Sometimes you know who the bad guy is from the start, but most times, you find out they've been standing in front of you all along.

Everyone thought Nott would leave Astoria for Queen D; no one would have ever expected the Patil twins to throw their name in the mix.

Be careful, witches. There's a storm brewing on the horizon.

~xoxo, Gossip Witch

"What did you do?" Parvati hissed, smacking Padma's arm as she snuck up behind her. Parvati glanced around at the faces of the other students who had just read the same Gossip Witch blast and grabbed her sister by the arm. She pulled her into an empty classroom on the opposite side of the hall. Parvati kicked the door shut, whispering a locking and silencing charm on the door before turning back to her sister.

"What the hell are you talking about, and why did you have to squeeze my arm so hard?" Padma groaned, rubbing her elbow as she looked her sister up and down.

"What were you doing with Nott?" Parvati replied, biting back the urge she felt to reach across the room and strangle her sister. "How could you be so damn stupid?"

"Now wait just a damn minute," Padma said, stomping her foot as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Before you jump to any conclusions, I wasn't doing anything with Theo other than walking back up from the Shrieking Shack with him. I was walking up from the Forest of Dean and happened to catch up to him."

Parvati looked at Padma for a few moments, reflecting on what she had just heard. As much as she wanted to believe her sister, she knew that she wasn't the only one who had jumped to conclusions based on the blast. "That's not the way Gossip Witch makes it sound," Parvati insisted, shaking her head.

"Of course not," Padma shouted, tossing her arms in the air. "What kind of a headline would Padma and Theo seen walking back to the castle? She had to make it spicy, or no one would question it."

"Then tell me what happened," Parvati insisted, furrowing her brow as she looked her sister up and down. "That way, you at least have me on your side when people start asking questions."

"Let them ask questions," Padma shrugged, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and sighed. "If they are asking questions, then it means they are finally talking about me. We're going to be late for class."

"Who cares about class?" Parvati exclaimed, her eyes wide in amazement at her sister's nonchalant nature about the entire school talking about her social life. "Since when do you care about people talking about you?"

"Since I found out they weren't talking about me at all," Padma said, pushing past Parvati. "Alohomora."

"We aren't done here," Parvati said, reaching for Padma's shoulder.

"You aren't done. I am," Padma replied, pulling away from her. "When you want to talk to me like I'm your sister, you know where to find me."

Padma pulled the door shut behind before Parvati could protest. Parvati stood at the door, dumbfounded at her sister's lack of trust in her. With a heavy sigh, she hung her head and left the empty classroom behind. The words of her sister were sitting heavy on her heart.

~xoxo~

Astoria started at the flames sparking in the fireplace as she crumpled the latest Gossip Witch blast in her hand. Furious was the best word she could come up with to describe how she was feeling about the newest piece of dirty laundry Gossip Girl decided to air out. She let out a huff as she threw the piece of parchment into the fire. Astoria smiled as she heard the flames roar to life. The sound was comforting in the silence that was the common room at this late hour.

"Bad enough when it was just sneaking around with my sister," Astoria mumbled, slumping down in the chair with her eyes closed for a few moments. As soon as she found herself comfortable, a loud thud came from the doorway. Astoria glanced over her shoulder and noticed a familiar brunette head stumbling into the room. "You've got to be bloody kidding me," she huffed, pushing herself up out of the chair and made her way quickly to the door.

She reached the door just in time as Daphne stumbled over her two feet and collapsed into Astoria's arms. Astoria kept them both from falling and carefully led her sister over to the couch. Daphne's hair smelled of firewhisky and bile. Astoria held her breath until she could get herself situated on the sofa before kneeling on the floor in front of her.

"Daphne," she said calmly, reaching up to cup her sister's cheek.

Daphne's eyes caught Astoria's, and she quickly pulled away, attempting to stand only to fall back into the couch. "What do you want?" Daphne spat, furrowing her brow.

"How much have you had to drink?" Astoria asked, brushing Daphne's hair out of her face.

"Quit babying me," Daphne hissed, pulling away from Astoria's reach. "I'm fine. I just lost my footing."

"Into a vat of firewhisky?" Astoria asked, leaning back on her haunches as she looked Daphne up and down. "You look like hell."

Daphne rolled her eyes, tucking her feet underneath her bum as she rested her head against the back of the couch. "I just need to sit still for a few minutes. You can go to bed. I'll be fine."

Astoria took one last look at her sister and let out a sigh. There was only one person who could talk some sense into Daphne at this point. She hung her head as she pushed herself up off the floor and made her way to the door. She paused, looking back over her shoulder, and watched as Daphne slumped over onto the couch.

"I hate this," she mumbled, shaking her head as she walked out of the common room. Even though Theo was the absolute last person she wanted to talk to at the moment, she needed him to save her sister.

~xoxo, Gossip Witch ~

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