tell me if you prefer long chapters like this.
september third, potions, 9:13 am .
"Welcome back." Slughorn began, standing behind a desk that held small flasks and cauldrons, "I'm assuming you're now well rested, it's been twenty four hours."
"And it's not enough." Sydney muttered, fiddling with the pages of her textbook.
"Upon everyone's arrival," the professor continued, speaking slowly as students blinked away the sleep - "I'll choose your partners for you, - each pair have to work on first semester assignments together."
"after Christmas break, the first semester will be over. And you'll have to finish the last graduation assignment, on your own."
"Great." Sydney huffed, leaning back in her chair. The fabric of her white shirt stretched delicately over her soft skin and she had her red hair in a braid. There was a crease between her brows from the frown she kept.
Maya sat next to her, lost in thought.
Her focus drifted to random items in the room, her gaze refusing to remain fixed. Her light brown hair fell in waves that framed her face, soft strands the color of chestnut.
The Light blue hues she possessed, the ones that were always mistaken for pale grey, finally settled on the dusty cover of her borrowed potions textbook.
She came a few minutes before everyone else and took it out of the cupboard to refrain being under her classmates' watchful eyes.
"Never thought I'd say this," Isaac began, making Maya's head turn toward him.
He sat in the desk next to theirs, without company, cracking his knuckles with impatience as they waited for class to start. "But this isn't the same without Snape."
Maya nodded slowly, remembering how weird it felt to look at the professor's table during the sorting - and find Snape's chair, the one that usually sat at the end, empty.
And it wasn't because he was running late or because he was preparing another test for them to take. It's because he's gone.
"He always bullied the shit out of everyone." Sydney said, indifferently, "but yeah, it's weird, him not being here."
"We still don't know who'll be teaching the defense against the dark arts." Maya added.
"Imagine if they brought Umbridge back." Sydney suggested, fiddling with the white feather attached to the end of her quill.
"I'd drop out, - "
"And may I ask, why the three of you are late?" Slughorn suddenly said, making everyone's attention fall on the doorway.
"Sorry, professor." Blaise replied, glaring at the two boys who stood behind him, talking to one another in hushed tones.
"Nott." Malfoy whispered, stretching his hand toward the brunette, "for fuck's sake, - just give me one, I forgot mine in the dorms."
"That's not my problem, is it?"
"Stop being a pain in the ass, will you?"
Theodore rolled his eyes before he shoved a hand into his front pocket, muttering something a little too loudly under his breath.
"What was that, Mister Nott?"
"Nothing."
"Find seats. All of you." Slughorn instructed, urging them to move . Blaise found an empty chair and sat down, dropping his textbook with a loud thud on the desk.
Theodore took out a cigarette and quickly handed it to Draco, trying to avoid getting caught by their professor's gaze, "If I run out before break, I'm taking your packs, mate."
The brunette was about to finally sit down himself when his eyes focused on Sydney, her vibrant hair going unnoticed.
But his calm demeanor only shifted when he caught sight of Maya next to her,
like he wasn't expecting her to be there.
He sat next to Draco thoughtlessly, right behind the two girls. But the ease he carried before seeing them, flickered.
"Fucking hell, Pierce." Theodore snapped, his words audible enough to slip into the red head's ear. They poured waves of irritation.
Maya looked at Sydney for an explanation, - but her best friend had suddenly found the potions textbook interesting and her eyes remained fixed on the pages.
She was avoiding Nott.
A troubled feeling rose within Maya's chest.
"Blimey," Slughorn complained, the impatience coursing a path into his voice, "why are you all late today?"
Pansy stood near the door, her gaze lingering on the empty chair next to Blaise, "It was just 15 minutes." she mumbled, walking further inside. She hated being here, it was obvious.
Because silence grasped the atmosphere when she appeared, every conversation died.
People shamelessly stared.
Pansy's head was slightly bent downward, causing her raven black hair to cast a shadow on the side of her face.
But everyone knew what lied underneath.
She was the only person, the one Slytherin with a family of death eaters, who managed to betray the dark lord in the end, heedless to the consequences.
And he punished her for it.
Because Voldemort didn't hold a thread of mercy for anyone, even people who were once loyal to him and his destructive wishes.
For underneath those strands of hair she used as a shield, there was a scar that ran next to her left eye and down her jaw.
No one knew which curse Voldemort used to carve her skin, or how she survived.
But Pansy's story was whispered into many ears after her family disowned her and she found a new home with the Zabinis.
People have been trying to piece together the puzzle, guessing what happened and what didn't. Twisting the truth to fill the gaps.
Some say her parents didn't leave her, she left them. Some say they fled the country.
