adiaphoron | d.m

THREE

➸ LIES AND MORE LIES

TRACEY SIGHED IN DEFEAT and glanced at Cecilia as they left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, "I don't think I'm going to do well in this class."

"I can tutor you, if you'd like," Cecilia offered, knowing full well that Tracey struggled, particularly in DADA.

With a soft shake of her head and a heavy sigh, Tracey reluctantly trailed behind Cecilia into the Great Hall, "No, no. Don't worry about it. I know you have your schedule full with your classes."

"I can help from time to time though," Cecilia said. With a confident stride, Cecilia walked past the Gryffindor table, her senses heightened as she felt eyes upon her. Weasley's gaze was the most piercing, his look cold and unforgiving. She flicked him a defiant glance, her brow arched in a silent challenge.

"Oh, don't waste your breath on him, Cece. He's a bloody idiot," Tracey said, her eyebrows furrowed in a scowl. Weasley's ears picked up the remark, his jaw clenching in annoyance, but Cecilia and Tracey didn't give him a second glance as they continued on their way to their table.

"I know. Though, he can be quite annoying at times," Cecilia said, dropping down beside Daphne, her tone laced with a hint of frustration. Tracey plopped down on the other side of her, her eyes fixed on Cecilia, while Peyton claimed the end of the bench, her gaze darting around the room in a restless manner, as if searching for someone.

The rest of the Slytherin crew arrived, their whispers and snickers dying down as they took their seats. "Who are you talking about?" Daphne asked, her voice heavy with amusement.

"Weasley," Cecilia sighed, her shoulders sagging in resignation as she reached for the mashed potatoes on her plate. She speared a forkful of the creamy mixture, the soft potatoes and buttery flavor momentarily distracting her from her frustration.

"Weasel?" Malfoy interjected into the conversation with a tone that dripped with disdain, his piercing gray eyes fixed on Cecilia. His blonde hair, perfectly styled as always, seemed to gleam in the dim light of the dining hall as he raised an eyebrow, his face twisting into a look of distaste. The thought of Weasley's antics clearly filled him with disgust, and his upper lip curled slightly, as if the very mention of the name was an affront to his refined sensibilities.

"The usual, staring at me like I'm the Dark Lord himself," Cecilia muttered, her voice laced with annoyance as she cast a glance in Weasley's direction. The way he was staring at her, his brow furrowed and his jaw clenched, made her wonder if he was even aware of the condescending air he was exuding. Cecilia's eyes rolled as she turned back to face her group.

"Yeah, he's always done that to me too," Daphne said, her voice laced with a hint of bitterness. "Must be a Slytherin thing, right? He's been like that since our sorting hat ceremony, always giving me the cold shoulder." The others nodded in agreement.  They all exchanged knowing glances, their eyes flicking to Malfoy's group before returning to their own little circle. They knew exactly why Weasley had always been so distant - it wasn't just because of their Hogwarts houses.

"It's just staring, Adwell," Malfoy said, giving her a pointed look. "Just hex him or something. That'll teach him a lesson instead of whining to us about it." Malfoy's face twisted into a mockery of sympathy. "Or do you need us to fight him for you?"

"It's all about lessons to you, isn't it?" Cecilia scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You don't know me at all if you think I'm going to waste my time 'teaching him a lesson.' It was only a statement. And let me be clear: if I ever needed someone to fight my battles for me, which will never happen, I would never ask you."