"Carina, wake up!" Zoe smacked me on the back of the head with a pillow.
"Wha'?" I garbled; my face smothered in my pillow.
"Wake up," she repeated, but this time she didn't hit me with a pillow. I simply let out a long groan as all my available words had been used. She hit me with her pillow again. "We have Herbology in five minutes."
I immediately sat up, wiping the drool off my cheek. "Merlin, we're going to be late!"
I ran into the bathroom and frantically brushed my teeth, while trying to get my blonde mop of hair to lie flat. Just as I was grabbing my uniform, I stopped. All my roommates' hangings were shut, a sign that they were all still in bed. Zoe was smirking, sitting on her bed in regular clothes, not her uniform.
"Zo, it's Saturday."
"Yeah, I know," she said, her grin widening. "Hey, since you're already up," she ignored the daggers my eyes were shooting at her, "why don't you come watch the quidditch tryouts with me?"
"No," I deadpanned, fully prepared to go back to bed.
"Puhleease," she begged, literally getting on her knees. "You're my best friend, and I promise this is the only time I'll ever ask you to do anything ever!"
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the smile on my face. She gave that exact speech every time she wanted something. It was how I got roped into skinny dipping in the Black Lake last year, which also sparked my fear of giant squid.
"Fine," I conceded with a sigh. "But this is the last time I do something for you." She beamed at me, and both of us knew that wasn't true. We would do anything for each other.
Before I could change out of my pajamas, she grabbed my arm and dragged me downstairs, saying that I'd already made her late. We met Ben down in the common room, and he, naturally, made a perverted comment about my attire. Ryder, who had been a chaser on the team for the past two years, was already on the pitch.
The two squabbled about the past World Cup as we walked through the dewy morning grass, which effectively soaked my slippers. I had been forced to go to the World Cup this summer with the rest of The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club. It doesn't sound like something to complain about, because people would die to be able to go, but we don't get to watch like normal people. We have to watch like purebloods.
Throughout the game, we can't show any emotions on our face. If we were to cheer for a particular team, there would be headlines saying we hate the other team because they had a muggleborn on it. It seemed there was always some way to spin it, so we looked bad. Purebloods may have clawed their way back to the top of the hierarchy, but the press, and pretty much everyone else, was always ready to take us down.
I trudged up the steps of the stadium, ignoring a particularly rude fifth year's comment on my pink, fuzzy slippers. I plopped down in the seat next to Zoe and rested my head on her shoulder. Meanwhile she gushed about how absolutely fit Paul Gibbons, the keeper in our year, was.
Paul Gibbons was not fit. Ryder, Ben, and I had named him Gibbons the Git, and he had arrogance to rival James Potter. Unfortunately, it looked like the dark-haired prat was Zoe's new love interest. And when she decides she likes someone, no one can deter her from them.
"Ugh, look at him!" she sighed. "His eyes are so blue; I could swim in them."
I squinted my eyes at the pitch, looking at the guy who was currently showing off his flying skills, smirking. "Can you even see his eyes from here?"
"Oh my god, he waved at me!" she squealed, clutching my arm. "What should I do?"
"Um, wave back?" I suggested.
"Brilliant!" She frantically waved her arm at Paul, and he winked back. "Merlin, he is so fit."
I crinkled my nose and looked at the empty seat to her right. "Where's Ben?" I asked, missing my blonde partner in crime. He was probably the only one who could get Zoe to shut up about Paul.
"He went to get snacks," she said with a shrug. "Oh look, there's Ryder. Hey Ryder!" She stood and waved to get his attention.
Ryder heard and looked up, his eyes searching for us in the stands. When he spotted us, he gave us a nervous grin and a thumbs up. The poor guy was shaking in his dragon hide boots, even though we all knew he was guaranteed the spot.
"Wait, where is Ben getting snacks from?" As far as I knew, the only place to get food from was the Great Hall during meals. There weren't any concession stands or anything of the sort.
"It's Ben," she stated.