Some say the dark lord let her live willingly.
But mostly Hogwarts' talk was just lies - little lies piling until they form a rumor. No one really knew the full story. And no one dared to ask.
She finally sat next to Blaise with a slouched posture and bowed shoulders, as Slughorn started looking through some papers.
Maya glanced at Pansy because she was in her line of sight. And she couldn't deny that she felt nothing but immense sorrow for her.
Because the only thing everyone knows for sure is that scar wasn't her only punishment.
"When you hear your partner's name, please see that you are seated next to them in a fashionable order - you'll spend today's class planning an outline for your new assignment. Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood."
"We should tell him to scrap that bullshit and put you with Granger instead." Sydney said, getting a heavy shove from Maya in response.
"Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy."
Maya waited impatiently for her turn, hating the thought of having a partner. She exerted a lot of energy to keep herself in line. Having to worry about someone else's effort, along with hers, was simply exhausting.
"Malfoy doesn't look too thrilled, yeah?" Isaac added, taking the words off Sydney's mind.
"Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom."
"Theodore Nott and Audrey Flynn."
"We could've simply chose our own fucking partners ." Draco complained, his voice wrapped in displeasure as he stood up to find where Astoria was seated.
Sydney rolled her eyes at him, forcing Maya's lips to twist into a smile.
"Sydney Pierce and Cedric Diggory."
"Maya Leeds and Isaac Mitchell, - "
A small knock erupted, ceasing Slughron's words. The door creaked open to reveal the headmistress. "A word, Horace." McGonagall said, her eyes glancing around the room as she took in the aroma of chemicals.
The professor dropped his papers on the desk with a heavy sigh, "I'll be right back."
Once they were both outside, leaving the class unsupervised, conversations started from every direction of the crowded room.
Sydney and Isaac exchanged a few words while Maya wrote down things she needed to do on a small piece of parchment, to help guide her through the day.
The ink appeared when her hand moved, the quill staining her paper with words.
"We shouldn't have the party in the common room, everyone will be there." Draco said, lighting the cigarette between his fingers, "Let's have it in the astronomy tower. Nott?"
Theodore shrugged, "I don't care where it is, mate. As long as it's tonight. We've had that alcohol stashed in the common room since we arrived." He took out another cigarette from his pocket and reached for the lighter,
"McGonagall's been freakishly watchful this year, with her elves walking around all day." he continued, "All these bloody prefects."
The smoke slipped into Maya's nostrils, the smell making her face twist with disgust.
She glanced at them with the corner of her eye, their loudness becoming hard to ignore.
"Fine, the tower, then." Blaise finally said, "I have a free period after this, I'll set shit up because I know neither of you assholes will do it." He turned to look at the girl next to him,
"Pans?"
"Yeah?" Her head snapped in their direction like they broke her train of thought. She blinked at the three boys with a daze look of bewilderment on her face.
"Are you coming tonight?" Blaise asked quietly, tilting his head at her.
She smiled, nodding at him, "yeah, sure."
"Pansy," Theodore interrupted, his voice mixed with hidden disagreement and worry, "you don't have to come."
"It's fine, - "
"Seriously, I'll even stay with you."
"I'll be fine." Pansy repeated, "I just need company, I won't even drink."
"It's settled, then." Blaise said, pressing his elbows on the desk, "I'll tell Pucey - "
"Do we have to tell Pucey?" Draco asked, clearing his throat from the nicotine that scraped it, "he's been fucking irritating lately."
Suddenly, Theodore glanced up, almost as if he felt her stare. A frown adjusted itself on his face when he locked eyes with her, like there was nothing else he'd rather avoid.
Maya, caught off guard, quickly looked away, her gaze falling back on the desk.
She let out a small breath before the bell rang, signaling the end of their class.
Chaotically, everyone stood up at the same time, disturbing any sense of quietness as the chair legs scraped against the floor.
"You coming?" Sydney asked, raising a brow when she noticed that Maya was still seated.
Maya nodded, pretending to add more to her piece of paper though she ran out of words, "just give me a minute. I want to ask Slughorn about something."
"We'll wait for you in the transfiguration classroom, then." Sydney said, following Isaac who was already standing at the door.
When Maya felt the atmosphere around her getting quiet again, telling her that she was the only person left, - she stood up.
She wanted to return the borrowed book in case someone else needed it.
There were more students to come, and she was aware there were other people who couldn't afford to buy everything like her.
She placed the textbook back, the action causing small particles of dust to waft over her face. Coughing into her sleeve, she closed the cupboard shut just as the sound of a loud door's click grasped her attention.
"Leeds."
