With practised ease Dahlia circled her way through shelves upon selves of books to find a place no other had seen in most likely a century. Dust covered everything and some kind of mysterious purple vine had started to break through a window to twirl up towards the high ceiling. The small corner was perfect. Some of the oldest books she had ever seen had lined the walls of this one place.
Letting out a quiet sneeze she retraced the only footsteps visible, although she noticed that soon she would outgrow the outlines and cause a new set to appear. The magic in the place seemed to welcome her with a happy sigh and the sun lit the solitary desk with a chair just a little bit brighter.
She smiled gratefully and sat her school bag on the rickety old desk. With a heavy heart she ran her hands over the ingrained surface while she dropped her exhausted body in the chair. The old runes she spent a month of her first year trying to translate gave her comfort.
Her eyes were shadowed by purplish black circles, the last few days taking a physical toll on her body. Dahlia didn't speak to either Draco or Miles for the first week of school, something that hadn't happened since their first year and the separation could be felt by all of them.
Miles big sorrow filled brown eyes would try to catch her gaze during class but she steadily refused to meet them. He had resorted to antagonizing the youngest Huffelpuffs to get rid of his frustration; she noticed this after the third day. Draco as always seemed to be the more level headed of the both but while he gave no outward sign of distress to a trained eye such as hers she noted the tightening of his usual smirk that gave his true feelings away.
She wouldn't give in and apologize when she knew she wasn't in the wrong. She was hoping to make them suffer for a time but she knew she couldn't hold out much longer. Although she did agree with Miles over hating the muggle world the fact remained that she couldn't change her blood, even if she sometimes wished she could.
During the week before in DADA class she learned she couldn't depend on her currant teacher for anything. Umbridge seemed content to keep the students under her thumb and spent the class undermining everything Harry Potter stated to anyone listening. Meanwhile she also seemed to enjoy picking out Dahlia from the crowd, asking her to answer questions randomly and when she couldn't give the right answer she would be mocked for it. The girl would have to be on the lookout for the toad woman as it stood because she didn't know the woman's intentions yet.
Dahlia had been spending her time avoiding Miles and Draco in the restricted area of the library. It was a place she found before her friendship with Miles and Draco grew, and she would need to find a safe place to hide from older students intent in insulting her. Even Miles didn't know the library the way she did, it was her alone who knew of every crack and crevice. It was always a comfort to her to read up on dark and mysterious magic and she spent hours getting lost between the words of some such books.
On this occasion she wasn't alone for long, unfortunately. Behind her a crash was heard and a stack of books came floating by. This was quickly followed by a frazzled looking Gryffindor. When the other girl finally noticed her, her face took on a suspicious look.
"What are you doing here?" she glanced around as if expecting some foe to pop out of nowhere.
Dahlia's faced turned stormy. This place, her one refuge was being encroached on by a self-entitled, over confident, brash Gryffindor.
"I could ask the same, Granger." Her voice was cold as she stared at the curly haired girl. She felt betrayed, the magic in this small corner of the world had chosen her to appear to years ago and yet here was this other girl. She couldn't explain it, no one had ever come across this area before other than her.
The girl cast a glance at the titles of the books on the desk. The title 1001 Darkest Curses in History and their Humble Origins was clearly visible and caused her to raise a dubious eyebrow.
"Up to no good, Augustine? Nothing new, I guess." She shuck her head as if she had some amusing thought going through her mind.
"You know me well it seems." Dahlia snapped shut her book and flicked her wand causing the rest to lift in the air to find their original place. She sulkily pushed past the intruder to escape any further annoyance.
"I could never understand," the girl called after her, "how you could be friends with them. To betray your family and your kind for the likes of Malfoy and Bulstrode."
Drawing to a stop, fist clenched tight, Dahlia tried to convince herself not to turn around.
"They will throw you under a bus and run right over you. You won't ever belong in their world." The girl continued.
With a glare at the ready she spun around, "you know nothing! Not about me, not about Draco or Miles!" she pulled out her willow dragon heartstring wand and pointed at the other's chest. Granger slipped her wand into her palm in response but didn't raise it. She had a superior look on her face; it repulsed Dahlia to think she was in some delusional way trying to help her.
"I know that they hate my blood, the blood we share. I know that in another war we'd be on opposite sides. I know their families will fight for the elimination of our kind. So do you think you're not going to be included in their hate? Are you that delusional?"
