Alina Nightshade doesn't think much about James Potter. Only that he seems rather keen on being annoying.
James Potter thinks Alina Nightshade is a mystery all wrapped up in a very pretty girl. And he is keen on trying to be her friend.
James Potte...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Alina leaves her third class of the day, practically running away from James Potter. It seems that most of her interactions with him involve running away.
Her next destination is the Great Hall for lunch. The corridors are mostly empty, and the hall she is currently traversing is particularly deserted.
She feels unusually tired, though she can't pinpoint why. Her breathing hitches when she turns a corner and sees a girl kneeling near the ground, seemingly searching for something.
"Where is it?" the girl mutters. Her hair is adorned with a dark red ribbon, wrapped around her bun of curls. Her dark brows are furrowed in concentration as she searches the floor.
Alina narrows her eyes. It is Mary Macdonald.
They barely know each other, having rarely interacted over their years at Hogwarts.
"Did you lose something?" Alina asks, breaking the silence of the hall.
Mary flinches, almost falling over. "Merlin–" She places a hand on her chest as she turns to look at Alina. "Uh, yeah, my ring. It fell off earlier, and I've been trying to find it. It's a silver ring with red gemstones."
Alina glances at the floor. "I'll help," she says simply before beginning her search.
She isn't sure why she offers; she doesn't know Mary well and doesn't know any of her friends either. Nonetheless, Alina narrows her eyes, searching the ground as Mary continues to do so on one side of the hall.
She searches near the stone walls, peering into small crevices. Soon, her eyes catch something glinting in the candlelight.
Mary's ring. It is quite pretty. Alina quickly leans down and grabs it from the ground before standing up.
"Here it is," Alina says, turning to face Mary. Mary's face lights up as she stands, quickly walking over.
Alina holds it out, and Mary takes it with a large smile. "Thank you," Mary says, looking from the ring to Alina's eyes. "Truly, thank you."
Alina nods and begins walking towards the Great Hall again when Mary speaks up.
"Your name's Alina, right?" Mary smiles brightly at her, already fiddling with the ring she has found.
"Yes."
"Do you..." Mary pauses before straightening her posture as if regaining her confidence. "Do you want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"
Alina hesitates. She has never had friends, especially not girl friends.
What will happen if she says yes?
Most likely nothing. Maybe they will go back to not speaking. Maybe nothing will come of it.
"Sure," Alina says. If possible, Mary's smile grows even brighter as she quickly steps up beside Alina.