I nodded in agreement. Ben always seemed to find a way to get food, and he was always eating. Or flirting with girls. Sometimes he did both simultaneously, which explained why he was single.
The tryouts started, led by sixth year captain, Cameron Whitfield. He sorted them into different groups to start.
I've always been an observant person, but I feel like sometimes I focus more on the small details instead of the big picture. For instance, I noticed the bags under Cameron's green eyes and how pale his skin had gotten. I saw Paul not so subtly checking out a group of fifth year girls that were stretching. A small third year was in the air, sweat already perspiring on his forehead, and I could see how tightly he was gripping his bat.
What I did not notice was the bludger he had just hit hurtling towards me.
Everything happened in a blur. I heard Zoe scream my name, and I saw the bludger coming right for my face. Then, it wasn't. I hit the ground, smacking my head. A warm body was pressed on top of me, its hazel eyes widened in surprise as if they couldn't believe they'd just done that.
I shut my eyes and groaned, partly because I'd hit my head really hard, and partly because James Potter had been the one to knock me down. And he was still on top of me.
"Woah," Ben said, walking over us with a bag full of popcorn. "How long have I been gone?" Zoe smacked him on the back of the head. "Ow, you bloody woman!" He rubbed the back of his head but stopped talking.
"Get. Off. Me." I told Potter through clenched teeth. He snapped back into reality and stood, offering his hand out to me before quickly snatching it away.
"You could thank me," he said as Zoe helped me up. "I basically just saved your life."
"Well, aren't you just a modern-day hero?" I quipped, dusting myself off.
"What is it with you purebloods refusing to admit you need help?" he spat. His hazel eyes were ablaze as he stared me down. If he wanted to intimidate me, it wasn't going to work. In a pureblood world, looks like that were given on a daily basis.
"What is it with you Potters thinking everyone needs to be saved?" I fired back. "I didn't ask for your help."
"Well, next time I'll be sure to let the bludger mess up your pretty face, yeah? I'm sure your parents would love it if your only redeeming attribute was destroyed." His normal smirk was cold, and his eyes were distant. Our mutual hate had never been stronger.
"Sod off, Potter," Zoe hissed in a very not Zoe manner. "Carina has more redeeming attributes in one finger than you do in your entire body."
Potter's eyes widened at her tone. Zoe wasn't rude to anyone. She said anger didn't look good on her, and it added wrinkles.
"Yeah," Ben chimed in. "Car's a babe. Have you seen the rack on her?" He put an arm around my shoulder and nodded, thinking he was being helpful. He wasn't. Ben was never helpful, especially not in these kinds of situations.
Potter's eyes glanced down at my chest with a smirk before he sauntered away to where the rest of the Gryffindor team was watching tryouts. Several people were staring at us, for it wasn't everyday a Potter associated with a member of The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club. They turned around shortly after he returned to his team. Without him, we were just a few Ravenclaws.
Zoe and I sat down with a huff, Ben following in suit and opening a package of licorice wands.
"Uh, I'm so conflicted," Zoe sighed, taking on of Ben's licorice wands.
"Hey!" he protested.
She flicked his ear before continuing. "He's so fit, but James Potter is such a prick." She took a bite of her licorice wand, chewing it methodically. "I still ship you two together though."
I groaned. "Not this again, Zo. Did you not just see what happened?"
"Yeah, I saw heaps of sexual tension. The boy was on top of you, Car." I rolled my eyes and leaned my head on the seats behind me. This was only the beginning for her. "Plus, he came from all the way across the stands to save you. He practically flew here. Surely that must count for something."
I hated myself for thinking it, but she kind of had a point. Why would he bother coming over here if he hated me? I pushed the thought out of my mind. Zoe was rubbing off on me too much.
"Zo."
"Yeah, Car?"
"You've gone absolutely bonkers."
She hit me in the face with a licorice wand.
"Don't waste them!" Ben gasped, appalled. He clutched the package protectively against his chest.
