"Don't say a word and you might get away without a fresh bruise," Amisty warned, shoving her hand behind her back.
Even though the scar was barely noticeable, it was still a sign of weakness. Sure, she had many others, but they remained covered beneath the flowing fabric of her school robes.
"So you're back to normal I see," He snapped back, his mouth quirking up into its usual smirk.
"Like you would care, I bet you wanted me to rot down there," She growled, planting her feet and glaring up at him.
She still hadn't caught up in height. It seemed like she never would, especially if she went back home to the streets.
"What's wrong with your hand?" He asked suddenly, his gaze seeming to see through her.
She shuddered slightly, cupping her scarred hand with her other without realizing her movements.
"I have no idea what you're on about," She replied, her lie slipping off her tongue as easily as ice in the winter.
So, not so easily after all.
She took a step back.
"River, what happened?" He continued, his tone serious. Why did he care?
"You're losing it, Malfoy, there's nothing wrong with my hand," She retorted, taking another step back and rolling her eyes.
In the moment of not keeping him in her sights, he grabbed her wrists.
Before she even had the time to fight back he spun her around, grey-gaze scorching along her palm, taking in the sight of the curved, faint white scar.
It was done. He had seen it.
"What did you do?" He asked, his voice frighteningly calm.
Amisty felt unnerved, she had never seen him express any emotion other than anger and pride when she was in his vicinity.
So, she put her guard up.
"That's none of your business," She yanked her hand away, whirling around on her heel and stalking off in the direction she had started off in.
He didn't follow her, which was a relief, and the second the burning sensation on her back ceased she let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.
Why must he find a way to know every single one of her secrets?
At this rate he'll know her entire backstory before she even knows why her parents died.
She walked through the hallways quickly, her feet barely making more than a muffled thump against the carpeted floors.
Malfoy's sudden appearance had set her on edge. Every shadow looked like him, every tap sounded like his footsteps. Her paranoia was getting to her.
"Get over yourself, Amisty. Pull it together!" She scolded herself in her mind after nearly jumping out of her skin at the sight of a shadow accompanied with a faint clink of metal.
Shaking her head slightly to clear her mind, she started again, clambering through the portrait hole and into the common room.
Thankfully it was empty except for Ron and Hermione, who sat perched on the edge of a couch like birds ready to take flight at the slightest hint of a breeze.
"I'm back," She waved slightly as she dropped down into the room.
Warmth enveloped her, not only from the comforting aura of the room but also the tight embrace the two pulled her in.
"We've been so worried, Madame Pomfrey was going on and on under her breath about not being able to heal it completely and oh, Amisty," Hermione took a step back, holding up the girl's hand so the mark was in full view. "You'll have a scar."
"Let's look on the bright side! No one would dare cross me now, all I have to say is that I was fighting something instead of swatting down a flimsy bird," She joked, cracking a smile.
"Honestly, Amisty, I don't think anyone would cross you, scar or not," Ron replied, his eyes twinkling.
She hugged them both tight, knowing she would miss them once she left for the streets yet again.
"Oh, and Harry's alright. Now we just have to wait for him to wake up," She added, happiness glowing in her green-eyes.
A shared sigh of relief rushed from the two of them.
"Let's head down to The Great Hall," Ron suggested. "I think it's almost lunch and I'm starving!"
"I agree!" Amisty chorused. They laughed lightly before climbing out the common room and down the hallway.
Hopefully the school year would end peacefully after all.
-=+=-
The table was strangely quiet as they ate, as if Harry's absence had taken a hold out of the conversation.
Amisty sat there in an uneasy silence, all too aware of the prickling sensation on her neck. She didn't bother turning around, she knew who it was. Instead, she focused her attention on the cut on her hand.
It curved down like a crescent, almost like... the moon.
