"They're up to something again," whispered Allegra, watching as (Y/N) entered the Common Room with a small pile of books from the library hooked under her arm. Marlene followed behind with a bright smile as she waved to Isolde, and the Marauders gathered in the small, cozy area near the spiral stairs. Peter appeared to be the center of their attention, trembling in terror as he looked around the Common Room, suspicious of everything.
He jumped at nearly every shadow and the slightest noise that seemed out of place. James, Sirius, and Remus tried their best to discover what had caused his reaction and why he was so terrified. Meanwhile, Isolde offered soft comfort, hoping it would calm Peter down enough for them to get answers.
"Hey Wolffe," Ulrica yelled, a wicked grin painted upon her lips, malice shimmering in her cold eyes, as she left the comfort of the armchair near the roaring fire. Samantha, Georgie, and Allegra watched quietly as if they were about to watch the latest episode of their favorite soap opera. (Y/N), on the other hand, didn't pay attention; she made a habit of ignoring the brave few who were daring enough to call her by her last name; the only exceptions being made were for professors and her circle of friends. "Yeah, you, I'm talking to you, dingbat," arrogantly added Ulrica, as if she was under the impression when she spoke that everyone in the immediate area should listen to what she had to say.
"Tell us, Marlene," began Allegra in a condescending tone, turning her attention to someone she had spent most of the previous year bullying for amusement. However, it soon became clear to Allegra that Marlene wasn't the timid girl she'd previously been, nor was she going to allow herself to be bullied by Allegra again. Marlene was confident and happier now; she already knew her place and those she could turn to if she needed something. "What are you and this freak up to?"
"You claim to be smart, Smith; figure it out," replied Marlene with a sharp edge. Her comment struck so quickly that it had taken Allegra and her small group of girls back a little. It surprised them even that someone could respond not only quickly but with the same attitude they so often weaponized against others.
"Is there a problem here?" asked Finnick Hazard, one of the Gryffindor Prefects, usually the one that kept an eye on (Y/N) and the Marauders. His twin sister Fennec was another Prefect and captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Like Fennec, Finnick was known to give doses of tough love but did so because he cared. There was little doubt Finnick would one day be Headboy, especially when he'd single-handedly kept the Marauders and (Y/N) was terrorizing the castle.
"There is," said Samantha; her wickedness remained intact as she sauntered to the growing group. Her intentions were anything but innocent. Finnick knew that, but he gave her his full attention nonetheless. "I have reason to believe Marlene McKinnon, (Y/N) Wolffe, and the Marauders are up to something again. Their secrecy suggests it will probably cost Gryffindor precious house points and likely against the school rules," she worded, attempting to get the group in trouble and further scare Peter into turning away from his friends. Stupidly, Samantha had believed her accusations would hold some ground even when she had no evidence to prove them.
"They've thrust far refused to tell anyone what they're doing when asked," added Georgie, joining Samantha in front of Finnick. By now, Fennec had appeared, eyeing the ground of girls with suspicion, no doubt suspecting they were up to something again. After all, she was no idiot; she could spot when someone was lying to her a mile away and knew instantly when someone was up to something that could hurt others. "I suspect the books (Y/N) got from the library will give hints about what she's involved in," she added, hoping to get (Y/N) in trouble or scare her.
However, that hope soon came crashing down. (Y/N) handed over the collection of books to Fennec without hesitation. She had nothing to hide; none of the books were out of the ordinary for her, so she had nothing to fear, even if the group of girls Allegra was now a part of wanted her to be fearful. Fennec read over the titles of the book, noticing each was of advanced magic, but she didn't bother questioning it. (Y/N) was smart for her age and creative, especially with her little spell and potion experiments.
"Advanced DADA and Charms?" asked Fennec, pushing her braided hair over her shoulder, a slight grin appearing mere seconds later; quickly, she suspected Dumbledore or one of the professors had recommended the books to her. "These are difficult for most grown-ups to achieve," she commented as she handed the collection of books back to (Y/N). If it had been anyone else, Fennec would have questioned the chosen books, and what they were up to, but with (Y/N), there was little need to.
