Ava

September 1977

Thick hands wrapped around her throat, squeezing. She kicked out and desperately clawed at the hands. She could feel her blood pumping in her ears. His eyes were locked onto hers, dark and cold. Her knee finally made contact with something and the weight lifted off of her. She gasped for air, rolling onto her side. She tried to get to her feet but she was hit with pain so intense she felt pinned to the ground. She screamed, but no sound came out.

"I will kill you!"

Ava sat up straight, struggling to breathe. She carefully touched her neck, the skin hot. She took a deep breath, her throat sore even though it had only been a dream. After a moment she pulled her bed hangings to the side and reached for her watch. It was five in the morning. Despite how exhausted she felt, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. With a groan she climbed out of bed and quickly changed into a tank top and a pair of shorts. As she made her way to the door, she grabbed a pair of sneakers. Ava left the safety and comfort of the Hufflepuff common room, lightly jogging up the stairs to the Entrance Hall. The castle was quiet though she was positive she could hear one of the portraits snoring from the second floor.

Ava took a deep breath as she pushed open the doors and stepped onto the grounds. The grass was slick with dew and the sky was still dark. Ava pulled her hair into a loose ponytail before taking off running. She went to the quidditch pitch. It reminded her of the track near her house. She didn't particularly enjoy running, but it cleared her mind. At some point all the memories, anxieties, and nightmares would slip away until all she could see, hear, or feel was her own breathing. When the sun began to make an appearance, Ava slowed to a jog before coming to a complete stop. She leaned over, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She glanced at her watch and decided she needed to head back if she wanted to shower before breakfast. She walked slowly, listening to the birds sing with the early morning sun. As quietly as possible she opened the door and slipped inside. She wasn't technically breaking curfew, but she also wasn't interested in running into Filch this early. Just as she reached the staircase to the basement the door opened again, this time for three dirty looking Gryffindors. James Potter spotted her first and gave her a quick wave. This wasn't the first time they'd run into each other. Ava went for an early morning run whenever she had nightmares, and she had them often. Because of that, she was usually running into the self-proclaimed Marauders sneaking in or out of the castle. She didn't know what they got up to and frankly, she didn't want to know. Ava started walking to the stairs and only later would she wonder where Remus had been.

xxx

Ava slid into her seat a few minutes late. Thankfully Slughorn had his back to the class and was digging around in a cabinet. She was at a table with Vanessa Collins, Marlene McKinnon, and Lily Evans. McKinnon and Evans were nice enough, but Ava was just not drawn to Gryffindors. Everyone always seemed to group Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs together as natural allies, but Ava couldn't see it. Especially since Gryffindors used "puff" as an insult regularly.

Vanessa was probably Ava's closest friend. They had met on the train their first year. Even at eleven, Ava had thought Vanessa was beautiful with her long, effortlessly wavy hair (she later learned Vanessa braided her hair every night to get the effect), and her blue eyes had matched her denim jacket exactly. At the time Ava had been in awe of her. Both her parents had gone to Hogwarts and she spent the entire train ride telling Ava everything she knew. When they were both sorted into Hufflepuff, they decided to stick together.

Vanessa nudged her. "Where were you at lunch?"

"Library. Nora and I were studying together for Transfiguration."

Vanessa hummed lightly, but didn't say anything. Vanessa still, after a year and a half wasn't sure what to make of Ava's friendship with Nora Lockwood, but she never said anything bad about her either. Ava knew that Nora's friends felt similarly about it, thought she suspected they were not nearly as supportive of their friendship as Vanessa was. Vanessa's attention became distracted suddenly by Sirius Black. They had been flirting with each other non-stop since term started. It was mostly harmless and even though Vanessa had had a crush of Black since third year, it was never going to go anywhere. Black was in a long term, on-off again relationship with McKinnon. They were decidedly off at the moment, but it was only a matter of time.

Ava looked around the room and paused on the Slytherins. They were all together, not bothering to mix with the rest of the class. Noelle Zabini, Nora's best friend, was whispering to Severus Snape who was scribbling something in his textbook. They were an unlikely pair. Snape was pale, almost waxy looking. His hair was long, limp, and greasy and he looked perpetually angry. Zabini, on the other hand, had warm caramel colored skin, completely unblemished. Her features were soft and delicate, except for her eyes. They were sharp and calculated. Also, a very lovely hazel color. Zabini was not one of Ava's favorite people. She was snide and cruel, and known to hex anyone who got on her bad side. Across from her, Evan Rosier and David Mulciber were laughing, completely unaware of whatever serious conversation was happening around them. Mulciber glanced up and caught her gaze. His grin widened and he winked at her. Ava looked away quickly, her throat closing.

"Are you alright?" Evans asked softly, clearly having seen the exchange. Ava just nodded and pulled out her textbook, letting her hair act as a curtain between her and the Slytherins.

Slughorn began his lesson. Ava spent most of the lecture aimlessly doodling in the margins of her book, trying to clear her mind. She had forgotten she had class with him today. No amount of running would change that. By the time Slughorn dismissed class, she filled the chapter with drawings. She shoved her book into her bag and jumped to her feet, almost immediately bumping into something sturdy.

"Sorry—" She began. Before she could turn around she felt a hand press against her lower back.

"Don't worry about it, Allaire.""

She could feel his breath on her neck. She spun around, practically falling back onto the table.

"Oi! Personal space, meathead!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Back off." He raise his hands in surrender, shooting Ava a smile before moving on. Ava watched his back as he pushed out of the room, before turning to Vanessa who was frowning.

"What a creep," She said. "Let's go." Ava trailed behind her until Vanessa made a point to slow down.

"Did you hear what he did to Mary MacDonald?" Vanessa asked. Ava shook her head. "Well, I heard about it from Marlene. I guess it happened right before OWLs. He used an Unforgivable Curse on her."

"Did she tell Dumbledore?"

"No. She was terrified he would come after her again." Vanessa sighed, finally managing to pull a pack of sugar quills from her bag. Ava's stomach churned at the sight of them. "I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up a Death Eater."

Ava made a noncommittal noise, her skin crawling as if he was still touching her.