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Chapter Text

House Evans was never supposed to exist. If it had been up to the rest of the magical world, we would have been nothing more than another muggleborn family desperately trying to forge our way through an unforgiving society. Our Blood Magic is a blessing, our inheritance a gift we can only hope to live up to. From mother to daughter, I hope we continue to pass down Magic, knowledge, love; everything House Evans stands for. 

We may be Dark in nature, but we can never let anyone tell us that is wrong. To all our future daughters and sons, if you take one thing from our Grimoire, let it be this: we are proof that Magic chooses those that are worthy. You are worthy.

Welcome to the Evans Family.

Lily Evans-Potter, First Witch of our Most Noble House.

~ ToB ~

Footsteps echoed in the stairwell and Hani snapped the Grimoire shut, her eyes blurry from reading in the dark. The tears hadn’t helped. Even now, with the book firmly closed, she could recall the elegant curves of her mother’s writing. They had been there all along, waiting in a corner of her mind, in her periphery. Waiting for her to find them.

Severus hadn’t said anything about the Grimoire. He’d given Hani a terse hug, a kiss on the forehead, and had Flooed away faster than Hani could have blinked.

Remus hadn’t said anything about the Grimoire. He’d stared at it, jaw dropped, but no words had left his mouth. Hani could understand; nothing felt big enough to describe the treasure that now lay in her hands.

Even Sirius hadn’t said anything about the Grimoire. He’d cried, had promised Hani that he thought she’d known all along, and had apologised profusely until Hani had forced him out of her bedroom.

But Hani hadn’t been satisfied with their silence. She’d opened the Grimoire again as soon as she’d gone to bed for the night, and she’d marvelled as she’d thumbed through page after page of her mother’s perfect handwriting. She’d cried because her mother hadn’t meant to leave her alone or powerless or ignorant. She’d laughed because even in her writing, her mother was the funniest person she’d ever met, and then she’d cried some more because she’d never heard her mother laugh.

She hadn’t made it far into the Grimoire when Sirius stomped up the stairs.

She wasn’t sure why she’d slammed it shut, but her hands had acted before she’d been able to think about what she was doing.

When the door creaked open, light flooding the corner of Hani’s room, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, the Grimoire safely tucked beneath her head. Now that she knew what it contained, she didn’t think she would ever be able to part with it.

Sirius breathed deeply, and Hani let him.

“I should have told you long ago,” he whispered, and Hani lay frozen, terrified that he would startle if she so much as twitched. “You look so much like her, I thought– I’m sorry, Hani. I’m so sorry, Lily-flower.”

The light retreated, as did the footsteps.

Hani’s fingers curled around the thick spine of the tome under her pillow.

She fell asleep with the Grimoire open in front of her and tears in her eyes, her mind desperately trying to conjure up the sound of her mother’s voice.

‘You are worthy,’ a ghost murmured in her dreams.

She woke up in a sweat long before the sun rose.

She did not try to sleep again.

Metal spun around Hani’s fingers, cold and familiar. She’d tucked the needle into her pocket without a second thought that morning; her skin itched with the desire to open the Grimoire again. She let the cool press of steel ground her thoughts, knowing nothing good would come from taking the Grimoire out in public.

“Someone’s distracted.”

Lavender’s eyebrows were raised, her tone unimpressed. She’d settled down next to Hani hoping that her best friend would braid her hair, but Hani had gotten lost in her mind within minutes of their departure. A loose strand of Lavender’s honey locks lay, forgotten, in her left hand. Hani grimaced apologetically.

The other Sisters were caught up in a conversation about this year’s Sorting, hypothesising about their siblings’ houses and Erin’s particular situation. Hani had already placed her bets with Hannah and Lisa earlier that week, so she didn’t bother tuning in.

“Parvati went to find the Trolley lady,” Lavender added when Hani stayed quiet. “She said it wasn’t right to see you so downtrodden, especially when you’re usually so excited about the new year. Did something happen at home?”

She hummed. She didn’t want to get into the details of the past day in the middle of a train compartment. Part of her thought she wouldn’t want to get into the details even once they were safely ensconced in their dorm, but she’d cross that bridge when she got to it. She had a thousand other things to worry about first.

“Well, if you’re not going to talk, could you at least give me a nice braid? I swear, my hair’s been getting thicker with time. Is that possible?”

“You cut it shorter,” Hani pointed out, clearing her throat when her voice came out stiff and croaky. “It’s not thicker, just a little wilder. I think it’s nice, and it’ll help it grow back even healthier than before.”

Lavender was all too happy to talk about her hair and the other changes she’d been making to her appearance in an effort to appear more ‘grown-up’. An extra touch of make-up, clothes that hugged her figure perfectly, jewellery that would only barely pass Professor McGonagall’s inspection if she looked closely at what Lavender was wearing. Hani had always thought Lavender was beautiful, but she’d gained an extra bit of confidence over the summer that hadn’t been there before.

All Hani had gained was an inch – the last one she’d get, she thought – and a hundred new problems.

This time, instead of letting her mind pull her down into its dark depths, she used Lavender’s hair as a distraction. Her practice during summer camp had paid off; she expertly weaved two portions of Lavender’s hair into criss-crossed braids, leaving a larger portion down since her best friend hated feeling stifled. She hummed softly as she worked, the melody helping the Sisters’ conversation fade into the background until she could focus on beauty, fortune, confidence.

Lavender already had those in heaps, but a little boost had never hurt anyone.

Besides, Hani had used enough of her energy that morning desperately threading protection and meditation into her hair.

“I see she’s finally awoken from her state of catatonia.”

Hani smiled softly as Parvati tugged at one of her braids fondly and spread herself out as far as possible next to Hani. Daphne grumbled about the intrusion to her space, but one sharp look from Padma had her snapping her mouth shut.

These days, they could read each other like open books. Hani loved that about the Sisters, but she hated it about herself.

She wanted to be as tightly locked as the Evans Grimoire, her secrets held hostage by the blood in her veins.

“Spent quite a while looking for the Trolley,” Lavender sing-songed, her playful tone earning herself a genuine grin from Hani, who turned to stare at Parvati.

Their best friend’s cheeks were hot, her lips swollen, her chin held up high with pride. Daphne let out a disgusted sound and shifted further away from Parvati, mumbling about best friends and their inability to keep their hands to themselves.

“I hadn’t seen Blaise in a while,” Parvati said, fond and ever-so-soft. “He offered to pay for our sweets as an apology for keeping me away from you.”

“I’m not touching your love-candy,” Daphne wrinkled her nose. Across from them, Padma nodded her agreement. “Though… Say, Parvati, do you think you could convince Blaise to do my homework for me as a love favour? I have nightmares about the workload I’m expecting this year.”

“I don’t think Blaise is going to bother much with homework now that he has a better source of entertainment to fill his free time,” Tracey pointed out, smirking at a flustered Parvati. “Though, if he does offer to complete homework for us, do tell him we’re willing to pay him back however much he wishes.”

“Hannah, Hani and I should get going before any of you say anything explicitly incriminating,” Lisa snorted, smacking the back of Tracey’s head when she only shrugged apologetically. “The badges aren’t there for decoration purposes. If Cedric and Wren notice we’re protecting our friends from well-deserved punishment, we can say goodbye to our privileges.”

“We should have known the power would get to their heads,” Lavender sighed dramatically.

“Lisa has a point,” Hani laughed, tying off Lavender’s second braid and patting her head gently. “Besides, Louise will be looking for me. Duty calls.”

“If the triplets come looking for me, tell them I’m busy doing rounds,” Hannah added, her gaze lingering on Tracey and Leo until her best friends acknowledged her request. “Don’t miss us too much.”

“We’ll relish the silence!” Leo called as they slipped out of the compartment.

They paused on the other side of the door. Hannah fiddled with her badge, Lisa looked left and right for a sign of their mentors, and Hani breathed deeply. The needle in her pocket felt heavy, and the compartment had been a reminder of all the things she didn’t know how to say.

How exactly was one supposed to announce that they were a blood witch?

It wasn’t as though Hani had any idea what it really meant beyond what her mother had managed to transcribe in their Grimoire. If any of the Sisters asked her about her inheritance, there was very little she would be able to tell them.

It means my magic is tied to my blood, she’d say, it’s the reason I’m always travel sick.

And then she’d have to stay silent, because she was fifteen years old and no one had ever suggested that her mother could have passed any magic down to her.

“Lisa!” Hani looked up at the sound of her friend’s name. Susanna Hesleden, Lisa’s Sixth Year mentor, was striding towards them with her male counterpart in tow. Lisa had straightened a little at the sight of her older housemate, and Hani resisted the urge to mirror her posture. “Any idea where Michael is hiding? Eddie’s poked his head into at least twenty compartments without luck.”

“They like to hang out further back,” Lisa said, sticking her thumb towards the train’s last carriages.

“Cheers, Lisa,” Eddie said, nodding at Hani and Hannah before rushing off to find his mentee.

“Louise and Hattie are that way,” Susanna smiled when she noticed Hannah and Hani’s hesitant expressions. “They didn’t want to pressure you into leaving your friends too early, but they’ll be happy to get started. I know Hattie’s worried that she won’t make a good impression on you, Hannah.”

Hannah deflated a little at that, her shoulders relaxing as though she’d been thinking the same thing. Hani bit her lip to contain her amusement at seeing her friend so worried about forming a connection with the older prefect. If there was one thing Hannah Abbott was good at, it was making friends. Her mentor was going to love her.

“You’re not even slightly anxious?” Hannah huffed. They’d left Lisa and Susanna behind to discuss the details of their patrol, both of them happy to get into the nitty-gritty of prefect duties. “Nothing too challenging for Harini Potter?”

“Louise is lovely,” Hani said, rolling her eyes. “It has nothing to do with my anxiety levels and everything to do with the fact that she’s kind, attentive, and very eager to help me out. Besides, if it doesn’t work out between us, I won’t have to see much of her after September.”

“Your optimism is to die for, Hani,” Hannah said, pretending to swoon. Hani shoved her. Hard. Hard enough to send her barrelling into a passing first year whose eyes went wide while Hannah fumbled through an apology.

“Smooth, Prefect Abbott,” Hani snickered, coughing to clear her expression when they finally spotted Louise and Hattie up ahead. “I’ll make sure to tell Hattie you’ll need a bit of extra coaching when it comes to dealing with eleven-year-olds. It’ll be hard for you, considering how little experience you–”

She squawked out a laugh when Hannah tripped her up. She caught herself on the train’s wall and let out a string of chuckles as they neared the older prefects. Hannah was smiling, her posture at ease and her face lit up with amusement.

Hani’s lips ticked up higher in response.

“Harini, Hannah!” Louise grinned. “Very punctual. I’m sure Wren will love that.”

“We weren’t actually given a time?” Hannah pointed out, her voice lifting in confusion. “I thought we might have to wait for you to find us. We only came because Susanna told us you’d be this way.”

“Sweet, sweet Hannah,” Hattie smirked. Hani loved her already. “Good instincts are a prefect’s greatest tool, and you’ve clearly got more than you realise. I know for a fact Lily, Dean and Michael haven’t made an effort to leave their compartments, and yet the three of you did.”

“Instincts,” Louise nodded in agreement. “Sometimes, you have to forget about the patrol schedule and enter whatever room feels right. It’s how you’ll catch most of the wayward students after curfew. They’re never where the schedule takes us; always a tiny bit out of reach.”

“Noted,” Hannah said fervently, looking like she wished she had a parchment out so she could take notes. “Anything else we need to know?”

“Lots,” Hattie snorted. “It’s what I’m here for. Louise, Harini, we’ll see you tomorrow? First prefect meeting of the year!”

“See you then,” Louise winked before turning to Hani. “C’mon, we’ll leave them to the middle and we’ll head closer to the front. Wren and Cedric secured a compartment for us since our patrol doesn’t start for another hour.”

Hani barely managed to wave goodbye in Hannah’s direction as Louise tugged her towards their prefect compartment.

While they walked, Louise went over the basics of train patrolling, promising Hani that it would most likely come naturally once they got into the swing of things. Once they entered the compartment, they greeted some of the other prefects – including Justin and his mentor – and chose a spot to continue their conversation.

Louise was far from a born teacher, but she spoke clearly and let Hani ask as many questions as she wanted to. She was especially helpful when it came to Gryffindor Tower and what Hani might expect once she was left in charge of the younger students. Every time Hani thought about being the most responsible student in the common room, she felt her heart rate pick up, but Louise was quick to reassure her. With Prewett and Alderton closeby, it was unlikely Hani would ever have to break up fights; no one wanted to get in trouble with their Head and his Deputy.

Still, Louise drew up a list of students who might cause more trouble than others, and Hani had to bite her lip to hide a smile when she noticed Ginny’s name near the top. She didn’t know what the youngest Weasley got up to outside of Quidditch, but she wasn’t surprised to learn she was living up to her brothers’ reputation.

“It’s the bullying you’ll have to be careful with,” Louise explained once they’d started their patrol. It consisted mostly of walking from compartment to compartment, checking that everything was in order. “It can be hard to spot at first, especially because wixen know how to be… clever about their cruelty.”

“Does it happen often?” Hani asked, stopping to check a warded compartment. A quick scan revealed the ward was only meant to amplify sound if someone was to knock on the door, so Hani let it be. “I don’t think I’ve noticed it in our year.”

“Your class may be rowdy and impossible to control, but the hostility has always been visible,” Louise shrugged. “None of you have ever bothered trying to be subtle about it, so we’ve not had to worry about things happening behind the scenes. It’s rather practical. It’s the younger students who worry us. The fourth-year Ravenclaws, the third-year Slytherins, a very particular group of boys in Second Year. You’ll learn to look out for them.”

“Anyone in Gryffindor?” Hani frowned, pulling the list of names out of her pocket again and trying to identify any of the Gryffindors as potential bullies. She paused on one when Louise pointed at it. Her mentor’s brows were furrowed, her lips pressed into a disapproving line. “Doyle? I’ve never noticed…”

“She’s part of a bad group,” Louise sighed. “I was only made aware of it later in the year when she was caught harassing a yearmate. It’s always the same yearmate, which is the main issue.”

“Really?” Hani’s eyebrows rose. “Have they not been punished yet?”

