The moment they entered the common room, a deafening cheer erupted.

Sia barely had time to react before people swarmed the team, clapping them on the back, offering butterbeer, and toasting their victory. It was overwhelming—just hours ago, half of them wouldn't even look at her. Now, they were treating her like she was one of them.

It was as if they had never mocked her, never laughed when she was bullied.

Bellatrix, Avery, Rosier, Macnair—all the usual suspects—seemed to have suddenly lost interest in her entirely. They avoided her gaze, staying in their own corner.

Sia wasn't sure what to make of it.

The common room itself was almost unrecognizable. Plates of food, butterbeer, even some firewhisky (which had been hastily hidden when Slughorn arrived earlier to congratulate them) were spread out across the tables. Someone had enchanted green and silver banners to float above them, the score of the match flashing in golden numbers.

She turned to Andromeda. "Where did all this even come from?"

Andromeda smirked. "Slytherins have their ways."

Whatever the case, Slytherin never let a victory go uncelebrated.

The party stretched into the early hours of the morning, with students sprawled across couches, still toasting to the game. It wasn't until 1 AM that Professor Slughorn appeared, looking both amused and exasperated.

"Come now, my dear students—off to bed! I won't have my best players nodding off in class tomorrow!"

A few groans of protest rose, but Slughorn simply smiled. "I'll pretend I didn't see the firewhisky this time. But if you test my patience, well... I may have to alert Professor Dumbledore."

That was enough to send the crowd scrambling.

Sia and Andromeda left last, still murmuring about the match as they climbed the steps to their dormitory.

Inside, Emily and Bellatrix ignored them completely. Narcissa, already in bed, murmured a quiet 'Congratulations' before turning away.

"Honestly, that was the best game I've ever played," Andromeda said, stretching. "You did well, Sia. Really well."

"You too," Sia muttered. Andromeda had scored the winning goal, after all.

She didn't mind the silence from the others. In fact, she preferred it. It was better than the pranks, the whispers, the constant humiliation.

At least now, they had no choice but to acknowledge her.

Andromeda didn't get into bed right away.

Instead, she waited.

Sia, watching from her own bed, raised an eyebrow.

Finally, when the dormitory had settled into the deep silence of sleep, Andromeda pulled out her wand.

"Muffliato."

A soft buzzing filled the air.

Sia blinked. "What was that?"

Andromeda smirked. "A privacy spell. No one will hear us now."

Sia sat up properly. "I've never heard of that before."

"Of course you haven't," Andromeda said. "It's not in any book."

Sia frowned. "Then where did it come from?"

Andromeda hesitated.

"No one knows," she said finally. "But there are a few spells like this—ones that aren't officially recognized, but people use anyway. Muffliato, Levicorpus, Liberacorpus…"

Sia's eyes widened. She knew just how difficult it was to create a spell. The magic required was beyond even some skilled adult wizards. For a student to manage it—

"Wait," she said slowly. "You're saying a student made these?"

Andromeda nodded.

"Who?"

A pause.

Then, a sigh. "I don't know for sure. But… I think it's Severus."

Sia stiffened.

"Severus?"

Andromeda leaned back against her pillow. "His friends were the first ones to use these spells. And once, I overheard Bellatrix thanking him for making bullying easier."

Sia exhaled sharply.

She shouldn't have been surprised.

She had already figured out that Severus was a Legilimens. That his Occlumency skills were so sharp, he could shut her out without even breaking eye contact.

But this—creating spells? That was another level of genius.

And she hated to admit it, but her respect for him grew.

Which was annoying.

"It could be someone else," she said quickly, almost to convince herself.

Andromeda shrugged. "Maybe. But I doubt it."

Sia didn't answer.

Instead, she lay back, staring at the ceiling, trying not to think about Severus Snape.