I knew the moment I first kissed him, that he would condemn me, that I would drag myself through broken glass for him. I just was not sure if he would stay long enough to pull the jagged pieces out.
I never imagined that instead, he would push the...
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Loyalty was a fickle thing. It could be earned through multiple conditions and circumstances, yet it was devastatingly easy to lose. Some considered that it came in the form of friendship or love or trust or— I could go on for eternity.
However, my loyalty came in the form of self-interest. Well, who was I fooling? That was just my fancy way of saying that I was selfish.
Maybe I would come to regret it one day, but most likely I would not, since regret was a feeling I had only recently become acquainted with.
And I knew these inner musings of mine were only there so I could justify my self-serving actions.
'She would understand my reasoning', I kept repeating to myself as I slipped the note with the transfigured handwriting in between the pages of Walburga's book. It was cruel of me to ignite false hope in the girl with the little piece of parchment that she would come to find soon. And it was especially cruel of me to set her up for the embarrassment and heartbreak that would inevitably follow sue after she would read and act upon it.
I placed the book back in her bag carefully before leaving the dormitory without a trace. I headed towards the Great Hall in order to get food down into my system. And to see if my plan was at work as it was supposed to be.
I heard the echo of shoes clicking against the floor before I felt a new presence beside me. "Good morning, Av!" Her voice was as chipper as ever as she interlocked her arm with mine. Visha was glowing with excitement, her eyes shining in mischief as she gazed ahead at the corridor before us.
"Morning, V." I greeted her with less enthusiasm since I could not bring myself to match the level of her thrill. It did not go unnoticed by the girl and I could see her frown a little from the corner of my eye.
"If this is about Black, I assure you, you should not feel so bad about it. She is a horrible person." She attempted to reason. "Do you know the extent to which she goes to in order to bully young muggle-borns?" When she was met with silence, she sighed in exasperation. "Do you know there is a Ravenclaw second-year who constantly locks herself in the girl's bathroom because she is terrified of what your dear friend Walburga Black and Olive Hornby might do to her? I always find her sobbing in the stall during my Prefect patrols. And she is only one of the many victims."
I shut my eyes in frustration. I did not wish to hear any more of that. "Look, Visha. I appreciate you trying to make me feel better about this, but Wal and I are friends. She has been a good friend to me ever since I came here."
I felt the witch untangle our arms. "So what? You are aware she is only so good to you because of your powerful bloodline? You are Merlin's descendant, of course, she has befriended you! Not to mention she has been noticing the attention that Riddle keeps giving you continuously without you asking for it. She has been chasing after him for years, and he has not even glanced twice her way." She halted in her steps to take in a deep breath and her voice wavered as she spoke once again. "You really care for that kind of person?" Her accusing tone jabbed at me and I had to stop as well so I could turn to look at her.
