The cold air was cutting through her bare skin. Her long black hair was flowing behind her like a halo of darkness. Her once lively brown eyes looked dead. One would mistake her for a dead body if she was not standing and humming away some sad song.
Time was unknown to her. She had been standing in the same position for quite a while. Her mind was blank. Her body was unresponsive. She just stared and stared till her eyes were filled with water. But the tears had dried long ago.
She had told Tom the greatest thing that she kept from him. She was Leo. The girl that had only tried to keep a promise but didn't know how it was affecting him as well as herself.
Was she selfish?
Maybe.
But for once, Tom was not the bad guy in the story. She was. She knew that and she was drowning in her own despair.
She had expected the heir of Slytherin to scream at her. He should have done something to hurt her. Maybe even torture her for a while for the sake of her own sanity. But when she had revealed her true identity, the boy did nothing. He only left, not sparing another glance towards her.
His worried expression had changed to that of a cold and distant look within a second. Leo had that image burned into her memories and it brought shivers down her body every moment she would remember it.
The soft orange light from the morning sun reflected in her lifeless orbs. She had to look away from the brightness. It was time to head back but she didn't have the energy to face the day. But Leo had missed enough classes.
The girl dragged her body towards the Ravenclaw dorms. The common room already had a few students completing their last moment homeworks. She sighed and went towards her dorm room to change into her uniforms.
Leo didn't even dare to look into the mirror. The whispers coming from all around her were enough to let her know that she looked like a dead rat who was washed off by the hurricane.
The girl almost tripped four times while running towards her classes. She decided to skip breakfast, something she would never do if it were a normal day. But at present, the thought of food didn't sit well with her stomach.
Professor McGonagall's class was empty. Only the frail lady was sitting behind her desk and correcting papers. When Leo was the first student to enter the class, the professor assumed that it was a trick of light.
She was about to say a few mean words to the girl but when she noticed the crestfallen look on her usual mischievous face, she stopped. Leo tried to make herself as small as possible when she noticed McGonagall coming to her.
"Ms Wright?"
The girl flinched at the mention of her name.
"Are you quite alright? You look...stressed..." The teacher trailed off.
Leo fiddled with her fingers.
"Is something bothering you, dear?" The professor asked while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Leo shook her head weakly. Before McGonagall could press any further, students started gathering inside. The teacher shot her one last look of concern before starting her class.
Leo's mind could barely register what everyone was saying. Every class felt like an eternity. Time had stopped for her. Who knew the heir of Slytherin could affect her life to this extent? She wanted to scold herself for being friends with him. If he would just vent out all his anger at her, she would have been okay. That was normal. But now, Tom was ignoring her entire existence.
She had crossed paths with him twice in the hallways. But he didn't spare her a glance. Maybe a hateful glare would also bring some peace in her mind. But he just continued walking along with his followers behind him.
When Leo was standing in front of the Divination class, her feet didn't let her move forward. That was the class she shared with him besides Defense Against the Dark Arts and Advanced Arithmancy.
"How long do you plan to stand in the middle of the entrance and look like an idiot?"
Leo stiffened at Tom's voice as he was right behind her. She practically jumped a few feet above the ground in order to make way for him. The boy didn't spare her a glance as he went to sit in their assigned table.
Leo bit the inside of her cheek and took her seat beside Tom. An uncomfortable silence fell over them. Leo constantly shifted around her seat trying to find something interesting among the other students. Tom was glaring holes into his Divination book.
Leo flinched when he heard the boy sigh beside her. Tom fished something out of his pocket and slammed his hand on the table.
Poor Leo was not ready for that. She jumped out of chair and fell on the floor trying to cover her face to avoid any sort of spell thrown at her. When she felt no pain, she peeked through her fingers to the boy still glaring at his book.
The whole class stared at her like she had two heads on her shoulder. She cleared her throat and stood up trying to play it off cool. She dusted her wrinkled uniform ignoring the snickers from the students. She wanted to throw herself out of the window.