Her posture stiffened as she turned to face him, hoping he came back because he forgot something and she was simply in his way.
"Did you have fun eavesdropping?" he asked.
Her face formed a frown, "When was I - "
"I see you collected a lot of fucking information to give to McGonagall."
Realization dawned on her, taking away the confusion, "your voices were loud, Nott. Everyone in the room heard you."
The hostility dripped from her words.
She walked back to the desk to retrieve her quill and parchment before she heard the sound of his scuffing footsteps, inching closer instead of drifting away.
Maya looked back at him just in time to see his body take a last step, trapping her between himself and the desk.
He dropped the cigarette he consumed on the floor, burning it out with the heel of his shoe, "I don't give a shit if you're the fucking prefect, Leeds." he said, looking at her with eyes full of resentment - just like Malfoy.
They were like the same book, different cover - but same mindset, same judgment.
"So I'm going to say this once because you're not worth repeating for."
Her jaw clenched as she grew more aware of the small distance between them, just a few inches. The tension in the air was suffocating, confiding her in a tight grip.
"Don't even think about running that mouth of yours in front of any Professor. If anyone shows up tonight and we get in trouble," he nodded toward her,
"you'll be the first person I find."
His voice was hoarse from the nicotine, cold and certain as it uttered the threat.
They didn't feel like empty words. He'd go far to make her pay for it if she told on them.
"I don't care about you or your damn friends. No one does anymore." She said, sliding the handle of her bag over her shoulder before she dropped the quill inside it,
"do whatever you want."
She hoped that would be the end of it.
And she didn't care, really, she'd rather lie than get involved with someone like him. For it wasn't because of fear, simply avoidance.
Maya walked past him, reaching for the door.
She was about to exit the classroom when he gripped her elbow, forcing her steps to falter.
"Did I say I was finished?" Nott asked, slamming the door she opened to drown the noise coming from outside.
He dropped her arm right away, like even touching her repulsed him, - but their faces were an inch apart as he looked down at her.
His hues were almost unclear, a shade so dark that she knew it didn't even hold a thread to the amount of emptiness in him.
"Stay away from Sydney."
Maya held her breath like she couldn't hear him clear enough.
"You two are friends, fucking fine." He continued, his voice angry - "But you and I both know you're keeping her around so someone could spend money on you, Leeds."
Her eyes grew wide. She felt the defensiveness enclosing her body.
"And I know how much Pierce loves charity."
"Just stop." Maya snapped, a million emotions arising within the pit of her stomach that it felt overwhelming, "That's bullshit - you know nothing."
He rose a brow like he couldn't believe her.
He was surprised she believed herself.
"No, you should know that people from the lower class shouldn't even fucking walk near us." He went quiet for a second before he noticed the item attached to her clothes.
"God, even McGonagall does charity now." He finished, looking at her badge.
She fell silent, unable to find a reply for him.
Nothing she can say will hurt him as much - and she chose not to let what she felt escape, for him to watch, because she didn't trust her voice to sound calm.
She knew it would reek of emotion.
The way Theodore looked at her alone, held so much abiding hatred.
He tilted his head at her, "funny. That mouth of yours seemed to go on and on, uttering nothing but fucking nonsense, when you were bickering with Malfoy the other night."
"Why are you so speechless now, princess?"
She inhaled sharply, his words fueling her rage, "Get the fuck out, Nott."
Theodore scoffed, carelessly ignoring the way her voice changed near the end, "Gladly."
"But you heard me." He said, reaching for the doorknob, not even bothering to look back, "Stay away from Pierce."
Maya waited until he left before she allowed a loud breath to leave her parted lips.
She leaned against the desk, letting her head drop as the room turned blurry, - but she wiped at her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the tears that begged for a way out.
"You two are friends, fucking fine. But you and I both know you're keeping her around so someone could spend money on you."
Frustrated, she started harshly picking at a loose thread in her sleeve.
Her mind will lock up those words and keep them on repeat for weeks to come.
Everything seemed to fall into place now.
This is what he talked to Sydney about, why a fight initiated between them on the first night back. He told her to stay away from Maya, and possibly Isaac, because they ruined her reputation amongst the upper classes.
Because their presence wasn't good for her.
They weren't good for her.
And Maya hated him, now more than ever, because he just tried to convince her that she's using her best friend. He planted a seed in her head and it only deemed to grow.
She said so little to prove he was wrong, too caught off guard to think of replies to give him. Her quietness probably handed him the satisfaction he craved.
The girl swallowed her infuriating tears before she could cave and let them fall, before they swallow her. She pushed herself away from the desk, reaching for the doorknob to let herself out of the classroom.