The words gave voice to her biggest insecurities and made them increase tenfold. She knew the disproving opinion both the Bulstrode and Malfoy family had of her. They had tried in the past to get their children to stop associating with her but the two boys refused only compromising to stop contact threw the holidays. Their support didn't stop her from thinking the worst, she didn't fit in what their families considered to be acceptable so the thought of them one day turning their backs on her is still in the back of her mind and she's had to face this every day for the last few years.
Her mind was dark with repetitive thoughts but then something broke through. She remembered the punch Draco received from this girl and the duel Miles beat her in. Granger was saying these things because she held her own personal vendetta. Her wand dropped to her side, she knew she wouldn't be needing it.
"Your one to talk. Your friends use you as their personal dictionary, only a convenient tool to meet their own desires. You have no purpose to them other than getting them out of killing themselves." She grinned wickedly as Grangers faced turned dark, "when was the last time Weasly wanted to be with you for no other reason than just to be in your presence? Not for you to do his homework, not to get out of some scheme, or because Potter forced the two of you to interact?"
Grangers suddenly went pale and Dahlia went in for the kill. "That's the difference between us. I may be a mudblood in their eyes but they except me despite it. Draco and Miles never make me feel like I'm less for it even though they were taught to hate someone like us. I have my own reasons to dislike the muggle world that has nothing to do with my friends and I'd rather be a traitor than cut my real family from my life. Because that's what they are Granger, my family."
The Gryffindor was stunned into silence and with a final glare Dahlia stalked off to leave her no room to argue. It was because of her argument with the other girl that she resolved herself and realised some crucial things.
When she arrived in the common room she immediately noticed Miles and Draco seating in their usual place and playing chess. She swiftly walked over to them and sat down in Miles seat causing him to fall to the floor. At first his reaction was one of fury until they noticed who it was that interrupted them. They stared a hesitantly at her until Draco opened his mouth most likely with a diplomatic response on his tongue but his teeth clacked shut when she held up her hand to silence him.
"As you know I've never seen myself as part of that world because I've never felt like I belonged there but that changes nothing. What I said before was true, I understand where you're coming from but to me it was like you were attacking me. It felt like a lie all these years and that you that you really felt so terribly about me." She couldn't help her green eyes from watering, tears would never escape but it was enough for both boys to see them.
"Dahlia we could never feel anything but love for you, you know that and when we think of all the horrible things about muggles and muggleborns we don't think of you when we do. We know it's apart of you but it's easy to forget for us because your just Dahlia, you'll only just be Dahlia to us." Draco spoke steadily in his calm voice but that didn't stop the conviction from being felt.
Miles shifted uncomfortably from his seat beside her on the floor and scratched the back of his head, "Bloody hell woman to think you went a week without speaking to us cause you thought we didn't like you," Draco looked appalled at his attitude but it didn't stop him, "if I didn't at least like you a little do you think I would put up with you this long? Not likely, we love your snotty, annoying, ass you idiot."
Dahlia quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed as tight as she could. Coming from such a rough and tumble guy, such a declaration would seem impossible and she knew that if Miles would take the time to say it must be true.
"Back off, I can't breathe." He muttered after a minute. Once she did release him, his face had a scowl but she could see the relived look in his eyes.
She shakily spoke once she settled back in her char, "I'm sorry I avoided you instead of talking it through, we spent the last week miserable because of me."
"It wasn't just your fault; we assumed you knew how we felt because to us there is no conceivable alternative. We should have explained more where we were coming from." Draco stated firmly and Miles nodded along in agreement.
"Your right, what was I thinking? I know you two could never think of me as less then you, you know I'd hex your ass if you did." She smirked at them and they shared a chuckle.
It was once they had settled and caught up like thing were back to normal were they interrupted by a younger student. She was small, skinny and had a shaky look about her.
"Excuse me?" she squeaked out to the three intimidating figures.
"What?" Miles bit out at the girl.
"Dahlia Augustine?" getting a nod in response the girl continued, "Professor Umbridge wishes to speak with you."
AN: If anyone has been wondering Miles Is FTM transgender and ill expand on that more later but it's not going to be a big deal to the story line because his out/proud and I just seemed to want to write him as a character without it being the only thing about him.
AN2: It might seem really oc that two slytherins are best friend with a muggleborn but I wanted to emphasise that people can hold onto conflicting views and rationalize their behavior. This means while true to their characters Miles and Draco dislike that part of her, on an individual level they see her separate from that identity.