Sia woke with a start.
Her stomach lurched as she realized—she wasn't on her bed.
She was hanging upside down.
Her ankle was hooked by an unseen force, suspending her in the air. Blood rushed to her head, disorienting her as she twisted wildly, trying to understand what had happened.
Below her, a familiar, deranged cackle filled the dormitory.
Bellatrix Black.
Sia's eyes locked onto the girl's otherwise striking face—warped now with twisted delight, her dark eyes glinting with malice.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Sia snapped, her voice sharp despite the uncomfortable position. She turned her head toward the clock, realizing with irritation that she had overslept. Her sleep had been restless—her mind too preoccupied with what had happened the night before in the common room.
And because of that, she had forgotten to ward her bed.
A stupid, stupid mistake.
Bellatrix grinned up at her, head tilting in mock curiosity. "Look at you, Ashford. So high and mighty with your fancy knowledge, thinking you're better than the rest of us." Her grin widened into something almost feral. "You think you can look down on me?"
Her voice rose into a shriek, manic energy crackling off her like an unhinged spell.
"Bella, what the hell are you doing?"
Narcissa's voice rang from the doorway, her pale brows furrowed in clear displeasure.
"Don't interfere, Narcissa," another voice interjected smoothly.
Sia turned her head slightly, spotting Emily standing beside the younger Black sister, arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips.
"This could have happened yesterday," Emily mused, watching Sia with amusement. "But she was clever. Put up enchantments. Cunning, even. I nearly got hexed."
Sia's jaw tightened.
They had tried this before.
Her mistake was assuming they wouldn't try again.
Bellatrix leaned in closer, her expression contorting with disdain. "Listen here, bitch. There are rules in this house, and you will follow them." Her sneer deepened. "Your parents refused to accept the Black family's generosity. Don't be fools like them."
Sia's brow twitched.
So this was about her family.
Bellatrix's rage felt too personal, too deep, but she latched onto the supposed justification like it was an undeniable truth.
Sia exhaled slowly, forcing calm into her voice. "My parents have a business to run. They charge what their potions are worth. High prices come with the guarantee of perfection—potions ahead of perfection." She kept her tone measured, despite the uncomfortable weightlessness of hanging upside down. "They couldn't afford to give your family special treatment. It would have disrupted their entire profit system."
She paused, watching Bellatrix's expression carefully.
But something wasn't adding up.
This wasn't about business.
This was just an excuse.
Her mind worked quickly.
She hadn't changed into her robes yet—her wand was still at her waist. Good.
She shifted her focus to Emily.
"And you," Sia continued, tone turning sharper, "would you like to lose that badge? A Head Girl, bullying a new student after Dumbledore specifically asked for me to be welcomed?"
Emily's smirk faltered.
Sia saw the hesitation flicker across her face.
Bellatrix, however, was unfazed. "Oh, look at the gall," she spat. "You think I'm bluffi—"
"We'll be late for class."
Narcissa's voice cut through the air, firm but laced with unease.
She had been quiet until now. But she was watching Bellatrix closely, her expression wary.
Her sister's gaze, however, held no rationality—only simmering, unchecked rage.
"C'mon, Bella—" Narcissa started.
Sia had heard enough.
Her fingers twitched toward her wand, faster than any of them anticipated.
"Stupefy!"
The spell shot from the tip of her wand, striking Bellatrix square in the chest.
She was thrown backward—colliding directly into Emily, who barely had time to react before they both went crashing to the floor.
Sia twisted slightly, the blood pounding in her head as she turned to Narcissa, her wand now aimed squarely at the only one still standing.
"Give me the counterspell," she ordered, voice icy. "Now."
Narcissa hesitated, her fingers twitching toward her own wand.
Sia didn't blink.
"You could try," she murmured, "but do you really want to find out if I can cast another spell while hanging upside down?"
Narcissa's hesitation deepened.
Then, with clear reluctance, she exhaled sharply.
She muttered the counterspell under her breath before grabbing Bellatrix and Emily by their robes and dragging them out of the dormitory.
The door clicked shut behind them.
Sia didn't hesitate.
"Liberacorpus."
The invisible force vanished, and she crashed unceremoniously onto her bed.
Her head was still spinning, her mind replaying everything in sharp fragments.
Bellatrix's rage. Emily's smirk. Narcissa's unease.
And then, another thought slithered into her mind.
This wasn't just about the Black family's grudge.
This was Severus.
This was his warning.
Had he done this? Had he known?
Would he have even cared?
Sia exhaled sharply, pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead.
He was so twisted in the head.
No, he wouldn't have warned her. He would have let it happen.
Just to torment her.
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