Chapter 26

Senna's sleep was restless. She wasn't sure she got more than four hours of sleep. Her mind was spinning from the revelation the night before.

She had to admit that it was possible. This 'brother' of hers wanted her to find him. And so did Prince Struan.

When she was conscious enough to move, she immediately searched for the parchment, which she now kept under her pillow. New words were scrawled within it:

Even if you don't believe me now, you'll learn it soon enough.

Congrats on the Triwizard Tournament by the way.

I'll be watching, my dearest sister.

Senna wrinkled her nose in disgust. He just sounded so slimy. It bothered her. Last thing she needed was another stalker.

Senna pressed her wand to the parchment. "Stop calling me that. I hate nicknames. And what's your problem anyways? What do you want from me?"

She watched the words etch themselves onto the paper. Then she sighed and stuffed it into the pocket of her blazer.

She rose and got ready for the day.

As she approached the Hufflepuff table, she noticed Justin whispering in Hannah's ear. She couldn't hear their voices in the crowded hall, but she could hear their thoughts directly.

"Seriously, Hannah, she's dating that Richmond girl. How much more evidence do you need? I don't think she should be sitting here."

"It is not what it seems. Senna has been nothing but kind to us." Hannah was defending her. This made her heart squeeze painfully.

"What if that is all an act? From what I've heard about her, she's probably tricking us."

"Tricking us? For what?"

But Senna had heard enough. Without disturbing the Hufflepuffs, she headed back out the Great Hall.

Viola Richmond's POV:

Viola was in the Slytherin common room, getting ready for the school day. Hestia and Flora Carrow watched Viola as she applied taming potion to her hair. Truthfully, she had always found the Slytherin twins to be kind of creepy. They never said much.

"You and the Snape girl, you two are really dating?" Flora Carrow, the older and more outspoken of the two finally broke the awkward silence.

"That's correct." Viola said without looking at them.

"She's quite famous in the shadow world." Flora told her with seemingly little interest. "They say a lot about her."

"I know."

"Are you in it for the status boost, then?" Hestia asked. This was the rude twin.

Viola glared at Hestia, daring her to say another word. Hestia looked away.

"My father said something interesting about her." Flora informed.

Viola's head snapped towards Flora. "Oh?" This piqued her interest. She loved knowing the dirt on Senna. "And what did he say?"

"Said she was the Princess, and that the Dark Prince was eager to get her back." Flora said nonchalantly.

Viola turned around to face back towards the mirror. She brushed the potion into her hair. Her arms hurt terribly—no doubt from her workout yesterday.

She found the twins' information to be very interesting. She had heard many rumors about Senna. One states that she is Snape's daughter. Another one is about her being the rival to Slytherin's heir. And the most recent is the one where Senna is the true heir, and she had come to Hogwarts to take her throne back from the Dark Prince.

But this was new. It contradicted the other rumors. Because it implied that Senna and the Dark Prince were in league with each other.

Flora and Hestia were the children of Amycus Carrow, who was suspected to be a Death Eater, which meant that this could be closer to the truth than the others.

"Your father told you this?"

"No, he never tells us anything. We overheard him talking to our aunt."

"What else did you overhear?" Viola put down the hair taming potion and approached the twins. It took a lot of effort to walk in a composed manner. Her legs were very sore and wobbly.

They suddenly looked uncomfortable, not willing to share anything else.

"Well?" Viola stared at them intensely.

"Erm..." Hestia stood. "Only that they were suspicious…"

"Suspicious of what?" Viola pressed.

Flora stood too. "We have to get to breakfast."

Viola made a tiny movement. She moved towards the door. She wasn't quite blocking their path, but it made it clear that she wasn't done with them.

"Only that they thought their friend Severus was trying to keep Senna away from the Dark Prince. That's all. We don't even know if it's true."

"I see." Viola concluded. When she moved, the Carrow twins left the dormitory.