“They’ve been punished many times,” Louise sighed. Disappointed, Hani thought, or perhaps tired of having to hear about the same girls over and over again. “Nothing has deterred them so far, and age has only made them more bitter.”

“Who’s the yearmate?” Hani asked. Perhaps, now that their duties were clearer and their roles taken more seriously, the prefects would be able to crack down and solve this rampant bullying issue. “The one they bully?”

Louise’s eyes softened. “Luna Lovegood. You’ll spot her from a mile away.”

She had long hair the colour of moonlight. Her eyes were big and bright, taking in the hall as though it was the first time she’d ever seen it. It made Hani long for a kind of innocence she didn’t think she’d ever known.

Lisa’s gaze was fixed on the girl as well, her brows knitted together. Some of Hani’s worry eased; if anyone was going to get rid of the Ravenclaws’ bullying problem, it would be Lisa. She would rain hell upon anyone who tried to hurt those under her care, and she would do it so efficiently that no one would ever dare go against her orders.

Satisfied that Luna Lovegood wouldn’t be left alone to the nasty girls in her year, Hani turned to stare at the front of the hall, where another unwelcome sight was waiting for her.

Erin Hargreaves was a puzzle Hani didn’t think she wanted to solve. She knew, of course, that there had to be good things about their new yearmate. She was probably hiding a wicked sense of humour, or a talent for cheering anyone up with a single smile. However, all Hani could think about was the way Hannah had grimaced every time Erin had approached them at camp. It took a special kind of person to make Hannah Abbott feel genuine dislike.

Perhaps that was Erin’s secret talent.

“She’s pretty,” Lavender remarked as they took their seats near the middle of Gryffindor’s table. “Nice hair, good smile.”

“Definitely a Gryffindor,” Parvati added sardonically, her lips twitching into a smile. “Do you think she realises how out of place she looks, standing on the dais like that? I’m sure she could have waited for the first years before going up there.”

“She likes the attention,” Hani shrugged. “Or maybe it’s the idea of people talking about her? I’m not sure, but she certainly doesn’t want her arrival to go unnoticed. I can understand that, at least. I may not particularly like her, but I respect the hell out of her for going through all of this as a fifth year. It’s got to be one of the worst years to join in.”

“Fair point,” Parvati hummed. “We’ll all give her a shot.”

“Give who a shot?”

Hani smiled at Sophie as she settled across from them, Fay to her left and Hermione further down the line. The latter wasn’t meeting their eyes, her gaze fixed on the table in front of her. Hani frowned, not sure how she felt about the lack of reaction.

“Erin Hargreaves,” Lavender answered, gesturing towards their newest classmate. “She’s transferring into our year group. She used to be homeschooled but her parents decided to move her and her sisters here since the last one is starting First Year. Hani went to dance camp with her.”

“You went to a dance camp?” Fay asked excitedly while Sophie and Hermione analysed Erin, not bothering to hide their curiosity. Hani couldn’t blame them.

“Yeah,” she replied, forcing herself to look away from Erin’s smiling figure. She’d worry about the girl when she joined their house and not a second earlier. “Hannah, Padma and Lisa came as well. It was nice. We stayed in Wales for the better part of August, had a recital at the end… Basically got to pretend we were normal teenage girls for a while.”

“The dream,” Fay drawled, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Nevertheless, Hani could tell her housemate was pleased on her behalf, and she happily asked Fay about her own summer.

Trips outside of the country had been limited this time around, though Fay had gone back to Canada to see her cousins. The rest of the Gryffindors in their year had stayed in England, much to their disappointment. In fact, it appeared most of them had bored themselves to death over the summer, their faces brightening when Dean started regaling them with tales of their prefect day.

They’d reached a new low, she thought, if their messy bunch of Gryffindors were getting excited over school .

“There’s some big news coming,” Dean said, waggling his eyebrows until he had the girls giggling. He winked at Hani as he spoke, and she rolled her eyes. The NEWT dorms were exciting, but Hani had almost forgotten about them in the past two days, too busy trying to keep up with the rest of the crazy discoveries she’d been making.

She hadn’t even thought to warn Lavender and Parvati about the dormitory changes. She half-hoped that Hannah and Lisa had stayed quiet as well; she wanted to see her best friends’ reactions first hand.

“There’s always big news coming,” Sophie retorted, though she narrowed her eyes when Dean’s smile widened. Even Hani failed to hold in her knowing smirk. “I’m not loving this new power dynamic. Are you going to hold things over us for the rest of our Hogwarts years?”

“We would never,” Dean gasped, mock-offended.

Hani huffed out a laugh. “Of course we will, Sophie dearest. We’ve finally got power in our hands, and we’re going to take full advantage of it.”

“Besides, most of the job isn’t half as fun,” Dean sighed, pouting as he flicked his prefect badge. “We’ve got to fill in daily reports, you know? We’ve got interhouse patrols, weekly meetings, limitations on points… There’s a whole handbook with the rules and schedules we need to be aware of.”

“Better you than me, mate,” Seamus laughed, clapping Dean’s back when the prefect kept up his sulking mask.

Hani didn’t buy it. Dean wasn’t quite as excited about his role as Hani and Hannah were, but he’d been delighted about the list of duties they’d been handed during their prefect day.

Regardless, she’d let him pretend to hate it when they were around their housemates if that was what made him happy.

“The only reason I’d have wanted the prefect badge is the promise of Hani’s robes,” Parvati sighed longingly. “Lisa and Hannah have been raving about them ever since you told them you’d design something to match your shiny new badges.”

“You really should consider selling some, Hani,” Fay said. Her eyes were fixed on the robes Hani was currently wearing, a slight improvement to their usual school uniform. They weren’t nearly as impressive as the designs she’d managed for their prefect duties, but she wasn’t sure how much of that she wanted to share until she’d gotten Wren’s approval.

When she’d started sewing Hannah’s prefect robes, she’d assumed they would wear them during their patrols and leave them behind the rest of the time. She hadn’t accounted, of course, for her friends’ enthusiasm. As soon as Hannah had caught sight of Hani’s initial sketches, she’d claimed she would never take them off. Lisa had been similarly awed, and Hani knew Lily wouldn’t pass up on her magical designs either.

Unfortunately, their eagerness meant her fashion attempts wouldn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the school body. She’d have to clear her designs with Wren, Cedric, and most likely the Heads of Houses before gifting the robes to her friends – or wearing them herself.

“Earth to Hani?” Lavender waved a hand in front of her face. Hani didn’t bother faking an apologetic expression; her housemates were used to her mind wandering. “Seamus was saying you should speak to the Weasley twins about their own attempts at opening a business. They’ll know how to help you if you want to sell some of your things.”

“I’m not really–” She cut herself off.

She’d mostly escaped Professor Prewett’s attention during the Programme, but she knew Gryffindor’s Head of House suspected she was involved in his nephews’ shenanigans. Ever since he’d discovered their shared knowledge of the map, he’d reevaluated Hani’s innocent demeanour. Meeting up to exchange the map and cloak would be far less conspicuous if she feigned interest in their business skills.

“I’ll consider it,” she corrected, earning herself bright smiles from her best friends as well as most of their housemates. Even Hermione seemed to approve. “Now. What are the bets for our first class of the year? I’m personally set on Charms, but that might be wishful thinking.”

“It’s definitely wishful thinking,” Ron sighed. “It’s gonna be Potions. I can’t believe we’re gonna have Sluggy all year.”

“Back to hating the lab, am I right?” Fay groaned. “Last year was such a nice change of pace. You don’t reckon they’ll let Slughorn leave every year, do you? They should consider it a favour to all of us. I hate to say it, but even Snape was better than him. At least with him, I felt like I was learning something.”

“Slughorn’s not going this time, that’s for sure,” Hani said sulkily. Her eyes darted enviously in Hermione’s direction for a second before landing on Fay. “Re– Professor Lupin is chaperoning our year group.”

Grumbles travelled down their little group and spread further to the rest of the Gryffindors, who shot panicked looks in their beloved Defence professor’s direction. Even the sixth years appeared devastated at the news. Hani couldn’t blame them. If there was one professor she would have killed to keep nearby, it was Remus. 

Thankfully, the opening of the door interrupted their moans before anyone could think to interrogate her further. Voices quieted to an indistinguishable murmur as the first years filed into the hall behind McGonagall, their class even bigger than the one before. At the rate they were going, it was no wonder new dorms had had to be created. They’d be out of room before Hani graduated.

The new students settled near Erin, who preened at the sudden attention. Behind them, Dumbledore smiled benignly and thanked McGonagall for her help. Hani straightened at the sound of his voice, caught between the desire to glare at him and the impulse to never meet his eyes again.

There would have to be an announcement about the transfer students, Hani knew, and she steeled herself for a speech about inclusion and unity in a time of strife.

Her eyebrows shot up, however, when their Deputy Headmistress was the one to take the lead.

“This new year brings another wave of change, as has become the norm for us here,” she smiled, keeping her tone gentle. “At this point, I believe we would all be more surprised if we didn’t experience some major shift at the beginning of the school term. Though most of them will be discussed after the Sorting, I would be remiss not to mention the unusual additions to our cohort this year. Miss Erin and Erica Hargreaves will be joining the Fifth and Fourth Year classes respectively.”

She gestured to Erin first, chuckling a little at the blonde’s wide grin, before pointing at the Ravenclaw table. Hani barely caught sight of a brunette girl trying her best to act as though she didn’t exist. She could relate.

She hadn’t even considered the possibility of a private Sorting, though she wasn’t surprised to learn Erin had declined that offer. Instead, she swanned over to the Sorting Hat when McGonagall beckoned her over and sat down primly, her legs crossed in front of her.

Hani wondered what it would have been like to be Sorted at fifteen, with her thoughts far more divided and her opinions a lot greyer than they’d been at eleven. She didn’t think she would have been able to escape Slytherin. She didn’t think she would have wanted to, not with the promise of Daphne and Tracey to keep her company on the other side.

The roar of “Gryffindor!” startled Hani a little, though the decision itself was far from shocking.

She’d already made space for Erin to settle between Parvati and her. She’d even warned Parvati about it earlier and had been exceedingly relieved when her best friend had assured her it wasn’t a problem. Although Parvati knew Hani and Padma’s esteem of Erin wasn’t high, she’d promised them she would give her a fair shot, especially if she had to live in close quarters with her for the next few years.

“Congrats!” Hani told Erin when she sat down, seeming pleased at the warm welcome she’d received from their housemates. “Knew you’d make it here.”

“It does look a lot nicer than the other houses,” Erin hummed. “Lots of house spirit, right? The colours, the cheering, the sports, all that?”

“That’s right,” Parvati grinned, gesturing at their bright lot. “And this is us! A grand total of eleven now that you’ve joined us. We’ll do the rounds later, but at least you’ve got two familiar faces to keep you company.”

Erin smiled at Parvati’s enthusiasm, and Hani let herself rest a little easier. She let Parvati take care of the socialising while she paid attention to this year’s Sorting.

Her heart skipped a beat when she realised who was up first, her blond hair bouncing as she walked up to the Sorting Hat. Abby looked smaller from a distance, and Hani held her breath for the decision she knew was coming.

It had always been Hufflepuff for Abby. Hani knew this as well as Hannah did. And yet, when the Hat called out the badgers’ house and Abby skipped off towards her sister’s table, Hani still felt a tinge of sadness for her friend. It would have been easier if Abby had been Sorted somewhere else. Anything to let Hannah keep the freedom she’d rightfully earned in the den. Because, if Abigail went to Hufflepuff…

Charlie fidgeted as he sat down. He would do whatever it took to stay with his sister. He couldn’t make it into Slytherin, but he would want to stay with Abigail, at the very least. Hannah would be–

“Ravenclaw!”

To anyone else, the Sorting would have seemed completely normal. The blue and bronze students cheered for their first student, the rest of the school clapped politely, and Charlie made his way to his new housemates while Grace took his place on the stool.

All Hani could see was the guilt on Charlie’s face, the stricken look on Abigail’s, the confusion warring in Grace’s eyes, and the relief that took over Hannah’s entire body. All she could think was that Grace had been right that summer; the Ravenclaw colours suited the Abbotts well.

Her Sorting into Slytherin wasn’t a surprise, though Parvati did raise her eyes at the triplets’ separation, quietly asking Hani if she’d seen it coming.

“Didn’t think it would happen quite like this,” she admitted. Parvati nodded knowingly.

She forced herself to forget about the Abbotts and focus on the rest of the Sorting. She’d have plenty of time to check in with Hannah and her siblings later, but she only had one chance to memorise the new Gryffindors’ faces as they were Sorted.

Most of them were unknown entities, children she’d never met. She would still make an effort to know all their names by the end of the weekend. Only two of them stood out in the crowd. Emily Hargreaves, Erin’s carbon-copy little sister, and Thomas, the youngest Greengrass. Hani had a feeling she’d be hearing from Daphne very soon.

By the end of the Sorting, they’d gained twenty-six new Gryffindors and over eighty students altogether. The first years crowded the ends of the tables near the professors. They’d have to extend the hall soon, or change their current seating arrangements until everyone could fit comfortably.

When Professor McGonagall spoke again – Dumbledore staying quiet, forgotten – she joked about the overwhelming number of students in the year and earned herself more chuckles than the Headmaster had in the past five years combined.

She spoke smoothly and got through the announcements quickly without losing anyone in the process. Hani laughed when the hall erupted at the news of the NEWT-level dorms, sharing a secret smile with Dean when she noticed his amusement. His eyes sparkled when they met hers, and she had to fight back a blush at the force of his joy.

McGonagall let them embrace their excitement for a few seconds before reigning them back in with a perfectly-placed speech about Quidditch. Changes had been made to the schedule, giving them longer to prepare for their first games and lessening the chances of playing in poor weather. She earned herself a raucous cheer for that one, mostly from the Quidditch fanatics in the room. 

Hani was no exception. Four additional months to prepare for the new season would be unbelievably useful. She could already see Angelina scheming further down the table, a quill and parchment in hand.

After that, the speech passed calmly. They clapped politely for Picquery, Weiss and Remus when their chaperone statuses were announced, and they clapped again when McGonagall asked all the apprentices to stand and congratulated them for their hard work and dedication to their chosen subjects.

