The Project

𝐎𝐧𝐞

1.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

"𝙄 𝙃𝘼𝙏𝙀 𝙔𝙊𝙐. 𝙎𝙊 𝙒𝙃𝙔 𝘿𝙊 𝙄 𝙆𝙀𝙀𝙋 𝙇𝙊𝙊𝙆𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘼𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐?"

𖥸

♪  𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝙷𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚂𝚘𝚗 - 𝚁𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙵𝚊𝚌𝚎  ♪

    The rumble of the train was a steady sound beneath Alina Dupont's feet as it headed towards Hogwarts. The Hogwarts Express, in all its red glory, was a comfort to her. It meant the end of the summer and the start of fall. The return to magic and friends and the castle she loved. The taste of butterbeer and the laughter throughout the Great Hall.

It meant going home.

Her hazel eyes skimmed over the passing doors as she traveled through the walkway to return to her cabin. In her arms she carried treats from the trolley, an offering to her friends. Chatter and the continuous sound of rain against the windows filled her ears as she made her way to where they resided.

Finally, she spotted them, and Pansy stood up to slide the door open for her with a mischievous grin. Pansy Parkinson was Alina's oldest friend. Her short black hair and striking features gave her an intimidating but drop-dead gorgeous look. The two of them were closer than anything, and their broken little friend group had become a family of sorts.

Blaise, Theo, Daphne, Draco, Mattheo, Lorenzo, and Pansy; Alina's gaze slid over all of them before she smiled, dumping the treats onto the table at the center and sliding in next to Pansy. The compartment was shaped like a half moon, with seats curving around the table before cutting off to make room for the sliding glass doors. There was a window in the back, and then space for items where the chairs curved but the walls remained straight. It reminded her of a seat at a muggle diner, much like the ones her mother had taken her to before... everything.

Her friends started staking claims on the sweets with laughter and threats, a common Slytherin method.

....And then there was Theo, who sat across from her at the very end of the half moon table. He wasn't a friend, not exactly. More of a frenemy, an academic rival who she was forced to be friendly with due to a common friend group. He didn't take anything she had brought in. His brown eyes merely slid up to her with a bored expression before looking away.

Damn him. He always had that gaze that managed to make people feel inferior, no matter what they were doing. He was silent, too, often opting to observe rather than speak. He hardly joined into the group's stupid antics when she was around, and he never talked to people unless they seemed intelligent enough to him.

Fine. Let him sulk.

Alina turned away from him, ignoring his stuck up ass to chat with Pansy instead. Pansy had already launched into a full blown explanation of her summer, and she happily listened.

Pointedly ignoring Theo.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

They arrived at the castle soon after, and the carriage ride up was rather uneventful, save for the quiet batter of the rain on the roof of their transport.

The Great Hall was alive with talking and laughter, students reuniting after the summer and impatiently waiting for their food. The enchanted ceiling overhead displayed the stormy night sky, hung with thousands of floating candles that cast the hall in a warm glow.

Alina's attention was half on the doors to the Great Hall and half on Daphne's conversation next to her. With her pretty blonde hair and striking green eyes, Alina's friend caught the attention of many, and she was sure half of the people listening were just doing it because they fancied her.

Alina smiled at that thought. Daphne Greengrass would definitely smack her if she said that out loud.

The giant doors to the hall slid open, and the first years shuffled through, clad in black robes that were soon to be marked with their house. She hoped some of them would make good Quidditch players for the upcoming years.

The ceremony passed by just as slowly as it always did, with the anticipation of food coming after it slowing the time to a snail's pace.

But finally, Dumbledore finished his speech and the plates magically appeared with food, causing the rustle of dishes and silverware moving about. The smell was heavenly; warm, roasted food that reminded her of the castle. She grabbed her food and dug in, Pansy on her left and Daphne on her right. And Theo...

Theo was looking at her.

Alina's brows flicked in surprise. He stared for a moment longer before turning away. His expression was unreadable.

She chose to ignore it.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The Slytherin dorm was luxurious, with wide, arcing ceilings and glass pane windows that displayed the underside of the lake. The walls had green murals of snakes and old tales, matching the silk curtains that hung from each bed. There was a small emerald colored couch settee around a circle table in the center of the room. It was grand and dark, exactly the kind of room a Slytherin would love.

Pansy chucked a pillow at Daphne, who yelped and flung one right back.

Alina lounged on her bed, grinning as her friends swung the pillows at each other. They each wore their house pajama set, pants and a silk tank top, in green. Of course. They were fighting over some topic or another, she wasn't really sure. She was too involved in the feeling of finally being back. Of walking those worn stone hallways, students and paintings and ghosts chattering around her. The feeling of the common room fireplace casting a warm glow across the green room. The magic that thrummed through the castle, her friends laughing and arguing. The taste of the food and the sweets only found in the magical world. Home, it was home.

Alina lay back on her bed and soon fell asleep to the sounds of the lake and her friends' voices.