Unknowingly she traced it with her fingers. She wasn't a stranger to scars. There were little ones on her knees from nights tripping and falling, on her arms and legs from brushing against one to many thorn bushes as she raced from town to town, and one along her ankle from when she first tasted freedom as she leaped from the orphanage window.
It was that fateful night that changed her life forever. Now, this just added to her collection. More to the story behind what made her the person she was. A faint smile tugged at the edge of her mouth as she traced it over and over again.
That is, until Ron nudged her shoulder with his elbow rather harshly.
"Malfoy's been staring at you for a good five minutes. Did anything happen between you two?" He asked, curiosity all over his facial features.
"He found out about this," Amisty replied darkly, shifting her fingers to the side so the mark was in plain view.
"That doesn't explain him watching you like a hawk," Ron replied smartly, a tinge of a joke in his voice.
Amisty rolled her eyes, "I wanted to keep it a secret. Less he knows about my flaws the better. As long as I know they're not true they don't hurt."
"Makes sense... Just watch your back, alright? I know you can hold your own but he's a sneaky one and that look on his face worries me," He glanced back at the Slytherin table discreetly, as well as Amisty.
Her green eyes met his silver ones, and Ron was right. The look on his face was unsettling. He looked as if he were scheming something.
Sending her a cocky wink, he went back to talking with his friends. Ron and Amisty exchanged glances.
"I'll keep an eye out for any snake," She gave him a crooked grin at her stupid joke.
Ron chuckled softly, shaking his head. Dragging her attention away from the infuriating blonde, she went back to her lunch.
-=+=-
Amisty was wandering around the castle, alone. Classes had just ended, and after practically begging Madame Pomfrey to let her see Harry, only to be scolded and told he had yet to wake, she had found her way into an empty hallway.
She ran her hand along the cool, stone wall, the gritty texture scratching beneath her fingertips. Ron and Hermione had headed back up to the common room, though they did attempt to get her to come back with them. Her stubbornness prevailed.
"What are you doing out here so late?" A familiar voice asked. She spun around, feeling her hackles rising.
"I could say the same to you," She replied harshly, almost spitting out her words as if they were bitter. "Though, I'm surprised you don't have your two sidekicks with you."
"Must you make everything a conflict?" Draco sighed dramatically, dropping his head into his hands.
"If you hadn't noticed, you're the one who starts it," She scoffed, rolling her eyes at his question.
"You haven't answered my question," He shot back, crossing his arms.
"Can't I simply be alone for a few moments?" She asked simply, mirroring his guarded stance.
She quirked up an eyebrow, fixing him with a glare.
"I wouldn't expect the orphan to want to be alone," He cocked his head to the side, a cruel smirk tugging on the edge of his lips.
And there it was.
"Back to the petty insults I see," She growled, turning her feet so she wasn't facing him any longer.
She set off again, her steps echoing in the quiet hallway.
"Funny, isn't it. I know more about you than two of you supposedly close friends," He taunted, stopping her in her tracks.
It was true. She hadn't told Hermione and Ron about her being an orphan.
Yet.
"I don't know what you're talking about," She hissed through clenched teeth, her hands squeezed into fists at her sides.
"Temper, temper. We don't want another transformation, do we?" He continued, stepping towards her.
She felt the air stir around her, heat sparking up and down her arms like the flames of a fire.
"Get away from me," She snarled, clutching her arms close to her chest to keep as much space between them as possible.
"Afraid I can't do that, love," He replied smoothly, taking another step toward her and leaning down so his voice was right by her ear.
"You must really want to get a bruise today, don't you?" Amisty growled, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side to see where he was.
She jolted backwards as she came face to face with him. Blazing green eyes to stormy grey.
Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, she felt her eyes narrow into slits. A flame flickered in her belly, waiting to blaze to life.
"Still as jumpy as ever, people really don't change," He waved his hand airily, not even trying to conceal his sneer.
"Once a street rat, always I street rat, I suppose," She replied mockingly, tilting her chin up as she shot back the insult he had used on the train.
