I got little to no sleep that night. Not much of a surprise there, but it still sucked waking up feeling like a weight was pressing down on my head. One look at the mirror didn't make me feel much better. Having pale skin was always a curse when it came to having under-eye bags. And Beauxbatons had taught me that it was better to look tired than to wear caked on makeup.
So I guess I was just going to have to settle with looking sleep-deprived for the day.
My hand had healed within the short time I had slept. Or rather, it was no longer red with pain. The salve had done wonders as Diana had said. It was now a scab of letters that faded when I relaxed my hand.
"I don't have the energy for what this day is going to do to me," Sam complained from her bed. She had dressed quickly only to curl back onto her bed as a last act of defiance to leaving the room. But the moment I called her to come with me, she complied, and together we left the safety of our room for classes.
Tati and her friends were waiting for us in the hall of the girl's dorm.
Everyone looked about as bad I felt.
"I just want to disappear. Ava, isn't there a potion you could make-"
one of Tati's friends started in a drastic state of anxiety that made Sam roll her eyes deeply with a mutter of something crass.
"Let's not get so dramatic," I cut off, in a similar vein to Sam's mood. "We'll all be fine. If anything, people will want to know what happened since they weren't there."
"You talk as if we've suddenly become popular," Tati stated in a nerved tone like her sister. "But it's really the exact opposite."
"We're infamous," I agreed with an ironic smirk to Sam. "I'm sure there's plenty of damage we can still do with people's attention on us."
"Quit acting like we're about to get a spotlight," Sam said as one of Tati's friends opened the door out to the common room.
Turns out that wasn't the best thing to say before leaving the dorms. The moment I walked out and to the stairs, I caught the common room had paused to watch us enter. Exactly like we were being followed by a literal spotlight.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Sam muttered darkly behind me, making me snicker.
"Look who it is," Nott's voice sounded through the room as students began to turn back to their original activates. Nott was by the fireplace with Blaise sitting next to him. Both had their bags packed and ready to go but were sitting there waiting for someone. I doubt I needed to expand my knowledge much to gather who they were waiting on.
"I'm surprised you're taking the time to talk to me, Nott," I said as I walked closer to their side of the common room. The others had made a b-line to the portal, not wanting anything to do with Nott. I didn't blame them. He was someone even I could only handle in small doses.
"Don't downplay yourself like that," Nott replied with a suave grin as I stopped by the arm of his chair. "Nothing makes me happier to see you shamed by the entire school. Now Blaise on the other hand..."
Blaise was very clearly ignoring this entire conversation with a book in one hand, angled toward the fireplace and away from me.
"Wants nothing to do with me, I'm sure," I completed for Nott.
"Someone's been looking for you, you know," Nott cued in with a sly grin as he turned back to me.
"Are you an Owl, Nott?" I questioned pointedly. "If Draco wants to talk to me," I continued, "He can come find me himself."
"He's not talking about Draco," Blaise said lowly with a glint in my direction. I paused to read him but Blaise gave nothing else away as he turned back to his book. Nott on the other hand was more than happy to get my attention.
"Lover's Quirrell, isn't that right? Draco didn't look to happy earlier. I doubt he will want anything to do with you now."
"Lucky for Pansy," I retorted dryly to Nott's growing grin. He laughed.
"Fair point. But on that topic, a little bird tells me she has it out for you too. Best be careful."
"Or what?" I replied with limited patience. "It's not like she can dock points. It'll just hurt her in the end." Nott snorted at my comment as he shook his head.
"Think bigger than that. Now that Umbridge has moved up in the school, she's let our role as the inquisitor squad have less restrictions... If I were you I would avoid the girls lavatories."
"Noted."
Blaise shot a look at his friend who was grinning openly at the delivery of his threat. I didn't want to hear anything else from the lot nor did I want to wait around long enough for Draco to show up, so I excused myself and avoided a group of third year Slytherins watching me walk to the portal. I gave one girl the stink eye that made her bump into her friend behind her and blush furiously before I stepped out of the common room with a satisfied snap.
"Miss Fountaine."
To my horror, Snape was standing cloaked entirely in black by the open door of the potion's classroom. His facial expression was impassive and his oddity of his silence warned me of danger coming.
