Corrupted Souls | remus lupin

the long winter

Neoma kept her eyes trained on the moving scenery as Brityn went on a longwinded tirade about the muggleborn she'd been paired up with for a duel in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"He could barely stand after I was done with him. The little mudblood almost got a good shot on me, too, but obviously I was way faster than he was."

Neoma tried to block out the girl's nasally boast, leaning on her hand sleepily. Her gaze crept over to Narcissa who was absentmindedly nodding at Brityn's words, though her expression was miles away.

The Hogwarts Express began slowing down, and greenery turned to stone. Neoma scanned the platform as they came to a full stop, looking for her father anxiously.

She would be notified if he died, right?

It was a legitimate question. If her father's motives were discovered, Voldemort would not hesitate to kill him off and Nicodemus Nott's name would be forgotten quickly. Perhaps the Dark Lord would then disguise himself as Nicodemus, pick up Neoma, and throw her into the River Thames himself. Wouldn't that be an honor?

A breath of relief escaped from her lungs when she saw a gruff-looking man standing away from the crowd, his hands shoved in his pockets. She couldn't make out his features from this distance, but she would recognize his silhouette anywhere.

"Neoma, will you be coming to the Malfoy's New Years party this year?" Narcissa asked as she stood, shrugging on her fur-trimmed coat and grabbing her trunk.

"I do think you should come - your absence at events is getting quite suspicious." Brytin drawled, tying up her hair. Narcissa shot her a warning glare. "What Cissy? You know I'm right."

"Don't listen to her." Narcissa grumbled. "You should come, though. We miss you."

"We'll probably be there." Neoma forced a smile, grabbing the handle of their compartment's door. "Have a Merry Christmas - tell Andromeda hi for me."

"Merry Christmas, Noma." Narcissa gave her a brief hug before stepping back, rolling her eyes in annoyance as Brityn started slowly lacing up the boots that she'd taken off for the ride.

Neoma made a quick exit from the compartment, entering the sea of students pushing through the narrow train corridor. There was a bottleneck near the closest exit, and she yawned as she waited to get off of the cramped locomotive.

"Have a nice Christmas Neoma," someone spoke from her side. Neoma glanced over her shoulder and was face-to-face with none other than Lily Evans.

They were not friends, but Lily seemed to have come to terms with the fact that Neoma was not the evil, prejudiced Slytherin that she envisioned. The two worked well together in potions, and Neoma actually seemed interested in learning about Lily's life in the muggle world.

"You too, Lily." She smiled. "Any fun plans?"

"Well, James is actually having a small get together ... I was thinking of going."

James Potter was a popular topic of conversation while Lily, Remus, Amos, and Neoma cut up ingredients and stirred cauldrons. Neoma hadn't spoken to him in months (since he'd taken ten points from her, actually), but it seemed like his bigheadedness was not a trait reserved for the Slytherins that crossed his path - it just came in different flavors.

"That's a surprise." Neoma rose a brow, shuffling forward slightly with the crowd. "Did he put you under the imperius curse?"

"No." A blush spread across Lily's cheeks. "I dunno - he's been half pleasant this year. I figured I'd give a dog a bone."