Zubeida Khan, a fellow Slytherin known for her good looks, fair skin, and cruel jokes, approached Viola in the corridor. Viola kept walking towards the Great Hall, but Zubeida jogged to keep up. "Last I heard, you and the Snape girl hated each other." Zubeida said as if this warranted an explanation. "And now you two are dating? Blimey, I didn't even know you were gay."

Viola sighed. She knew publicly 'dating' Senna would make her an object of curiosity, but this was getting out of hand. But Zubeida was an ally. One of the few Slytherin students that didn't irritate her—too much.

"There is a fine line between hate and passion." Viola told her. She didn't look at Zubeida, she just concentrated on her destination. People gazed at her, and then whispered to their neighbors.

Zubeida wrinkled her nose. "Oookay." She dragged out the 'O'. "So you two are good now? Reconciled all your differences?"

"Not quite." Viola admitted. "She still hates my guts."

Zubeida's eyes widened in horror. "What? That doesn't make sense." She was shaking her head. "Aren't lovers supposed to be gentle and loving to each other?"

Now, it was Viola's turn to wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Gentle and loving?" She repeated, absolutely horrified. "Oh please. I don't have the patience for that sort of thing." Viola waved a dismissive hand. She was getting irritated with Zubeida now. How dare she spout such nonsense.

"I'm just saying…" Zubeida was staring at Viola, not able to understand her friend. "I've always known you were… cold. But why bother with a relationship, then?"

Viola paused. This one she had trouble answering. She didn't fully know.

"Enough questions." Viola said in a final tone. Viola stepped into the great hall, weaving through the breakfast crowd, letting Zubeida get lost in it so she didn't have to answer any more of her questions.

She threw a glance at the Hufflepuff table. Senna hadn't arrived yet, though breakfast had already started. In fact, she didn't see the tall brunette anywhere.

Odd.

Viola sat down in her usual spot.

Why did she bother with a relationship? Even though Senna thought they were just pretending. Truth was, Viola wasn't, but she was grateful for the pretense. That way, she wouldn't have to admit to Senna that she wanted her. It allowed her to have Senna, without all the stupid mushy stuff.

But why did she want her?

Viola still pondered this.

There was something about the way she moved. She was lithe and graceful. Her demeanor screamed unyielding faith in her power. She was both athletic and skilled with the finer arts of magic. Students scrambled out of her path as if she would burn them if they got too close, but her head was always held high. Her eyes were cold, and ruthless.

When she saw Senna move during her duel with Moody, she had been impressed. Excited, even. It had been such a long time since anything—or anyone—had roused her excitement.

Being a prodigy made Viola lonely. Everyone around her seemed ten steps behind her in intelligence and skill. She couldn't have a conversation with anyone her age without being bored out of her mind.

But not Senna.

Senna threatened to leave Viola in the dust. She hated her for it. And was also excited by it.

Senna Snape's POV:

Senna had used the disillusionment charm to sneak out of the castle. She roamed the castle grounds, not really having a particular place in mind.

After wandering for half an hour, she found herself at the Great Lake. The one rumored to host a Giant Squid. She stared at the blank reflection in the grey, murky waters.

Senna looked over her shoulder. She was most definitely alone. She took off the disillusionment charm and sat by the water. She shivered. It was the start of November. The wind was becoming more bitter by the day.

She pulled out the parchment. New words were written. She was impressed he had responded so quickly. It usually took him half a day to respond.

What do I want? Well, you of course.

You belong by my side. I can feel it.

Don't you feel that? Our blood beckons to each other.

I've been lonely for so long.

Senna stared at the spindly words. What was he talking about? This person, whoever he was, was a creep. She felt no such beckoning.

But she did feel an unwilling bubble of pleasure from these words. Being wanted was not something she had experienced before. She was always feared, and sometimes 'desired', but never truly wanted.

Her brief experience with friendship left a gaping hole where her heart should be. They were on their way out. It was only a matter of time. The only family she had, Professor Snape, kept secrets from her and treated her like an irresponsible child. Tonks was scarce. And she couldn't consider Viola a real companion.

She too, was lonely.