When she sat down in her place, her face paled as soon as she noticed the small piece of jewellery on her table. It was her engagement ring. It was with him all along and he had decided to return just when Leo was already drowning in guilt.
She turned to face him but got ignored. A sudden flame of anger ignited in her heart. If he wanted attitude, she would give him attitude. With a bitter smile on her face, she wore the ring on her slender finger. At that moment it was decided- Leo would use the 'Mean Girls' card on The heir of Slytherin.
••••••••••••••••
Now, there is a saying that goes something like this-
It is easier said that done.
Right now, Leo exactly knew what it meant. On her way towards the Ravenclaw dorms to initiate her plan, she had overheard a few girls talking about her. Being the child of God she was, she obviously eavesdropped on them.
"She is not any one special." A girl with red hair said, most probably talking about Leo.
"I know. I was wondering why Riddle was spending so much of his time with her," a blonde said while waving her hand in the air for some extra affect.
"He was most probably blackmailed by her. Or worse, she used love potion on him!"
Leo raised her eyebrow at the accusation. As if she would spend her precious money in buying that for that stupid leprechaun.
"Well, now he finally realised how unworthy she is," the red head giggled.
"I know! Did you ever see her wearing her clothes properly?!"
"She sits like a man!" Red exclaimed making the blonde cover her mouth in fear.
"She eats like a pig and does not even know how to knit," blonde said as if it was the most horrible thing in the world.
I can throw a good punch though.
Leo thought to herself before shaking her head and making her through the corridors. The 1940s sure was weird. But not very different from the highschool from her time.
No matter how much she knew she was okay being the weirdo, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit insecure. Who knew how much they gossiped about her? Maybe Tom saw her the same way too. She was not as elegant and graceful like others. She was not well mannered or well spoken.
In a world full of circles, she was the only triangle.
Not the best metaphor but it still made sense.
The girl was so deep into her own world, she barely noticed the two boys leaned against a wall, hidden in the shadows. What grabbed her attention were the lewd noises they were producing. As soon as her eyes fell on them, she immediately backed off, trying not to get noticed.
Alas, luck was not on her side!
She tripped on her own shoelace and a small yelp erupted from her throat when she tried to gain her balance. This small sound caught their attention. The boys pushed off of each her and came into the light.
Leo was immediately face to face with her childhood friend Zayden and a familiar looking Slytherin. Zayden looked like he wanted to run away to some place and the boy beside him was just glaring at her with his piercing blue eyes.
"M-may! Wh-when did you get here?!" Zayden stuttered.
Before she could answer, the dark skinned Slytherin grabbed her by the collar and lifted her off the ground easily, "How much did you see?"
Leo tried to pry of his hands but he was too strong for her.
"I saw enough! Le-let go of me," she groaned out. Zayden tried to stutter out a few word but failed due to fear.
"I won't tell this to anyone! Now let go!"
"Ma-markus, I think you should let her go," Zayden whispered and the boy finally dropped her to the ground. Leo coughed a few times to catch her breath.
She stood up on her feet and glared at the couple in front of her. Markus, who she guessed was Zayden's boyfriend, glared back at her. He scoffed and faced Zayden who looked everywhere except Leo's eyes.
"Do what you should have done a long time ago," Markus commanded and walked away to give them some space. Leo frowned in confusion. It was not like she was judging them. In fact, she was happy for her friend. He finally found someone he could love.
Zayden took in a deep breath, "May, I think it is time for us to end this friendship."
Leo gaped at him. She was not even sure how to react to that. When she didn't speak, Zayden decided to continue.
"We were already drifting apart. You were always with Tom and barely spoke to me. Now that I have Markus, I realised that he is all I need. I...don't want to...be associated with you. I don't want your reputation in this school affecting me," he finished.
Leo could only stare at her green eyed friend. She snapped out of her daze when Markus cleared his throat. Zayden spared her one last glance and walked away to who knows where.
Leo didn't even realise that she was crying. The tears burned the corners of her eyes. She dragged herself towards the Ravenclaw dorms trying to keep herself together. When she entered, she made her way to her room and flopped on the bed.
