An unlikely pair

12

The train ride to King’s Cross Station was long and uneventful. I sat with the Black sisters in our compartment, the quiet, oppressive air of their company almost suffocating me. Bellatrix and Narcissa, as usual, were deep in some discussion I didn’t quite care for, leaving me to fiddle with the hem of my sleeve, occasionally glancing out the window. Andromeda was there too, but she was always a little quieter, her eyes distant as she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like them — we were just so… different. Bellatrix was her usual self, full of arrogance and sharp words, Narcissa was all elegance and grace with a carefully curated smile, and Andromeda was, well, Andromeda — always stuck between the lines of her family and whatever she was trying to find on her own. Apart from being dormmates we didn't have much in common

After a while, I stretched my legs out and stood, brushing imaginary dust off my skirt. The silence—or rather, the weighty tension—was getting to me. I gave the Black sisters a quick nod. “I’ll be back later,” I said lightly, already stepping toward the door.

Bellatrix, seated with her arms crossed and an eyebrow arched in perpetual disdain, glanced up. “Oh, how will you ever survive the break without Sirius’s merry band of fools if you can’t even endure a single train ride without running to them?”

I paused, hand on the door, and turned to her with a smirk. “Oh, Trxie, I thought you’d be happy. Every moment I spend with the so-called ‘fools’ is one less moment you have to deal with my superior wit.”

Her lips twitched in what might have been an attempt at a smile—or maybe just a poorly hidden grimace. “If that’s what you’re calling wit, then I think I’ll survive.”

“Well, good,” I shot back, stepping into the corridor. “Wouldn’t want you to faint from the sheer agony of my presence.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Valentina,” Bellatrix drawled, her voice carrying even as I slid the door shut behind me. “It’s your absence that’s the gift.”

I rolled my eyes, her sharp laugh echoing behind me as I moved down the corridor. The familiar hum of the train vibrated beneath my boots, the slight sway of the carriage comforting in a way that made me feel a little less confined.

Students bustled around, some chatting in groups, others leaning against the windows, watching the snow-covered fields rush past. I exchanged a few nods and polite smiles but kept my focus on my destination. The air grew lighter with every step, my anticipation building as I neared the Marauders’ compartment. Whatever chaos they were up to, it would be a welcome escape from the tight-lipped decorum of my previous company.

When I found the Marauders’ compartment, the door was cracked open, and the sound of their laughter was loud enough to make me grin before even stepping inside.

“Mind if I join the chaos?” I asked, leaning against the doorframe with a teasing smile.

James looked up as soon as the door slid open, his grin widening. “Tina! Just in time. We were starting to think you’d gone soft and decided to stay with the snobs in your house.”

I raised an eyebrow, stepping inside and letting the door slide shut behind me. “Don’t be ridiculous, Potter. I could never stoop so low.”

Sirius, sprawled across the bench with all the grace of a particularly lazy cat, smirked and stretched. “Speaking of snobs, how are my dear cousins? Surviving the train ride in their ivory tower?”

I crossed my arms, leaning against the compartment door. “Andy and Cissa I’ll miss during the break—they’re the only tolerable ones. But Bellatrix?” I let out a dramatic sigh. “I couldn’t be more ecstatic to not see her face until next year.”