But Senna's time at Hogwarts has been changing her. She saw that Tonks never pitied herself for her strangeness. And that Viola never pitied herself for always being alone. So why should she? She didn't need to be rescued by some creepy guy she didn't know. She would rather be alone in her strangeness, than share a connection out of desperation. Senna pointed the wand at the parchment:

Dream on.

I don't need you.

The sound of a bell rang in the distance. This broke Senna out of her trance. If she didn't make it to DADA by the second bell, she would have detention with Professor Moody. And she didn't want to fight him for a third time, the odds were not in her favor. She stood up and then sprinted to class.

She was lucky to get through the doors as the second bell chimed. She slipped through the crowded classroom, trying to find herself an inconspicuous seat. As she scanned the room, she realized that the only empty seats were next to Viola. She cursed to herself for her rotten luck, and took a seat next to the redhead.

"Good morning," Senna searched her brain for something that would irritate Viola, "Darling."

When Viola turned to her, her green eyes were wide with such horror, Senna couldn't help but laugh. Laughing felt nice.

"What. Did. You. Call. Me."

Senna continued to chuckle. She swore she even saw Viola's hair stand up a bit.

"What? Aren't couples supposed to call each other pet-names?" Senna raised a brow at her.

"Absolutely not." She said firmly. She narrowed her eyes at Senna.

"Okay... Well, if you don't like that one, how about Baby Doll? Snookums?" As Senna kept spewing names, Viola began to tremble with irritation. This made Senna's grin grow wider. "Buttercup? Cupcake?"

"Stop it." She hissed.

Professor Moody had begun to scribble on the chalkboard.

They had moved on to the Imperturbable Charm today, a charm that created an invisible magical barrier around the target object. Senna kept her eyes on the paper, determined not to make eye contact with the professor.

When it was time for the practical, Professor Moody had conjured a series of wooden doors. They were to practice the Imperturbable Charm, which would then be tested by Professor Moody.

When Viola raised her wand to cast the Charm, her arm was shaking. Viola noticed this and gripped her wand harder, as if she were trying to command the shaking to stop.

Senna leaned in and whispered in her ear. She was surprised Viola did not immediately pull back. Instead, she shivered. Senna took a quick breath of her scent. Viola smelled like flowery shampoo, and maybe a bit of spice. "That's just muscle fatigue from yesterday, don't worry, it'll be gone in a few days."

Senna quickly retreated after the message was delivered.

The moment the bell rang, Senna bolted from the classroom. She didn't want Moody to have the opportunity to be alone with her. She could not trust him. He was up to something.

"Wait!" Viola called after her.

Senna froze near the entrance. But then wondered what she was doing. Waiting for Viola could get her killed, if that's what Moody planned. And besides, Moody only had it out for her, so Viola should be fine.

She ignored the annoying guilt, and stormed off to Charms.

When Senna arrived, she decided she wasn't going to make the Hufflepuff uncomfortable. If they wanted space from her, they could have it. She owed them that much. She took the farthest corner she could find. A Beauxbaton girl glared at her. She could hear from the girl's thoughts that Senna was stealing her spot, but Senna ignored her. Eventually, the Beauxbaton girl found a different seat.

She kept her eyes on her notes, not wanting to make eye contact with her old friends. She let the thoughts of the crowd around her fill her mind until it became a loud buzzing noise. She wouldn't hear their thoughts this way. Occasionally, she caught a glimpse. Hannah was feeling guilty. And so was Justin. But it didn't change the fact that they were no longer enjoying her company. Senna kept her eyes down as she rummaged through her bag for the paper due today.

When the bell rang, Senna waited for everyone to clear out before making her way out of the classroom. Viola was waiting for her, her arms crossed, and an irritated expression on her face. The other students gave her a wide margin of space as they passed her. And once again, the sight of her dazzled Senna. No matter how many times she'd seen her, Viola's beauty was still staggering, accentuated by the perfectly ironed robes, and the neatly styled locks of red hair. The way her sharp green eyes penetrated Senna, as if she saw right through her, made her swallow nervously. Senna realized that Viola may be doing this on purpose, standing outside her classroom looking like a fallen angel, perhaps to reduce Senna to a pile of ashes. It was working.