"Look at how tiny the first years are," Zoe said in disbelief as we walked to Potions that Monday. Even though we'd been in school for almost a month, she was still amazed in how small the first years were. "I just want to push them all into lockers!"
"We don't have lockers," I sighed. I hadn't been sleeping well recently, and Potter seemed to be popping out everywhere with a smirk or a glare on his face. They weren't always directed towards me, but they stressed me out, and I had much bigger things to stress about.
"I know! Does the Ministry think we're pack mules or something?" She readjusted her bag on her shoulder, gripping it closer. "I have eight NEWTs this year. Do they expect me to carry all of my books everywhere?!"
I caught eyes with a familiar pair of gray ones across the hall. They beckoned me over.
"Hey Zo," I interrupted, distracted. "Save me a spot in Potions, please?"
"What?" She followed my eye line. "Oh, got you. See you in class." She blew me a kiss and walked to the dungeons alone.
I pushed my way to Scorpius Malfoy, who was now walking in the opposite direction of the dungeons. I fell into step with him, both of us looking ahead. If someone were to have seen us, they wouldn't have thought we were having a conversation with each other. We were just two students walking to class.
"What's up?" I asked him as we ascended the staircase towards Charms. I was definitely going to be late, but Scorpius wouldn't have called me over if it wasn't important.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, arching an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" I asked quickly, facing him for the first time.
"Word has it that you and Potter were a bit too close on Saturday." His tone was emotionless, but his eyes were filled with worry. My blood ran cold.
"What are they saying?" I asked slowly.
The rest of The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club typically ignored me at school when we didn't have an event, and I preferred it that way. Anytime I was brought to their attention, there was always a risk they'd find out about Zoe. Some of them knew we were friends, after all we had classes with them. However, not all of them knew who she was, or that she was a muggleborn. That was the information that could destroy me, especially if it got back to my parents.
"You know how rumours are, Carina," he said offhandedly, avoiding my question.
"Scorpius." I stopped walking and grabbed his sleeve.
He sighed and looked at me. "Basically, someone saw you and Potter on Saturday. They claimed you were all over each other, and apparently people are saying you've been sneaking around for months."
"What?" I gasped. "That's not true!"
"I know, and most of us know it's not true," he assured me, and my shoulders sagged in relief. "But you know how we feel about appearances. Midnight's livid about the whole thing."
"Midnight?" I stuttered slightly. If she got involved things would burn, starting with me. "What about Zoe?"
"She doesn't know, and she probably wouldn't care. A Potter is much worse than a mud- a muggleborn." I nodded at his words but didn't feel relieved. Just being on Midnight's radar was bad, and preventative measures should be taken.
"I guess I'll have to sort this out then," I said and rubbed my eyes. Dealing with Midnight was like dealing with a rabid werewolf. One false move meant death. Or having your eyes clawed out. It really depended on her mood.
"You might want to talk to Jesse too," Scorpius added, walking to his next class without me. "He seemed pretty upset about the whole thing."
"Great," I muttered to myself as he rounded the corner. The last thing I needed was Jesse involved. He would either hex Potter or tell my parents. Personally, I was hoping for the former.
The bell rang, but I was nowhere close to the dungeons. I contemplated skiving Potions, but I was too much of a Ravenclaw for that. The dank smell of the dungeons filled my nostrils as I walked into class. Everyone's head snapped to look at me, and I caught Zoe's eyes.
"Five points from Ravenclaw for your tardiness, Fawley. Let's not make this a habit," my Potions teacher, Professor Whittle, drawled. He had salt and pepper hair and a killer personality. And by killer, I mean his personality killed me, slowly.
"Sorry," I mumbled, ducking my head and walking to the empty seat next to Zoe.
"That won't be necessary, Fawley. I'm assigning seats," he told the class. Everyone let out a groan. "Yeah, complain all you want, but thanks to the shenanigans of your fellow peers," he gave a pointed look to the smirking Fred Weasley and James Potter, who had exploded three potions last week, "I've decided that you all are clearly not mature enough to choose your own seats."
