"Well, that's that," I said to Dorcas as we all walked out of Arithmancy, having finished our final exam.

"Now it's time to get ready for the Masquerade!" Marlene said, her face lighting up.

"We have five hours. I'm grabbing dinner first," Lily said, shaking her head.

"I'll bloat," Marlene protested, but Dorcas said, "You still have to eat, Marlene," dragged her along anyways.

We sat down at the table. As the girls chatted excitedly about the dance, I pulled out a letter from my parents that I had received this morning, but had not yet read. I opened the envelope and unfolded the piece of paper inside.

Raylynx darling,

Thank you for your letter. We're very glad to hear that all is well with you. It sounds like you're having fun at Hogwarts, as usual, and we're so happy that you're enjoying yourself, but remember this is O.W.L. year, won't you? Don't worry, we don't expect the perfect scores Sola got, so please don't stress about comparing yourself. We know that if you do your best, you'll be absolutely amazing on you own terms.

Love you lots,

Mum & Dad

"You still not coming?" Alice asked me quietly. The other girls had been somewhat assuming that I was going as well and I hadn't wanted to break the news to them and have to face a barrage of well-intended pleas.

"No, I think my dress-less state has pretty much sealed the deal now," I replied, folding the letter and shoving it back into its envelope. I then helped myself to a crispy chicken wing. Marlene looked on quite enviously as she picked at her skimpy salad.


"You liar!" Lily was standing in the middle of our dormitory room with her hands on her hips. "You said you were coming!"

"I did not, you just assumed," I replied honestly, but I did like a liar.

"Why don't you want to go?" Marlene asked me, applying make-up. "It's bound to be fun."

"Yeah, well, I just don't feel like going, that's all," I replied in a slightly taciturn voice.

"Here, let me help you," Alice said, moving to Dorcas and zipping up the back of her dress.

"Well, the dress people told me that would make my shortcomings less short," Dorcas said sarcastically. "How do I look, Ray? Shall I ask for my money back?"

I shook my head in answer to her question. The dress did suit her well.

They all looked stunning, in my humble opinion. In a classically formal navy dress, Dorcas' high cheekbones and blue eyes, which often came off as rather bookish features when she wore her reading glasses suddenly had that ethereal beauty often attributed to models. Alice was in an asymmetrically layered dress that overlapped in shades of a silky pearl white and a floaty pink color, which suited her blushing complexion and enhanced her natural softness and loveliness. Marlene in a black velvet mini dress that made her a definite head-turner from the top of her brunette curls to the bottom of her black stilettos. And Lily, in a long gold number, was so achingly beautiful that she reminded me of a fairytale donned their masks, but even so, Lily's gorgeous ginger hair could not be mistaken.

"Have fun," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral as I watched them go.

Actually, I felt rather content as I proudly thought about how I was above this childish event, but the satisfaction faded after a mere half hour as I realized that I was clearly the only girl in all of Gryffindor tower that was a fifth year or above. No longer wishing to stay a common room of only younger students, all of whom reminded me how out-of-place I was, I strode out into the hallway and let my feet and mind wander.

It was now night outside, and the starshine trickled down the large colored glass windows at the end of each corridor. When I heard footsteps around the corner and coming towards my corridor, I hastened to take the stairs down to the upper levels, making for my favorite spot to see the stars- the Astronomy Tower.

I began to open the door, but as soon as I opened it a crack, I stopped, as I heard voices on the other side of the door.

"You shut up about my brother. Don't even get me started on your disgusting sister-" a low voice snarled fiercely.

There was a cruel laugh and then a guttural voice sneered, "Yeah, but she isn't fool enough to be a stupid blood traitor, is she? You mark my words, the Dark's Lord going to slaughter your son-of-a-bitch brother and massacre everyone he cares about. I'd be careful if I were you. You may be a Knight of Walpurgis now, but you're-"

"What? What am I?"

"One of them. A Mudblood-lover."

"Don't make me laugh. I know Mudbloods are utterly worthless scum," the voice said easily, and with a sinking feeling of dread, I recognized this voice. I'd heard it before amongst a corridor full of Slytherins. It was Regulus Black.