"Just be glad it's not more mischief," uttered Finnick, standing next to Samantha and Georgie. "Poor Slughorn still hasn't reversed the spell on his storage cupboard, and McGonagall has yet to recover from the heart attack," he added softly. Recalling when McGongal had all but dragged (Y/N) and Sirius back to the Common Room, James quietly followed behind after being scolded for a separate incident. All three had spent the following month in detention.
"In (Y/N)'s defense, the Slughorn one was a dare from James," called Remus from his spot near the spiral stairs. A gentle grin appeared across his lips mere seconds later, pride too, now they were aware Slughorn hadn't reserved the spell (Y/N) had used.
"Remember Quidditch Practice tomorrow after dinner," announced Fennec, "Got to work on the new game plan," she added, sending the pair of (Y/N) and Marlene to join the others; she took notice Lily wasn't there. However, she could guess the petite redhead was with her best friend again. "Now, what are you four up to?" questioned Fennec, turning her attention to the four near the fire now she had determined there was nothing out of the ordinary with (Y/N)'s choice of books.
"What makes you think we're up to anything?" asked Allegra with an attitude; she'd had a burst of confidence before her gaze landed on Fennec's unamused expression, an expression tainted with suspicion.
"A gut feeling," Finnick responded as if he could read his sister's mind. "Or maybe it's the younger students being terrified whenever one or more of you are around," he added, noticing Peter had joined the growing list of jittery students. They all acted relatively normal until one or more of the girls appeared. However, none of them said what about the group of four caused such a reaction; instead, they silently denied anything was wrong before barricading themselves in their dorms.
"We haven't done anything," muttered Samantha, not wording the other half of the comment, the half that she thought.That you can prove;instead, she continued to mutter insults under her breath as if she thought Finnick wouldn't hear her, even when he was standing so was soon proven wrong when he glared at her, almost as if looking into her dark soul. He knew what they were doing but didn't have any concrete proof to prove it ... yet.
"Haven't you?" voiced Isolde, standing from her seat next to Peter and allowing Marlene to take her spot. Upon reaching the Hazard twins, Isolde handed over the journal she'd been keeping since the odd behavior the four girls shared had become noticeable. Allegra's expression dropped to resemble fear the moment she realized she'd underestimated Isolde again and overestimated the overall skills of her own little group.
Quickly, Allegra diverted her attention to Remus and Sirius; both had collected Charms books from (Y/N) and sat with her at one of the smaller tables behind the cozy area the others occupied. No doubt they were attempting to study for the upcoming Charms test Flitwick had recently informed all third years of. If only to test how much they'd learned over the year, as was the norm.
Fennec gently took the journey, reading through some pages; her usual calm demeanor slipped briefly, allowing others around her to see her anger. She soon sent a hateful glance in the direction of the suspicious girls, all four of which had lost their confidence now, instead they tried their hardest to disappear, and act like they were anything but the monsters they were quickly becoming.
"We haven't done anything," repeated Ulrica, a smug grin barely appearing as she attempted to cause more trouble, even when it was clear she was in hot water. "Peter can tell you he's been hanging around us for several weeks," she added, turning her attention to the boy in question, just in time to see the expected fear flash across his features as he hugged the cushion in his lap a little tighter. On the other hand, James, Remus, and Sirius appeared confused. Peter had refused to leave the tower for over a week unless going to classes and the Great Hall; he'd even refused to go to Hogsmeade.
"I ... I ... don't know any ... anything," timidly replied Peter, his voice trembling as much as his body was, even more so upon noticing nearly everyone's attention was focused on him. Except for Isolde, Marlene, and (Y/N), who seemed content to continue their previous task and ignore the ongoing drama as best they could.
"I'm sorry, Peter," started Samantha with a sincerity facade rife in her sickly sweet voice. However, her unusual, wicked glint remained in her eyes. "I can't keep our relationship secret any longer," she added, with an act of sadness and a manipulative undertone. "I know I promised to keep it a secret until you were ready to tell your friends, but I can't stand by and do nothing while mine are accused of something they haven't done," added the half-blood witch, acting as innocently as she could and trying her hardest to sound convincing. Briefly, a smug grin crept upon her lips, if only because she knew some of those watching on believed her.
"I think I'm going to throw up," commented a seventh-year student from one of the tables near a window, a horrified expression painted on his features. The girl he sat with him didn't look any better. If anything, it appeared as if she wanted to use the obliviate charm on herself, if only to rid her memory of the unwanted mental images and horrors.