Hani hadn’t realised the apprenticeship system was so developed; there were at least twenty of them, including–

“No. Way.” Ron’s mouth was open wide, his jaw slack.

George fucking Weasley.

“Who on earth is he apprenticing with?” Dean frowned, scanning through their professors as though he’d be able to tell based on looks alone. 

“He didn’t tell you?” Neville added, sounding genuinely surprised. “If I was in his place, I would have been screaming it from the rooftops, especially to my family.”

“Hey, at least Ginny didn’t know either,” Seamus said, patting Ron’s back and gesturing towards the youngest Weasley, whose eyes were as wide as Ron’s. “Clearly, they wanted you two to have an epic reaction.”

“Can’t say I blame them,” Fay snickered as the apprentices sat down and McGonagall announced the beginning of the feast – without adding any nonsensical words to the end of her speech, thank Merlin. “If I had younger siblings at Hogwarts, I would want to milk that moment for all it was worth. An apprenticeship with a Hogwarts professor is bound to get you far in life, and I can’t say I blame your brother for wanting his big moment.”

“You don’t get it,” Ron groaned, having finally snapped out of his stupor. “The twins were the only ones keeping the standards low enough for me to meet. They aren’t Quidditch captains or prefects or Head Boys, which meant mum would have been ready to accept my mediocre grades without too much disappointment. But now…”

“Tough luck, mate.” Dean’s voice was sympathetic, but his eyes were dancing with mirth.

Next to Hani, Lavender let out a snort, though she smoothed her face over before Ron could catch her laughing at his misery.

“On the bright side, you’re now going to be the eldest Weasley in Gryffindor Tower,” Hermione pointed out, leaning over to catch Ron’s sullen gaze. Their friend perked up a little at the reminder. “I’m sure it’ll be nice not to have your brothers around all the time.”

“Nice is an understatement,” Ron said dreamily.

“I can’t believe they’re actually trusting us to be the responsible year group,” Sophie shook her head, glancing around at their group as though to emphasise their lack of common sense. “The tower is going to burn down within the week.”

Parvati, who had been quietly talking to Erin while the others discussed the Weasleys, chuckled at that. “I’m not sure how likely it is that the tower will go down in actual flames, but I’m definitely there for the metaphor. No offence, Hani and Dean, but there is absolutely no way you’re going to successfully manage the younger students. Alderton and Prewett have their work cut out for them.”

“Offence taken,” Dean huffed. His chin was lifted defiantly, his eyes staring Parvati down in a silent challenge. “How much are you willing to bet?”

“On your attempt at authority? I’m sure I’ve got ten galleons laying around somewhere.”

Dean paled a little at that, and Hani was caught between laughter and horror at the reminder that they were truly going to be left in charge of the first years, along with the other hellish students Louise had told her about.

Parvati was going to win her bet in less than a month. Hani was almost certain that when Gryffindor tower burst into metaphorical flames, she’d be the one holding the matches.

Hani watched, anxious and wide-eyed, as Professor Prewett led the sixth and seventh years out of the common room to show them to their new living space. In less than a minute, she’d gone from the youngest prefect in the room to one of three people in charge of Gryffindor Tower.

Next to her, Dean stood frozen.

Prewett had seemed so confident that the rest of the evening would go smoothly with Alderton and his two Fifth Year prefects in charge. Hani appreciated his trust, she did, but she wasn’t sure he’d realised how unprepared they were for this situation.

“Third to fifth years, you’re dismissed!” Alderton called out.

There were still a few hours left before their curfew so, while most of the older students cleared out and headed up to their dorms, a few groups lingered in the common room, settling on armchairs and sofas to chat with their friends. Usually, Hani would have been grateful for the company and background noise, but the additional people only grated against her already frayed nerves.

It didn’t help that the gathering of first and second years in front of them was as large as their entire year group combined across all houses. 

This was absolutely insane. There was no way Dean and Hani would ever be able to manage so many students. No way they’d be able to memorise their names, their struggles, their demands…

“Now, second years, I expect you to lead by example with your new housemates,” Alderton continued, seemingly unaware of the uncertainty warring within Hani and Dean’s minds. “And I’ll expect all of you to show the proper deference to Prefect Potter and Prefect Thomas. If they believe you are not behaving as you should when in the confines of the tower, they will tell me, and I will not be as lenient as them.”

A hand shot up in the air.

“Yes, Miss Holmes?” Alderton asked, a sigh colouring his tone.

The girl had to be a second year, yet Hani couldn’t recall having ever seen her before. The Programme had messed with her perception of the younger students.

“When the older students are here, do we need to answer to them or do we still report to Prefect Potter and Prefect Thomas?” The girl spoke quickly. She reminded Hani of Hermione when they’d been in their first years at Hogwarts; always needing an answer, never satisfied with vague instructions.

“Homework and academic matters should be reserved for your Sixth Year prefects, as Professor Prewett mentioned in his speech,” Alderton replied patiently. “However, house and personal matters would be better suited to your Fifth Year housemates. They’ll be more familiar with what’s going on in the common room. Of course, you’re always welcome to speak to whoever makes you feel most comfortable. None of the prefects will ever turn you down.”

“So, they can all still boss us around?” Another second year – one Hani somewhat recognised – piped in. “Even though they don’t live here anymore?”

“That’s right,” Alderton said, pinching the bridge of his nose when the second years devolved into grumbling. “Now, I’m sure you’re all eager to get to your dorms. I anticipate some of your older housemates will be coming back soon to complain about the new arrangements, but I doubt any of you will mind. Last year proved to be a… tight fit for our second years.”

The grumbling turned into assent at the mention of the dormitories. Hani’s eyebrows rose; she’d had no idea there’d been a problem at all.

“There are too many of them,” Dean whispered, leaning over so he was speaking directly in her ear. “Twelve girls, eight boys. I’m sure you’ve noticed that six is already a tight fit in our dorms, so their dorms were a nightmare. I have a feeling we won’t be sleeping on the fifth floor this year.”

Hani almost groaned, barely managing to keep a straight face when she realised a few of the younger students were looking curiously in their direction.

It had been a while since anyone had stared at her so openly. She wondered if their gazes were linked to her status as a Prefect or her particular place in the Wizarding World. She didn’t know which one would be better.

“– two dorms for each year group,” Alderton was saying when she tuned back into his speech, stepping away from Dean. “Your prefects will show you to the correct rooms once you’ve gotten to know them. After tonight, you will be asked to be in your dormitories by 9pm. This curfew applies to first and second years. Third years as well, for what it’s worth!”

He raised his voice at the end, shooting a piercing glance towards a group of third-years who had yet to vacate the common room.

“Sir, are we really going to be on the fifth floor already?” One of them whined. “I thought we had another two years before that’d become a problem.”

“It can’t possibly be fair. Why don’t you put the firsties up there and let us have our third-floor dorm?” Another one added. Alderton looked as unimpressed with the situation as Hani felt. “Just saying, sir, it feels a tiny bit like favouritism.”

“Miss Potter, Mister Thomas, I trust you can handle the first and second years while I see to the others?” Alderton narrowed his eyes at the moaning third-years while he spoke. Hani and Dean were quick to nod, though she had a feeling neither of them thought they could even remotely handle forty children at once. “It seems even our new students have more maturity and decorum than our third-years.”

The older students quieted at that, gulping when they noticed Alderton approaching them.

Hani didn’t spare them another thought. She was too busy exchanging a worried look with Dean. Her fellow prefect was playing with the hem of his sleeves, a habit Hani had never noticed before.

Perhaps he’d never been this nervous before.

“Hello everyone,” she said, trying to infuse as much confidence into her voice as possible. When the crowd of students echoed her greeting, she let her face relax into a smile. “As you all know by now, we’re your Fifth Year prefects. My name is Harini Potter, and this is Dean Thomas, my partner.”

“Did you really kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when you were a baby?” A voice blurted out. Hani assumed they were a first-year. Muggleborn, most assuredly.

“I’m afraid those aren’t the kinds of questions we’ll be answering tonight,” Dean cut in smoothly, shooting Hani a wink. It was a preposterous habit he’d clearly picked up over the summer, and Hani didn’t quite know what to make of it. “In fact, if you’re curious about the last war, you’ll have to do the research yourselves or ask an older prefect. Prefect Potter and myself are here to help you in your transition, not to satisfy your curiosity about magical history.”

“We understand this is new to you all,” Hani continued, something in her loosening at the sight of her new housemates’ attentive stares. “It’s new to us too. We’re probably going to do things wrong sometimes.”

“A lot of the time,” Dean corrected, grinning when their crowd laughed. Hani couldn’t help but chuckle along with them.

“A lot of the time,” she agreed. “However, we will always do everything in our power to make sure you’re happy and safe and doing as well as you can at Hogwarts. If you need anything from us, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask. Well– Maybe hesitate a little bit if it’s past one in the morning. We do need sleep as much as the rest of you do.”

More giggles.

They were nailing this.

“We’re also definitely going to mix your names up at first,” Dean added, gaping when Hani murmured a ‘speak for yourself’ just loud enough for the students to hear. “Well. I’ll mix your names up at first, though apparently my counterpart is confident in her ability to recite all your names off the top of her head. You heard it here first: Harini Potter is a genius!”

“You’ll notice,” Hani laughed, “that Prefect Thomas has a tendency to exaggerate things. Learn from him; it’s practically a Gryffindor requisite. And I’m sure I will forget some of your names as well, though I hope we’ll all have gotten to know each other by the end of the month.”

“Now, before we take you to your dormitories, do you have any questions? We have the entire week-end to go over everything you’ll need to know before classes start, but if you have a burning inquiry, we’re here!”

Dean’s statement was met with a smattering of raised hands.

A few of the second years wanted to know if they would have to participate in these beginning-of-year sessions. They wouldn’t, though Hani knew Alderton wanted them to know the second years as well as they knew the first years. One of the first years was curious about when they would receive their schedules. They’d get them the following morning, whenever Prewett woke up. There were other questions about bathrooms and nighttime rules, but nothing outside of Dean and Hani’s limited range of knowledge. 

The last hand up was attached to a small girl with enough freckles to rival the Weasleys and brown hair almost as long as Hani’s.

“Yes, Miss…?” Hani prompted her.

“Cassidy Hughes,” the girl answered. “Can we really come to you about anything? Anything at all? Even if it’s silly?”

Hani hesitated. Next to her, she felt Dean stiffen as well. They exchanged a million words in a single glance.

Dean’s gaze was pleading. Hani ignored it.

She already knew she was going to regret her answer.

“Of course,” she smiled. “Anything at all. That’s what we’re here for.”

“Two dorms?” Lavender shouted across their room. Sophie shot a pillow in her direction, pouting when Lavender swatted it away without a second thought. “Two dorms?! This is– It’s treason! When I saw the third years had taken over the fifth-floor dorm, I assumed the bottom ones were out of commission. I thought maybe they were remodelling them so the younger students would be more comfortable in future years, or that they were transforming them into a library or a duelling room or something! Two dorms per year! That’s ridiculous!”

“To be fair, there are twice as many of them as there are of us,” Fay pointed out, wincing when Lavender turned her glare on her. “Don’t shoot the messenger, Lav. What are they supposed to do? Keep living with their beds glued to each other? You’d hate it. You’d complain about it. You’d definitely fight to have a second dorm.”

“This is cramped enough already,” Erin wrinkled her nose a little as she glanced around their room.

To her credit, the room was getting a little busy. They’d put Erin between Hermione and Sophie, hoping that they’d have more room to manoeuvre once Hermione was in France. Hani hadn’t asked the other girls about their thought process, but she was almost certain they’d be using Hermione’s bed as extra storage space when she wasn’t around.

“I wonder if the other houses have more space,” their new roommate added. “I reckon we should have been warned about the size of our living areas before being asked to choose a house. I feel as though we weren’t given all the information we needed.”

“I don’t think the hat particularly cares what you think of the common rooms,” Sophie rolled her eyes. “And we’d have a lot more room if you hadn’t decided to spread your entire wardrobe out on the floor. Some of us try to be aware of our surroundings, you know?”

She pushed one of Erin’s numerous piles of clothes back towards the American girl as she spoke. Erin huffed and rolled her eyes right back at her, pointedly picking up her clothes and placing them on the other side of her bed.

Hermione clenched her jaw at the encroachment on her space, but she was apparently trying to be as diplomatic as possible with their new housemate. Hani commended her for her patience; if Erin had pulled a stunt like that with her, she would have learned how well-versed Hani was in banishment spells.

“I can ask Professor Alderton if there’s anything we can do about our dorm,” Hani said to cut through the tension. The prefect badge felt heavy on her robes. In two swift movements, she’d unpinned it and placed it on her bedside table, determined to forget about it for the time being.

It had taken her half an hour to get all of the girls settled into their new dorms. Fifteen of those minutes had been spent telling the second years that no, they could not choose their dormmates. Nor could they switch with someone in the other dorm. Nor could they have sleepovers without having cleared it with her or Alderton first. 

Prefect duties were done for the night, as far as she was concerned.

In their dorm, she was just another fifth-year student running interference for their new housemate.

“Those are my drawers, Hargreaves.” Sophie’s voice was pinched, her words strained. “Yours are on the other side.”

“Why does it matter which drawers are mine?” Erin asked, arching one eyebrow. She gestured to the other drawers in the room. “Pick another set. It’s not like they have any personality. The drabbest pieces of furniture I’ve ever seen.”

“We tend to pick the drawers next to our bed,” Hermione explained. Her smile was so forced it looked like a grimace. Hani had to muffle a chuckle behind her hand, nudging Lavender reproachfully when her best friend let out a snort. “You can take these ones! And if you have too many clothes to fit in there, you can even use my drawers while I’m gone.”

For a second, it seemed like Erin was going to protest and insist on using Sophie’s drawers. Thankfully, the prospect of profiting off Hermione’s absence was too tempting; she stalked away from Sophie’s drawers and set her clothes down to the right of her bed.

“Bit of a princess, no?” Parvati said, unimpressed.

“She’s not used to living with other people,” Hani pointed out in a weak attempt at defending Erin. 

