"I write her a letter
just a few short lines,
and suffer death
a thousand times."
Asteria O'Connor, sole heir of a prestigious wizarding family,
has other plans when the self-proclaimed Marauders decide to
torment her and her housemates.
It's abo...
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aster
After everything, I ran. I said a curt goodbye to Chris and Severus – who were the only ones to witness the entire encounter – and rejected their offers of company. I sprinted until I reached the far side of the Black Lake, panting for breath. Only then did I allow the threatening tears to fall. She was right. I am an utter monster.
The next few days were horrid, but of course I didn't show that they had any affect on me. I attended every meal in the Kitchens after my drink had been laced with Pixie Poison, making me throw up violently for hours afterwards. It seemed the entire school had turned against me, except for the few who didn't care or thought what I had done was honourable in some twisted way. Everywhere I went, people whispered or casted Jinxes. I never retaliated. I suppose it appeared that I was unbothered, but in reality it was because I knew that I was deserving of their torment.
Only two weeks have passed since then and people seem to have become bored with me, moving on to the next gossip. Being called a Mudblood by a Slytherin isn't the most uncommon thing. They all seemed to feel more struck by the betrayal of friendship that everyone knew that we had shared. We stuck out like sore thumbs. We were the exception to the rule. I suppose some rules can't be broken.
I look ghastly. My appearance in the mirror holds dark circles and colourless skin. Now that just won't do. After a few simple beauty Charms, I look the opposite as to how I feel. Even with magic at my fingertips, I still prefer to apply my eyeliner freehand. It reminds me of spending messy afternoons with Spencer in his flat.
I do miss the music. Imagining my friend in his record shop, strutting around to new releases upturns my lips ever so slightly. I wrote a letter to him a few days ago. I just hope he doesn't get too spooked by owls. I told him that we train the owls at our school for their coordination and long distance flying and delivering letters is merely good practice for them. He laughed and mentioned something about 'culty posh people' but seemed to accept it nonetheless.
After a long day of classes, I decide to head to the library to catch up on the material I may have missed whilst dozing off. The library is usually calming at this time of year. There aren't any looming exams or last minute studying, just people who want to put their heads down and get some work done.
My book bag swings along with my clicking steps as I enter the vast room. Madame Pince is there, her watchful eye and careful ear in action already. I keep my head down as I find an empty table. I avoid where Lily and Remus sit at the table we regularly occupied last year, swapping notes and testing each other. My heart pangs longingly but I attempt to ignore it. I can feel them glance up at me but I pretend not to notice.
I begin with Astronomy as I find it the easiest to become immersed in. The constellations have always seemed simple to learn. I suppose I've always been a favourite of Sinastra because of that. After finishing up a few star charts, I leave it at that as to finish my other work – predicting the next eclipse – I would need to use the orrery.
