Rewrite the Stars

1

 There were two things Annabelle Pagewood was certain of the moment she stepped into the DADA classroom. Firstly, if the notes on the chalkboard were anything to go by, seventh year was going to be her hardest yet at Hogwarts, though it came as no surprise. Secondly, she disliked Sebastian Sallow.

No, disliked wasn't a strong enough word for what she felt.

She hated Sebastian Sallow.

Ever since she bested him in their first duel at the beginning of her fifth year at Hogwarts, the now nineteen year old wizard had taken every opportunity to berate, insult, and torment her. He regularly went out of his way to remind her that her victory was mere beginners' luck, a statement that commonly resulted in Annabelle rolling her eyes and snapping a witty comment back at him about losing to a witch with a second hand wand. Almost every interaction they had ended up in one, or both, of them storming off in a rage, cheeks flushed with anger, muttering nasty words under their breath. To make matters worse, they must have had a similar path planned after Hogwarts, as the pair shared every single class together the previous year.

Seventh year was looking to be no different as when she entered the classroom, his aggravating voice carried through the air.

"There you are, Pagewood. I admit, I was hoping you wouldn't show up." He taunted, his signature smirk etched onto his freckled face. The red-haired witch felt a pounding in her head beginning to bloom, a common occurrence whenever Sebastian Sallow was involved. Annabelle groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"There you are, Sallow, wrong as always." She retorted as she rolled her green eyes at him before slipping into a seat farthest away from him.

"You wound me. Truly, I am wounded." He sighed dramatically, a hand over his heart for dramatic effect. "Kidding. Nothing you say could ever matter enough to hurt me." His smirk turned into a sneer, brown eyes filled with pride at his remark. The ache in her head grew stronger, his voice grating on her already thin nerves, and the witch found herself grimacing in pain.

"Do you ever shut up?" She growled, already aggravated with him.

"For you, Pagewood? Never."

Exasperated, Annebelle turned her attention away from him and towards the entrance, watching for any of her friends to enter in hopes of a distraction from the brunet menace that so often tormented her. Her spirits were quickly lifted when she recognised a dark-haired witch quietly making her way into the classroom.

"Eve, over here!" She exclaimed, waving her hand and flashing a bright smile to her friend.

Evangeline Bones, commonly referred to as Eve, was one of Annabelle's closest friends. Shy and quiet, Eve rarely said a word, and it was only when the raven-haired woman accidentally barreled her way into Anabelle that she ever heard her fellow Ravenclaw speak. Eve managed to stutter her way through an apology, cheeks red with embarrassment and gaze down at her feet before rushing off without another word. When Annabelle finally saw her again, it took a few moments of constant assurance before Eve said another word and even then, it took months for the woman to start opening up.

Annabelle, it soon turned out, was a natural legilimens. Without much effort, she found herself able to read the thoughts of those closest to her, like Eve, and those whose thoughts were unusually loud, like Garreth Weasley. She didn't know if it was luck or fate but she was beyond thankful when she realised she couldn't hear Sebastian's thoughts. When Annabelle realised that Eve was mute, the red-haired Ravenclaw saw it as the perfect opportunity to use her skill. On one hand, she could converse with her new friend without Eve ever having to speak aloud and on the other, she could hone her abilities.