Things in Gryffindor Tower were complicated enough already; she didn’t need to add useless animosity to the mix. If the fifth year girls could get along, it would be one less thing for Hani to worry about while she tried to take care of the younger students.

“She has two little sisters,” Lavender retorted, apparently unconvinced by Hani’s argument. “She’s probably spent her entire life sharing things with them. Unfortunately, having siblings doesn’t stop one from being entitled.”

“Though only children are still undoubtedly worse,” Parvati ribbed her, squawking out a laugh when Lavender dove for her sides. “I was kidding! Lav! I’m kidding! Hani, do something! Isn’t physical violence against the rules of prefecthood?”

“I’m resting my eyes,” Hani answered, closing her eyelids. Her lips ticked up when Parvati let out an unearthly squeal.

“Hani!”

“I’m pretty sure Prefect powers don’t extend to our dorms.” Hermione sounded amused. When Hani opened her eyes, her former friend was wearing a small, hesitant smile, though it slipped when she noticed Hani’s gaze fixed on her. She cleared her throat. “I should– I’m going to the bathroom. At least those are nicer than the ones we had last year.”

“They are?” Lavender brightened, pulling away from Parvati and leaving their other best friend sprawled out on her bed as she raced out of the room to check out their new lavatories.

“You’re an awful person, Lavender Brown!” Parvati called after her, though she was beaming at the ceiling. She shook her head fondly as she pulled herself up, exchanging a blinding smile with Hani. “I’ve missed this. Things never feel quite right without the last member of our trio.”

“Was she insufferable while you were at the manor?” Hani teased. “Did she spend the entire time acting like she ran the place?”

“I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Parvati giggled, making quick work of the last few robes she’d left on top of her trunk. Hani had barely begun unpacking her own, though she noted Parvati had started sorting her clothes as well. “I know, I know, I’m the most wonderful best friend in the world.”

Parvati smirked, pointing at the biggest pile of clothes. “Those are all the dresses you made yourself. I didn’t realise how many you had.”

“I made a few new ones at the Cottage,” Hani said softly, trailing a hand over the dark blue dress at the top of the stack. “I didn’t have as much time as I would have wanted, but I’m getting a lot quicker. You can pick your favourite, if you want. They’ll be longer on you, but I think it’ll suit your style well.”

Her best friend didn’t need to be told twice. While Hani put away the rest of her clothes, Parvati rifled through her options until she pulled out a sunset-themed dress – all pinks and oranges and purples – that Hani had almost forgotten about. She’d loved designing the Indian inspired garment, but it clashed horribly with her hair.

“You hate wearing this one, don’t you?” Parvati snickered, bringing the dress up in front of her and nodding, satisfied, when she caught her reflection in the mirror next to her bed. “It’s perfect.”

“My Magic was probably thinking of you while I was making it,” Hani shrugged. She opened her last drawer and sighed, knowing she’d have to put most of her dresses back into her trunk. “You’d think they would make these magically expandable.”

“And make our lives easier? Sounds utterly unlike Hogwarts,” Parvati said, laughing at the pout on Hani’s face. 

They fell into comfortable silence for a few minutes while Hani sorted her dresses. She hummed underneath her breath and pulled the needle out of her robe pocket again. It twirled around between her fingers as she got through the last few dresses in her pile. She didn’t even wince when she almost pricked herself, staring at her finger curiously.

If she let a few drops of blood fall, maybe she could–

“You’ve been out of it all day, you know?”

Hani jumped at the sound of Lavender’s voice. Her two best friends sat on her bed, their eyebrows raised and faces drawn in concern. A cursory glance at the rest of their dorm revealed that Fay had retreated to her bed – the others were most likely still in the bathroom.

Hani pocketed the needle again and forced herself not to draw it back out as she snapped her trunk shut. She leaned against it, considering her best friends while they stared her down.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” she finally said, her mind throbbing with the urge to let it all out.

Her Occlumency shields were working overtime, trying to compartmentalise everything she’d learned in the past two days. She could feel the cracks in the structure when thoughts of the prophecy leaked through, sending a pulse of dread down her body. She shuddered and sighed, slumping over as she finally gave into the urge to fall into her best friends’ arms. 

They caught her, as they always did, and Hani let out a shaky breath when she felt Parvati closing the curtains around them. Lavender followed it up with a privacy spell, and Hani let her eyes shut, her thoughts clearer when she didn’t have to focus on everything going on around her.

“There’s a prophecy,” she whispered.

Lavender and Parvati hummed. They already knew there was a prophecy. Between their letters and Leo’s birthday, Hani had managed to keep them updated on the state of her life.

She hadn’t realised how much could happen in a single day.

“I went to get it yesterday,” she breathed out, afraid if she tried to speak any louder, she would burst into tears. “At the Ministry. Sirius took me there, and I retrieved the prophecy so Voldemort could never get it, and then they took it from me. They were never going to show me.”

“Hani, thats–”

She cut Parvati’s gentle words off, not sure she would manage to get the words out if she gave her friends the space to speak.

“They’ve been keeping a lot of things from me, as it turns out. The fact that Remus is leaving for the Programme, everything the Order is doing, the information they have on Voldemort… They’re so insistent that I don’t need to know anything, so they won’t even let me have the prophecy. Pretty fucking hypocritical, considering they’ve know about it all along.” She let out a humourless laugh at that.

She tried not to think about how long Severus and Sirius had kept the prophecy a secret from her, but the question weaved its way into her mind when she wasn’t careful enough.

Her father and godfather, desperate to keep her in the dark, when all Hani had ever wanted was to not be shut away.

“And Siri–” Her voice broke. “We’ve figured out the reason behind my travel sickness. Woo!”

Her eyes fluttered open. Parvati and Lavender’s faces were fixed into twin winces, and Hani let her lips twitch into a smile as fake as her excitement.

“Turns out I’m a blood witch. Naturally, my magic does not enjoy being twisted and torn apart every time I take the Floo. But hey, at least we figured it out.” She laughed and laughed until the chuckles turned into sobs and her cheeks flooded with tears.

She didn’t know how to breathe anymore. She’d been faking it all day, she thought.

Her mother had been a blood witch, and her godfather had known all along. She was the subject of a prophecy, and everyone had known all along. She’d been adopted into a family of liars; perhaps faking it was genetic.

While her mind desperately tried to build Occlumency shields to bury her worries again, calm fingers tugged at her braids. Lavender and Parvati worked quietly, undoing her tresses with the reverence they reserved for Hani’s hair. When they were done, they started braiding again.

The movement soothed Hani more than anything could have. The braid Parvati worked on tingled with faint traces of magic, and Hani’s sobs trailed off, replaced by hiccups. Her cheeks felt hot, embarrassed, her entire body on edge, but her best friends continued their ministrations.

“The hair makes a lot more sense now,” Lavender murmured when she noticed Hani had come up from her brief episode. “It comes from your mother?”

“It does,” Hani whispered, a smile forcing its way onto her lips despite herself. “She wrote our family Grimoire. My name is in there. She created a legacy for us even though she didn’t get to live nearly as long as she should have.”

“People always said Lily Potter was extraordinary,” Parvati smiled back at her, smoothing her braids down and twisting Hani around so she was facing them. “We should have known there’d be something going on there.”

“I don’t even know how it’s possible,” Hani admitted. She could have asked Sirius and Severus, but the thought of talking about her blood magic with them had made her throat close up.

Her heart trusted them – she trusted them – but her mind screamed that they would lie and lie and lie all over again.

“Sometimes, family magics die out,” Parvati explained, captivating both Hani and Lavender with her calm, quiet tone. “Magic blesses wixen as a way to give them the tools they need to defend themselves. In times of war, she blesses us with blood and elemental magic, so we can protect ourselves against whatever dangers come our way. If the previous blood wixen of Britain had died out when You-Know-Who rose in power, Magic would have corrected the imbalance.”

“Wouldn’t it go to the nearest relatives?” Lavender frowned. “Surely, the previous blood wixen would have had some sort of third cousin who could have been blessed?”

“I don’t claim to understand how Magic decides to do things,” Parvati shrugged. “But she obviously knew what she was doing. Your mum was a hero, Hani.”

“And an amazing mother,” Lavender added, blushing when Hani looked at her, confused. “Family Grimoires are a big deal, Hani. She must have infused some of her own power into it. She must have taken months to write it, if not years, just to make sure her daughter would have access to it. There was a whole war going on, and she still wrote this for you.”

Hani had always known her mother was wonderful. She’d died for her. She’d protected her. She’d loved her, from the day she was born to the day she sacrificed herself so Hani could live. But, for some reason, Lavender’s words wormed their way even deeper into Hani’s heart.

Her mum had loved her enough to die for her, but she’d also loved her enough to want a life for them. She’d wanted to tell Hani herself and to share their family’s traditions with her. Her fingers itched to grab the Grimoire, to dissect it again and again until the words were imprinted into her mind.

She couldn’t do that, so she squeezed her best friends’ hands instead.

“It’s a bit weird, isn’t it?” She asked, grinning when Lavender and Parvati burst into nervous laughter.

“It’s more than a little weird,” Lavender giggled. “But it’s also pretty damn cool. I mean, we already knew you were Dark; this is just an extra power.”

“If only things were that simple,” Hani sighed, longing for simplicity. “I don’t even know where to start with anything. I want to know more about blood magic, more about the prophecy, more about the other secrets I know Severus and Sirius are keeping from me…”

“What I’m hearing is it’s time for a Harini Potter adventure.” Lavender sounded delighted, her eyes pleading. “I don’t know anything about blood magic, but I have eyes and ears everywhere in this castle.”

“And I have a new Divination professor to get to know,” Parvati added, nudging Hani’s shoulder encouragingly. “I don’t think there’s ever been a better time for us to be looking into prophecies. Merlin, what would you do without us?”

Hani rolled her eyes, but she could already feel her mind settling at the prospect of her best friends’ help. She had a feeling getting information on the prophecy wouldn’t be as easy as Parvati and Lavender seemed to think it was. Nevertheless, their ideas were better than her non-existent plan.

“I suppose your suggestions have merit,” she said haughtily, giggling when Parvati aimed for her ribs.

Their antics were interrupted by an unearthly shriek. Hani was the first to react, jumping up and opening her curtains, eyes wide as she tried to spot the threat.

Sophie stood, her hands over her mouth, staring straight at–

“Holy mother of Merlin,” Lavender choked on a strangled laugh. “Am I dreaming?”

Erin stood in the doorway of their dorm, her rose gold hair replaced by streaks of bright red and gold. The colours clashed with her purple pyjamas in a way that had Hani wincing. It was an affront to fashion and style, an absolute tragedy that proved humans couldn’t possibly be trusted to make good choices.

“No need to look so stunned,” Erin sniffed, strutting towards her bed. “I know not everyone is bold enough to rock something like this, but I personally can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our house.”

“It’s very… spirited,” Parvati agreed, her eyes wide. “You like dying your hair, then?”

“Obviously,” Erin replied, preening a little when she noticed even Fay had peeked out of her bed to stare at her. “I try not to change it too often, since mom thinks it’s bad for my self-image and sense of identity. I’ll probably keep this one for a couple months, see how it feels in December.”

“Right,” Hani said, trying to sound as neutral as possible.

“Is it not allowed?” Erin frowned. “You’re all looking at me like I’ve done something wrong.”

“I don’t think there’s anything explicitly against vivid hair colours,” Fay said, managing to sound bored. Hani had no idea how she wasn’t on the verge of tears, because the effort not to laugh was driving her half-insane. “Though you might want to check with Professor Prewett in the morning.”

They all nodded at that, and Erin easily accepted her words as the truth, turning around to lay on her bed. She missed the bewildered look Sophie shot the rest of them, and the ensuing silent cackles that exploded amongst their group.

A knock on the door was their saving grace, and Hani was quick to answer, straightening a little when she noticed the second-year girl waiting for her on the other side.

“Miss Davis,” she smiled softly. “Can I help you?”

Tracey’s little sister didn’t even bother trying to hide the mischief in her eyes as she looked around Hani and into their dorm. Hani indulged her for a second, though she urged the girl back into the corridor a few seconds later, amusement glittering in her eyes. She was so like her big sister.

“Right,” Sarah huffed. “We’ve got a problem with the dorms. I know you said we weren’t supposed to switch, and–”

“Of course,” Hani grit out. She’d seen this coming, obviously, but she’d hoped it would wait a couple of days. “Thank you for coming to get me. It was very sensible of you.”

“Sure,” Sarah shrugged, her gaze brimming with curiosity as they started down the stairs towards the fourth floor. “Say, the new girl… How did the Weasley twins get to her?”

Hani blinked at her blankly for a second before noticing the way Sarah gestured at her hair. She couldn’t have stopped her snort even if she’d tried to. As it was, she almost missed the next step, catching onto the wall at the last second and letting out a string of giggles.

“Prefect Potter?” Sarah asked.

Hani wheezed and shook her head.

“You know, Sarah, I might just forgive you for knocking at my door a few minutes before curfew,” she cackled.

Perhaps prefect duties wouldn’t be so hard to endure after all.

Sarah’s demand had only been the first of many.

By the time Hani lay in bed that night, it was already a few minutes past midnight. Her only satisfaction was knowing she and Dean had somehow managed to survive their first night as prefects without any major issues.

Still, she was exhausted. Her eyes were drooping.

She should have been sleeping. She should have fallen asleep the second her head hit her pillow, getting proper rest before the start of a hectic weekend. She shouldn’t have even considered anything else.

Yet… her right hand reached underneath her pillow, grasping at the edge of the Evans Grimoire. Her left hand grabbed her wand and cast a weak Lumos. The needle replaced it a second later, a single drop of blood falling onto the Grimoire.

It opened with a silent click.

Hani sank deeper into her mattress.

Introducing Blood Magic: the beginning of a journey.

Chapter Text

Blood Magic is not meant to be practised alone. It is a magic designed for community and family, made to connect us more deeply to our loved ones than we could have ever imagined. I hope that, wherever and whenever you are, the stigma around our family magics has evaporated and that you are free to start your journey on the right path. If it still exists, then I hope you are safe. I hope you are careful. I hope you cherish your Magic, that you worship it. It cannot be bold, and it cannot be loud, but do not let the rest of the world silence it. 