And mostly, she hated how the world only falls at the feet of the rich, never for the poor.
How people like Theodore Nott walked on others and always thought they were envied.
She wished she could tell him the reality of owning too much. The upper classes weren't envied as much as they were despised.
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"Today's task won't be very difficult." McGonagall started, placing her glasses over the bridge of her nose, "but before we start, I wanted to announce something."
Malfoy groaned in frustration before he whispered, "wasn't the speech enough?"
"You were snoring during that entire sorting speech, mate - " Blaise began, getting most of his sentence out before he was interrupted,
"Would you like to be excused, Mister Malfoy?" McGonagall asked, "if you don't want to hear what I have to say then, perhaps, there's no reason for you to be here."
Draco rolled his eyes but dropped the conversation quickly, not finding it of worth.
Theodore walked inside then, his expression looking distant, like he moved with a distracted mind. His steps were heedlessly loud and he didn't bother to think of something to excuse his lateness.
The professor didn't care to ask where he was.
She let him sit next to Pansy without a word.
"Where were you, Nott?" Blaise questioned from the desk behind him, the compelling curiosity accompanying his words.
"Doing something." Theodore replied, loud enough to attract Sydney's attention, "Because apparently the only way you get shit done is when you do it yourself."
Sydney's head drifted in his direction, the confusion dawning on her as she tried to figure out what he meant.
But her mind gave nothing, not one explanation clicked inside her head.
So she looked back at the front of the class, choosing to ignore the brunette for now.
"What's he on about?" Isaac mouthed, forcing Sydney's shoulder to rise into a shrug.
"Miss Leeds?"
Maya stood near the doorway.
Theodore stopped fidgeting with his lighter under the desk, his eyes flickering to her as the surprise swelled within them.
He didn't expect her to show up.
"I was using the restroom." She said, a forced smile adjusting itself onto her lips.
McGonagall nodded, allowing her inside.
Maya looked fatigued, all the liveliness she had at the beginning of the day seemed to leave her. Even before her conversation with Nott, she felt restless. Everyone seemed to get back their excitement after the sorting, people seemed to fall into their old habits -
planning parties, signing up for the quidditch team, skipping classes. Some went as far as talking about prom and picking dress colors.
Yet that excitement didn't even touch Maya, like she's a poisonous soul who didn't deserve it. She felt like a corpse amongst the living.
And that feeling followed her around.
Sitting next to Cedric, she refused to let her eyes flicker in the wrong direction, avoiding almost half the people in the room.
Three days into the year and she unintentionally picked up fights with four people so far. She wanted to disappear, for the ground to swallow her whole.
But she sat with a straightened posture and an unconcerned attitude, unwilling to let Nott think his words had any effect over her.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to do otherwise.
Sydney's vacant expression turned hostile when she read through Maya's behavior. The realization collided with her mind, and putting the pieces together, she looked back at Theodore who sat two desks away.
"Because apparently the only way you get shit done is when you do it yourself."
"You son of a bitch, - "
"Miss Pierce." McGonagall snapped, her eyes widening at the sudden uttering of the words.
Sydney's loudness tore through the chatter, forcing silence to cascade over the room.
"Syd, just let it go." Maya interrupted, making the red head look at her before she spoke again, "no, this is ridiculous."
"Keep your voice down, Pierce, you're embarrassing yourself." Nott said, leaning back in his chair. His voice was challenging, his carelessness getting under Sydney's skin.
"I told you to drop it, Theodore."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, fuck off, - "
"Miss Pierce." McGonagall repeated, her voice elevating, "I think we've heard quiet enough out of you, you're excused from today's class."
Sydney shifted in her seat, forcing her attention to fix itself on the Professor before she scoffed, "you can't just ask me to - "
"Now." McGonagall urged, "you can wait in Filch's office, - I'll come find you to discuss the consequences of your reckless behavior."
"Professor, - " Maya tried but Isaac, though he looked puzzled, slowly shook his head, forcing her words to stop.
McGonagall looked livid, she wouldn't listen.
Sydney pressed her lips into a thin line, feeling trapped because she was unable to release all of her anger, "ridiculous." She muttered, standing up.
She wasn't willing to sit there for a second longer and endure what she thought was unfair treatment. But while heading for the door, she stopped in front of his desk.
She looked at him grimly, giving him the same look she knows he probably gave her best friend, "you're the worst stepbrother in the god damn world."
She said it in a voice so low that only Theodore heard her.
He rolled his tongue through his mouth, swallowing down the urge to reply, - he knew he was one word away from getting kicked out of the room, just like her.
Maya watched her exit the class before whispers erupted from every direction.
Sydney's name traveled around the class.
