"Are you sure you want to enter the tournament, Cedric?" Alastriona asked Cedric Diggory as they walked to the Great Hall for breakfast on the 30th of October. Tonight the students from both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would be arriving.
Cedric chuckled and slung an arm over her shoulder. "Worried, little Red?" He teased.
Alastriona scoffed, "Of course not, merely worried fame would go to your head."
Cedric laughed and they sat down at the Hufflepuff table, "I promise I'll be fine, but yes I want to enter."
"Well, okay." Alastriona breathed in deeply, "Then you have my full support."
"Thank you." Cedric smiled at her before loading up her plate with toast, bacon and scrambled eggs and put the same on his plate. "And I fully support you not breaking your nose for the rest of the school year."
Alastriona groaned and rolled her eyes, she poured herself a cup of tea and one for Cedric as well. "I didn't break my nose on purpose! But yes I shall try to avoid it from now on." Alastriona's eyes flickered briefly over to the Ravenclaw table where Cho Chang was seated and looking over at Cedric every few seconds periodically. "How're things going with Cho?"
"Slow and steady, we're just talking for now." Cedric said.
"That's all right, you've got time." Alastriona smiled at him and scooped up some eggs into her mouth.
"How about you and Draco?" It was a good time to question her considering she couldn't protest with her mouth full of eggs, "People have been chatting about how you two seem really close."
"You mean gossiping?" Alastriona mumbled right before she took a sip of tea, "There isn't anything to say really, we just like each other, I don't really expect anything because of his parents."
Cedric did not approve. "You deserve better—"
"I like him. And as long as he's somewhat in my life then that's okay, and when he's ready to actually date me then I'll be ready. Otherwise we're just friends." Alastriona's voice was strong and steady, but her eyes betrayed her as they flashed with pain at Cedric before staring down at her breakfast.
"Morning, Draco." Cedric said in a forcefully pleasant tone. Alastriona rolled her eyes, about to tell him off for trying to trick her.
"Diggory." Alastriona flinched massively, entirely unaware of Draco's presence behind her. There was no forced pleasantries in Draco's voice though, just obvious dislike. He sat by Alastriona's side and gave her a warm smile, "Morning, Red."
Alastriona glanced between the two, Cedric Diggory and Draco Malfoy, there couldn't really be two different people in the world and them sitting so close made her entirely uncomfortable.
"Oh, thank Merlin." Alastriona sighed in relief as Darcy plopped down next to Cedric.
"Have you seen who my sister is talking to?" She asked, glaring across the Hall in the direction of the Slytherin table.
They turned around and Victoria Mint was laughing happily with Olivia Goldberg, a notorious bully from Slytherin. She was in her third year and caused nothing but trouble.
Alastriona's mouth dropped open, "She tried to push someone called Luna Lovegood down a flight of stairs last year."
Lee Jordan sat down next to Darcy at that moment and began glaring at Tori from across the room. "Your sister has taken things too far, Darcy."
Before they could ask what happened they were joined by Blaise, Theo, Fred and George.
Blaise sat on Alastriona's other side and George slumped into the seat beside him. Fred took a seat on the opposite side of the table so he was facing Blaise directly and Theo took a seat next to Draco.
"She's a walking nightmare." Fred growled, looking dishevelled and sleep deprived.
Blaise asked the question everyone was thinking. "What did she do?"
"She released Nose-Biting Tea Cups into the common room," Lee said to everyone at the table, "but that was only a distraction! No one knows how she did it but she moved all of our beds and trunks and stuck them onto the roof of the Gryffindor tower. Without leaving a single bit of evidence that it was her! Besides the manic cackling, of course."
Fred rubbed some sleep out of his eyes, "I still don't know how she did it."
Alastriona shrugged, "Could have easily been done with a spell but because she's a first year I'd assume it would be with the Shrinking Solution. Then you can move what you like and either wait for the potion to wear off or you could use another potion to—" Alastriona stopped mid sentence when she felt the heat of Lee, Fred and George's glaring at her.
"Did you... help her?" George asked.