"In," He pointed toward the room, and watched as a I slowly made the trip towards the potion's classroom and submissively walk past him and into the classroom.
The others were already there, including my brother who seemed a little off-beat from his usual bantering ways. Tati's two friends sat near him, looking like they were about ready to barf on the desks in front of them. Sam sat next to Tati on one end leaving a seat open for me next to my brother.
"I don't think I need to explain why you all are here," Snape stated as he made his way to the front of the room. I caught my brother's raised brow of warning before looking back to Snape. Our teacher was now standing in front of us with a delicate snarl to his features.
We were the Slytherins that had caused trouble. It was almost unheard of in this day and age.
"When Professor Umbridge described to me the events that took place last evening, my displeasure was... significant."
Snape had a way of drawing out words for dramatics. He did it well but it usually led to those like us now, being stuck waiting for him to get to the point of the chatter.
"When I say I expected more from the students of Slytherin house, I meant it. There has not been a breaking of school rules to this magnitude from Slytherin house in over a decade. You all must feel a sense of pride in this accomplishment."
His tone said the contrary and made me feel like I was sitting in a cauldron of bubbling acid. To my far right, I started to hear one of Tati's friend's start to cry.
"Silence," Snape snapped in the girl's direction. "You knew what you got yourselves into. And there will be punishment enough for this." He turned from the girl to my brother and I sitting silently together.
"You all will be in detention from here on out under Headmistress Umbridge's orders," He continued with limited sincerity, as if not realizing what he had just said. The rest of us froze at the news and I felt my brother curse softly.
"All future Hogsmead visits have been banned from you and you will no longer prowl outside the common room after 8pm unless accompanied by a teacher or one of the members of the inquisitor squad."
We all knew the punishments were going to be bad. Detention with Umbridge was just the tip of the iceberg it would seem. Granted, her detentions were the only thing I would dread. Limited time outside the common room and no Hogsmead visits wouldn't kill me.
"If I should hear such a word about further problems from any one of you again," Snape continued with a snap, "I will personally have you sent to the next train home." He walked to the door and opened it, with the obvious cue to us to get out. We filed out of the room without another word.
That is, until I reached the door and he stopped me. My brother paused in front to look back at us but Snape stated, "On your way Mr. Fountaine, or else I will happily add to your punishments."
I saw my brother tighten his jaw before walking off with the others to the Great Hall.
When they had gone, I turned squarely to Snape to see he was watching me closely with those beady eyes of his.
"Your Headmistress mentioned something rather interesting that did not relate with the other students among your cohort, Miss Fountaine. Would you happen to know my meaning?"
I blinked back my immediate instinct to play dumb and quickly returned to a neutral expression. When it came to Snape, the last thing I wanted to do was play dumb.
"Probably, sir," I confirmed in a calm voice. I wasn't scared of Snape here. At least not today. I was too tired at the moment to care. His expression gave nothing away but his eyes were staring right through me, like I was made of glass.
"You lied about your intentions with her lessons,"
"Yes" I confirmed readily.
"And manipulated her into going after other students."
"Apparently so," I confirmed with a steadfast gaze at my teacher. Snape didn't miss a beat upon my reply.
"Do not mistake me, Miss. Fountaine. I know your brother is not known for following the rules at this school but let me be clear. Only one person managed to get Slytherin into Potter's rule breaking club and it was not Theodard Fountaine."
I maintained my stance as Snape leered down at me. "I will be watching. And if I were you, I would keep myself in line. For the sake of your friends or I will have no difficulty in having you expelled. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal."
He opened the door and I walked out without another word only to find of all people, Draco, on his way out of the common room. The moment the door slammed behind me, he turned automatically toward the sound and stopped dead in his tracks as I did the same.
It was way too soon to see each other like this, was the first thing that came to mind. We couldn't act like we didn't see each other as there was no one else to hide behind. Nor could I play off that I had slept well following the break up. My under-eyes must have looked ghastly in the shadows of the dungeons.
"What did Snape want with you?" Draco questioned, surprising me from my thoughts. He was staring at me with a similar grey sheen to his face. Obviously I was not the only one to have been on limited sleep.
"Take a guess," I critiqued just as the portal opened and out came Nott and Blaise. Nott spotted me first and chuckled audibly in my direction while Blaise only eyed the scene he had stepped into with masked skepticism.