"Would anyone else like to join Miss Pierce in the detention she'll be reciveing?"
Everyone became silent.
"Take out your books."
"Professor." Hermione interrupted, raising her hand slowly, "You were going to announce something before Leeds walked in and the Slytherins interrupted you."
"Right." the woman huffed, the tolerance she had prior nearly gone now.
Pansy cleared her throat before she muttered, "ass kisser." under her breath.
Maya looked at the black haired girl, unaware of the weak smile on her face. Pansy's lips uncontrollably mirrored it before they faced McGonagall once again.
"This is your last year, and so we wanted to make sure you have more than one thing to look forward to. I already talked to the ministry," McGonagall stopped, making sure everyone is keeping up with her quick words,
"and they've agreed for you to go on a short trip, a few days from now."
The whispers started again, this time fueled with excitement instead of gossip.
"It'll be for one night at the very least, one house at a time."
"Let me guess, starting with the Gryffindors." Theodore mocked, pressing his elbows against the table as he sat up straight.
He had his sleeves rolled, the veins on his arms like blue paths among the paleness.
A few buttons from his white shirt were undone, revealing the same veins over his neck. Strands of dark, brown hair brushed the top of his forehead, kissing his skin.
It seemed as if he hadn't bothered to fix his appearance before he left the dorms.
"No, mister Nott." McGonagall said, growing fed up of the unnecessary interruptions, "who goes first depends on the house's prefect."
Maya looked up, the words making her hands go still, "What?"
"One prefect from each house will have a task to complete and whoever completes it first - well, their house leaves for the trip first."
"How are you going to choose between the prefects, Professor?" Hermione asked, her competitiveness arriving in a second.
"I already have." The woman said, taking out a crumbled slip of paper. Slowly, her shaky hand adjusted the glasses she wore before her eyes ran over the inked words,
"Cedric Diggory for Hufflepuff, Isaac Mitchell for Ravenclaw, you, Miss Granger for Gryffindor - and Maya Leeds for Slytherin."
"Wait, what?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowing as she turned to look at the girl, "but, Leeds is not even a - "
"She is, Granger." Isaac said, dipping his quill in ink, "She got her badge two days ago."
"Guess she's trustworthy enough, yeah?"
Maya bit back a smile at Isaac's defensiveness.
"Well, we're fucking screwed." Draco shrugged, "She's obviously not going to stand a chance against Mitchell, he's a fucking Ravenclaw, - and she's not beating the book-eating Gryffindor, either."
Draco adjusted himself on the seat before he added, "We're going last."
"Come on, mate." Theodore smirked, tracing the details on his wand that sat on the desk, "Leeds is every teacher's bloody pet. She knows her way around, I'm sure."
The way they talked about her, like she wasn't even there, made replying hard to resist.
Especially when Malfoy said,
"Nonetheless, we're still screwed."
Maya turned in her chair, pressing her nails onto her palms forcefully, "Please. You couldn't get that badge even if you tried, Malfoy. Everything gets handed to you on a silver platter." Her voice was kept low to avoid McGonagall's attention,
"So don't fucking test me or I'm failing that task on purpose, - and you'll really be last."
"I thought I told you not to talk to me again." The blonde spat, his words uttered much harsher than hers, "Does your fucking brain not understand simple English?"
"Everything alright here?" McGonagall asked, now standing between their desks.
The response Maya desired to give buried itself within her, "Fuck you, Malfoy." she mouthed instead, knowing he read her lips.
Theodore's brow rose.
She looked away, releasing her clenched fingers only to take in the faint nail marks that were now on her skin. She closed her hand and dropped it onto her lap, realizing that her hatred for Malfoy only seemed to grow. She thought it was impossible, to loathe him more than she already does.
"Hey," Cedric whispered.
Maya blinked once before slowly looking at the boy next to her, too exhausted to start a conversation with another person.
"We're still on for tomorrow?"
Maya slowly nodded, "yeah. Sure, why not."
"You forgot, huh?" He smiled, opening his textbook before he flipped through the pages.
"I was going to remember, eventually."
"Try to ignore them, Leeds." Cedric suggested, twirling his wand around his long fingers, "no one is going to get more tired of the unnecessary bickering than you."
She nodded, glancing back the two boys.
They already fell back into another discussion, most likely planning something else to do tonight. She could keep up with their words just fine, but she couldn't deny that it was wearing her out.
And her pride would never let her admit it, but Nott's words felt like knives, - cutting at her skin. She couldn't ignore them like she ignored Malfoy's, for they were much worse.
He was much worse.
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Thoughts? I don't know how I feel about this chapter, it's so messy.
Don't forget to vote, loves!