We all stood by the wall of the classroom, while he called our names. Zoe was grouped with a bunch of gossiping Hufflepuffs, so she was basically in paradise. Because Ryder and Ben had opted out of Potions, I didn't really have any friends in the class other than Zoe.
"Avery, Fawley, Parkinson, Potter, Rosier," Professor Whittle called, pointing to a table in the back. Ophelia squealed and gripped Damien's arm, while he looked as if he wanted to melt into the ground.
We all sat down, Potter practically throwing his bag down, and I heard a few inkwells crack. He moved his seat as far from mine as possible and scowled. Damien, who was sitting across from him, scowled as well.
"Isn't this great!" Ophelia chirped as we all got started on our potions. "The holy trinity is all together!" She squeezed Willow and I into hugs before sitting next to Damien.
Willow and Ophelia were cousins, and since Ophelia decided we were best friends, I got dragged into doing things with them. We always went on vacations to the beach, The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club events, and had the occasional awkward sleepover- thrown by Ophelia, of course.
Willow was a gorgeous blonde, but that was all I knew about her. In all the times I'd hung out with her, she only spoke when directly spoken to. Even then, it was never too long of an answer. She was a good pair for Ophelia, who could talk about absolutely nothing for hours.
"Yeah, this is super exciting!" I said with false cheeriness that went unnoticed by her, but not Potter. I saw a brief hint of a smirk on his face.
"It's a shame about that one, though," she remarked, tilting her head towards Potter.
"Hey Rosier," Potter said, smirking. Damien glared at him. "Are you actually going to shag Avery like she's so desperate for you to? Or is that behaviour just reserved for your cousins?"
Purebloods hooking up with their cousins was an unoriginal, yet effective, thing to taunt us with. It clearly worked on Damien, who just about leaped across the table. Lucky for Potter, Professor Whittle walked by, so we all went back to work.
Across the room, I could feel Midnight Carrow's dark glare on me. She, her brother Dexter, and Roscoe Yaxley had somehow managed to get a table together. Joining them was another Slytherin and Fred Weasley, who definitely did not have a smirk on his face anymore. I made eye contact with Midnight, and she gave me a cold smile before continuing with her potion.
As soon as the bell rang, James bolted from the room. I quickly packed my things to leave, but a cold hand gripped my arm, sharp nails digging into my skin. Midnight Carrow was towering over me, the same cold smile on her face.
"Carina," she started, her smile widening, "can we talk?"
"I have class," I told her, glad to have an excuse.
"Me too," she stated, not releasing my arm. "Meet me in the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor tonight. Twelve o'clock." She dropped my arm and glided out of the room. Even though she didn't say it, I could feel the 'or else' tacked onto the end of the sentence.
I met up with Zoe, Ben, and Ryder outside of the dungeons, still rubbing the indentions Midnight had made in my skin.
"What was that all about?" Zoe asked as we walked to Charms.
"Midnight wants to talk to me," I said, and they all shuddered. Anyone who knew Midnight knew how... intimidating she was.
"Do you want me to come as back up?" Ryder asked, puffing out his wiry frame. "I can take her."
"Wow, you can take a seventeen-year-old girl. Congratulations," Zoe drawled, and I could hear his manliness being taken down. "What Carina needs is a taser or a dragon. Midnight Carrow is a crazy bitch."
We all nodded.
"She's kind of hot though," Ben said. We all turned to stare at him. "What? Everyone knows that the crazier they are, the hotter they are."
There was a beat of silence.
"Can I please hit him?" Zoe asked.
"Allow me," Ryder said, giving Ben a loud smack on the back of the head.
"Ow," he whined. We pushed past him, leaving him by himself in the hallway. "Guys wait up!" His feet ran to catch up with us. "Come on, I was joking!"
I was in the abandoned classroom at twelve on the dot. Midnight smiled as I walked in, showing off her perfectly straight, white teeth. Her thick black hair was straight, hanging loosely down her back.
"Carina," she greeted cordially.
"Midnight," I replied with a nod.
