alluringly entwined | f.w, d.m

14

"Mavi, what's happened? What's wrong?" Oshun watched as said girl walked into the Gryffindor common room with tears pouring down her cheeks.

But Mavi was laughing as the tears fell over her waterline. It was a laugh of disbelief and misery.

"Gosh, why do I have to get Nott for my future spouse?" She sniffled and slipped onto the couch next to her friend. "I don't understand. Why couldn't I have gotten someone who knows respect and kindness?"

Oshun's brows frowned as pushed herself from the backrest of the couch and she enveloped her arms around her friend. "What did he do? Talk to me," she murmured, holding the girl.

"I was talking to Cedric in the corridor where Snape's class is because I was asking him for some advice for tutoring since he tutors a lot of other students." Mavi sounded stuffy as she buried her face in her mate's shoulder. Her chest stuttered against Oshun's. "And after Cedric and I departed, Nott, Malfoy, Zabini, and Parkinson crossed paths with me."

Oshun nodded and easily kept up with her friend's quick words.

Mavi's arms wrapped around her friend's middle to hug her tightly. "I was minding my business—per usual—and I already woke up in sort of a sad mood this morning, so I was not really looking to cross paths with those lot of Slytherins," she rambled on, her tears dampening Oshun's shirt. "But even when I tried walking off, Nott kept throwing nasty comments at me."

Oshun kept nodding, insisting for her to go on.

Mavi pulled from the hug and sniffled. She wiped her tears with her fingers really quickly as she inhaled and exhaled trembling breaths.

Oshun placed a comforting hand on the girl's knee and rubbed it tenderly.

"I kept ignoring it, as always," Mavi went on, her voice steadying. "But he just kept going. Even Parkinson and Zabini joined it. Malfoy too. I don't understand why they feel such a need to get a reaction from people with Muggle blood."

Oshun's jaw ticked, furious with the Slytherins. But she was still a bit wary and uncomfortable around those Slytherins herself. They were bullies in her eyes.

"But the stuff they were saying was so much more cruel this time." Mavi rubbed the tip of her nose with the palm of her hand. She then swiped her fingers under her eyes to wipe tears. "They were saying stuff about my mum since she's a Muggle. They were saying awful, awful things about her"—her voice faltered—"and then they said awful things about my father. They said my father will get what's coming for him since he did something atrocious like marry a Muggle. And have a child with a Muggle."

"Bloody hell," Oshun cursed under her breath, brows deeply frowned.

"And that just did it for me." Mavi laughed again, still wiping her puffy eyes. Her cheeks were visibly red. "Sometimes I wonder if us Halfbloods are being sensitive when people like them make comments about our Muggle blood—because we're not full Muggle like some other people."

"No, no, no." Oshun automatically shook her head, her lips pressed into a firm line. "You can't possibly think that just because us Halfbloods are only half Muggle, we don't have a right to be hurt over those vile comments. We have every right to be hurt as well. I swear to Merlin, Purebloods like them know no respect."

"I suppose." Mavi sniffled and tucked a curl behind her ear.

"Just remember whatever they say isn't true, okay?" Oshun said softly, patting her friend's knee.

"What's going on?" Forest came from the boys' dormitory, Joaquin following behind her. "Mavi, gorgeous, why are you crying? What happened?"

"Nott, Zabini, Parkinson, Malfoy," Mavi muttered as Forest kissed her head softly.