Disclaimer: All characters from the Harry Potter series belong to the highly talented J.K. Rowling. All the rest belong to me.
Chapter One
Pythia Winters woke up Monday morning on the left side of Lucius Malfoy's bed. The boys' sixth year dormitory was empty save the two of them, and the corridor outside the room was quiet, as usual. With a glance at the grandfather clock against the opposite wall, Pythia gathered that Lucius wouldn't take too kindly to being woken yet. Yawning, she pulled herself upright and grasped for her nightshirt on the floor.
The fourth year girls' dorm was empty, as well, when Pythia entered. The bathroom mirror was still fogged from the steam of the showers and water droplets still fell from the faucets with a hollow sound as they hit the marble. After her shower, she stood in front of the mirror before dressing, appraising her appearance.
Dark brunette hair hung around her shoulders and back in thick, damp waves. Her skin was pink from the hot water, but her face was already regaining the fair complexion it usually bore. Soft, hardly noticeable freckles had begun to show across her cheeks and nose, as they usually did when the sun grew brighter toward the middle of spring. Brown eyes peered out from beneath black lashes clumped together by the water, the right one underlined with a deep purple bruise.
Pythia raised a hand and touched the black eye, wincing as she realized that the contusion sat right on the bone of the eye socket. Sighing, she left to dress in her school robes and stuffed her homework into her book bag. With a quick drying charm, she ran a brush through the tangles in her hair and made her way upstairs to the Great Hall.
Everyone was gathered in the usual spot at the back of the Slytherin table – Narcissa and Bellatrix Black, Severus Snape, Evan Rosier, Nero Wilkes, Rudolphus Lestrange, and Janus Avery. Narcissa and Bellatrix were in a deep conversation with Rudolphus about the upcoming O.W.L.s, while Evan, Nero, and Janus discussed Quidditch. Severus was engrossed in a thick book, a deep frown settled between his eyebrows. The Hall was filled with people eating and talking, but since it was only eight-fifteen, there were several people missing from each house
Pythia made her way down the aisle, lifting the heels of her boots so they wouldn't make so much noise. She raised a finger to her lips when Janus opened his mouth to say "hello," and the two conversations ceased. Trying to keep from chuckling, she bent her head down so her mouth was right behind Severus's ear. She held her breath and waited to see if he knew that she was there. When she knew he didn't, she opened her mouth.
"Whatcha reading?"
Severus started with a slight gasp. Satisfied with herself, Pythia slid into the seat between him and Evan. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Thia." The one word held a menace that would have made anyone else from any other House apprehensive. But no one in their gang of Slytherins feared Severus's wrath.
Pythia smiled sweetly, reaching for the fruit. "I didn't mean anything by it, Severus. You can go back to your book."
Scowling at her, he returned to the page he was on, his brow knitting again.
Narcissa glanced at Pythia. "Thia, what happened to your eye?"
Pythia broke out in a grin and rolled her eyes. "I went looking in the library for a book yesterday evening, for my homework. Found it on the top shelf. When I tried to get it, it fell and hit me in the face. Smart, huh?"
Narcissa rolled her eyes and Bellatrix sniggered. "Oh yeah," Nero replied, "real smart."
"Is Prince Lucius sleeping in again?" Janus inquired sarcastically.
"When has Malfoy ever come down early?" Bellatrix pointed out, stuffing a forkful of egg into her mouth.
"Yeah, Lucius won't be down for another fifteen or twenty minutes," Pythia agreed. As an afterthought, she added, "He needs his beauty rest."
Pythia filled her plate with eggs, toast, and fruit. She was halfway through breakfast when Evan nudged her with his elbow. When she looked up, he nodded at the doorway of the Hall. "Well, well." The words were soft and almost anticipatory. "Severus." Severus looked up at her, an eyebrow raised to show his irritation. "Look who it is," she said softly, a smirk flickering on her face.
His eyes searched the Hall and found the four boys on their way to the Gryffindor table. James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Hatred glowed cold in Severus's eyes. There was not possibly anyone he hated more than James Potter. "What's your point?" he snapped, and went back to the book.
Pythia rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "If you don't know, I'm not gonna tell you."
"Now there's a line that's overused by females," a cold voice drawled from behind her. Evan moved to the other side of the table so Lucius could sit down beside Pythia. Rudolphus snickered.
"That's sexist," Bellatrix snapped.
Pythia pulled out a scrap of parchment and scribbled on it "that's Lucius" and slid it over to Bellatrix, who read it and snickered. Lucius frowned at the two of them before resting his intense gaze on Pythia. "Something funny, Thia?"
Pythia just let a slow smile curl on her lips. "Not really," she answered truthfully.
Lucius's eyes narrowed for a moment before he turned back to the rest of them. "So," he said, and everyone ended what they were doing to hear what he had to say, even Severus. He cracked his knuckles loudly and withdrew nine strips of parchment from his robes, holding them up. "Who's gonna be Victim of the Week?"