Senna pretended to barely glance at her.

"What's with you today?" Viola demanded.

Senna didn't answer right away. She marched towards the Great Hall for lunch. Viola followed her, shoving her hand into Sennas.

For some reason, this made her heart jump. This girl was the bane of her existence, but the feel of her warm hand in Senna's made her heart just a bit less lonely.

"You normally run from class when you're avoiding me." Senna noted that Viola actually used her first name. "And I don't think you were running from me. This time, at least."

As they walked through the halls, the other students stopped and stared. Some turned to their neighbors to whisper. She ignored them. When would they get over it?

Senna sighed. "That's correct, I wasn't running from you."

"Then what were you running from?"

Senna thought this over for a moment. She wasn't exactly on talking terms with her other friends. If Moody ambushed her in the near future, no one would know what happened to her. Should she tell someone?

Perhaps she should. But Viola did not qualify as someone that should know.

Viola squeezed her hand impatiently.

"Well?"

"And if I said it was none of your business?"

"Then I'd say you're an idiot."

The familiar trickle of rage began to drop into Senna's stomach. She managed to stay calm. She couldn't let Viola think she was getting to her.

"Guess I'd rather be an idiot, then."

Viola dug her nails into Senna's hand. Holding hands with Viola was now a very unpleasant thing. She regretted it.

"You insist on doing everything alone." It wasn't a question. Viola was stating a fact.

"As do you." Senna told her. Viola nodded, but didn't answer right away. They rounded the corner and the Great Hall came into view. When they entered the hall, the seated students turned to stare, which was now normal. Senna glanced at the Hufflepuff table. She spotted Susan and Justin talking happily to each other. She didn't want to ruin their lunch with her presence, so she let Viola pull her to the Syltherin table.

"Don't want to sit with your friends today?" Senna heard Viola sarcasm on the words friends.

Senna took a seat next to Viola. "They don't really like me anymore, thanks to you."

Viola rolled her eyes. "And what did I do?"

Senna was too mentally drained to be picky about food. She pulled a few sandwiches off the gold colored serving plate and bit into them. "You're a bully, and now that I'm with you," Senna used air quotes on the word with, "They don't want to associate with me." Senna took another bite of her sandwich. Viola did as well.

After a moment, Viola spoke. "Then they're not your friends." She stated matter-of-factly. "Forget them."

"What?"

"They're stupid. Forget them."

"Don't talk about them like that!"

Others on the bench began to scoot farther away, sensing a fight. They were right. Senna was getting tired of being 'with' Viola. She was bossy—and a bitch.

Without warning, Viola grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. Senna froze, surprised by the sudden closeness. She felt Viola's lips press against her ear, and she unwillingly shivered. Viola's grip was tight, far stronger than what Senna's would've guessed. "Honestly, what did you expect?" Viola whispered angrily in her ear. "With those natsy rumors circulating, no one is going to feel safe around you."

Senna placed her hand on Viola's upper chest, trying to ignore how soft her skin felt, and began to push. "Shut up!" She hissed. She felt a blush creeping up her neck.

Viola's grip tightened. She leaned in even closer—if that were even possible. She might as well have been making out with Senna's ear. It was maddening. Her ear felt so sensitive under Viola's lips. A wave of heat was starting to accumulate in her lower body. "You're so stupid. Why can't you just choose someone who would stick around no matter what? Someone who isn't scared of you?" There was a pause. "Someone like me." The last statement was spoken so quietly, she wasn't sure she heard it correctly.

Viola suddenly released her, then moved away. In one swift motion, she flipped her auburn hair over her shoulder so there was a red curtain separating them. Viola dived into her lunch as if Senna did not exist.

Senna stared at her for a moment. With the curtain of red hair, she could not see her face, but she seemed to eat hastily, crushing her salad with unnecessary force.

Someone like her? Senna wondered what she meant. The arousal she felt throbbed annoyingly. This made it harder to think. Was she… asking her out? Offering her own friendship? Or was this another one of her games?