𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄 ✔︎ ━ 𝖱𝖨𝖣𝖣𝖫𝖤

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑: 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑

As the bell to dismiss class chimed, I practically jumped out of my chair and ran to the hallway, my wand and paper in hand.

I casted the spell to find the previous fingerprint, but I hadn't any idea who it belonged to.

After the students and Mcgonagall left the class I slipped back inside to see if the fingerprint matched any of the ones on the desk.

First I tried Draco's desk, and to my surprise it wasn't his.

I tried all of the desks, and oddly enough, none of the fingerprints matched. I came to the conclusion that perhaps the student that wrote this is a ghost.

I left the classroom with nothing but a bust in my pride. I hadn't found the culprit, and I probably wouldn't. I tossed the paper into a nearby trash can then slipped my wand back into my pocket.

I rushed to my next class- Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape. I ran down the hallway, even despite all the odd looks I got. Being late on my first day would be incredibly terrible.

I knew exactly where it was, thankfully, and I stepped inside just as the bell rang. Everyone was already seated, some of them formal, some of them slouched back into their chairs.

Professor Snape was stood behind his desk, eyes focused on me with a blank expression. "You must be Anastasia." He said in a long voice, accent almost hidden, unlike the other fellow students and teachers.

"I am, yes." I replied calmly, trying not to make eye contact with any of the students staring blatantly into my soul. He nodded with understanding, then pointed toward the very back of the class.

"You'll sit next to Zachary. He needs someone to help him focus." Snape said with boredom. My eyes shot across the room to where Zachary was sitting. His hair was unstyled, and his tie was loose around his collar.

I let out a sigh of air, then began walking past the rows of students. They all watched me like I was a shiny new toy. It was unsettling, really, but eventually I made it to the desk.

"Well someone looks rather distraught this afternoon." Zachary said as I slipped into the chair, his tone high and proper- he almost sounded like some sort of English royalty.

I didn't say anything, in fact, I acted as though I didn't hear anything. I just sat forward, with my hands on the desk, trying my best to pay attention to the professor.

But of course, Zachary is a Riddle. He's prideful and doesn't know when to stop bothering someone. "Now why might you be ignoring me?" He asked. I allowed my hair to stand out and block him from view, trying not to give him the attention he craved.

In a moments notice a sharp prick was inserted into my shoulder. It took me a few moments to register, but when I did, I snapped my head around to Zachary. "What was that for?" I exclaimed in a whisper, anger pooling inside of me.

"Ignoring me. I hate being ignored." He whispered back, tone edgy, but not angry, like he was on the verge of it. I rolled my eyes and leaned back into the seat, my eyes turning back to Snape.

"Based on my calculations, it seems as though you get ignored quite often." I replied, not even bothering to turn my head on his direction. We sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke again.

"They only ignore me because they fear me. I've probably ended more lives then they've ever seen." He answered solemnly, pride high in his tone.

I shivered at the thought of anyone dying at his fingertips. The boy next to me is a killer. That's largely unsettling. "Why aren't you expelled yet?" I whispered back in a hissing tone.

"Because if they expel me, my brother, Tom, will probably murder a few innocent souls." He answered angelically, doing a decent job of hiding his absolute ruthless insides.

"You're sick." I said plainly, crossing my arms as I watched Snape walk back and forth in front of the classroom, explaining the history of dark magic.

"I'm surprised you're not scared of me. Everyone moves out of my way when they see me." He said plainly. I could still feel his eyes on me, but I didn't care to look at someone as cunning and evil as he is.

"You already know everything that scares me. I'm not scared of you because, well, I'm not afraid of death." I replied with the same plain tone he previously used.

For a moment, all I could hear was the thick silence between us. What I said had obviously placed a wall between us, at least for now. I was safe from his words, just for a bit.

Finally, the bell rang, and I got out of the classroom quicker than lightning strikes the earth. I was starting to get antsy sitting next to him. There's something about him- maybe it's the death he's caused- that forms a pit in my stomach.

I headed toward the Great Hall, in a mob of students in an array of different colored robes. Somehow, Kiara found me in the crowd and slipped her arm through mine.

"Hello." She said slowly, holding out the last letter for a few seconds. I smiled over at her and offered a hello back. We walked in synchrony to the Great Hall, and to the Ravenclaw table.

We sat by Cho, and this other boy named Ethan. He was nice, and perhaps a little cute, but most definitely not my type. I'm much more into brunettes and not so much blondes.

I had chicken breast, french fries, and a glass of water. It was absolutely amazing. We talked about America, Europe, boys, and even allergies— I have no idea how we got on that topic, but apparently Kiara is allergic to fish, out of all things.

After our lunch I made my way to my third class of the day- Herbology. I was quite excited. I've always loved nature and everything of the sort.

I stood around the large table, awaiting for Sprout to begin the lesson. A guy named Cedric stood next to me. He was quite tall, and very, very handsome I must admit, but apparently he's dating Cho, which is a bummer, but good for her.

We reviewed everything that happened last week, and spoke about what we'd be doing this week, which is the life cycle of different plants.

Soon enough the class was over and I was off to my final class of the day- Flying Lessons. I was absolutely dreading it. I've never practiced quidditch before, let alone stood on a broomstick, so this should be... Interesting.

Madam Hooch was stood outside, grouping the students by houses. I got tucked in with the other Ravenclaw members.

"Hello class! Today I'd like to introduce our new student. Anastasia, come on up." She spoke with a large grin. Her tone was high-pitched and bright.

My cheeks grew red as I walked from the crowd and toward Madam Hooch. Every single students had their eyes on me, for what felt like the thirtieth time today.

I faced them, my eyes looking to the ground instead of at any of the judgmental faces. "This is Anastasia. She's from America. I hope you all make her feel welcome here at Hogwarts." She said brightly, before ushering me back to the Ravenclaw students.

I stood at the back even though I couldn't see. Even the thought of people staring at me again made my insides twist and churn.

I didn't know a single soul in this class, but most importantly, I was absolutely delighted that neither Nicholas of Zachary had this class with me, since I'd likely be embarrassing myself.

Just as I was telling myself how glad I was not to have them, they appeared walking across the courtyard, each carrying a slip of paper in their hands.

My smile turned into a frown at once, and every muscle in my body tightened. "You have got to be kidding me." I said in a whisper as they handed their papers to Madam Hooch.

I must admit, though, as they walked in rhythm they looked more like twins then I had ever imagined. They had the same walk, nose, and eye shape.

Both of them stood at the back of the Slytherin group. Though I was trying to focus on the lesson, the snickers and quiet laughs form the Slytherin group was terrifying.

Nicholas and Zachary were whispering words into their ears, words I couldn't hear. And since some of their eyes looked over to me, I could only assume it was me they had been speaking about.