𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 ; 𝒹.𝒽

thirty-seven

"So you see... I am the reason she stands with you all today." Felix said, "You're welcome."

Everybody was speechless. Remus looked guilty and on the verge of tears.

"Can we leave now." Althena quietly asked, holding back her tears.

Felix took a few steps back from her, "Oh, but what about the alliance?"

"I want no favors from you after what you just did."

He sat down in a loveseat, crossing his arms as he tapped his finger against his knee, "I will bring it up to the council. I cannot guarantee their loyalty, but you have mine. You may go."

With that, Althena left the castle as quickly as possible with everyone else tailing behind her. They walked back down the path in complete silence until they got back to the village. Althena apparated away without another word.

The three stood in silence, "So..." Darren started.

"Althena had an affair with.... Sirius Black? And she was best friends with Regulus Black?" Charlie asked, "Didn't see that coming."

"Don't bring it up, please." Remus said with a sigh.

Hours later, Althena was at her home sitting in the living room smoking a cigarette while Estella and Iniya argued over what to cook. A knock at the door snapped Althena out of thought. Estella and Iniya went quiet as well.

Althena sighed and stood up, "Aren't you going to–"

"It's Remus." She interrupted, opening the door to an in-fact guilty looking Remus Lupin.

"Can we talk?"

She looked back at the two, "Burn down this cottage and I'll offer you up to the Dark Lord."

She walked outside and the two wandered around the village, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Althena asked, lighting a new cigarette.

"For leaving you. I-I didn't realize- it was selfish."

"You leaving wasn't the only thing that led me to that night, Remus."

"I know but, I'm just sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. You shouldn't have been alone." He said, taking her hand.

She blew out smoke, "I don't want to talk about it anymore. It was a long time ago. It doesn't matter now."

The two walked around the village in silence for half an hour until Remus spoke up, "I'm sorry I can't stop thinking about it, your memories... did Padfoot know the Dark Lord showed up to their home?"

"No." Althena said, "He uhh, he didn't know she was dead and Aurora went to the Malfoys until he got out of Azkaban."

"Pardon?"

She sighed, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets, "He showed up to my home first. Wanted to pull himself together before he would go to Diana and Aurora after going to find Pettigrew. I had to break it to him about what happened."

"How did he take it?"

"Not well. Thought I was lying to him. Then he yelled and screamed at me before running off. Didn't see him again until I found him by Diana's grave sometime later. Did he not tell you that?"

He shook his head, "No."

At Hogwarts, Gwenna sat in a corner in the library lazily flipping through a Transfiguration book as she worked on an essay. She almost wished she didn't go back for her seventh year. She felt like she had to look over her shoulder, and sleep with one eye open. Even being a pure-blood couldn't save her.

She yawned, glancing up at the clock hanging on the wall to her left.

12:23

It took her a few moments to realize, but when she did, she was panicking.

"Shit shit shit." She whispered, gathering her things together hastily.

Breaking curfew now had harsher punishments than previous years. In previous years, it would be a simple detention, now, it could be torture.

She crept out of the library, narrowly missing two Death Eaters walking down the halls. She walked as quickly and quietly as possible back to her dorm, but it was across the castle.

She turned a corner and continued to walk down a hallway. Suddenly, she was pulled around the corner into an empty corridor. Gwenna was pushed up against the wall with a hand over her mouth so she couldn't make noise.

Through the dim light, she could get a glimpse of a green tie. She struggled against his grip, "Stay still, will you?" He whispered harshly, his voice hoarse.

That's when she heard loud footsteps pass the corridor. Death Eaters. The boy waited until the footsteps died out, and he removed his hand.

"Please, don't report me to Snape. I lost track of time–"

He smirked, "Ease up. I won't. But I must ask, what is Ravenclaw Gwenna Solaris doing out so late?"

"Studying."

He nodded, "Should've known."

"Are you going to let me go now?"

He narrowed his gaze, "Do you not know who I am?"

"Should I?"

"We're only in the same year and we've had Potions together since fifth year."

"Sorry..."

He slowly stepped back, and Gwenna let out a breath of air she didn't realize she was holding in.

"I'll walk you back."

"You really–"

"Do you want to get caught?"

She sighed, and the two walked side by side together across the castle. She didn't ask his name, no, she was too nervous and suspicious of him to even ask. She looked up at him as they passed a window, allowing the light of the half moon to shine on them.

He was lean with dark wavy brown hair and big brown eyes that looked tired. He had a few freckles on his face, his lips were pursed and–

"It's rude to stare."

She blinked a few times and looked away quickly, "Sorry."

Gwenna stopped in front of a portrait, avoiding his gaze.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Fine."

"I recommend not being out after curfew again. I doubt the next person that would find you would be as forgiving."

She found herself struggling to hold back a smile, "Yeah, I've got no plans to stay out."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets under his cloak while taking a few steps back, "I'll see you around, Solaris. The name is Theodore, by the way. You can call me Theo." He said, his voice softer.

She nodded and walked into the common room without another word.