Start with something small, or something big, or something new. Start with anything at all, so long as you do not let fear or uncertainty get in the way of the magic we were blessed with.

There is good and there is evil, but there is also power. Do not be afraid to seek it.

~ ToB ~

Hogwarts at night felt different when their wanderings weren’t forbidden. 

It was eerier, in a way. Every corner they turned, Hani half-expected to come face to face with an unpredictable danger. It served her right for reading the Evans Grimoire before her patrol, when Dean had so nicely reminded her she would want to have a clear head for her first nightly duties.

Then again, she rather thought the reason behind her anxiety was the boy next to her. Theodore – Theo felt wrong now that the Programme was over – hadn’t said a single word since they’d started patrolling the corridors. He’d been perfectly pleasant during their Prefect meeting that morning; Hani had started to hope that their partnership would be one of mutual respect. 

She supposed silence was a form of respect, if not the one she’d been looking for.

Still, the quiet was weighing on her. Every second she spent without talking was one spent thinking, which she had desperately been trying to avoid in the past two days. Occlumency was a godsend, but even that could only take her so far.

“I thought this would be a little more interesting.” Theodore’s voice pulled her out of her mind. She shot him a wry smile. “Perhaps interesting is the wrong word, but I did think we would have more to do. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to be writing in our reports if nothing happens.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Hani snorted. “How about something along the lines of: nothing to report? It sounds insane, I know.”

“Hilarious,” Theodore drawled. “Don’t tell me you’re pleased with the situation. The great Harini Potter can’t be satisfied with something as dull as walking through empty corridors, looking for Merlin knows what.”

“It’s not my idea of a perfect night,” she admitted. “However, it’s not the worst thing. Besides, it’ll be nice to have a cover if one of us ever needs to get up to something during the night. I’d even fill out your reports for you if you did it for me in return.”

“I think Diggory and Avery would notice something was wrong,” Theodore pointed out dryly. Hani’s disagreement was painted all over her face. “You don’t? I assure you, Avery takes these things seriously.”

“Oh, I’m sure she does. But how long do you think she’ll be thorough with the reports before she stops caring about the specifics? Even if she learns our handwriting by heart, it would be easy to explain that one of us lost a bet and had to fill out the report as payment. There are ways to get around this, Theodore.”

“And why, exactly, do we need to get around this?” His tone was challenging, but Hani only laughed at him.

“I don’t know, Heir Nott, because we want to sneak around with friends or a secret lover. Because we forgot to finish our homework. Because it’s cold here and we can’t be bothered with the endless patrolling. Because we have something else we’d rather be doing,” she shrugged. “I’m not suggesting we do this all the time, but once in a blue moon wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“I–” Hani cut him off with a sharp stare that had him huffing. “I suppose it’s not the worst idea in the world. Don’t expect me to cover for you if I run into a professor, though.”

Hani’s lips curled into a smirk. Whether Theodore wanted to cover for her or not was irrelevant; they were partners and would both be held accountable for each other’s actions. She’d stand up for him if it ever came down to it, and he would have to do the same for her if he wanted to maintain his good standing with Cedric and Wren.

“Always scheming,” he muttered underneath his breath. “I really should have known my luck would go this way.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Hani rolled her eyes. “At least we know each other. I’m not sure I would have been as comfortable patrolling with Justin and Michael, no matter how nice they are. It’s nice to know how you’ll react to things.”

“You’re a lot more predictable than I am, Harini,” Theodore chuckled. “The boys and I have bets going on about how long it’ll take you and Abbott to forgive a younger student for being out past curfew. The two of you are far too kind for your own goods. I hope you’re ready to come up with solid reasons not to punish them.”

“I’m five steps ahead of you. I’ve got a dozen excuses up my sleeve in case I get questioned. Hannah… She’ll manage. She’s hard to say no to.”

“If you say so. I won’t be trying it out.”

“So you’ll take points even if I want to let it slide?” Hani asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She liked Theodore fine, but she wouldn’t stand for him punishing the firsties if they needed a bit of leeway. “Can you imagine how miserable our lives would have been if the patrols had been this strict when we were first years? We wouldn’t have discovered anything. We’d have been stuck in our dorms with no way of exploring the castle. How absolutely dreadful.”

“Most of us weren’t traipsing around after curfew,” Theodore pointed out.

Hani didn’t buy it, not even a little bit. Daphne, Tracey and Blaise would have done everything in their power to drag Theodore and Parkinson out of the common room. Even if they hadn’t, Hani couldn’t imagine that someone as inquisitive as Theodore Nott would stay hidden in his dormitory because of something as arbitrary as a curfew.

“We certainly didn’t get caught,” he added as an afterthought.

“Sounds more accurate,” Hani grinned. “Though, again, I’d argue that the reason we didn’t get caught was because the security around the castle was a lot more lenient. I don’t think I ever ran into a patrolling prefect, and I was out a lot. That goes for every year.”

“Yes, I’m aware that you don’t believe the rules apply to you,” Theodore snarked. Despite his tone, Hani could tell he was amused. She knew most people were, when it came to her antics and escapades. She added joy and excitement to their otherwise uneventful lives. “Where do you even go?”

“Depends,” Hani answered. “At first, sneaking out was a necessity. I needed to know more about the castle and find out what was going on with Vol– with the Dark Lord. Later, it was a way for me to see my godfather outside of office hours. Professor Lupin is surprisingly busy despite his lack of official title as Deputy Head.”

“He’s well-liked,” Theodore hummed. Hani couldn’t help the proud smile that brightened her face.

He was well-liked, and it was more than deserved. He was one of the best professors in the entire school.

“Other than that, night time is usually when I meet with the Weasley twins. They like to complete their dealings in the dark,” Hani said, shaking her head at the thought of Fred and George. She’d missed them over the summer, and missed them now that they were no longer residents of the Tower.

“Not anymore,” Theodore retorted. Hani’s eyebrows rose, questioning. “You haven’t heard? Weasley’s apprenticing under Professor Snape. There’s no way he’ll let him get away with midnight traipsings.”

Hani fought back a frown, nodding slowly instead. Of all the secrets Severus had kept from her, this had to be the most harmless. Still, it was a painful reminder of the other things he refused to talk about.

“I think he might surprise us,” she finally said. “Snape strikes me as the kind of professor who might be more understanding once he knows a student better. Besides, George might have permission to check the labs overnight. Who knows what kind of potions they’ll have brewing down there.”

“Maybe,” Theodore said. “If he doesn’t, though, I hope you know I’ll have no mercy for the Weasley twins. They’ve probably gotten away with more than any of us in the past six years.”

Hani considered not answering. Theodore was trying to get underneath her skin and, though he wasn’t exactly successful, he wasn’t failing either. He knew as well as she did that Fred and George would never let themselves get caught by a pair of Fifth Year prefects, no matter their relation to the prefects in question. So long as Hani wore her embellished robes and her badge, they would be nowhere to be found.

“How are the younger Slytherins doing?” She asked instead.

Lisa and Hannah had shared their own experiences with the new students, and Hani had been glad to hear she wasn’t the only one struggling with the size of the incoming classes. She’d meant to ask Lily, since she knew the Slytherin cohorts were smaller than their counterparts, but her seatmate had left the prefect room as soon as the meeting had ended.

Beyond her curiosity, though, she knew her question would irk Theodore. The boy was clever and calm and occasionally funny, but talking to younger students required an entirely different skill set.

“They’re settling,” he replied, his shoulders rising. “Lily is good at making them laugh. She has them in her pocket already.”

“What does that mean for you, then?” She needled him further, smirking when he clenched his jaw.

“Real nice, Potter,” he sniped. “Some of us don’t have the benefit of fame to get us through social interactions.”

She raised her eyebrows at him, huffing out a dry laugh when he looked away from her, chastised. She let the comment linger in the silence between them, humming underneath her breath as they neared the library. Theodore didn’t speak again either. He walked stiffly next to her, his lips pressed tightly together and his eyes on the lookout for a stray student.

At least he had the decency not to act as though his words hadn’t been entirely out of line. She’d have preferred an apology – for the sake of their partnership – but she supposed that would have been too much to ask of Theodore’s Slytherin persona.

Still, three hours was a long time to spend without speaking. For someone like Hani, it was bordering on excruciating; Theodore’s stoic presence behind her was heavy and stifling. It did nothing to ease the weight of the thoughts in her head.

“You’ll be alright from here?” He asked her when they reached the entrance hall again, their paths pulling them in opposite directions.

“I’m sure I’ll manage,” she rolled her eyes.

“You were in a foul mood tonight as well,” Theodore drawled, leaning against the stone wall as he spoke. She hated how aloof he seemed, and hated even more that she knew it meant he was trying to be sincere. “Any particular reason?”

“My patrol partner is a terrible conversationalist,” she shrugged. “Some might say that’s reason enough.”

“Some might say you were sulking before I even opened my mouth,” he retorted, and she– Well, she couldn’t exactly deny it, could she? “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. However, consider figuring it out before our next patrol?”

“I’ll consider it,” Hani said drolly. “Good luck with the little ones, Theodore. Don’t let them eat you alive; I’d hate to lose my partner so early in the year.”

He raised his middle finger to her in answer. She snorted.

“Glad to see your humour prevails no matter what,” Theodore huffed. “Not sure how much free time we’ll have once classes start, but make sure to slip your reports into my box at the end of the day. I’ll pass them along to Avery and Diggory if you do the same for me.”

“Sure thing. I’ll have the first one ready by tomorrow morning. Good night.”

“You too, Harini,” he echoed as she whirled around and marched her way back towards Gryffindor Tower.

She cursed herself for having been so obvious with her bad mood, though she knew it made sense for Theodore to be more aware of it than others. Still, she hadn’t meant to be visibly upset during their patrol. If he’d spoken up sooner, she wouldn’t have even gotten lost in her mind, and then she wouldn’t have had to think about her guardians, the prophecy, or the anxiety she felt every time she thought about bringing up the Evans Grimoire with Severus.

It was Theodore’s fault, truly.

Sullenness carried her all the way to the common room, but surprising warmth seeped into her robes when she stepped into the tower. Her lips parted a little at the sight of the lit fireplace and the boy curled up in front of it.

“Dean,” she hissed, wincing apologetically when he jumped at the sound. “What are you still doing up? Are the firsties alright?”

“They’re–” He yawned. “They’re alright. We had a bit of an issue right after you left, but it was resolved relatively quickly. The second years were arguing about the curfew.”

“Predictable,” Hani snorted, Dean’s exhaustion reminding her of how heavy her eyes felt. She had to fight back a yawn of her own. “It was the girls, wasn’t it? The boys seem a lot more relaxed. Less bothered about the changes and the rules and everything happening around the school.”

“It doesn’t help that they respect you more than they respect me,” Dean laughed tiredly. “God, I’m knackered. How was the first patrol of the year? Hope Theo didn’t give you too much of a hard time. He’s a weird one.”

“He is,” Hani chuckled. “It was fine. Thanks for waiting up for me. You really didn’t have to.”

“Eh,” he shrugged, the movement slow and lazy. “This whole prefect thing is more intense than I thought it would be, so I reckoned it would be a good idea to stick around in case something went south. Glad to hear there were no issues. You should head to bed. Don’t think I missed how exhausted you looked today. Lots on your mind?”

“Too much to even consider,” she winced. “Turns out, being the Girl-Who-Lived is not all it’s cracked up to be. Wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Of course,” Dean laughed louder this time, forcing himself to quiet down when the noise echoed around them. “Well then, our dearest saviour, go get some rest. You’ll need it.”

“Ay ay, captain,” she saluted him and grinned one last time before dragging herself up to the seventh floor and slipping into the dormitory, tip-toeing to her bed in an effort not to wake up the other girls.

By the time she’d changed into her pyjamas and grabbed the Evans Grimoire from its position of honour underneath her pillow, her eyes were drooping.

She fell asleep before her blood could even hit the cover of her new favourite book.

None of the Sisters seemed surprised to hear that Hani’s guardians had refused to let her hear the prophecy.

“You’re their kid,” Tracey pointed out, shrugging when Hani glared at her. “I’m just saying it makes sense. I’d be pissed as well, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t have expected anything else from a bunch of adults.”

Hani sank deeper into the armchair she’d chosen for the evening, casting a look around the Sister room and sighing when none of the other girls disagreed with Tracey’s statement. She hadn’t expected them to argue her point, but she wished there was a bit more outrage on her behalf.

She hadn’t realised how used to disappointment her friends were when it came to their parents.

“It took me three years to convince my parents that I should be included in discussions about my future betrothal,” Daphne explained, sympathy lighting her eyes. “They were so sure it would be better for them to handle it behind my back, they genuinely didn’t understand why it bothered me so much.”

“The second they have a child, parents forget what it’s like to be a kid,” Leo said, sighing. “I’m sure we’ll go through similar things when we’re old and less wise. Not that I think any of our kids will be the subject of potentially life-threatening prophecies.”

“Hani’s might be,” Lavender smirked.

Hani narrowed her eyes at her best friend, but she recognised an effort to lighten the mood from a mile away. Lavender’s lips were curled up, her gaze twinkling and begging Hani to go along with it.

“Hani’s definitely will be,” Parvati interjected, laughing when Hani turned her betrayed eyes on her. “Oh, come on, you’ve got to let us joke about it. This prophecy nonsense is a nightmare we can’t solve; what are we supposed to do if not have a laugh about it? I promise it’ll make you feel better.”

“Maybe,” Hani frowned. “But I wouldn’t be so sure about our inability to solve this new problem.”

Of all the Sisters, only Tracey and Sue seemed to consider her words, their lips pressing tightly in thought. Hani wanted to cling to them and ask for their opinions, but she knew they’d be outnumbered by the rest of their friends and their inability to think beyond the usual realms of possibility.

“It’s not that we don’t believe you,” Hannah said gently. That was exactly what it sounded like. “But Hani, what are we supposed to do? None of us have access to the prophecy, and none of the adults in our lives would willingly give up information that would put you – and potentially all of us – in danger.”

“Our point from this summer still stands,” Padma added. Hani closed her eyes, deciding having to listen to the Sisters rip her hope to shreds was enough. She didn’t need to watch it fall apart as well. “Prophecies are self-fulfilling and only a problem when people willingly decide to indulge them.”

