GOLDEN || T. NOTT ✓

five | hogwarts

"I quite like your natural hair." Theo shrugs, Paz launching her spoon at him in response. "Ouch! Merlin Paz, gimme a break!"

The start of term speech soon began, though, Snape was giving it rather than Dumbledore. Snape, the man that killed Dumbledore. Paz felt sick to her stomach as Snape went over new rules and guidelines for this year, as well as introducing several new staff members.

"Taking over for Muggle Studies, Professor Alecto Carrow, and taking over Dark Arts, Professor Amycus Carrow."

Whispers broke out within the Great Hall, nearly everyone noticing Snape had purposely left out 'Defense Against' right before the Dark Arts part. After the feast, each house walked back to their respective common rooms. Theo, Blaise, Pansy and Paz claimed a small corner in the Slytherin common room to catch up before heading off to bed.

"When Snape said Dark Arts, you don't, you don't think he means learning the Dark Arts, do you?" Paz asks, looking towards her friends for answers. Pansy sighs, Blaise and Theo avoid eye contact.

"It's bad out there, Paz," Blaise finally speaks up, "This year, it'll be as if we're all being trained to become Death Eaters. And if someone doesn't go along with it, well..."

"Now all those other bloody houses will get a taste of what we had to deal with growing up." Theo stated, Paz shooting him a glare.

"No one should have to deal with what we did, Nott. My friends are good, them being forced through something like this," Paz pauses for a moment, "It'll make them realize just how bad I am."

Pansy puts a protective arm around her sister, pulling her close. The small lot sitting in that corner weren't good like Potter, Weasley or Granger, but they weren't bad either. Especially not Paz.

"You're the best from all of us, Paz," Pansy mumbled, giving Paz an assuring squeeze, "It's us that'll be battling you guys in the end, right?"

Blaise chimes in, "Your name, Paz, actually means peace and golden. You were meant to be the good guy."

Paz looks up to him, smiling, "We were all meant to be the good guys, don't you think?"

The three others grow uncomfortable with this comment. Theo nearly immediately got up and left after that statement, Blaise following after him. Pansy, sighing, bid her younger sister a goodnight and headed off to her own dormitory, leaving Paz all alone.

She sat back in the large chair she was placed in, realizing winning those three over to fight with her and not against her would be a fairly hard task. Paz wondered, of course, why they were still talking to her at all, as they did seem very against everything Paz was for. Crabbe and Goyle immediately stopped speaking to her last year, though Theo, Blaise and Pansy acted as if nothing changed. Draco seemed to be caught in the middle, Paz had hope.

She had hope for her friends and sister, knowing they weren't fully gone just yet. Everything would turn out just fine, Paz was sure of it.

-- -- -- -- --

Paz's first class the next morning was Herbology with the Ravenclaw's. She was happy to find Luna there right as she walked into the green house, the two partnering up for the remainder of the year.

"How is Pansy, Theo and Blaise?" Luna asks, seeming genuinely interested.

"Quite alright, just, not on our side." Paz sighed.

Luna tilted her head, "Not many are, but I'm sure they'll come around."

Paz was grateful for the blonde Ravenclaw that stood beside her, she somehow always knew what to say. Most of the time it didn't make the most sense to Paz, though she still somehow understood exactly what Luna meant.

Herbology went by fairly quickly, as it was an overall review of what this year would hold in store for the sixth years. Luna and Paz parted ways afterwards, as Luna had Potions with the Hufflepuffs while Paz had Dark Arts with the Gryffindors.

She found her way to the classroom, taking a seat at an empty desk near the middle of the room. Only Astoria was in the room with another Slytherin sixth year, though they sat in the front of the room, busy in conversation.

Ginny had eventually arrived, plopping down next to Paz.

"Muggle Studies might possibly be the worst class Hogwarts is offering this year," She mumbles, her head falling into her hands.

"How so?" Paz questions, as she has it tomorrow afternoon.

"It's not what Professor Burbage's class was like at all, that bloody Alecto went on and on about how wizards are the superior beings, Muggles are idiotic and inferior to us, all that crap. It's awful."

Paz's attention was drawn away from Ginny as she watched Amycus Carrow strut into the room. Ginny followed her gaze, noticing the class grow silent as he reached the front of the room.

He was an average looking man, though something about him seemed oddly sinister. Paz's stomach felt queasy when the Carrow smiled, just before waving his wand, causing the door to shut and lock.

"Welcome to Dark Arts," he smiles, beginning to pace slowly in front of his desk, "The curriculum slightly changed over the summer holiday. Half of this class with be reading and learning about the Dark Arts, while the other half will be practicing and demonstrating the Dark Arts, am I quite clear?"

The class stayed silent, several students nodding their heads in agreement.

"I said, am I quite clear?"

A wave of "Yes, Professor" 's flooded the room, causing Carrow to smile.

"This first week will be all book work and essay's. Your first essay will be done in class now, one foot of parchment on why the Cruciatus Curse is the perfect form of punishment when a student steps out of line."

The class, once again, stayed silent. "Well, off to work then."

Amycus sat at his desk, taking occasional glances across the room to make sure no students were speaking. Paz was nearly a full paragraph upon noticing Ginny hadn't started her essay whatsoever. She nudged her, once gaining her attention, motioning towards her blank parchment.

Ginny shook her head, then looking down to Paz's parchment. She had expected something like this to come easy to Paz, though for her, it was difficult.

Paz understand of course, as Theo said the day prior, we were all raised differently. It's all the summers enduring the Cruciatus curse that kept Paz writing, until she realized she had finished with a foot and a quarter of parchment.

Looking back down to Ginny's paper, she noticed Ginny had finally began writing. She softly smiled, knowing this would keep Ginny from receiving punishment. It was obvious to her that Amycus is having them write this in order to scare them into following all the new rules at Hogwarts. It was only a matter of time until he would be wanting Paz and the others to practice the Cruciatus on each other.

Though, Paz thinks that is where she will draw the line.

yay back to hogwarts!!

gia