"All right let's cut the formalities," she said, sitting atop one of the desks. I sat one the one across from her. "You know why I wanted to talk to you."
"Not really, no," I lied, but she seemed to believe me.
"You've heard the stories about how we had to claw our way to the top after the war, right?" she asked, and I nodded, not seeing where this was going. "It was a hard fight, but we managed, still keeping our family values intact."
"Midnight, if you called me in here to tell me the history of purebloods, you're wasting your time. I know all of this," I said as politely as possible. I was extremely tired, but I didn't fancy dying tonight.
"I have a point, darling," she replied in a sickeningly sweet voice that warned me not to interrupt her again. "Now, as I was saying, we kept our noses clean, while keeping our values intact. Something as small as a rumour can jumble into a scandal if certain people were involved. A scandal like that could ruin everything we've built."
"These rumours about me and Potter aren't true," I stated, daring to look her directly in the eye. Surprisingly, I did not turn into stone, though it did send chills down my spine, and I felt frozen in her gaze.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" she asked, her eyes flashing. "Anyone with half a brain knows you two aren't even on friendly terms, let alone fucking. Only bimbos like Ophelia would believe that."
"Then why did you ask to meet me?" I asked as my shoulders sagged in relief. If she believed me, the rest of the talk would die down in a few days. Midnight could be very... persuasive.
"Because just this negative attention isn't good for you; it's not good for anyone. And I'm not going to let you- or anyone- take away what we've all worked so hard for." Her words bit, and I winced slightly at her ferocity, though her voice kept its smooth tone. "Even if it means I have to keep my eye on you."
My heart stopped. Rarely did she pay any attention to anyone or anything outside of Slytherin. Sometimes, it felt as though she went to a different school, and that was how I was able to be friends with Zoe. Midnight was the only one who cared enough to do anything about it.
"That won't be necessary," I tried to say firmly, but it came out as more of a squeak. I cleared my throat. "I mean, I'll make sure there's no way rumours like these will be spread again."
"Good. You know, you've always reminded me of myself, Carina," she said as though she was years older than me instead of months. I nodded with a stiff smile, fighting the bile rising in my throat. I hoped I wasn't anything like her. "You're smart, but unlike me, you lack ambition, just like your father."
I dug my nails into my palms, causing tears to prickle in my eyes. Just ignore her. She was not the first person to insult my father, and she wouldn't be the last. He didn't care about preserving the Sacred Twenty-Eight, he didn't care about much.
"I'd hate for you to lose everything you could have," she continued. "You have the potential to be successful."
"I know," I said quietly, feeling like a scolded child. I didn't even do anything.
"Everything's been set up for you. You just need to pick where your loyalties lie." With a small smile and a whiff of sickeningly sweet rose perfume, she exited the room.
I pressed my face into my hands. So much for not showing up on her radar. She would be watching, waiting for me to fall. One stupid rumour, and she thought I was going to smudge up The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club's reputation.
With a deep breath, I stood and walked down the deserted hallway, not worried about being caught. Midnight and Dexter were Head Boy and Girl this year, a position that was no doubt bought for them by their father, so they could vouch for me.
"Oh great, you're here," a voice groaned from behind me. Of course, he would be here.
"Merlin, Potter, are you stalking me?" I asked, turning to face the messy haired boy.
"Don't flatter yourself, Fawley," he spat back. "I just got out of detention."
"Go figure." Potter had a detention every other night.
"What are you doing out here? Having a little midnight rendezvous with Malfoy, or are you too pure for that?"
I don't usually condone violence, but I had absolutely no regrets about punching Potter in the stomach. He groaned and clutched it, and I grabbed his shirt, pulling him down to my level.
"What is your deal, Potter?" I demanded. "You never bothered me before this year, so why are you doing this now." I released his shirt and pushed him away. Talking with Midnight and a lack of sleep had clearly messed with me.
"Jesus," he muttered, "what's got your knickers in a twist."
