Pawns & Players - Sirius Black

-7-

It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do  - Jane Austen

As the hat declared its decision, the hall had gone silent and even Dumbledore seemed intrigued. Black's outcome was well known but the girl's was completely unpredictable. She was placed in the house of the brave and yet the right side of the hall seemed unattainable. The devil in disguise covered in red and gold was smirking at her while whispering something to his equally provoking friend, making his glasses fall from laughter yet again. Quickly assessing her situation, she put on the face Regulus couldn't do for the life of him and walked to the golden table, settling herself next to the redhead.

The silence was now gone, replaced by gossipy whispers and wondering looks. The Gryffindor prefect was an older girl with dark skin and tight curls, uncomfortably welcoming her to the house while giving her schedule and explaining the house points. 

Her parents, she thought. What was she going to tell them, or more so, who out of the Slytherin table was going to tell them. As worry washed over her expression, the smirking devil found it his right to give his irrelevant opinion on the twisted situation. 

"I see your plans have a way of not being followed thoroughly, Alexander. Try not to worry too much about it though, we will all be right next to you -quite literally- for all of the upcoming years. You are one of us now" He ended by tilting his head slightly with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"This is great ! You two know each other already ! We are all going to be getting along wonderfully" Said a low voice from the end of the table, next to Marlene. "I'm Alice Forestcue by the way, also a first-year" A naive optimism was easily spottable in her voice, she was pitiable.

The dinner lasted for hours but Laurel hadn't touched a single thing in front of her out of the worry of what was coming next, and wishing she had read more books about poor people. Except for James, Sirius and maybe Lily, they were all speaking with a disturbing accent and the same vocabulary consisting of fifty words. Spitting while talking and laughing, the girl could hardly hide her disgust. Walking out of the shower that was supposed to be dinner, she walked into the Gryffindor common room. 

The room was covered in pecan wood and gold details with crimson armchairs and couches in the middle, surrounding the fireplace. The place gave a feeling of warmth and felt like home, two things she never got growing up in the manor.  

Sleeping arrangements were rapidly distributed to the first years by the seventh-year head girl. The lack of first-year Gryffindor girls had resulted in the six girls sharing a dorm. Rushing through the stairs, Marlene had claimed the door closest to the exit. Just on her right, was Alice jumping onto the bed when the girl she had barely seen at the sorting plopped into the room. 

"Dorcas Meadowes," The new Gryffindor was a small girl with dark skin and loose curls flowing around her head. "Is this bed claimed yet ?" She asked pointing towards the third bed on the row. Receiving a quick nod of approval with a smile from both Alice and Marlene, she opened her trunk and started placing her clothes manually by folding each and every one of them before placing them in her drawer. McKinnon had found herself yet another victim when Lily Evans entered the room next to another girl.

"See this is the girl I met during the ceremony, Mary Macdonald !" Marlene was jumping talking to Dorcas who seemed awfully calmer compared to the pogo stick next to her.

Mary was a brunette girl with dark skin and eyes, waving at everyone, placing herself on the bed next to the girl folding her clothes and Lily on the following bed, leaving Laurel the only one left next to the giant window on the right side of the room. And that was when the girl who was cautiously watching everything unfold in the dorm entered the very room she would call home for the next seven years. 

With one quick gesture, she pulled all of her belongings out of her pocket and placed them in their respective spots under the wondering eyes of the five other girls. Directing herself towards the exit to use the bathroom, the girls started talking about their families and how much they missed them already. The information about Lily's parents was nothing new since the train but she decided to join them in an interrogation as she thought it would make her more approachable.

"Mudblood I understand ?" The second those words left her mouth, unknowingly colliding with her already present judgmental voice, she realized she had made a mistake.

"Excuse me but I'm as much of a witch and deserving of magic as you are" The feisty redhead responded with an offended voice as Mary noticed the confusion on her face and was about to say something when the blonde creature allowed herself into the conversation. 

"Purebloods like you are the reason why everyone is intimidated by us, so take your prejudice elsewhere and leave us alone" 

From her limited time in Hogwarts, the young Alexander had not yet seen a reason why mudbloods were so hated by her parents and was warming up to the idea that because mudbloods also had magic, they didn't want to extinct their race. 

Did she not like being referred to with her blood status ? And with an interrogative face and questions on her mind, she left the dorm to go to the bathroom, as the other girls once again got lost trying to figure the riddle out.