage into the secret garden, he didn’t find you. Disappointment filled him as he shifted around uncomfortably.

The light from his wand shone on the ground, catching his eye. He noted the footprints the in the mud. So you were here after all.

But where did you go now? He could only wander.

Scratching his head, you stumbled out the hidden area, his damp clothes sticking to his body, tar like hair hiding his mark. Begrudgingly, he decided to head back to the castle – Hermione would kill him if he caught a cold.

~*~

Fixing yourself up in the girl’s bathroom was not an easy task – you fumbled and messed up with magic, accidentally changing your hair colour. Frankly, you returned it back to normal and no one was around to see your failures.

Stumbling into the hallway, you held your head high, your bag securely handing on your shoulder. There were no students around, most of them lounging in their common rooms since it was already dark outside.

The paintings around you murmured and snickered – something about an Italian girl breaking up with her boyfriend. So even the paintings knew? This was turning out to be a bigger deal than you first intended it to.

“Miss Chavarone.” Professor McGonagall called and you stopped, turning back and seeing her walking to you with a quick step “Do you have a minute?” You gulped.

“Yes, professor.” You replied with a nod. She soon reached you, and you followed her. At first you thought that you were heading to her office, but you nearly threw up when you noticed her leading you to Dumbledores office.

…

…

This was your first time here and you couldn’t take your eyes away from the numerous golden trinkets and old books adoring the shelves. The headmasters office truly felt like his – everything around here was something you imagined Dumbledore having.

“Please, take a seat” he offered after you were done inspecting some knick-knack. You nodded, hearing Professor McGonagall leave the two of you alone.

Taking a seat, you nervously fiddled with your fingers, fearing that you got in trouble.

“You needn’t worry” Dumbledore gave you a pleasant smile “I didn’t call you here to scold you, Miss Chavarone.” You felt yourself release a breath you were unaware of holding “The reason you are here is because I was asked to deliver a message” He eyed you, carefully “Your mother has informed me that your grandfather has passed away and she requested me to allow you to go home.”

Your blood ran cold. Your grandfather had died a couple of years ago; the reason for your return was completely different.

“But I denied her request.” He told and you blinked, surprised “I’m terribly sorry for your loss, Miss Chavarone, but I can’t allow you to leave when you have O.W.L’s to study for” A mischievous glint shone in his eyes – how did he know about your mothers lies you had no idea, but you were grateful he refused to let you go. You smiled “That is all. I hope to see better results in your school work.”

“Thank you, professor Dumbledore.” You said, “I will write her a letter.”

“Goodnight, Miss Chavarone.”

“Goodnight, Professor. Thank you again.”