Hey guys! This is my first story and I'm just running with an idea I had during quarantine so please let me know what you think! I would love to hear any feedback you have. Sorry I missed adding this in the last chapter! I'm still figuring this out.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K. Rowling's characters or storylines, just whatever nonsense I have managed to dream up.

My alarm goes off much too early for how late I was up last night, I am already regretting not going to bed as soon as we got back from the feast. I can hear the Carrow twin, in the bed next to me start to rustle behind her curtains so I let my alarm ring a few extra times just for good measure. I hear a soft meow and feel the jarring thump of my cat hopping up onto my bed. I have had Broadmoor for 6 years now, he was a gift from my mother when I got into Hogwarts. He is a large breed of cat and is extremely fluffy. He is also the laziest cat I have ever met. I named him after my favorite beater partners Karl and Kevin Broadmoor who played on the best team in the league, the Falmouth Falcons. The grey and white Falcons banner can be seen proudly hung above my bed. I threw my quidditch gear into a bag and then headed down to the pitch to set up my locker and get ready for practice. I met Lucian in the common room, his brown hair particularly disheveled this morning. He is facing away from me deep in thought so I sneak up behind him and jump onto his back. He doesn't flinch and catches me easily.

"Ya know if you want to sneak up on someone you should really work on not breathing so loudly."

"Hey! I don't breathe that loudly!"

"Loud enough that I probably didn't need to set my alarm this morning to wake up. I didn't sleep all night because all I could hear was your snoring." I jump down from his back and shove my bag into his hands.

"Just for that you can carry my stuff down to the pitch."

Practice was grueling today. Flint was particularly angry at Lucian and I which was evident by the many extra laps he assigned us. After a quick shower in the locker rooms I was ready to head up to the Great Hall for breakfast. Flint lectured us the whole way there about the intense training schedule he has thought up for this year, and how this year we need to win the Quidditch Cup because it would have been ours if not for the cancellation last year.

As we arrive at the great hall Snape is walking up the length of the Slytherin table passing out schedules. Based on my marks from my O.W.L.s I was eligible to move forward in all of my classes but I chose to drop History of Magic and astronomy and stick with seven classes instead. I have still yet to figure out what I want to do with my life so I decided to cover all my bases and take transfiguration, potions, herbology, arithmancy, ancient runes, defense against the dark arts, and charms. Charms is by far my favorite class just because there is a spell for anything that can make your life easier. I compare my schedule to Lucian's and see that we have all of our classes together except arithmancy and ancient runes.

Terrence comes strolling into the Great Hall, stopping to grab his schedule before lounging on the bench beside me as if it were his bed. I trade him a piece of toast for his schedule and see that he's dropped out of all but four classes. He can tell I disapprove by the look I give him.

"Hey my dad can guarantee me a job at the Ministry when I graduate as long as I pass with E's so I figured why waste my time? Besides I've got better things to do this year."

"Better things such as Angelina Johnson?" I say as I notice his stare drift across the great hall to the Gryffindor table where the pretty chaser girl is sitting with her friends. "As if she would give you the time of day."

"You underestimate my charm Thea, but no she's a little too hot-headed for my taste. I've set my sights on Beatrice Haywood."

"The short one from Hufflepuff? She is always passing notes back and forth in class. It's utterly distracting."

"You're just mad that she has more friends than you Thea."

"What do I need friends for when I have you and Lucian to terrorize?" I give him a playful shove and turn back to my cereal.

After a while Lucian knocks Terrence's leg from the bench and stands up, "better head to transfiguration, don't want McGonagall on our ass this early in the semester."

It's not until the third time slot that I finally have my free period. I race down to the dungeons and head to the furthest door past the potions classroom. I turn into the room and see Elias standing alongside his best friend Niles Hanley on the raised platform giving a speech to some first years about the Slytherin dueling club. I go sit down by Ella in the corner while they finish up their obligatory introduction speech. She started talking but I was only half paying attention because the candle-light was reflecting the caramel specks in Niles' deep brown eyes. I have compared my brother to a snake charmer in the past and it is a decent enough analogy, but if my brother can charm snakes, Niles can charm everyone else.

The two of them are the perfect Slytherins, like suns shining bright and drawing everything around them into their orbit. I remember I would run around after them when I was younger trying to catch some of the light that shone so brightly off them. It took me years to finally understand that I would never be like them. Elias, and Niles alike, were so much like my mother, she took command of any room she walked into and always managed to make things work in her favor. I on the other hand was more like my father. He has been working behind the scenes his whole life, influencing, manipulating outcomes, and slowly working his way up the ranks. I, like him, prefer to listen and watch from the shadows, striking only when the moment is perfect. Despite our differences I have been in love with Niles for forever, and who could blame me with his lopsided smirk and unwavering stare. I hate to admit it but I spend entirely too much time in this room asking him to help me perfect my secretly pretty good wand work.

"Thea? Are you there?" Suddenly Ella's hand is waving in front of my face and I'm dragged out of my daydream.

"Huh? Sorry what were you saying?"

"I was just wondering if things had been weird around your house lately, Elias has been acting stranger than usual for the past couple weeks."

"Nothing I can think of; I can chat with him if you'd like."

"No it's probably nothing, just nerves about our last year." At that moment Elias jumps down from the stage and heads towards where we are sitting, the speech clearly over. He nods in greeting at me then pulls Ella away out of the room. I walk over to where Niles is showing off to some first years, he turns to greet me and like always I catch myself staring at just how sharp his jaw is, as if it could cut you if you look for too long.

"Fancy seeing you here. You know most of these kids just had their first classes today so the shocked looks on their face is just naivety not due to any actual skills of yours."

"Thea, you wound me," he says and uses his wand to mimic being stabbed in the heart, "if I remember correctly it was my skills that helped you to perfect that silencing charm last year." This is a lie but I don't need to let him know that father has been making me practice above my year since I first came to Hogwarts, I'm already well into my way of learning non-verbal and wandless magic. "Let's see if you've been practicing."

"Maybe another time I promised Lucian and Terrence that I would meet them for lunch 10 minutes ago," I say as I turn to grab my bag.

"Next time then," I feel him put his hand on my shoulder and try not to hold my breath as he lets it linger there for a second too long. "I know you're going to be especially busy with quidditch this year but try not to forget about me, I missed our little training sessions." I shoot him a wink and then rush back up the steps towards the great hall breathing heavily.