Traitor. Liar. Betrayer. Sneak. That's what people think when they walk past Marietta Edgecombe. Sometimes she thinks they're right.
There's so much more to people you think you know. Ashden knows this better than anyone. After one too many jeers, A...
Sneak. The hated word follows the girl around. She hears it whispered in the halls, in class, in the common room. People stifle laughter as they walk past her, pointing to her covered face. Some of them used to be her friends. Only one friend has stayed. The girl and her last friend sit alone. No one approaches either of them, except to laugh. The friend's eyes are wet and filled with tears. They usually are. Crybaby, they call her. The crybaby and the sneak. At least the two girls have each other. There is no one else. Not anymore.
Another girl approaches them. They tense, waiting for a cruel jibe. Instead, the girl asks if she can sit with them, her brown eyes flashing.
"If you're here to make fun of us, then leave," says the friend in a resigned tone.
The brown-eyed girl huffs. "If I was here to make fun of you, I wouldn't be here alone."
The girl shrugs. "You can sit with us if you want. I'm not sure why you would, though." She points to her face.
"The question is, why wouldn't I sit with you?" the brown-eyed girl retorts.
"Ask all the people jeering at us," the friend says dryly. She wipes her eyes, which are red and puffy. They have been for a while.
"I'm Ashden," the brown-eyed girl says as she sits.
"I'm Cho," replies the friend, "but I'm sure you already know that."
"I do," Ashden responds amiably, "but it's good to actually hear you say it. Most people call you something else. I'm glad you haven't stooped to that level."
"Marietta," is all the girl says.
"Nice to meet you two," Ashden says brightly, ignoring the stares of the rest of Ravenclaw. It is dinner, and all the Ravenclaws are at their table, staying far away from the sneak and the crybaby. All except Ashden. The whispers are even worse now. Ashden doesn't seem to care, though.
Ashden scoots closer to Marietta and Cho. "We're outcasts," she begins. "Us outcasts have to stick together."
By the end of their conversation, Cho still cries, but she has a small smile on her face. Marietta takes her balaclava off. She puts it back on soon after, but she spends the rest of the meal with her face uncovered, ignoring all the whispers.
By the end of the day, everyone from Albus Dumbledore to every first year knows that Ashden joined the sneak and the crybaby. Ashden used to be one of the most liked girls of Ravenclaw. Now she is recruiting all the outsiders, the pariahs. In less than a week, she has fallen from grace into the most unpopular girl of Hogwarts. Ashden considers this her greatest pride.
The next day, more people join them. Luna Lovegood wanders in, a dreamy expression on her face. Loony Lovegood, people whisper. Ashden almost smiles at that. Little do they know. Padma Patil comes over on her own. She shoots a smile at Ashden, whispering, "I want to be seen as more than a pretty face." Padma talks to Parvati about it, and soon enough she accepts, Lavender Brown following her. Ashden recruits Neville Longbottom, and Ginny Weasley follows soon afterward, telling Ashden that she's seen as the Chamber of Secrets girl and wants to break free. Hannah Abbott joins, Ernie Macmillan and Susan Bones in tow. Daphne Greengrass comes reluctantly, dragged by her sister. Pansy Parkinson joins, holding her head high despite the whispers calling her pug-face.
Ashden watches the strange group, beaming. It is just as she hoped, the outcasts banding together.
At dinner, the outsiders are separated into their respective houses, but the outcasts still stay together in their houses. Marietta, Cho, Padma, and Luna sit by Ashden. Over in Slytherin, Daphne and Pansy eat together, the other Slytherins staying far away. Astoria, the blood-traitor sits with her fellow Hufflepuff outcasts, Hannah, Ernie, and Susan. At the Gryffindor table, Ginny, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender eat together, ignoring the incredulous looks. The next day, there are even more people joining. The little group gets bigger and bigger each day, more popular people joining Ashden in the fall from grace and the unpopular people speaking out.
Ashden wants to help the outsiders. She wants to teach them to be brave. She gets that, but that isn't all. Her quiet rebellion against the system becomes much more. She sparks a revolution.
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