Purple Rain.

Chapter Thirty-Two.

"I'm shopping, not clubbing," (Y/n) said coolly. The girl raised her chin.

"The whole school and the wizarding world know all about you," said the girl in a dignified tone. "You aren't special just because you have a new guy every week. They're only pitying you because you've just lost your boy toy but they'll be gone the moment they open their eyes and realize what you are." (Y/n) knew far better than to let her wall of fake confidence break, but gosh, did those comments hurt.

"Harsh," (Y/n) said shortly. Opting to be the bigger person, she turned on her heels and slipped back on her headphones, walking away very aware of what the girls were saying behind her back. 
(Y/n) really couldn't win, could she? Moving on would mean all kinds of talking behind her back but continuing to hold on to what could have been a lifelong relationship only kept Cassius from passing on into the afterlife and made her friends continue to worry about her. Years of being isolated by her peers made (Y/n) stop caring about what they thought about her, but they could get quite nasty and hit where it stings.
It was (Y/n) who toughened up all by herself after time and time again of being proven she was replaceable. A few months of being shunned by her House over losing fifty points; A few days of being petrified and she was proven that barely anyone noted her absence; A year of being half-present in favour of assisting Sirius and reading her mum's journals; An entire year of being shamed for liking a boy and having friends that were boys at the same time. (Y/n) powered through it all with only one lasting wound and ever-growing self-doubt. With all of her bottled-up feelings, (Y/n) knew she could break down at any given moment and that, perhaps, would be (Y/n)'s largest breaking point.

(Y/n) paused right outside Hog's Head and took a brief moment to collect herself. She wasn't going to let those girls win so, despite being freezing, she kept her jacket off and strode inside, bopping her head as though she had actually been paying attention to whatever was playing from her walkman.

"Hey! Glad you could make it," (Y/n) greeted the Slytherins who were lingering by the door. "Hi, Tori, how'd your first Hogsmeade weekend going?" Astoria Greengrass beamed at (Y/n).

"She won't leave my side," Daphne said, torn between exasperation and fondness for her younger sister.

"I don't think they want us here," Lorenzo Berkshire whispered. (Y/n) followed his gaze and the moment Hermione caught her gaze, she waved (Y/n) over.

"I'll, uh, be right back," (Y/n) promised. She strolled casually over to (Y/n), slipping off her headphones as she went. "What's up?"

"Well, I'm not trying to judge, but..." Hermione threw a wary glance at the Slytherins. (Y/n) rose her eyebrow.

"Hermione—"

"You invited them here, right? And you're positive they won't... rat us out?" Hermione interrupted. 

"If we're going to pick and choose, why is a second year here at Hogsmeade?" (Y/n) retorted.

"Huh? Where?" Hermione asked, whipping her head around the room. 

"Dennis," (Y/n) answered. "How'd he even get down here?"

"Are we really going to let a second year join?" Harry mumbled. "He won't even be able to do much." Hermione opened and closed her mouth, torn between wanting to start the meeting and scolding Dennis and sending him back up to the castle. 

"We'll worry about that later..." Hermione mumbled.  "Back to the others... I've got no doubts on Daphne but them?"

"Mattheo lives with Tonks," (Y/n) said.

"I didn't know that," Harry chimed. "He's already cool in my book after the Chamber business."

"Astoria is Daphne's little sister," (Y/n) said. "Follows her everywhere and Lorenzo's the Slytherin equivalent of Cedric Diggory."