"But," Regulus continued, and his voice became menacing, "If you dare to lay a single finger on my brother, I'll hex you to an inch of your life."

The cruel laugh sounded again, only louder this time, and the other person responded, "From what I hear, you didn't mind cursing him in that corridor down by the kitchens!"

Regulus was silent.

"Ah, I see, you were being noble. Hoping to freeze him so Nott wouldn't use the Cruciatis Curse on him. How pathetic, sticking up for your blood traitor of a brother. But I suppose he needs it, doesn't it? After all, his own mother physically beat him like a pathetic dog to an inch of his life over the sum-"

Suddenly his voice gurgled off as if he was being choked.

"Get-" he sputtered, "off- me."

A moment of silence then-

"Stupefy!"

"Impedimenta!"

There was a loud shout, and without stopping to think it over, I shoved open the door and raced in. At the edge of my vision, I registered that Alecto Carrow was slumped against the wall, obviously Stunned. But my eyes were fixed on Regulus, who had just been blasted backwards and over the low ramparts of the Astronomy Tower by Alecto's Impedimenta spell.

My mind tangled into a jumble of thoughts.

He cursed you during a Quidditch match.

No, he saved me during a Quidditch match.

He hates Mudbloods, he just said so.

He was trying to protect his brother, I just heard him.

But before my mind could spit out an answer, my body moved on its own. I leapt over to the ramparts, leaned over, and stretched out my hand.

I caught his wrist. The downwards force nearly pulled me off the rampart, yanking at my right shoulder and slamming my right hip into the hard stone, but I grabbed onto the top of the ramparts with my other hand and tried to steady myself.

Regulus' silver eyes flew up to me in shock but narrowed in confusion when he saw me.

"Kingsley?"

"I don't think I can pull you up," I gasped, struggling to hold him up as it were.

Regulus reached for his wand and grasping it, murmured, "Ascendio!"

He shot up into the air and barely made it over the ramparts. I meant to catch him, but he barreled into me and knocked us both over. When we both got to our feet, Carrow was stirring.

"Let's get out of here before he wakes," Regulus suggested. We quickly traipsed down the stairs and out into the corridor and Regulus tapped the Astronomy door and locked it.

With the crisis over, my thoughts started all over again and my mind continued to argue with itself. Finally, my mind came upon one, clear truth, a truth that was evident from my very own experience just now: Regulus never meant to save you. He never made a consciously thought-out decision to save you, just like you were uncertain about wanting to help it, but instinctively leapt over to help him anyway. So if it wasn't a conscious thought, if he didn't save me because he saw me as a person with any worth, given everything I've heard him say, then he must really believe in this blood-purity rhetoric. He truly does see me as dirty Mudblood.

Anger steadily built up inside me. I turned and started to walk very quickly down the corridor, away from him.

"Wait, Raylynx-" He softly grabbed my arm.

"It's Kingsley to you, Black," I snarled, throwing aside his grasp.

"Can you just wait a moment?"

"Leave me alone!"

He stepped in front of me. "I just want to talk to-"

"Black-" I tried to push past him but he blocked my way. When I tried to side-step him again, he carefully but firmly grasped me by my arms and pushed me backwards until he was holding me against the wall.

Glaring at him, I hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Forcing a conversation out of you since you won't give me a break," he replied.

I tried to push my way out but his arms had me blocked in and he wasn't moving. He was far stronger than he initially looked, a fact that did nothing to quench my temper at him.

"You're angry at me," Regulus said quietly, which was nothing less than the understatement of the century. "Did you hear what I said to Carrow?"

"It's not just that," I snapped. "Our Quidditch match-"

Regulus breathed in sharply and he looked down, as though ashamed of himself. Then, he said, "I had to do it. I had to win."

"You could have won without cheating," I hissed at him. "Your reach is longer and you're faster. You had it anyways, but you hexed me!"

"I know," he said heavily, looking upset. "But I had to be certain."

He looked up at me. To my surprise, his eyes were that wide, earnest look of fright again. But I wouldn't let myself get distracted. What did I care what his expression was, when he had said and done so many things to hurt me?

"So you don't have a justification for blasting me into the spectator pole," I said angrily.

I struggled against him again, but I couldn't budge him. "Let me go!"

