𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 ; 𝑜.𝑜.𝓅

seventeen

Days turned into weeks for the students at Hogwarts. Augustus was feeling better overall knowing his best friend was back. But something about Sayaka was putting him off.

And he intended to find out what was up. To his surprise, though, he seemed to also be on her mind. A paper bird flew to him when he was studying in an open classroom, landing on his desk. He picked up the letter and opened it up,

Meet me at our spot.

He crumbled up the paper and quickly gathered his things, stumbling out of the classroom. He made his way to one of the more deserted corridors of Hogwarts, where that all too familiar portrait of the Victorian-era woman with bloody hands reaching through metal bars to a fire.

"Aperta."

The portrait vanished, and Augustus walked through. He walked down the small flight of stairs and opened the wooden door leading to the small room filled only with dusty old boxes.

There, he found Sayaka anxiously waiting for him. She quickly turned to him when she heard the door slam shut, "It took you long enough."

"What do you want?" He impatiently asked.

"What's your problem with me?" She asked with furrowed eyebrows, "You've been distant ever since the year started."

"So have you." He quipped back, "Why did you ask me to come here?"

Sayaka sighed and sat down on one of the wooden boxes, "I think my mother might be working with the Dark Lord."

"And you just expect me to believe you? Trust you?"

Her eyes widened in anger, "I have never given you a reason for you not to trust me! You throw on those red and gold colors and suddenly you think you're better than I am."

He crossed his arms and leant up against the wall across the room, "I don't trust you."

"I'm giving you information that could greatly help you. I know you're friends with Potter and I–"

"If this is true why don't you just go to Dumbledore?"

"Do– do you not believe that the Dark Lord has returned? Don't tell me you believe that rubbish from the papers and the Ministry that Potter is a liar and Lorelei Malfoy killed Cedric Diggory. I thought she was your best friend!"

"Of course I believe the Dark Lord has returned, Sayaka. I just don't get what game you're trying to play here."

She stood up angrily, "There is no game!"

"Then why were you talking to Draco Malfoy in the halls? I've heard whispers about Lucius."

She chewed the inside of her cheek nervously, "He misses his sister." She quietly said.

Now Augustus let out a chuckle. He groaned and leant up off the wall, "How stupid do you think I am? He has never been anything but horrible to her, why would he miss her?"

"She's the only one he has that isn't corrupted by power. They may not have gotten along, but he always admired her."

"Yeah, you're just talking out of your arse now. I've known all of them my entire bloody life and they have all been nothing short of sadistic little fuckers." Augustus spat, walking to the door.

"You don't know how your parents died." Sayaka said, making him stop.

"What do they have to do with this?" He quietly asked.

"Everything." Sayaka replied, "You're going to regret pushing this away."

He gripped the handle to the door tightly, "I regret ever involving myself with you." He coldly replied, walking out of the room.

Back upstairs in the Gryffindor common room, Zoya was returning from a study session with Neville and the Patil sisters. She walked in and eagerly looked around for her boyfriend, finding him on the couch with his brother and a pretty blonde she somehow had never seen before.

Her mouth was slightly agape as she watched her interact with the twins, more specifically, Fred. They were all laughing, and Zoya could hear her perfect laugh from across the room.

She noticed how every time she laughed or smiled, she was looking at Fred Weasley.

She gripped her book in her hand, I am not jealous.

The worst part of the scene, was that he was smiling back at her.

He's allowed to smile at people, she thought to herself. She felt the ache in her heart grow bigger and bigger, staring at them all blankly. Her stomach dropped and fell until...

"Oi! Zoya!"

She snapped out of thought, realizing her boyfriend was already walking to her, "You didn't tell me you were back. How was it?" He asked happily, placing a kiss on her forehead as he interlaced his hand with hers.

"I just got back, it was alright." She distantly said, "Who is that over there?"

He turned back to the beautiful blonde, who now had her full attention on George. He turned back to Zoya, "That's Estella Babineaux, she's in George and I's year. Bloody brilliant, she is. Her dad is French! She said her last name means 'gate of the gods' isn't that neat?"

She swallowed her jealously and lazily blinked, "Yeah that's so... cool."

"Anyways, we met Estella on our way to pull a prank on a first year. She said she thought our jokes were hilarious and she wanted to know more about George and I's joke shop!"

Zoya narrowed her eyes as she stared up at him, "Your what?"

Then the realization hit him. He was still oblivious to her facial expressions and white knuckles due to her tight grip on her book, "Oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you!"

"Yeah..."

"How about we go to Hogsmeade tomorrow? I heard the weather is supposed to be nice and I can tell you all about it then?"

"Why not now?" She asked hastily with her eyes still wide.

His hand slipped out of hers, "George and I are talking to Estella about the upcoming test in Snape's class, she's given us some really good pointers and I can't miss more of it. She really is great to talk too! You outta meet her sometime!" He quickly said.

"Since when do you care about school?" She asked him.

"I do care about school, just enough to pass and I am barely doing that right now in potions. Hogsmeade. Tomorrow." He rushed out, placing one more kiss on her head before rushing back to his brother and Estella.

She stared at him sadly and slightly shocked.

Did that just happen?

Normally Fred would shift his entire attention to her the second she walked in the room. He would pull her into whatever conversation he was in and would always have a comforting hand on her in some way.

"You alright?" Harry suddenly asked from beside her.

She continued to watch Fred interact with Estella, "How long have they been there?"

"Uhh, about 15 minutes after you went to go study they all arrived here."

She slowly nodded her head, "Right. Well, I'm going upstairs."

"Zoya," Harry quickly said, "He's not cheating on you, if that's what you're worried about. I know he wouldn't do that to you, and you know it too. She's just a very pretty girl and–"

"I know." She quietly said, "But she is a very pretty girl." She repeated Harry's words.

"Okay so I didn't exactly word that right but you know what I mean. I'm sure it's nothing."

She sighed, "Yeah, me too."