"𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙮"
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IN WHICH ~ Jupiter Cassiopeia Lestrange thought she could escape her family's dark legacy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but in her second year, Tom Riddle's diar...
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"When you face your fears, they no longer have power over you."
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The Great Hall buzzed with the usual morning chatter, the clinking of goblets and the rustle of parchment filling the air. Over at the Slytherin table, however, the focus was firmly on Draco, who was basking in the attention like a star actor on opening night.
"Does it hurt terribly, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson cooed, leaning so far across the table she was practically in his lap. Her wide, doe-like eyes shone with exaggerated sympathy, her voice dripping with false concern.
"It comes and it goes," Draco said dramatically, cradling his bandaged arm as though it were about to fall off. His pale face was set in a tragic expression, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed his satisfaction. "Still, I consider myself lucky. Madam Pomfrey said another minute or two and I—well, I could've lost my arm!" He sighed heavily, shaking his head. "I couldn't possibly do any homework for weeks."
At the Gryffindor table, Jupiter let out a loud snort, rolling her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't get stuck. "What an absolute liar. It was just a scratch," she muttered, stabbing her fork into her eggs with unnecessary force.
"He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?" Ron said with a grin, leaning closer to Jupiter as he buttered his toast.
"Yeah, but at least Hagrid didn't get fired," Harry pointed out, relief evident in his voice as he took a bite of his breakfast.
"True," Hermione said with a small sigh, setting her goblet down. "But I heard Draco's father is furious. We haven't heard the end of this."
Before anyone could respond, Seamus Finnigan came bounding across the hall, his face flushed with urgency. He clutched the Daily Prophet like it was a live snake.
"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Seamus shouted, waving the newspaper wildly.
"Who?" Ron asked, looking up with a puzzled frown.
Seamus slapped the paper onto the table, making Harry's goblet slosh pumpkin juice onto the wood. The front page bore the haunting image of a gaunt, wild-haired man with hollow cheeks and dark, piercing eyes.
"Sirius Black!" Seamus declared, his voice sharp with excitement.
Jupiter's stomach churned as her eyes locked on the headline. The room seemed to close in around her, the noise of the hall fading to a dull hum.
"Dufftown?" Hermione gasped, her fingers flying over the article as she skimmed the text. "That's not far from here."
"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you?" Neville asked, his voice trembling as his hands gripped the edge of the table.