"I will if you just hear me out," Regulus said. "I have to explain something to you. I have to warn you-"

"What is there to explain?" I said, frustrated. "You hexed me to win. That's it!"

"It's not that simple," he said in a low voice. "That wasn't just a Quidditch game, Raylynx."

My heart sank. So I was right… Something dark was happening, and it had reached Hogwarts.

"But that's no excuse, is it?" Regulus continued somberly.

"Still…" his eyes seemed to search mine as he continued, "I'm not sorry."

"Not sorry?" I repeated in disbelief. "Black, you-"

Regulus cut me off. "Shut up and listen to me, Raylynx. Your brother- He's got to stop playing Quidditch. He won't be a match for his supporters. "

Disgust filled me when I comprehended his words. I glared at him and said angrily, "Who are you to know anything about my brother? He could beat anyone."

"That's not-" Regulus began, but I interrupted him and said scathingly, "Oh, but of course, to you, he's just a Mudblood, right? Utterly worthless scum."

His eyes snapped to mine and held my gaze, as he recognized the words he himself had uttered just a few short moments ago.

"I…" he began hesitantly. A war was being fought in his eyes.

And I could see which side was winning over. The devil resides in his eyes.

"Everything about you is poison," I spat at him and taking advantage of his hesitation, I roughly pushed past him, leaving him standing alone in the moonlit corridor.


I sat in front in the Gryffindor common room, gazing into the fire.

I couldn't understand why I felt so betrayed. What else did you expect? I argued with myself. Nothing about what happened was shocking. I sighed. Why am I so naive? Why did I expect something else when the simple truth is that he's a pureblood elitist Slytherin and you're a Muggle-born Gryffindor. That's the truth. It just is. Stop thinking that it's sad or wrong, and stop expecting more.

But it was sad and it was wrong. For some terrible, unexplainable reason, it just was. I sat there for a long while, until all the younger students went up to bed. Soon, the upperclassmen from the Masquerade were returning in handfuls. Their footsteps were tired, but their happy voices were soothing and rhythmical. I shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch. Staring into the fireplace, I slowly began to drift off to sleep.

Crash!

Startled, I gave a great jolt and slipped off the edge of the couch.

"Well, really now!" the Fat Lady cried indignantly as the Gryffindor common room had been thrown open with massive force.

Undoubtedly furious, (so much so that had steam risen from her head, I wouldn't have second-guessed it) Lily Evans marched angrily into the room. A rather dashingly dressed and charmingly abashed James Potter followed in after her.

He was pleading with Lily. "It was just for laughs, Lily! I didn't-"

Lily whirled around at him and shouted, "Everything is just for laughs for you ,Potter. But what might be a simple laugh to you causes a hell of a lot of embarrassment for other people! Just because you're so spoiled and arrogant doesn't mean that everyone else has grown up that way!"

James' mouth fell open. "Spoiled, arrogant? Me?"

Lily sneered at James in a way that would make even Snape shrivel. "You're not saying I'm the first one to tell you such an obvious fact?" Whipping her hair behind her, she pronounced a loud "hmmpf!" before she climbed the stairs to the girl's dormitory, disappearing from sight.

I got up, rubbing my elbow, which I had fallen on.

James turned to me, a bit out of it. His expression was one that said: Can you believe it? Me- spoiled and arrogant?

Smiling a small and apologetic, but somewhat of a you-probably-deserved-it smile to James, I passed him and went upstairs to the girl's dormitory.

Lily was furious, plucking the pins out of her hair with great force.

"Lily, calm down," I said. "You're going to pull your pretty hair out."

"James- arrogant- toe-rag- Potter!" Lily muttered between the pins in her teeth, yanking out another pin. A strand of her gorgeous red hair fell to the ground.

"Stop that," I said, walking over to her and beginning to gently pull out the remaining pins myself. Lily refrained from moving and allowed me to pull out the pins, but I could see her reflection in the mirror, and saw that she was still far from calm.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" I asked her, picking up the brush and running it through her long locks.

Lily seemed determined to keep it to herself, but after a minute, it all became too much and came flooding out. "Potter came up to me when I went to get drinks and he asked me whether I wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him next time. I was really surprised and at the time, I thought he was being genuine, so I very politely told him I would think about it and let him know." She hesitated, as if she should go on or not.

