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...
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It's her birthday. That's the first thing Alina thinks when she wakes up.
Sixteen.
The number feels strange, foreign. It lingers in her mind like an uninvited guest.
Alina sits up in bed, staring into the darkness of her dorm. She feels...nothing. No excitement, no dread. Just the dull weight of another year passed. Sixteen. A milestone marked only by scars she'd rather forget.
She blinks, pushing away the lingering heaviness, and lights a few candles with a quick flick of her wand. Shadows flicker across the walls, casting the familiar shapes of her belongings into eerie, shifting forms. It's just another day. Another day of classes.
She dresses quickly, her movements methodical. Uniform on. Shoes laced. A green headband slipped into her hair.
As she moves toward her desk to grab her bag, something catches her eye. Something that wasn't there the night before.
A necklace.
Her brow furrows as she leans closer. The silver chain is tarnished, the metal darkened with age. At the end hangs a charm—a green gem surrounded by intricate silver detailing, faintly glinting in the candlelight. Alina squints, noticing a faint symbol etched into the stone, too faded to make out clearly.
How did this get here? Who left it?
Barty?
Maybe. It's possible.
Cautiously, she draws her wand from her robe pocket and waves it over the necklace, murmuring detection spells under her breath. No hexes, no curses. But there's something else—an old, subtle magic that clings to the charm like a whisper.
Alina picks it up, feeling the cold, heavy weight of the gem in her palm. It's pretty in a strange, haunting way. But its origin nags at her. Without a second thought, she tucks it into her robe pocket, her fingers lingering on the cool metal for just a moment before stowing her wand and slinging her bag over her shoulder.
She'll ask Barty about it at breakfast.
The common room is blessedly empty as she slips out. The halls are dim, the morning light just starting to creep through the castle windows, casting long shadows across the stone floors. Her footsteps echo softly, the only sound in the stillness.
No Slytherins loiter nearby to sneer or whisper, which suits her just fine. She's started enough rumors about them and the Muggle-born students that they'll hopefully keep their distance.
Alina turns the corner, her eyes locking onto the Great Hall doors up ahead.
"Sunshine!"
"For Merlin's sake," Alina mutters under her breath, already recognizing the voice. She hesitates but turns around anyway. James Potter and his friends are making their way toward her, grins plastered on their faces.