"Didn't see that one coming," spoke Fennec, returning her attention to the journal Isolde had given her, if only so she could get a clearer picture of what was happening. Although she found it hard to concentrate after the bomb Samantha had dropped on the Common Room.
"Never mind that," called James loudly, his face contorted to resemble horror. "Peter, why didn't you tell us you had a girlfriend? We should celebrate you reaching such a milestone before Moony and Sirius, too," he added to make light of the situation and show Peter that none of his immediate friend group believed the lies Samantha had effortlessly spilled.
"What! I'm not dating her," refuted Peter, just as loudly as James as he attempted to defend himself against the lies spoken. "She's a female Voldemort," he added before scrambling to hide in the shadows. Samantha looked over with an act of hurt and as if she had been offended by his choice of words. Although she'd never admit it to anyone outside her friends, she was pleased with the comment comparing her to Voldemort, almost as if she'd taken it as a compliment rather than the intended insult.
"Moony, I could use the backup here," voiced James, looking to Remus, who came equipped with a bewildered expression. One that appeared to have sparked Sirius' humor. The pure-blood wizard was on the verge of laughter now, despite his best attempts to regain his composure in the face of the surreal situation.
"Yeah, I don't think he's gonna be much help, mate," worded Sirius, noticing (Y/N) wasn't much better. Her hair had gone a lavender color now, a mixture of bewilderment and horror painted on her features; she was quiet too, almost as if someone had cast petrificus totalus on her.
"Rrr," growled Lily as she finally entered the Common Room, anger written across her features, the ends of her fiery hair singed and burnt, her legs still wobbly and unstable from the hex she'd been on the receiving end of. Her thick tights now bore holes where none had been before. "Permission to curse the awful brats, Jessica Rosier and Raya Synde?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to the tension lingering in the tower room.
"Lil," called (Y/N), concern flooding her voice as she finally shook away the bewilderment and horror. What happened?" she questioned, moving to help Lily to the table, where she, Remus, and Sirius shared. Lily's growling also snapped Remus from his trance, although Sirius still fought to recompose himself.
"Ruddy idiots thought it would be a good idea to jinx me when Severus ignored them," replied Lily, anger prevalent above all other emotions. If dueling on school grounds wasn't against the rules, she would have hit them with a few spells in retaliation. Although she'd been thankful for Severus using a few of his creations on them, dangling both above the great lake. "They said they were doing it for Samantha because the little witch has a crush on him."
"Someone has a crush on Snape?" shuddered James. "This just keeps getting weirder."
"Forget that," voiced Sirius. "Peter's just found his girlfriend is two-timing him," he added, picking up where James left off earlier and trying to lighten the mood. At his words, Lily shot him a confused glance, finally realizing she'd missed something.
Finnick's chuckles soon broke up the tension to have fallen over the Common Room; his attention turned to the four girls at the center of the controversy, noticing quickly how Samantha now tried to hide from all the attention she was receiving despite reveling in it mere moments ago. Ulrica and Georgie, on the other hand, looked unsure of themselves now, as if Lily's words had robbed them of their confidence.
"I think I'm gonna make a memory-erasing potion," declared (Y/N), rubbing her temples before allowing her head to drop onto the table with a thud. Sirius chuckled again, at least while he determined if she was joking.
"I get the sense I've missed something," Lily said in a confused voice. However, a smile appeared across her lips as she noticed the expressions on the faces of those present. From amusement to outright terror, at least one seemed traumatized or perhaps petrified by a basilisk.
"Honestly, Tiger Lily, you're probably better off not knowing," replied Finnick, strolling over to the table Fennec occupied, taking a seat across from her before picking up a book in the hopes of studying for the upcoming OWL exams. He needed to do something to prevent his mind from conjuring up unwanted mental images.
"See, now I'm even more curious," commented the fiery redhead, a small smile coming to her lips. Her line of thought was soon interrupted by Peter cracking up over something James and Marlene had said. It was clear one or both were making light of what had happened if only to distract the terrified boy for a little while.
"I'll tell you later," spoke Isolde with a smile of softness. A smile that grew upon remembering being told by McGonagal Allegra would be in a different dorm when the new school year began. Their dorm would be far more peaceful and quieter besides the usual explosions and bangs from (Y/N)'s experiments.