"And?" I probed.

"Oh, I should have known! It's so obvious now. I stood there, telling him I was thankful he'd asked me when he was just distracting me so his stupid mates could shove Dungbombs down Sev's robes! Then Potter laughed in my face and went dashing off. Poor Sev. He was so embarrassed. He was in the middle of the crowd with his robes smoking and all smelly and one of the guys had taken his mask so everybody knew who he was! And then, a little later, Potter comes back and finds me again, and has the nerve to ask me for a dance! As though there was even a possibility I would say yes! But he just wouldn't leave me alone, so I took Sev outside, but Potter followed, and then the bloody idiots start dueling each other! I dragged James away from Sev and decided I'd had enough. I came up to Gryffindor Tower, but Potter followed me again!" Lily was back to shouting. "I'm sick of this! Potter's always having a go at Sev, and for what reason? Gryffindor versus Slytherin? Does it really have to matter so much?"

"If it does," Lily added hotly, "then Slytherin looks a lot better from where I'm standing. I don't know how James Potter got into Gryffindor. Ugh!"

"I'm sorry, Lily," I said. "I wanted you to have a wonderful night."

Lily sighed. "I know you did. Thanks, Ray."

I finished brushing her hair and set the brush down.

"I should have just stayed here with you," Lily said, shifting in her seat to face me. "You probably got a lot of work done."

I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her about Regulus. Maybe she could help me to make sense of everything that was going on. After all, she had shared her story of what happened to her. It seemed fair to tell her mine.

Just as I started to speak, our dormitory door opened and Dorcas walked into the dormitory, beaming.

"I take it all went well then", I commented lightly to Dorcas, amused by how aglow her face was.

Dorcas seemed to give a half-hearted shrug and said casually, "I suppose he's a bit more handsome from up close." Then she turned away, but not before I saw a smile spread across her face.

I slipped under my bed covers, worn out from a long day. I thought I would fall asleep quickly, but I didn't truly slip off into slumber until near dawn. The last thing in my mind was a pair of wide silver eyes with flecks of dark blue in them, close to the irises.


Tap, tap, tap.

My eyes opened and I glanced over at the window, where an owl was tapping its foot impatiently.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Will someone tie up that bloody owl?!" Dorcas murmured sleepily.

Marlene groaned and shoved her pillow over her head.

Lily got up and wrenched open the window. An owl flew in onto a bedpost and stuck its leg out. Lily took the envelope and read aloud, "Ray, it's addressed to you."

I sat up tiredly. Lily walked over and pushed aside my half-closed bed curtain and I was immediately attacked by a harsh stream of sunlight. I grimaced and held my hand up to blocked the sunlight.

"Here," Lily said, and tossed the letter into my lap.

I looked down at the envelope and saw my name spelled out in familiar handwriting.

"Sola," I muttered.

"Your sister?" Lily asked, returning to her bed. I nodded, laying back in bed as well.

"How come it didn't just come with the morning post?" I wondered.

"Because," Lily said, "we missed breakfast. It's almost noon." Lily yawned and closed her eyes again.

I opened the letter.

The first page had only a few words scribbled on it. It said: Ray, I want you to read this letter in private.

I glanced around to see the other four still in bed. I tucked the first page behind the second page, which was filled from top to bottom with Sola's writing.

Jamie wouldn't want me telling you this, but I feel it has to be said. Especially to you because I know that you can be protective over your friends. Just know that it may very soon be that you are going to be the one that has to be protected. I don't mean to frighten you. And as long as you are at Hogwarts with Dumbledore, you're as safe as you can be. But that being said, you haven't been here, Ray, out in the real world. It's becoming dangerous. The Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic in general have been starting to deal with more and more mysterious 'disappearings' and 'accidents'. What's becoming obvious to me is that these disappearings aren't mysterious at all nor as these 'accidents' really accidents. They're murderers targeting Muggle-borns. The world is changing, and a great cruelty has arisen, and it is being allowed to fester by those who stand by apathetically. I feel it, Jamie feels it, and even our dear parents know that something is wrong. Be on your guard and learn as much as you possibly can. I know education seems the least important thing in the face of it all but I am telling you, it is not. It is the most important. So for your sake, take your studying seriously and above all- refrain from being rash. And remember- this information is not to be shared.

