Another Star- Polaris Black

7- A Clash of Houses

[Words: 3,711]

1975, 10 September- Wednesday

Polaris found himself unexpectedly involved in a fight, something he had never anticipated. In retrospect, he realized he should have refrained from stooping so low, but the Gryffindor had provoked him to the point of frustration.

It was nearly two weeks into the term, and he had already experienced such exasperation while conversing with a Gryffindor.

As Tuesday arrived, it signalled flying lessons with Professor Mokes. Polaris had initially believed it would solely involve flying, but he was mistaken.

The professor also made them engage in running exercises for the adrenaline rush, or so she claimed. The running itself wasn't pleasant, but what bothered him more was sharing the class with Gryffindors.

Don't get him wrong, he was open to interacting with students from other houses, but it seemed that Gryffindors already had a problem with Slytherins. Perhaps it was an ingrained fate for the houses to harbour dislike for one another, regardless of the year.

His fist still throbbed from the earlier altercation. He had thrown a punch, although he couldn't say it was intentional. The other boy had been there, wearing a mocking expression as he insulted Polaris.

At first, Polaris considered ignoring it, but with a quick glance, he realized the professor wasn't paying attention. One thing led to another, and he ended up causing the boy's nose to bleed. It was a rather unpleasant sight, especially since it got on his hand.

One might wonder what happened next. Well, it can be assumed that a group gathered, those who had stopped running who had witnessed the incident.

As expected, Slytherins rallied behind their fellow Slytherin, while Gryffindors stood by their fellow Gryffindor. The red-clad students seemed not just angry but harboured a deep-rooted animosity towards Slytherins, as if it had been brewing for more than just a week. Had Slytherins done something to earn their ire so quickly?

On one side stood the reds, on the other, the greens. Each group had their own allegiances, so it was puzzling to see one red-clad student stepping between them, advocating for a truce. It perplexed Polaris, though he was grateful for it, considering he had thrown both the first and last punch.

That student was Nathaniel Sayre.

The time they spent on the train ride, Polaris had never asked what house he was hoping to get into, in all honesty he seemed like a Hufflepuff, but that wouldn't be the case as he was in red.

Despite being sorted into different houses, Nathaniel had made an effort to befriend Polaris in the classes they shared. He didn't make the same effort with Corvus, as Corvus chose to ignore the Gryffindor boy, seeing as he was friends with Willow Smyth.

The metallic taste of blood-filled Polaris's mouth, triggering memories of his mother's disappointment and her resorting to physical actions rather than words. He didn't entirely blame her; she struggled with expressing herself, and he found solace in the pain that faded faster than the hurtful words she would spew.

His hand instinctively reached for his mouth, where a trickle of blood stained the corners. He looked straight ahead, the silence hanging heavily in the air as everyone present had witnessed the altercation.

Richard Wellington struck him back, the Gryffindor boy.

In that moment, Polaris realized he hadn't thrown the final blow as he had believed.

The impact didn't hurt much, more akin to a bee sting than anything else. Not only had the Gryffindor hit him on the upper lip, but he had also managed to land a blow on his cheek, leaving behind the promise of an impending bruise.