I didn't need more banter from Nott nor another look at those grey eyes so I walked off to the great hall, ignoring the stares from others as I went.
Sam wasn't with us for breakfast, as Alice had finally made an appearance after the chaos of the other night. Tati and her friends had made a space for themselves away from my brother who sat by himself for a change, with not even his friend Pucey there to talk to him.
"Did Pucey write you off then?" I asked, flipping to French as I sat down in front of him. Some of the students from Slytherin house eyed us but turned away as my brother complied in French. "He's not exactly happy."
"I'm sorry, Theo."
"Don't be," my brother said with a shake. "I enjoyed every moment of the D.A. And I'd do it again. It's just know we have more important things to worry about," he said the last part with a glance up to the teacher's table.
Dumbledore was no longer there, nor was his golden chair. Instead, a large pink velvet chair stood directly in its place with the troll herself sitting up on its cushions. Other than her change in seatery, I could see that level of superiority she carried has seemed to double.
"I can't believe she's actively Headmistress," I said quietly before lowering my gaze back to my breakfast. I wasn't exactly hungry but it at least gave my hands something to do.
I could feel my brother's eyes on me as I went to butter an English muffin carefully.
"What exactly happened last night? When Umbridge nabbed you— I thought she was going to expel you."
"She tried," I clarified with a sigh. "But Fudge took pity on me. I have father to thank for that. As well as Malfoy." At the sound of the two names, my brother seethed into his orange juice.
I poured myself a cup of coffee with a quarter cup milk while my brother explained how the rest of the students were lined up after Umbridge had taken me away.
"It caused a lot of chatter when the students in the common room saw Nott and the others throw us in like we were war prisoners. That tool is a piece of shit."
"Easy," I warned as I caught sight of said piece of shit enter with Draco and Blaise. They went right to their side of the table where Pansy sat with her friends, talking in a far louder octave than I would deem necessary.
"What did Snape have to say to you?" My brother asked, as I turned back to him. I shrugged it off as I took a sip of my coffee.
"Empty threats. He knows I caused all of you to join."
"Well that's not true," my brother rectified stubbornly, making me pause in my drink. Seeing my confusion, Theo explained further.
"The twins told me about the meeting, not you. I would have joined if you were there or not. Definitely if you were not there, actually. Your presence made things weird at first."
"If this is your attempt at making a joke, it's pretty poor, Theo," I commented to my brother's twinkling gaze over his egg toast. He shrugged it off before taking a massive bite.
I saw Sam come up to us, looking haggard but otherwise fine. She sat next to my brother but I was hit with how icy the three of us suddenly became. Or rather, how they became.
"How's Alice?" I asked after a beat where Theo went on eating his breakfast and Sam turned to the opposite side of the table for food.
"She's fine. Better than most of us actually."
"That makes sense, I suppose," I replied with an attempt at a smile. But what little it did for Sam was snuffed out the moment Theo promptly stood up from the table, mentioning that he had to get somewhere before hurrying off without another word.
Sam pointedly kept her gaze straight as she went on to eat part of a banana slowly.
She wouldn't look at me at first until I had remained quiet for over a minute. Then she looked at me questionably.
"What?"
"What do you mean, what?" I repeated. "Are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room?"
"What elephant? I'm tired and eating breakfast in a room full of gossipers. Don't expect me to actively smile, Ava."
"What's going on between you and Theo?"
Sam snorted in a sarcastic fashion before turning away to down her glass of water.
"That's rich coming from you, you know," she said with a huff before pushing away from the table and getting up to leave.
Two Slytherins from either fourth or third year were looking at me obnoxiously after that. I turned to the two girls eyeing me and gave them the dirtiest look before stating coldly, "Keep staring at me like that and I'll give you something to gawk at."
To my credit, they stopped looking at me for the rest of breakfast.
-
Hello there,
Apologizes on the delay. I tried writing earlier but I ended up rewriting the chapter. It didn't work well originally and made me bored (which is saying something). So I rewrote it to how I wanted it and that caused a further push back. I'm going to write the new chapter for tomorrow right now and hope to have it done before sunday evening.
Hopefully I will see you then,
-WG-