What she felt was only anger. The world was not fair to her. Nothing was fair anymore. She wiped her tears furiously and tried to calm down.
Nothing will change unless she changed herself.
That was what she was going to do.
Leo waited till everyone fell asleep. Her stomach made thundering noises due to the hunger she felt but she ignored it. Her eyes scanned her wide open trunk. Dumbledore had helped her to bring a few things from her home with the help of Edna, her house elf.
She was not surprised when she saw a few pretty dresses, combs and beauty products lying in one corner of the trunk. A shiver ran down her body when a thought struck her.
I am changing myself for someone else once again.
She bit her lips and shook off the thought. She was doing it to prove everyone wrong. She was not worthless. She was someone who needed to be respected. With a firm nod, she grabbed her soaps and shampoo and headed towards the stairs which would take her to the fifth floor where the prefects bathroom was situated.
She was planning to cross paths with Peter in order to take the password. Not the greatest idea but she could make it work. She climbed a few steps of stair and turned a few corners. Lo and behold, Peter was walking by and was met with her brown eyes. The sight of him reminded her of the bruise that was still healing. She ignored it as her lips were pulled into a fake smile.
He frowned when the girl beamed at him. She confidently walked towards him and gave a firm pat on his shoulder, "Peter! How are you this lovely evening?!"
Peter visibly flinched at her high pitched voice. A few seconds passed in silence as Leo started to regret her decisions. Soon, Peter let out a defeated sigh. The boy engulfed her in his arms making her bite back a scream.
"I apologize for the way I acted last time," he said as he pushed her back slightly and stared at her face. Leo tried to say something but was silenced by his fingers on her lips. Her eyes widened and she almost crawled out of her skin.
"I was worried that you would leave me for the golden boy of Hogwarts. I was never the one to stand out. You were the one to find me crying alone. So please, let me be the only one to comfort you too," he finished.
Leo tilted her head.
So, basically he was saying the same thing but in a polite way.
Peter smiled to himself when he noticed the engagement ring on her finger. He took her hand in his and pressed a firm kiss on it.
Leo had to use all of her will power to prevent herself from slapping the boy.
"I see you have found the ring. Anyways, what are you doing outside this late? You know I can punish you for that," he said with a mischievous smirk.
Leo gagged internally but smiled at him, which probably looked like she was about to cry.
"I was searching for you, actually-"
Peter immediately stepped closer to with a hopeful look on his face.
Not today, Satan.
Leo thought and side stepped him in an instant like the ninja she was.
"I was wondering if you could give me the password to the prefects bathroom..." She trailed off when Peter started smiling wider.
"Do you perhaps want me to join you?" He asked making his voice a bit deeper.
Mother of cheese bags! What is wrong with this boy?
"No, why would I want that?" She deadpanned. Peter was taken aback by the sudden change of her tone. He rubbed his nape and flashed her an awkward smile.
"I was only joking. Th-the password is 'cheese cake'."
Leo nodded once and left the stuttering boy behind. The audacity of some people. How dare he even think that she would allow something like that to happen?
Leo grumbled all the way towards the bathroom. She muttered the passwords and entered once the door opened. She placed all her things beside the huge tub already filled with hot water and tons of bubbles.
Making sure she locked the doors behind her properly, she stripped out of her clothes and sunk into the water till her nose. A sigh of satisfaction left her lips. She stayed there in silence, doing absolutely nothing for a few minutes.
Once her body and mind calmed down, she started washing her hair and body with the fragrant soaps. They smelled like lavender, unlike her usual vanilla scented stuff. The smell was too strong for her own nostrils but she ignored it.
The next few hours were spent in rubbing her skin with six different kinds of beauty creams and oils until she felt like a whole new person.
She was ready to show everyone that she was worth much more.
A/N: those who think that they need to change themselves for someone else, STOP!
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, OKAY?!
ANYWAY- forgot to turn off the caps😅
Sorry for the short chapter.
I promise to write more in the next one.
Don't feel shy to vote and comment.
Byeeeee(◍•ᴗ•◍)✧*。
- Mahee