Your sister, Sola.

I lay there, pondering Sola's words as the morning sunlight shifted across our room and changed into early afternoon sunlight. When Marlene turned over and began to stretch, I shoved the letter in my pillowcase and got out of bed to shower and change and make use of what hours I had left.

By the time I was done, Lily and Dorcas had just gotten up themselves.

"Meet you guys down at the Great Hall for lunch", I said. They agreed and I made my way down to the common room.

To my great surprise, I saw Riley Smith sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, gazing into its flames.

Not wanting to disturb him, but also not wanting to ignore him, I shyly walked over to the couch.

"Mind if I sit with you?" I asked quietly.

He looked up at me numbly. "No, you can sit."

"I'm sorry for your loss," I mumbled, unable to look him fully in the face.

He sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry." I winced. "I said the wrong thing, didn't I?"

"No," Riley replied, his head still in his hands. "No, you said the right thing. But I'm just not... comprehending it."

I looked at him, puzzled.

"I feel like it's not real," he said softly. "I don't even feel sad. I don't feel related to the incident at all. It's as if I had some bad dream that I'm waiting to wake up from."

"I imagine that's a perfectly natural response," I said gently. "Maybe time will help you to make sense of it, if that's what you desire."

"Is it natural?" Riley wondered. "Or am I just a cold person? How can I afford to feel numb in such a situation? Can you imagine how real it must have felt to my family? They're non-magical. Muggles. They don't even understand magic."

My eyes widened. They're non-magical. Muggles.

"My father's dead, and if my mother and sister have managed to stay alive, they are likely suffering at this very moment. But for me, sitting here, I still feel like I'll be going home for summer vacation after exams. And everyone and everything will be waiting for me, exactly the same as it's always been."

A bitter smile twisted his face. "I always tried to be compassionate and empathetic, but maybe I've always been this way- cold and unfeeling and unable to comprehend what's occurring around me."

My heart felt for him, but I didn't quite know what to say. I tried to cobble together some honest words. "Perhaps you're being a little too hard on yourself. After all, it's not fair for something like this to happen to anyone. It's so unexpected. I don't think I'd know how to react either."

Riley replied, "Well, I hope, for your sake, you never have to figure out how to feel."

Then, Riley rose and said, "I have to go see Professor McGonagall. I'll see you around, Raylynx."

I nodded and watched him go before my eyes drifted back to where he had been sitting on the couch.

Sola's letter drifted in front of my eyes. At the same time, I heard Riley's voice saying, "They're non-magical. Muggles."


The Great Hall was bustling with upperclassmen. Clearly, we were not the only ones to sleep in today.

Sitting down at the table, Alice turned to Marlene. "What time did you get back last night?"

Marlene shrugged as she poured herself pumpkin juice. "Six in the morning, give or take an half an hour?"

"Six in the-!" Lily's mouth dropped open. "What were you doing?"

Marlene tried to look nonchalant but couldn't keep the smirk from spreading across her face. "Well…" she said, weighing each word, "I was with Sirius."

Lily choked into her cornflakes. I reached over and thumped her on the back.

"Doing what, may I ask?" Dorcas asked sternly.

Marlene shrugged again, trying to play it off innocently, but a rare blush was spreading across her face.

"You didn't- SHAG?" Lily screeched in disbelief, standing up. Everyone around us looked at us in shock. The ever prim and proper Lily Evans screeching the vile word "shag" at the top of her lungs? It was as if Dumbledore had let out a fart.

"Lily!" Marlene shouted back, now blushing full-on. "For Merlin's sake, will you keep it down!?"

"Marlene McKinnon, tell me it was safe!"

"Lily Evans!" Marlene shrieked in utter embarrassment.

People were openly laughing and pointing now. A couple of immature students puckered their lips and made exaggerated kissing sounds.

Alice pulled on Lily's cuff. "Sit down, please", she whispered, her own face a bright crimson.

"Simmer down, you idiot, and pass me the pepper", Dorcas commanded to Marlene, and nodded her head at the pepper shaker.