“Although, there is a theory that prophecies are inevitable.” Hani opened her eyes to spot Lisa shrugging nonchalantly under the other girls’ scrutiny. “It would be unfair to only look at this from one perspective. Yes, some people believe prophecies are self-fulfilling and we’d be better off if the recipients never knew of its existence, but others disagree.”

“What do they say?” Hani asked, trying to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice. “What’s the other theory?”

“I don’t know the specifics,” Lisa grimaced. “However, it has something to do with Magic and the way prophecies reach the minds of prophets. It’s all hypothetical, but perhaps it has some value.”

“That sounds promising, right?” Hani perked up.

“Hani–”

“Actually, yes,” Parvati interrupted Daphne, her voice sharp. “It does sound promising. And even if I don’t believe anything good will come out of looking into life-threatening prophecies, I’d be a shit friend if I didn’t at least try to find out more.”

“Besides, you’ve always said you wanted to see what it was like to be friends with Harini Potter when she’s getting into the most ridiculous adventures,” Lavender continued, raising her eyebrows and daring their friends to disagree. “What, was it all posturing? Was it easy enough to dream about but not quite easy enough to live through?”

“Are you calling us cowards?” Leo gaped.

“I believe I am,” Lavender huffed. Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Ten of us in this room, and the only ones willing to see if we can come up with a plan are Gryffindors. I think it says a lot.”

“I’m struggling to imagine you guys actually planning anything,” Daphne drawled, though Hani could tell the jab had gotten to her. “I suppose you’ll need some Slytherin help if you want to devise a solution that doesn’t involve doing something stupid like breaking into the Department of Mysteries.”

“I never even thought abou– Were you thinking about breaking into the Department of Mysteries?” Parvati’s jaw dropped when Daphne’s cheeks warmed.

Hani didn’t even bother biting back her chuckles, nor did she try to stop them when Slytherin’s ice princess turned to shoot daggers at her.

“We don’t have to worry about the plan right now,” she pointed out, muffling her laughter. “And who knows, maybe Daphne has a point and the Department of Mysteries is the solution to our problems. I doubt it, since the prophecy isn’t in there anymore, but it’s something we might want to look into.”

“It’s a shame none of us are prophets,” Sue sighed. “It would make everything a lot easier.”

“I don’t know,” Hannah frowned. “Prophets don’t have access to prophecies that they didn’t receive, so I’m not sure if we’d be of any help.”

“It’s not about the prophecy itself, Han, it’s about the knowledge,” Tracey corrected, grinning when the Ravenclaws nodded in unison. “If one of us was a prophet, we’d know a hell of a lot more about the situation than we currently do. We’d have a better understanding of prophecies, their self-fulfilment, how seriously one should take them… We’d also know more about interpretation.”

“Thankfully,” Parvati cut in, waggling her eyebrows, “you have three Divination experts within this very room. We may not be prophets, but we sure do know how to… How to–”

“Read tea leaves,” Sue completed for her, choking on a laugh. “Although I’m not sure I’ve ever fully understood how that works. Trelawney always seemed to disagree with the statements I made.”

“She hated my dream interpretations,” Tracey snorted. “Although she might have hated Pansy’s even more.”

“That’s a shame,” Daphne frowned. “Pansy’s grandmother was a Hornby, right? So Pansy probably has a legitimate claim to some amount of Seer abilities. I reckon her readings are more accurate than anyone else’s in our year.”

Hani’s eyes bounced from one Sister to another, trying to keep up with a conversation she felt had completely slipped out of her grasp. A quick gaze around the room revealed that Leo and Lavender were equally as confused as her, though they didn’t seem half as bothered by it. Lavender’s eyes had glazed over, while Leo had closed his, obviously willing to let this one slide past his understanding.

“Right, I’m going to need someone to try and explain that one to me,” she finally said, interrupting Hannah’s rant about genealogy and power levels. “What exactly do we know that could help with this prophecy stuff?”

“Not as much as we’d like to,” Padma explained, taking pity on her. “But the Hornbys are Britain’s current line of Divinators, which means there’s a good chance talking to them would give us a bit more insight into your situation. Which is great, since–”

“Since the new Divination teacher is a Hornby,” Hani caught on, perking up at the thought of being one step closer to solving her latest problem. “She’s part of the Slytherin staff, isn’t she? Does she seem like the kind of teacher who would be open to… extracurricular research into her subject?”

“Hard to tell,” Tracey replied. “It doesn’t help that Seers in Britain are a complicated topic. The Hornbys supposedly came into their family magic back in 1945 when Grindelwald was at the height of his power, but there was still another minor Seer line in the country. It’s caused some dissonance and disagreement as to who deserves the Magic and who doesn’t. I’m not sure how receptive Professor Hornby would be to our little quest, especially if it turns out your prophecy wasn’t spoken by a Hornby descendant.”

“Politics, really?” Hani wrinkled her nose.

“It might be easier for me to ask questions,” Parvati said with an encouraging smile. “Sue and Tracey can come as back-up if they want to have a bit of fun, but I can take the lead and poke a little to see if she’s receptive to our investigation.”

“You don’t even have to go into the specifics,” Lisa pointed out. “You could make it seem like you have a particular interest in prophecies because it’s something that was never explored in past years. It’s no secret that Trelawney was barely a teacher, so your new professor might be sympathetic to your plight. Dig into prophecies a little, get information out of her, and then you can reevaluate and see if there’s more you can do.”

“That’s– A really good plan,” Hani sighed, something within her settling at her friends’ confident scheming.

“And I get to lead the charge!” Parvati grinned excitedly. “Maybe I’ll finally find my calling.”

“As what, a detective?” Lavender snorted. Hani barely bit back an amused smile; while she didn’t want to discourage Parvati from any endeavours she might want to explore, the idea of their best friend becoming an investigator was almost comical.

“What’s so hard to believe about that?” Their friend sniffed, looking around the room and pouting when the other Sisters turned away from her inquiring gaze. “Oh, you’re all horrible. I’ve got a great ear for gossip and people love me. If anything, detective work would be the perfect career path for me. I would barely have to learn any new skills.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, Titi,” Padma chuckled, patting her sister’s shoulder gently when she noticed Parvati’s dejected look. “Hey, there’s no pressure to figure out what you want to do right this second. Plenty of us have no idea where we’ll be after Hogwarts.”

“Speak for yourselves,” Lavender said haughtily, raising her hands in surrender when Lisa whipped out her wand and sent a book flying in her direction. “Woah, okay! Touchy subject.”

“First meetings with our professors will probably be in December or January,” Tracey pointed out. “More than enough time to come up with a half-assed response and job description. Even if we don’t know by then, they’ll give us a brochure, pat us on the back, and remind us that choosing a career will reduce the number of NEWTs we’ll have to take.”

“I’m dropping Potions no matter what,” Parvati grumbled, though Hani knew her decision couldn’t possibly be set in stone. “If Lavender doesn’t have to take it anymore, then neither do I.”

“Not quite how that works,” Daphne muttered underneath her breath, thankfully far enough from Parvati that the Gryffindor didn’t hear her. Hani was not in the mood to get in the middle of a Greengrass-Patil argument – which had gotten a lot more common since Parvati and Blaise had started dating.

“Maybe you should ask Professor Hornby to read your future while you’re asking about prophecies,” Sue smiled, cutting through the tension in a way only she and Hannah were capable of. “She’s a Seer, isn’t she?”

“I think so,” Tracey nodded. “She doesn’t strike me as an Empath, and Prophets aren’t as common as the other types of Divinators. Besides, a Seer would be the best option for a professor. She’ll have a better grasp of the different methods of Divination, and she’ll actually have some advice to share that isn’t just a premonition of our death.”

“Merlin, the bar is low,” Parvati laughed. “Hey, Hani, do you think Professor Hornby could help you understand your–”

“We really should get going,” Hani cut her off, wincing when her best friend levelled her with a piercing look. “We have Transfiguration first thing in the morning, and you guys know how much McGonagall hates tired students.”

“I hate having Transfiguration at 8,” Hannah groaned, letting herself flop onto Tracey’s lap until her best friend nudged her away. “Misery, I say. At least you guys only have to deal with Beery. He hates mornings almost as much as we do.”

“Not sure that’s a good thing,” Lisa muttered darkly, her lips tilting up when the Sisters laughed at her comment. It was nice, Hani thought, to see her finally act as a part of their group, no barriers in place. “But you have a point; you guys should head out and get some rest. Thank Merlin they gave us the night off patrolling. I can’t imagine showing up for the first day of classes on minimal sleep.”

“Say it louder, Sister!” Hannah grinned, grabbing Leo’s hand and forcefully pulling him up from their couch. “C’mon, the boys will be waiting for you. And Justin will have my head if I’m not there soon; he’s pretty insistent that we check in with the firsties every day for the first week or so.”

“How awful of him,” Lavender laughed as their little group waved goodbye to the Slytherin and Ravenclaw stragglers. “Though I wonder how much of it is kindness and how much is his desire to be picked as Head Boy. We all know he’s vying for that position already.”

“Have you met Justin?” Leo snorted. “It’s definitely both.”

They joked about their status as Prefects and their ambitions for the future as they made their way back to their dorms, splitting off in the quad as they usually did. The second the Hufflepuffs were out of hearing range, Parvati and Lavender turned to stare at Hani, their eyebrows raised.

“So, the Prophecy is on the table during Sister conversations, but your latest discovery isn’t?” Lavender asked, sounding more curious than reproachful. “If anything, I feel like it would be the lesser worry.”

“It’s not–” Hani stumbled on her words, not sure how to explain the spike of fear she’d felt when Parvati had almost let the other girls know about her blood magic. “The prophecy isn’t something I can control. It’s not even really about me, all things considered. It’s a bunch of words that someone said that happens to have an impact on my life, but no one can blame me for being linked to Voldemort that way.”

“And you think they’d blame you for your blood magic?” Parvati gaped at her, and Hani could feel her cheeks heat up. “You know the Sisters don’t give a damn about that stuff, right? They know you’re a dark witch, so what’s one more thing?”

“I don’t want to share it with people yet,” Hani whispered, suddenly paranoid about wandering students despite the looming curfew. “I’ve barely even had time to talk about it with Severus, so who knows where it will all lead. He might make me swear not to tell anyone.”

“Not really his call, is it?” Lavender frowned. “If you want to tell the Sisters–”

“I don’t,” Hani interjected, feeling her nails dig into the palms of her hands. “I don’t want to do anything until I understand it better. Once I’ve gotten through more of the Grimoire, once I’ve asked Severus and Sirius about it, once I know what it means for me… Then I’ll tell them.”

“Okay,” Parvati said slowly, shooting Lavender a look when their best friend opened her mouth again. “We get it. Right, Lavender?”

“Right,” Lavender grit out. “You’ll talk to your guardian soon, then?”

“Maybe,” Hani grimaced, then forced herself to swallow back her fear. “Definitely. I’ll talk to him soon.”

Severus’ quarters felt empty without the man to keep Hani company. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the option to loiter outside until he made an appearance. With Voldemort back in play and the Slytherins on high alert, Harini Potter couldn’t be spotted anywhere near Severus Snape’s personal quarters. Even his office was risking it.

Hence her current discomfort, her back straight as she curled her hands around a mug of tea and tried to pretend it was half as good as the cups Severus made for her. She’d thought about lighting a fire to warm her stiff limbs, but she’d yet to properly make up with her father. She wasn’t sure what the rules of family were when you’d had an argument, especially when none of the family members were used to caring relationships.

She wished they’d talked about it before she’d left for Hogwarts. She wished, stupidly, that they hadn’t spent so much time worrying about the prophecy. Maybe then, Sirius would have revealed her mother’s secret earlier and she wouldn’t have spent her last evening with her guardians holed up in her bedroom. Maybe then, she would have been able to ask Severus what he thought about the situation.

She could have even asked him if his surprise was real, or if this was another secret he’d carefully concealed from her.

She sighed at her own thoughts, batting them away with her Occlumency barriers and forcing herself to look down at the book in her hands instead. Two days into the new term, their professors were already adding homework and required readings to their workload, with very little concern for their new responsibilities.

As it turned out, caring for the younger students didn’t only fall upon the prefects. Though Hani and Dean handled most of the issues with their Sixth Year buddies, the third and fourth years had quickly grown tired of waiting in line. Neville, Seamus, Sophie and Parvati had become their second line of defence, sending the students away when they knocked on their dormitory dorms to whine about petty squabbles.

The first Gryffindor Prefect meeting was going to be a tough one. Hani didn’t look forward to telling Professor Prewett that his niece was causing trouble with her dormmates, or that the second years were taking up so much time that the first years weren’t receiving the attention they deserved.

There had been a perpetual headache lingering behind her eyes for the past four days, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t go away anytime soon. The Astronomy text in front of her certainly wasn’t doing anything to ease the pain.

Knowledge about Jupiter and Saturn floated around uselessly in her head, the links to Arithmancy making Hani want to tear her hair out. Andro– Professor Black had started her lesson off by reminding them that cross-curricular links would become more common as the year progressed, and she hadn’t been kidding.

She already had a study group and a Sister meeting planned later that week, all of them desperate to get some outside perspectives on their intensified courses.

Last year, she’d relied on her friends and her place in the Programme to get her through her classes. She wouldn’t have even bothered with the required reading until later in the year, too busy with everything else to care about her studies. She wished she could still get away with that kind of lax behaviour.

She wished she could focus on the prophecy and her blood magic and the millions of things she needed to know about Voldemort if she was destined to face him someday.

Unfortunately, none of those things would amount to anything if she couldn’t secure a good future for herself. A future that involved crafting – in some capacity – and a serious job that would keep her both busy and happy.

So, she pushed the headache away and blinked at a sketch of Jupiter for the fifth time in less than twenty minutes.

The drawing swam in front of her eyes, melding with the diagrams she’d found in her family Grimoire the night before. Her mother’s words and flowy handwriting had started to sneak into every aspect of her life, reappearing when Hani was trying to focus on Flitwick’s lectures or when her friends lost themselves in complex magical theories.