A glimmer of satisfaction flickered in her gaze as she noticed his taken aback face before it disappeared once he spoke again.
"Glad to see you've finally realized what you are," He remarked, a malicious glint in his piercing silver-eyes.
She snapped.
Temper broken in two, she flew at him with her fists clenched. He barely dodged in time, sending her sprawling toward a wall.
She didn't let that slow her down, however. Instead, she spun around and went flying at him again. This time, instead of dodging, he wrapped his fingers around her fists, pushing them down to her sides.
She fought against him, but her fury had made her reckless.
Her fists fell, though her glare did not.
"So I see you can't control your temper after all," He smirked, crossing his arms again and looking down at her.
She gritted her teeth.
"I can, you're just infuriating and annoying," She shot back, hating how she had to tilt in chin to look at him.
She felt small, of which she was, but feeling small physically was different than feeling it mentally.
"Is the wolf girl upset with me?" He switched the topic of his taunts, not at all daunted by her attempted attacks.
She couldn't find the words to reply.
Yes, two of her closest friends still didn't know that she didn't have a roof over her head during the summer but her enemy did.
So instead of retorting, she walked away, keeping her chin high and her back straight. She wasn't defeated just yet. Maybe she lost this battle, but she was far from losing the war.
-=+=-
The day finally came. Harry had woken up, and yet they were still not allowed to go inside and see him. They stood at the doorway, matching expressions of excitement and frustration.
"Aw, c'mon!" Ron groaned, banging his head against the wall.
Amisty fell down against the wall, her back scraping the wall as her head fell onto her knees. They had given up hope on getting inside, until Madame Pomfrey opened the door.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, racing inside.
Ron and Amisty followed on her trail, massive grins on their faces. Harry was sitting up in his gurney, still looking exhausted from his adventures. "Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to -- Dumbledore was so worried --"
"The whole school's talking about it! What really happened," Ron stopped Hermione's rambling, his eyes alight with interest.
Once Harry started talking, Amisty soon settled down at the foot of his bed, dragged into the tale of Quirrell being He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Once the story was over, a wave of shock washed over her. What about Flamel?
"So the Stone's gone? Flamel's just going to die," Ron asked her question for her, leaning forward slightly.
"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that -- what was it? -- 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'" Harry replied.
"I always said he was off his rocker," Ron commented softly, an awed expression on his face.
"So what happened to you all?" Harry asked.
"Well, I got back alright. Amisty brought Ron round and we dashed up to the owlery to write the letter before coming down here. Ron and I left, Amisty had fallen asleep, and ran into Dumbledore on our way. He already know, he just said, "Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?" and hurtled off to the third floor," Hermione replied.
"D'you think he meant you to do it? Sending you your father's Cloak and everything?" Ron piped up.
"That wouldn't make sense. Dumbledore knew you could get hurt," Amisty answered, tapping her chin.
"Well, if he did -- I mean to say -- that's terrible -- you could have been killed," Hermione added.
"No, it isn't. He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a change. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..." Harry replied, his voice trailing off. He didn't notice the three of them cringing at the name.
"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, alright. Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, or course -- you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you -- but the food'll be good," Ron filled him in on the recent news.
"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT!" Madame Pomfrey appeared out of nowhere, her voice firm.
They filed out with sheepish grins, Amisty giving Harry a quick hug before she left.
"Amisty, dear," Madame Pomfrey stopped her. She turned around, a questioning glow in her eyes.
"Mhm?" She asked, fiddling with her fingers.
"Professor Snape has made you enough of your potion to last the summer, just come down here when you're ready to pick it up," The healer gave her a slight smile, placing her hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you," Amisty smiled, lowering her head slightly.
The witch had become a sort of motherly figure to her over the past year.
"No need for that," She replied, tapping her chin upwards with a gentle smile spreading across her face.
Amisty felt a warm glow in her chest. She felt loved.