Sia had just reached the door when Dumbledore's voice halted her.
"Ah, Sia, would you mind waiting? I've asked Professor Slughorn to escort you to your dormitory."
Sia, though still numb, felt a flicker of annoyance.
"I can find my way on my own, sir," she said hoarsely.
"Of course you can," Dumbledore replied jovially, eyes twinkling as if they were merely discussing the weather. "This is simply to ensure you don't lose your way outside the castle."
Before she could argue further, there was a firm knock on the door. It opened to reveal Professor Slughorn, his round face wearing its usual look of mild curiosity.
Dumbledore turned to him. "Horace, Miss Ashford has had some trouble in her house. I trust you will see to it that it is properly handled."
Slughorn's jovial expression flickered. "Trouble? Inside Slytherin? You don't mean—"
"I do."
Slughorn looked utterly scandalized. "Bullying, in my own house? I cannot believe—"
"Believe it," Sia muttered under her breath, though neither professor acknowledged her remark.
"Miss Ashford," Slughorn turned to her now, voice grave, "could you tell us the names of the active participants?"
Sia hesitated.
"I'll simply have a word with them," Dumbledore reassured her. "Nothing will happen to cause you a backlash."
She knew better than to fully trust that. Nothing was ever that simple in Slytherin. But after everything, after tonight, what did it matter?
So, with a detached voice, she listed them.
"Avery. Macnair. Rosier. Bellatrix. Emily."
And then she paused.
Her mind warred with itself.
Do it.
Christina's voice, sharp and unforgiving in her head. For your sinful dreams?
Her jaw clenched.
"And Severus."
Slughorn's eyes widened. "Severus?" He looked as though someone had insulted one of his prized students. "You must be mistaken, my dear. Severus is a—"
"Bring them to my office first thing in the morning, Horace," Dumbledore interrupted. "And please, see to it that Miss Ashford reaches her dormitory properly."
Slughorn nodded, though he still looked troubled.
"You may resume classes after lunch tomorrow, Sia. Thank you, Horace."
Sia said nothing, simply followed Slughorn out of the office, down the darkened corridors, and into the common room.
It was empty.
Good.
Without a word, she slipped into her dormitory.
The silence was deafening. Everyone was asleep.
Sia changed her clothes methodically, hands moving on instinct. She layered enchantments, silent protections she had long since memorized, and only then did she slide into bed.
Her body ached. Her mind was a whirlwind. But her eyes closed nonetheless.
Sleep took her, and for once, she did not dream.
Sia woke at noon.
The first thing she noticed was the ache in her limbs, a dull soreness that spread through her muscles like lead. The second was the throbbing in her skull, a persistent, punishing reminder of yesterday.
She forced herself out of bed, dressed quickly, and made her way to the Hospital Wing.
She barely noticed her surroundings. She didn't even register that no one tried to trip her, hex her, or whisper as she passed.
Her mind was elsewhere.
Suppressing it didn't help.
She had spent years shoving everything down, locking it away until it became a part of the darkness inside her. But last night… last night had proven that it wouldn't stay hidden forever.
It had burst out.
And yet, strangely enough, she felt… lighter.
The pain hadn't lessened. If anything, it was sharper now, cutting through her with every thought of Christina. But it wasn't suffocating her anymore.
She could breathe.
"Ah, Miss Ashford," Madam Pomfrey said as she bustled over, already holding a vial. "I heard about what happened. Drink this. You'll feel better in ten minutes."
Sia took it without argument. The effect was instant—her headache dulled, the tension in her muscles eased.
"Thank you," she murmured.
Pomfrey only hummed. "I suspect I'll be seeing less of you, now that you've finally taken care of that weight on your shoulders."
Sia blinked, startled. She had visited hospital wing in the past week due to injuries from the pranks.
But the matron simply turned away, tidying her potions as if she hadn't just laid bare something Sia hadn't even admitted to herself.
Still lost in thought, she made her way to the Great Hall.
It was mostly full now, students chattering and eating as if nothing had happened.
She took a seat and began eating, mind drifting, when someone slid into the seat beside her.
Sia turned, half-expecting another cruel remark, but instead, she found herself looking at Andromeda Black.
Sia's stomach twisted.
She remembered how she had brushed off Andromeda's concern. Scorned her, even.
And now she felt embarrassed.
"I—" she hesitated, then sighed. "I'm sorry. For the way I spoke to you before."
Andromeda arched a brow. "Are you?"
Sia exhaled. "Yes."
Andromeda nodded, as if considering something. "Then tell me—why?"
Sia stilled.
Memories pressed at the edges of her mind.
Christina's laughter.
Christina's scream.
Her own helplessness.
She closed her eyes briefly, then met Andromeda's gaze. "I lost a friend," she admitted quietly. "Three months ago. We were friends for six years."
Andromeda's expression, usually so detached, softened—just barely.
Sia continued, voice steady but hollow. "Losing her… it was crippling. So I thought if I never got close to anyone again, I wouldn't have to feel that pain."
She forced a small, pain-filled smile. "It's not a very good plan, is it?"
Andromeda was silent for a moment. Then, she said simply, "No. It's not."
Sia huffed a weak laugh.
Andromeda's gaze was unreadable, but her voice was gentle when she said, "I can't imagine your pain. But closing yourself off? It will only destroy you in the end."
Sia knew she was right.
And for the first time in months, she thought… maybe she didn't want to be alone.
They finished their lunch together in companionable silence before heading for Potions.
But Sia never noticed the quiet figure sitting a few meters away.
A certain boy with onyx eyes, listening to every word.