Hani wondered how many people knew that Lily Evans was an addictive storyteller on top of a brilliant witch. She wondered how many people had had access to that small portion of her life.

Sirius, she thought, might have even seen the Grimoire before. And Severus…

As though summoned by the mental mention of his name, the door to the quarters opened and revealed a tired-looking Severus. Her guardian’s eyes were lined in exhaustion, his demeanour relaxed but ever-so-slightly on edge.

She thought it must have been months since he’d last been fully at ease.

“Harini,” he greeted her as he dropped his satchel next to the sofa and a stack of papers on his desk. “I’m sorry if you’ve been waiting long. I thought perhaps you would take time to talk to your godfather after his class.”

“He was busy,” Hani shrugged, only half-truthful.

Remus had been attending to Sophie and Fay when she’d left the classroom, but she knew she could have waited a little longer for him. Unfortunately, as much as she loved her godfather in name, she knew he wouldn’t have half as many answers as Severus would. When it came to her mother–

She still wasn’t sure what had happened between her guardians and her parents, but when it came to her mother, Severus had always felt like the better option.

“How has the beginning of the year been?” Severus asked her while he puttered around the kitchen, grabbing a handful of biscuits that Hani hadn’t spotted. He must have been hiding them from her. “Mister Nott seems to be satisfied with your partnership so far.”

“You’ve already talked to your prefects about all that?” Hani asked, genuinely surprised.

During their first prefect meeting, Wren and Cedric had made it clear that their Heads of Houses might take a while to reach out to them while the rest of the school adjusted to the changes. Hani knew full well she wouldn’t be hearing from Professor Prewett until that weekend, and she’d assumed the same would be true of the other houses.

“I took Miss Moon aside this morning while the rest of your year was attending Muggle Studies, and I found some time to chat with Mister Nott before your afternoon classes,” Severus explained, sighing deeply as he sank into the sofa. “The new responsibilities are more than most students have ever had to deal with, and I wished to make sure they were settling in alright.”

“Oh,” Hani said dumbly. “That’s nice of you. And yes, the year’s been fine for me too, at least so far. Dean is a great partner in Gryffindor; we bounce off each other well when it comes to the younger students, and I think we’ve found a nice balance during our evening patrols. He was waiting for me when I got back from my rounds with Theodore yesterday.”

“Theodore?” Her guardian drawled, sounding more amused than anything. “I was under the impression Mister Nott did not care much for his full name.”

“Too bad,” Hani shrugged. “It feels weird calling him Theo, and I sure as hell won’t be using his last name anymore. Theodore is what he’ll be getting until further notice. Besides, he doesn’t seem to have too much of an issue with it. I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Severus smirked, the movement oscillating a little when he caught sight of the book sitting next to her. “I assume you’re not here to inquire about my first days of classes?”

“I mean, I am curious about your choice of apprentices,” Hani shrugged – she still wasn’t quite over the sight of George wearing his apprentice badge, beaming as he told everyone that the great Professor Snape had chosen him over everyone else. “But no, that’s not quite why I’m here.”

“Mister Weasley has incredible potential,” Severus replied neutrally, and Hani hummed, feigning disinterest. In reality, she wanted nothing more than to interrogate her father about his selection process. However, she knew he would take the subject as an opportunity to stray from the more pressing matter they needed to discuss.

Severus stared at her, silent, as he let her work through the mess of her mind.

“You didn’t know,” she voiced it as a statement, hating the way her voice lifted at the end, turning her certainty into a question.

“I didn’t know, Harini,” he answered, and she believed him. “Your godfather was the only living being who knew of her affinity, and he is wracked with guilt at the thought that he kept such an important part of your family from you.”

“It’s not– It’s not really his fault,” Hani sighed, because it wasn’t. Sirius had been half out of his mind when he’d left Azkaban, and he’d had no way of knowing what Hani did and didn’t know.

She was 15; it made sense for him to assume she would have learned about her family magics already. It didn’t make her years of ignorance any easier to tolerate, but it did make it harder for Hani to hold it against him.

“I believe Lily was worried about the stigma she would have to deal with if she were to tell others about her inheritance,” Severus explained softly, repeating ideas Hani had already formulated within her mind. “Blood Magic isn’t quite as controversial as Necromancy, but it is still a highly unknown form of magic that many people fear. If the rest of the Order had come to know of her power… I understand why she only told your father and godfather. It was a smart decision.”

“I know,” Hani murmured. “She wrote a lot. I don’t know how long she was working on the Grimoire for, but there are– There’s so much in there about her and our family and our Magic.”

“You’ve been reading it,” Severus’ eyebrows shot up, and Hani frowned at him.

“Of course I’ve been reading it. My mother wanted me to have it, and now I do.”

“I only meant that there are most likely spells in the Grimoire that would be– unwise for you to explore. I do not know how far your mother went in her studies of her own magic, but I have a feeling Lily did not leave a single stone unturned. I know you are excited to discover this link you share, Harini, but you are only fifteen,” Severus said softly.

“I wasn’t planning on trying anything out without you or Remus around,” she assured him.

At least, none of the things that could harm her. She’d assumed her guardians would be okay with her dabbling with the smaller, lesser spells; the ones that would do nothing more than channel the Magic she already controlled.

Severus hummed, drawing Hani’s attention back to him.

There was a furrow between his brows, a small dip next to his mouth as though he was holding something back. The bags under his eyes were accentuated by the downturn of his lips. Hani felt her heart stutter and her mind come to a screeching halt.

“Because I’ll be able to practise with you, right?” She smiled to punctuate her question. “I can come by in the evenings or when we’re both out of class, and we can go through some of the simpler spells together. I don’t know how many of them you could even attempt, but it’ll be nice to try them out with someone else.”

“Harini–”

“And, of course, it would be insane for me not to look into these spells when I now know there is a prophecy out there potentially linking me to our country’s most dangerous individual,” she added, baring her teeth slightly, her smile turning to a grimace. “I’ll need any advantage I can get.”

“I talked to Sirius, and–”

“Do you really want to finish that sentence?” Hani interrupted him, ignoring the fire in her father’s eyes. “Do you want to sit here and tell me that you and Sirius have decided it would be safer for me not to explore the thing that makes my blood burn every time I try to travel? The thing that has probably unknowingly been helping and holding me back my entire life?”

“It’s Blood Magic, Harini,” Severus finally said, his voice hard. “I assume you would have to use your blood to activate most of these spells. You would have to hurt yourself, or make yourself more vulnerable, all while attempting things that are the opposite of legal. If the Headmaster ever caught wind of this…”

“I thought your quarters were secure,” Hani frowned. “You’ve never seemed to hold back while you were in here.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Because I’m younger? Because you don’t trust me with a Grimoire that has always been mine to explore and test and experiment with?” Her words were barely more than a hiss. “Because once again, you’ve decided it would be better for me to stay in the dark?”

“You never minded before, Harini,” Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Hani wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry and scream and make him realise how ridiculous he sounded.

“I was thirteen and dealing with an escaped godfather,” she said, her voice conspicuously soft. “And then I was fourteen, getting kidnapped and participating in an international programme. I was happy for the respite when I could get it because I knew full well I couldn’t do anything about it. But now I can. Now I have to, because there’s an unknown prophecy about me out there, one that clearly matters since no one wants me to hear it.”

“We don’t want you to let it get to your head,” Severus countered. “Sirius and I have never pretended that we wanted you to be involved with the Order. We want you as far away from the war as possible. I thought you understood that.”

“I did,” Hani responded, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “I understood that when your lord was dormant, there was nothing we could do. That I was better off enjoying France than worrying about a Dark Lord. But there’s nothing dormant about him now, is there? And I’ve yet to hear about the Order stopping a single one of his raids, so I assume plans aren’t exactly abundant. It’s only a matter of time before the Dark Lord has too many followers for the Order to keep up with, and then who will Dumbledore ask for help?”

“Albus will not be coming to you.” It was a promise, the certainty in Severus’ voice undeniable. It was the sort of statement she would have believed less than a year ago, because Severus and Sirius had always kept her safe.

Because they’d never lied to her. They’d never had to stand up for her in her own home, never had to go against the man who had forged their teenage years. They’d never made her retrieve a prophecy from a secret room in the Ministry before taking it from her, prying her future out of her fingers.

She would have believed it because she’d had no reason not to.

“I won’t stop reading the Grimoire,” she said firmly. Severus opened his mouth again, but she cut him off. “I’ll talk to Remus and Sirius, I’ll find out more about my family, and I’ll come back to you so we can make a better decision about the spells my mother created.”

“You won’t try any unknown spellcraft,” Severus added, and Hani nodded. “If I even suspect that you have started experimenting with your mother’s Magic, I will make sure your Grimoire stays safely within these quarters until you are of age.”

Hani bit back a bitter retort, recognising the look of a man at his wit’s end. Still, she refused to leave her unsaid thoughts hanging between them.

“If Dumbledore approaches me, you will let me start studying some of my mother’s spells under your supervision,” she stated, crossing her arms over her chest, the movement both protective and authoritative. Her father considered her for a second before nodding. “If the Dark Lord harms me again, or if he does anything that compromises my friends’ safety, you will let me learn from the Grimoire.”

Severus was a smart man; he recognised a non-negotiable when he heard one. He tilted his head to the side, acknowledging Hani’s words despite his disapproval. It was the most she would get from him then, so she forced the rest of her demands down her throat, back to the depths of her mind.

“George is over the moon,” she said, nabbing a biscuit from Severus’ plate while he smiled tiredly. He rolled his eyes but didn’t protest. “The way he talks, you’d think you just made all his dreams come true.”

“An apprenticeship is a boon many students would kill to have,” her guardian pointed out. “Mister Weasley understands that he has been given an opportunity many do not think he deserves. Gideon- His godfather had a serious talk with him when he received his badge along with my offer. There will be no more foolishness.”

“At least, no obvious foolishness,” Hani grinned, some of the tension leaving her body when her father chuckled. “It’s going to be weird, seeing him in a position of… power? Authority?”

“In a way,” Severus shrugged. “Within my classroom, at least, he will be an assistant to myself and his peers. When Professor Slughorn and Professor Pyrites need his help, he will be an assistant to them as well.”

“They didn’t get their own apprentices?” Hani asked. She could understand why Slughorn hadn’t had the time to consider any older students, but everything she knew about Professor Pyrites suggested he would be the perfect teacher to take on an apprentice.

“The most promising Potions students for the year were unfortunately picked to attend to other duties,” he explained. “Besides, professors under review are not allowed to consider apprentices.”

Hani resisted the urge to smile, though she knew her expression was nowhere near as emotionless as she wished it was.

“You are a devil child,” Severus snorted.

“Oh, please,” she sniffed, letting her smile spread across her face. “We know you’re just as happy about this as I am, if not more.”

“I only wish for Hogwarts to have the most qualified professors possible,” her father answered neutrally.

Hani had to give it to him; he was a wonderful liar.

If only he didn’t use his ability against her, perhaps she would be able to appreciate it more.

‘You’re a terrible liar, Lily Moon.’

Hani giggled at the betrayed look Lily currently sported, her eyes wide as she took in their Hufflepuff seatmate.

“A Slytherin never lies, Morag,” she finally countered, pulling herself back together. Hani, Sue and Morag pinned her down with unimpressed stares. “We don’t! We simply… twist the truth to fit our needs.”

“I’m with Morag on this one, Lils,” Sue said, amused. “There is absolutely no way you can convince me Professor Hornby spends her evenings doing tarot readings for the younger students. Do you know how much work the professors have to do outside of the classroom? I promise you, it’s enough that you would pass out at the mere sight of it.”

‘Then again, isn’t Divination a bit of a joke?’

Lily shook her head disappointedly at Morag, tutting as though their friend should have known better than to insult their school’s most mocked elective.

“Professor Hornby is turning it all around,” she explained. “She’s taking us seriously and making sure we understand what was wrong with Trelawney’s particular brand of teaching. She even has projects for us! She’s showing us all sorts of new things instead of waving her hand, getting high off fumes, and predicting our deaths.”

“I’m pretty sure the fumes were half the reason Trelawney got fired,” Sue hummed thoughtfully. “I’m almost disappointed to learn Professor Hornby does things more seriously. I had a theory that all Divination professors were a little out there. It can’t be easy having access to glimpses of the present and future against your will.”

“If Professor Hornby is giving nightly tarot readings, I think you can definitely check off the ‘little out there’ box,” Hani laughed, dodging Lily’s hand when it came to slap the back of her head. “Hey, at least I believe you! In fact, I applaud her for her desire to know the younger students and motivate them to take Divination once they start their Third Year.”

‘Hani’s a better liar than you, Lily. You should take notes.’

“Dude, that is so uncalled for,” Lily pouted, turning her best puppy eyes on Morag. “I thought I was your favourite. We were supposed to stay united in the face of Hani and Sue’s clear affinity for their girl group. Especially now that they’ve both been chosen for the Programme. Where is your loyalty, Mo?”

‘It’s hiding with your honesty.’

“You’re on a roll today, Morag,” Sue chuckled. Morag smiled brightly at her, and Hani basked in the warmth of her confidence. “You should try pulling those moves when Ernie and his merry band tries to bother you.”

“They’re still causing issues?” Hani asked, glad to see her worry mirrored on Lily’s face.

Their first week as prefects had proved that bullying and exclusion tactics were far more prevalent within Hogwarts than they’d believed, but she’d thought Hannah and Justin had a good handle on what was going on within Hufflepuff.

‘Not with me specifically ,’ Morag’s words spelled out reassurances, and Hani’s heart eased a little. ‘At least, not only with me. But sometimes, when the girls and I use sign language, he gets mean. You know how boys like him feel about differences.’

She did, but it didn’t make it any better. It had taken months for Sue and Lily to convince Morag that she should talk to her housemates about learning sign language, and even longer for her to proudly use it outside of their study group. Even now, she relied on lipreading and her writing spell more often than not, feeling like a burden every time she ‘forced’ others to sign.

Knowing that Ernie and his friends were using that against her made her want to slap the boy silly. He would deserve it ten times over for all the hurt he’d caused to the girls in their year.

“Girls, too,” Sue pointed out. “I know you’re dealing with her as best as you can, Hani, but the new girl is already causing problems. I caught her arguing with Isobel and Terry earlier, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the year.”