"No! Of course not! I— I just was thinking—"
Darcy leaned over the table and smacked George on the head, "She's a nerd, you idiot. Leave her alone."
George rubbed his head. Fred sighed and went back to glaring at Tori. "We don't even know where she got the tea cups from."
"Probably from Goldberg." Draco suggested.
"But Hogsmeade visits haven't even started yet." Theo replied.
"It isn't that hard to sneak out of the castle." Alastriona's cheeks grew hot as all eyes landed on her at her comment. "Not that I have!"
Draco was smirking, she was so unpredictable.
Cedric cleared his throat, Alastriona was grateful. "Not to cause alarm but over the holidays I heard a rumour that Olivia Goldberg was stealing from shops in Diagon Ally."
"Last year someone told me she tried to steal an animal from Professor Lupin's office." Theo said and glanced back at Tori and Olivia, "Is it just me or do they look as thick as thieves?"
Darcy shook her head, "No, no way she'd be stealing, she wouldn't do-" She ran a hand through her hair.
Lee put a hand on her shoulder, "Darcy, you've got to tell your parents—"
Darcy scoffed, "They won't do anything! They'd probably blame me for letting her get out of control."
"Surely if you explain-" George started but Darcy rolled her eyes and interrupted him.
"There is no explaining, okay?" Darcy clenched her hands into fists, "They wouldn't believe me and they wouldn't care that she's doing the wrong things. They. Don't. Care." She stood up and walked out.
Lee went to go after her but Alastriona shook her head and stood up, "It may be best if I go."
Lee nodded reluctantly and Alastriona left.
The group sat in silence. Without the two girls there it was... awkward.
"Oi, Diggory," Theo broke the silence, "pass me the butter, mate, I'm dying for some toast here."
Alastriona found Darcy in the Hufflepuff common room curled up on one of the purple oversized, plush couches, she was staring vacantly into the fire.
"They hate me." She stated emotionlessly.
"They don't—"
"They do. I know they wish that Victoria had been born first and then they wouldn't have bothered with a second. I just- I just wish that I'd been born into a different family... I wish I had been born into your family. I wish you were my real sister and that your family was my real family." Darcy mumbled, eyes shining with unshed tears.
"You are." Alastriona said, she took a seat next to her friend and leaned on her heavily. "You're my sister and you're Finn's niece and the grandchild of Maeve and Sloane and none of that is up for debate."
"Red—"
"No debate." Alastriona stared into the fire as well, "We don't get to choose the family we're born into, but we do get to choose our family. Our real family. And because of you and the boys I've got a sister and two brothers and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world, Darcy."
Darcy's tears spilled over and she sniffed before she launched into Alastriona's arms and cried into her robes.
"I don't know what I would've done if you and Uncle Finn hadn't taken me in!" Darcy hiccuped violently.
Alastriona ran a hand down her friends hair, "I'm confident that no matter what House either of us had been in that we would've become sisters regardless."
She sniffed and looked up at her friend, "Really?"
"There's no doubt in my mind."
And there really wasn't. Alastriona believed, with all her heart, that she was fated to find Darcy no matter what. Alastriona had always craved for a sibling and when she became friends with Darcy something within her just latched on and there was no letting go, not now or ever.
"Should we write a letter to Uncle Finn?" Alastriona asked.
Darcy sat up and wiped away her tears, "We'll be late for Charms class."
Alastriona grinned, "You're already a genius in Charms, you can tutor me later."
The girls sat at the table and each wrote a letter to Uncle Finn, they stuffed them into the same envelope and Alastriona popped it into her pocket, reminding herself to visit the owlery later to give it to Arwen.
By the time they finished they'd missed Charms class entirely and decided to have lunch in the kitchens with the House-Elves who were very happy to spend time with the two Hufflepuffs.
The rest of the day passed by quickly as the two girls laughed together, they felt closer than ever, Darcy hadn't realised that she'd been waiting for that reassurance from Alastriona that they felt the same way and now that she felt she finally had a family that loved and cared for her she didn't think anything could bring her down.