Wolves Without Teeth ── theodore nott ¹ ( UNDER EDITING )

chapter one

   𝕽ain trickled down like raindrops on the bitter cold window as Winnie Bulstrode fiddled with the wrapper of a chocolate frog she had long since finished eating. Tucking the empty wrapper in the pocket of her Gryffindor robes, she rested her feet in front of her as she watched two raindrops run down the window; in her mind, she imagined them racing to the rim.

In the end, — when the raindrop she wasn't counting on winning won, the female huffed out a loud sigh. Unfolding herself from her position before going off on the hunt to find her cousin.

The family was a sticky situation for the eldest Bulstrode daughter; as a kid, her parents had praised her for everything they had in them. They often commented on how proud they would be of her when she attended Hogwarts and got sorted into Slytherin. News flash! Their perfect, obedient daughter had found herself being sorted with the Lions. That entirely put a damper on their little angel, and before she knew it, she was suddenly the family's disappointment and had been shunned by just about everyone. Ah, the sweet love of family, right?

Due to her already losing their approval, Winnie Buldstrode started to spend her life doing everything for herself. Winnie could honestly care less ( okay, she did care! Because she harboured more than enough unresolved anger issues because of their sudden complete abandonment! ). At the same time, her family thrived off galleons and bribery; she thrived off resourcefulness. She dug holes in the ground where they lay, melted armour to wrap around herself to deal with her parents' cruelty.

Winnie Bulstrode made herself invisible so nobody or nothing could puncture the holes in her beating heart. She practiced smiles and stone-cold laughter when she faced her parents when the time came for people to ask her how her life was at home.

"It was perfect! They were so proud of me!" She would utter with a whisper of promise and the gentleness of spring air, and then she would turn it all around when no one was watching. She would feel the poison of her lies deep into her chest and wonder why she even bothered to do so; they never did for her.

But see, there was one person Winnie Bulstrode never lied to in her family. That just happened to be Cordelia Flint, who ( unlike the rest of their family ) hadn't turned her back on Winnie when her cousin decided that things such as blood prejudice and blood traitors didn't matter as much as their family liked to think it did. Right now, Winnie figured her cousin could use some perhaps smiling faces ( okay, maybe, Winnie just needed to see a smiling face. She had just spent an entire summer surrounded by people who hated her after all, so can you blame her? ) especially after her idiot of a boyfriend cheated on her. Winnie had begun to make numerous ways of getting her cousin's now ex-boyfriend back when she stumbled upon her cousin's compartment.

Winnie had grown accustomed to seeing the aftermath of what too many Firewhiskey's can do to someone; her father, after all, spent far too many nights drinking away his sorrows and regrets. While Winnie could argue that she hated her father, she couldn't help but always lay a glass of water and chocolate beside him whenever he woke up. Even if he had no memory of it, he continued to look at her with such disgust that it often felt like her skin was burning.

The female frowned softly as she looked in on her cousin, who was sporting quite a headache and ( Winnie had to guess ) a hangover. The blonde tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before turning towards the trolley she had walked past moments before. Quickly, she hurried over to the older woman dressed in bright yellow fabrics as she stood outside a compartment.

"Two Chocolate Frogs and a water, please," Winnie spoke gingerly as she pulled out five gallons from her robes, holding it in her palm as the woman handed her the objects before she smiled. Winnie thanked her quietly before turning back towards where her hungover cousin sat alone; slipping inside quietly, she shut the door behind her before offering the water and chocolates to the overly grumpy brunette. Cordelia - for her part - looked equally annoyed as she noticed her walk into the room. Ah, family.