"You!" I cried, not caring that I was almost crying. "I get that you don't like me, but do you have to act this way? I've got more important things to worry about than some immature boy, fighting a battle against the wrong person."
"Please, any member of The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club is worth taking down a peg," he scoffed, crossing his toned arms.
"Do you hear yourself?" I half laughed, earning a confused look from Potter. "You talk about us in the same way you claim we talk about you! News flash, Potter, I'm nothing like them. My best friend's a muggleborn for Merlin's sake!"
He seemed to falter for words. "Well- I-"
"Look, I'm truly sorry about what happened to your sister, but I can't change what Ophelia did. Can't we just go back to how things were?" I practically begged. The stress of having to deal with both Midnight and Potter would probably kill me.
"I guess that'd be best," he muttered, avoiding my eyes.
"Great," I sighed in relief. "See you around, Potter."
"Yeah, see you, Fawley," he said so low, I almost didn't hear him.
The common room was empty, except for Zoe, Ryder, and Ben, who decided to wait and make sure Midnight didn't kill me. Zoe and Ryder were sitting on our favourite faded blue couch, studying for our upcoming Charms practical. Meanwhile, Ben was sprawled out on an armchair, eating.
"You're alive!" Ryder proclaimed as I pushed Ben off the chair. I snatched the bag of crisps he was eating, too.
"Yep," I confirmed, shoving the rest of the bag in my mouth. Ben pouted from the ground like a child.
"What did Midnight say?" Ryder asked and rested his head in Zoe's lap. "Did she stab you? Are you imperiused?"
"Well, if she was imperiused, she couldn't tell you," Zoe pointed out.
"Oh, come on, Car's a fighter, she would fight the curse," he countered, sitting up.
"In a lot of cases, it doesn't matter how strong the person is. The imperius curse is powerful, and it takes a certain tolerance to resist it."
"Harry Potter did it."
"He's Harry Potter that hardly counts as a good precedent."
"I'm sure there are tons of case studies in the library."
"Yeah, let's go see-" Zoe was cut off by Ben throwing a pillow at her head.
"You two are such Ravenclaws, it kills me," he groaned, leaning back on my legs. The two blinked at him blankly, before returning to their riveting discussion.
"I guess we're the only cool Ravenclaws," Ben sighed, looking up at me. "It's a demanding life."
"Psh, you and cool don't belong in the same sentence together," I scoffed. "Obviously, that leaves only me as the coolest Ravenclaw."
"Merlin, you purebloods thinking you're above everyone." I shoved him away, playfully narrowing my eyes.
"Sod off, Smith," I told him, standing up. My bed was calling my name, and after the week I had, I wanted to sleep forever.
"No, Carina! My love! Come back!" he called after me, begging on his knees.
I curled into a ball on my bed, cocooning myself in blankets. Midnight wouldn't get out of my head. I knew she'd be watching now, making sure I wasn't going to ruin our fragile reputation. My priority was protecting Zoe.
The rules regarding muggleborns were not official; they were heavily implied. In order to repair our fragile reputations, purebloods could not openly despise muggleborns. It was done behind closed doors. They were our coworkers and classmates, but that was to be the extent of our relationships with them, for muggleborns were considered an abomination to the wizarding world. To be friends with a muggleborn was a gateway to being a blood traitor, and it was treated as such.
There was a girl a few years back, we don't speak about her, who was friends with a muggleborn. When Midnight, a mere third year at the time, found out, she sent word back to her father. The girl's parents only options were to kick her out or leave The Sacred Twenty-Eight Club in shame. Sadly, yet not shockingly, they kicked her out, leaving her a homeless schoolgirl.
The details as to what happened to the muggleborn girl aren't exactly clear. What I do know was that she was hexed from behind and fell down the stairs, spending three months in the Hospital Wing.
It was ruled as an accident.
The scariest part was Midnight had gotten worse over the years. I couldn't imagine what she'd do to Zoe and me, and I didn't want to.
Those were the thoughts on my mind as I drifted off, causing Midnight's cold smile to star in my dreams.