ARABELLA

𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚜

"I've loved the stars too fondly to be afraid of the night."

-Galileo

THE FOUR BOYS THAT had successfully chased away the sleeping girl rather clumsily slotted themselves evenly onto the aged leather seats. A few moments of rare silence overcame the group, that were taking a moment to process the confrontation they had just undergone. As tension began to increase dramatically like a glass that could not contain anymore water Sirius started to speak.

"Well at least we got our seats, I'm not sure what we would have done if we weren't able to sit here." He pondered aloud. Without moving his head, Remus lifted his eyes towards Sirius and hardened his gaze. "We would have just somewhere else like everyone else does. It is going to be even more awkward being her partner in class due to your inability to keep your mouth shut." He groaned whilst wiping his hand over his face.

"I forgot about that to be honest." James spoke whilst readjusting the frame of his glasses. All four of them displayed an expression of discomfort at the idea of being partnered with the girl they had all grown to dislike. "Has she been horrible to you yet Moony?" Peter spoke up in a small voice, not quite understanding the disdain they others held for her.

"She has been nice. We had a small conversation and she said she would have no issue with me as long as I didn't sabotage her mark in the class, which I wouldn't do anyway." Remus replied in an indifferent tone. Sirius and James wore a similar look of suspicion at the juxtaposing information they were receiving about Arabella. 

"Just be wary Remus, we know what they are like. I don't want you to start trusting her and then have it all blow back in your face in a nasty way." James spoke in a soft voice full of concern for his somewhat insecure friend. With a pathetic look towards the floating clock, that took up half of the wall, his eyes widened as he quickly exclaimed. 

"Shit, dinner's almost over." 

*****

"And then Sirius Black accused me of taking up half of the table, which I know for a fact that I was not." Arabella furiously whispered to the two poor people that had been at the end of an irritated recall of earlier events. "It took all of my mental capability to not just run away."

"You sort of did run away though Bella. Did you not?" Velinva Hiltma very kindly added on. Velinva was one half of the Hiltma twins and never let anyone forget that she was the better one. She was five foot six with long hair that could often be found in all sorts of styles. Her skin had a sepia tone and her eyes were an oxymoronic pair made up of a white iris on the left and a black iris that continued into her pupil on the right. 

She was one of Arabella's closest friends and always gave the truth even when it was not entirely necessary at the time. They first met back in first year when her honesty had gotten her into a bit of trouble with the older students and Arabella very sweetly told them to shove it where the sun didn't shine. Ever since that moment they never managed to stay apart of very long.

"She did it with class though, it would have been awful for our reputation for her to have run out whilst wailing like a little child." Piped up Velinva's somewhat obnoxious brother. Nadrei was practically a carbon copy of his sister and yet they could not be further apart in terms of personality and popularity. Amongst their peers he was respected and sometimes even admired. He was intelligent, athletically inclined and had a charming personality that managed to dazzle almost anyone. Except for Arabella.

After his attempt to ask her out earlier on in their school career and him ending up with a bruised eye, they soon became closer friends alongside with his sister. Now she spent her time trying to get rid of him whilst simultaneously laughing with him until her lungs couldn't expel anymore air.

"Why I thought the two of you would be any help I haven't the faintest idea." Arabella grumbled into the vegetable soup that she had been grazing on throughout the course of the evening. "We could of lied and said it would have been fine but then you would have looked idiotic pretending nothing happened." Nadrei responded whilst holding his tie close to his chest as he leant over the table to grab a bread roll.

"Thank you Nadrei, once again your wisdom has done nothing other than make me want to stab myself in the ears." She affirmed monotonously. "On that very helpful note I have just remembered that I have homework to be getting on with. So I shall see the both of you tomorrow." Consuming the rest of the deliciously creamy soup, she left with a hug from Velinva and a smug grin from Nadrei that she grimaced at. 

As she walked down the soundless corridor, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about the books she still had to read and the plans she would make in order to get the books without being detected by the boys that haunted her. 

Beyond the windows that coated the historic school were constellations and galaxies that continued for an endless amount of time and it intrigued the young girl to no end. When things did not happen the way she intended she often wandered back to this fact. The glow from the moon lit up her skin as she couldn't resist a look at the stars that made her feel so safe.

She remarked the thought as odd, the fact that she found immense comfort in balls of gas that were going through different stages of life. She wondered how it must feel to just have no purpose aside from going through life whilst being gazed and appreciated for her beauty. One day when she had moved from this life to the next she was convinced that she could join all the people that had their souls turned into the bright lights she so passionately loved.

Her star would glimmer with an orange tone so people recognised her every night that they looked up at the darkened sky. She would dance and sing with the millions surrounding her that all had their own individual hue and stories. 

A smile overtook her features as she thought about her future. Her leather clad feet continued pattering against the stone floors that she had travelled on for a while. Only a few feet away from the Slytherin common room Arabella had turned a sharp corner and ended up colliding into another member of the student body.

Before she could hit the floor a hand wrapped itself around her wrist and kept her off of the archaic flooring. The grip was warm but not to the point where it was disturbing. It held various callouses across the palm that caused her stomach to flutter, an immense amount of strength conveyed itself in the hold as she was not a light girl. A rose tint covered her cheeks as embarrassment overtook her once more. She just hoped that the candle light was dim enough to hide the tint that had so obviously spread itself across her face. "Fancy seeing you here Gonzales." Her saviour had responded with a lopsided grin.

"Bloody Hell, not this crap again." Arabella muttered to herself.