𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 - 𝐝.𝐦.

𝟎𝟎𝟓 - 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝

—

—

"Celeste, come sit with us!"

I pause in my step, glancing around to see where the voice has come from. It's lunch time now—which couldn't have arrived sooner, because I was afraid I'd die before Professor Binns ever stopped droning. I've just finished actually eating and was planning on going up to my dorm to cram before my Potions exam next class. I'm not necessarily underprepared, and the material isn't too difficult, but the last thing I need is for Mother to hear of a poor grade. It couldn't hurt to study a little more.

"Over here!"

I snap my head to the left where the entrance to Hogwarts lays, the grand doors wide open to reveal the glaring sunlight and obnoxiously blue skies grinning at me cheekily, as if they know I'm about to spend what little bit of free time I ever have cooped up in the dungeons preparing for a practical on the Draught of Peace—something I've known how to make since I was nine.

Maybe I don't need to go study.

My eyes land on the Slytherin girls sitting on the front steps of the entrance. Pansy, Tracey, Millicent, and Daphne smile up at me, Pansy waving me over rather enthusiastically. I crack a slight smile at this, glancing over at the very door that leads to the Slytherin dungeons before making up my mind in half a second.

"Hey, girls," I call out with a slight smile as I walk towards the doors, squinting slightly as I step into the sunlight and am momentarily blinded by just how bright it is.

The four other Slytherin girls have been my immediate company since I've been here—and rather good company, if I'm being honest. Pansy, with her short, choppy black hair and attitude like she couldn't give two shits, might just be my favorite. She's the girl to go to when you need a cigarette or two. Daphne's probably more alive than the rest of us, talking even when she knows nobody's listening, talking even when she's alone. She's a big storyteller. Tracey Davis, her blonde haired dyed pale pink at the tips, stays quiet for the most part (unless she's drunk). Millicent tends to be quiet around us as well, though when she and Tracey go off alone, I hear their rather irritating laughter echoing. The two of them are half-bloods, but sometimes they stick around.

"What are you doing walking around all alone?"
Daphne asks, tucking her wavy brown hair behind her ear as she shifts over to make room for me. I opt to sit on the highest step instead, swinging my feet over below me and crossing my ankles carefully.

"Well," I sigh, pulling my wand out of my robes to twirl it casually between my fingers, "I was thinking of going to my dorm to refresh a little before Potions, b—"

Pansy's laugh interrupts me, making me shoot her an odd look. Her brown, monolid eyes crinkle at the corners as she chokes back a grin, saying, "Sometimes I forget you're new. The Potions professor is Snape, stupid! As long as nothing explodes, you should get at least an Acceptable."