‘Isobel hates arguing,’ Morag frowned, biting down on her bottom lip as though the thought of her sister disagreeing with anyone was out of the question.

“Dean and I will talk to her again,” Hani sighed. She’d be the one doing the talking, of course, but she knew Dean would back her up. He’d been by her side every evening since the start of their duties, and she knew he would jump at the chance to put Erin in her place. “If it continues to be a problem… We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Though I wouldn’t say no to a reading from Professor Hornby; maybe she’ll have some advice about our newest year mate.”

“Nah,” Lily huffed. “She’s always super vague with her advice, which is exactly what the little snakes love. They don’t even realise that she’s subtly teaching them about the power of interpretation.”

“Merlin, she truly is moulding their minds so they’ll take Divination when the time comes,” Sue laughed. “Slytherin through and through.”

‘I just don’t believe it’s happening every night,’ Morag let out a puff of air as she spoke, rolling her eyes when Lily pouted.

“Even if it hasn’t been every night,” their Slytherin partner drawled out. “It’s been enough times that I’ve noticed it, and we’ve only been here for a little over a week.”

“Maybe she does readings for other students the rest of the time,” Sue suggested. Hani didn’t miss the pointed look her friend shot in her direction as she spoke. “She could have sessions for her NEWT students.”

“Something to explore,” Lily said, perking up. “I wonder if any of the other professors meet with their students outside of lessons. Do you guys get special gardening evenings with Professor Sprout and Professor Beery?”

‘I wish,’ Morag laughed, an inelegant snort escaping her. ‘As far as I know, they both prefer being alone after class hours. Not that I can blame them; Hufflepuffs are a social bunch, and they would garden for days on end if they were given the chance to do it as a group.’

“I think Professor Alderton would rather work weekends than stay in the common room after dinner,” Hani snorted. “Professor Hornby, I think, is the exception rather than the rule. Though I wish more of our professors would stick around and teach us some of their hobbies. Maybe that way, we’d have more clubs at school.”

“Dude, I didn’t even think about that,” Lily gaped. “I mean, I’ve been telling Emma that we need more clubs for years now, but it didn’t occur to me that we’d get further if we could get the teachers to share some of their favourite after-school activities.”

“Hannah wants to see if she can convince the professors to instate some sort of dance club, but my main worry is that we won’t have anyone willing to sign off on the club because they don’t want to get stuck supervising,” Hani added.

She didn’t think she’d ever have time for another club besides Quidditch, but she knew a lot of her friends would have enjoyed – or at least benefited from – a creative outlet in their younger years. If Professor Hornby was starting to show students that Magic could be explored and enjoyed outside of classes… Maybe they were getting somewhere.

“Maybe I’ll ask Professor Hornby what she thinks,” Lily hummed, and Hani nodded encouragingly. 

The more people viewed their newest Divination professor as a friendly face, the easier it would be for her to approach Hornby without seeming suspicious. If Lily and Parvati paved the way for her…

Perhaps her plans for the prophecy weren’t as far-fetched as she’d initially believed. Perhaps, despite her guardians’ insistence that she didn’t need to know what was going on, she could get an insight into the reason she’d been targeted in the first place.

The Girl-Who-Lived, finally doing more than simply living.

For the first time since she’d heard of the prophecy, something like true hope sparked within her.

All she needed to do now was wait.

“Do we… wait?”

Hani glanced at Dean and bit back a smile when she noticed the furrow of his brows and the nervous tapping of his fingers.

Really, though, she was just as worried as he was. The younger Gryffindors, while rowdy and impossible to control, had proven to be relatively reasonable during their first week of classes. They hadn’t skipped lessons to stay in the common room, hadn’t lost enough points to warrant an intervention, and certainly hadn’t been out of their dormitories past curfew.

Therefore, the sudden absence of three second years was both surprising and alarming, though Hani realised they should have expected something like this to happen now that the weekend was in full swing.

Saturdays had always been Hani’s favourite day to sneak out of the common room. Unlike the younger students, however, she hadn’t had to contend with diligent Prefects whose list of duties was longer than the average length of their Charms essays.

“I’ll wait,” Hani answered. “Lisa will be expecting you soon, and you can always spread the word that the other Prefects should be on the look-out for our strays. Besides, there’s a chance they show up in the next five minutes.”

Dean snorted. This time, Hani didn’t hide her smile. Dean’s eyes crinkled as she glanced up at him, and the two of them were still grinning softly when footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

They looked up in unison, exhaustion creeping up Hani’s body when she spotted Sarah’s familiar grimace.

She wasn’t sure whether Sarah felt comfortable coming to them because of Hani’s friendship with her sister, or whether her diligence was simply the way she was. Either way, Sarah had very quickly become the second years’ guardian, keeping Hani and Dean updated on any problems that arose within their year group. It was, in theory, a good thing for the prefect pair. They had direct access to problems they wouldn’t otherwise know about, as well as solutions that Sarah was more than happy to share.

Unfortunately, it also meant Sarah’s presence had become associated with complications in Hani’s mind. And with the wince on Dean’s face, which appeared every time Sarah shuffled towards them, her features the picture of worry and guilt.

The younger girl opened her mouth to speak, but Hani shook her head and cut her off before she could say anything.

“We’ve got a handle on it, Sarah,” she said as reassuringly as possible, making sure her smile stayed fixed and gentle. “We appreciate your help, but curfew issues aren’t uncommon. We’ll keep an eye out for your yearmates and send them up to the dorm as soon as they get here. You should head to bed.”

“I’m heading out to patrol right now,” Dean added. “So either I’ll bump into them out there, or Hani will be waiting for them when they decide to finally come home. Unless they have somehow managed to master Disillusionment, at which point I would be more impressed than anything.”

“Are you sure?” Sarah asked, her voice laced with concern. “I know Julie, Zoya and Hikari have caused issues this week already, and I could always try to come up with a list of places they might be.”

“Noble of you, Sarah, but we’ve got it covered,” Hani chuckled. “Even I used to sneak out when I was their age. I’ll make sure they understand not to do it again, take a few points for missing their curfew, and that’ll be the end of the story. Nothing catastrophic, I assure you.”

“Oh,” Sarah breathed out. “Cool. I was kind of worried you’d start seeing us as the problem group.”

Hani and Dean laughed along with her as she giggled and raced back up the stairs to her dormitory. The second she was out of their sight, the laughter turned slightly desperate. When Dean snorted loudly, Hani slapped his arm and forced herself to calm down.

“Stop, she’s going to hear us,” she whispered between lingering chuckles. “She’s trying so hard to make sure we like them.”

“Oh, I like them just fine,” Dean huffed. “I simply wish they hadn’t decided to be more chaotic than the rest of the four years combined. I’ll make sure to send them on their way the second I find them. Though I do hope you’ll cut them some slack if they’ve actually managed to figure out Disillusionment.”

“I’ll make sure the punishment matches up with their level of sneakiness,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Now, off you go. Lisa will kill you if you’re late. Or she’ll write it up in your nightly report and make sure Wren kills you. Not sure which one’s worse.”

“And I don’t plan on finding out,” Dean said, paling slightly as he grabbed his satchel.

He waved her goodbye on the way out, and Hani sighed as she settled on the sofa for what she assumed would be a long night of waiting.

“Wouldn’t want to be you,” Ginny grinned from her spot near the fireplace. Her friends laughed, and even Hani’s lips ticked up at the teasing words. “Though really, I think it would be hypocritical of you to punish them for sneaking out.”

“I’m teaching them the value of patience and subtlety,” Hani shrugged. “I always got in trouble when I got caught. Same as everyone else.”

“Bit harder not to get caught with these new rules though,” Anna Mirfield pointed out.

Hani only shrugged again.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she said plainly, smirking when the girls rolled their eyes at her. “Unless, of course, you’re telling me you haven’t been sneaking out once Dean and I are in our dormitories. If that’s true, though, I might have to tell Fred and George that their legacy is fading by the day. Whatever would they think of you, Ginny.”

“I’m not going to admit to sneaking out in front of a prefect,” Ginny drawled. Her eyes – full of mirth – betrayed her, but Hani had been serious with her earlier statement.

If her housemates could figure out how to leave the dorm without getting noticed, she wouldn’t hold it against them. 

Still, it wouldn’t hurt for Ginny to realise Hani wasn’t completely unaware of her year group’s shenanigans.

“But you’ll start bets in front of a prefect?” She asked, snorting when the four girls’ smiles dropped. “Sorry Gin, but you’ll have to start training your friends a little better when it comes to trading money. I’ll let you off with a warning since you and Demelza were doing a good job of keeping it undercover, but don’t let me catch you doing it again.”

“Fair,” Ginny winced.

“Besides, it’s a useless bet,” Hani added, grinning when the girls’ guilty looks turned curious. “They’ll be back when Dean finishes his patrol. They’ll try sneaking in right behind him with some inane trick, and then they’ll attempt a flimsy excuse when they get caught.”

“Classic,” Ginny huffed.

“Unoriginal,” Demelza corrected, sounding utterly unimpressed. “Can’t believe we’re going to lose points to such an uninspired trick.”

The other girls grumbled their agreement, and Hani smiled as she settled deeper into the sofa, pulling the Grimoire out of her satchel. She and Lavender had managed to dig out a nifty spell that would keep it concealed to everyone else’s eyes – a clever mix of Charms and Transfiguration. She’d have to thank her best friend for the help again; the idea of reading anything else while waiting for the end of Dean’s patrol was a nightmare.

As it was, she opened the Grimoire to the page on Mabon traditions within the Evans family and let thoughts of wayward students drift away as she focused on her mother’s words.

She couldn’t convince Severus to let her try Blood Magic, but if she came up with a solid plan for the upcoming celebration, perhaps she could get away with the smallest hint of Evans Magic.

Chapter Text

You will need a knife, one that resonates with your soul. It will need to be magical, need to be yours, need to feel right in every way. Do not spill blood with the blade of another, not even one you trust.

You will need a vessel, something that can carry your Magic at all times. You will be tempted to choose something bold, but I urge you to choose something bland. Your Magic is your heart; do not let anyone see where you keep it.

You will need nerve. There is no further advice I can offer here. A knife and a vessel will only take you as far as your daring allows.

~ ToB ~

“Hello? I know you’re in there!”

Hani clenched her jaw and determinedly turned the next page of her Grimoire, trying to force her body back into its state of meditation.

The Evans Grimoire was a gold mine when it came to Occlumency and the building of mind barriers. Her mother’s advice had become her morning routine; a peaceful half hour that she could spend trying out new techniques to strengthen her flimsy protections. Lily Evans-Potter had struggled as much as Hani did with the skill, but she had eventually mastered it. Now it was up to Hani to figure out how she had reached that perfect mindfulness.

“Harini, seriously!”

Her peace shattered as Hani flung herself back on her mattress, groaning loud enough for the sound to carry through her drawn curtains.

“What do you need, Erin?” She snapped, not bothering to step out of her bed. “I was in the middle of something.”

“It’s 7 in the morning,” Erin answered dubiously.

Hani took a deep breath, reminding herself that Erin was new. She was learning. She wasn’t yet attuned to their dorm’s routine. Her questions and constant pestering were her way of settling in, and it would be cruel of Hani to turn her down.

“My point still stands,” she said, her voice strained. She sat up and pulled half of her curtain open, unsurprised to find Erin hovering mere inches in front of it. “Now, what do you want?”

“It’s supposed to be cold again today,” Erin pouted. “The other girls were talking about the sweaters you made them to withstand the harsher weather, and I was wondering when I would be able to get one. I’m not used to having to walk around a damp castle all the time.”

“You bothered me for th–” She cut herself off with a deep breath, closing her eyes and resisting the urge to pull her curtains shut once more.

“Sophie claims she doesn’t have any to give me,” Erin rolled her eyes.

“Because she doesn’t,” Hani replied tightly. “I only make jumpers for my friends, and I don’t usually begin making new ones until October. The weather’s been dreadful this week, sure, but it’ll go back to being sunny and warm in a few days. Besides, you’ll get used to it. Most people adapt within the first month.”

“I mean, if you have jumpers just laying about…”

She wanted to deny her. They had been back at Hogwarts for less than two full weeks and Erin had already caused more problems than the rest of their year combined. She made Hani’s job as a Prefect ten times harder. She made their dorms twenty times less welcoming. She made everyone insane.

Parvati and Sophie had stopped entertaining her the second she’d hit them with one of her ‘criticisms’. Fay’s blunt attitude had annoyed her from the start. Hermione had wisely decided to make herself sparse when she was around. And for some reason, she’d hated Lavender from the moment she’d laid eyes on her.

Hani wanted nothing more than to turn her away and let her realise she wouldn’t earn herself any favours if she couldn’t form friendships with the rest of their dormmates.

Erin Hargreaves was a nightmare, and yet–

“I have a spare,” she muttered, stretching as she stood before digging through her trunk and pulling out a jumper she’d made at the end of her Third Year. “It might be a little snug, but it should do. You’ll have to order something once winter hits.”

“Or you could–” Hani interrupted her with a sharp glance.

“I don’t make clothes on demand, especially not for people I barely know.” She shrugged when Erin’s pout deepened. “It’s not my job. I make clothes for my friends because it’s fun and it helps me practise my weaving skills. I’d design more if I could, but I don’t exactly have tons of time. Turns out, being a Prefect isn’t easy when certain people are determined to make our lives a living hell.”

“Right,” Erin exhaled. “That’s gotta be tough. Sorry you’ve got to deal with that. Oh, and thanks again for the sweater.”

Satisfied that she’d gotten what she’d been looking for, she turned on her heel and walked back to her side of the room. 

Hani felt her blood boil underneath her skin, but she urged her mind to go through the exercises her mother had suggested in the Grimoire. Instead of breathing deeply, she sank further into her body, feeling every beat of her heart. She let her boiling blood lead her meditation, her Magic settling the more she acknowledged its presence.

It wasn’t a fool-proof method but, by the time she opened her eyes and focused on their dorm again, she had managed to calm down marginally.

“I thought you preferred meditating in your bed.” Parvati’s voice tugged her focus towards her best friend’s space. Parvati’s hair was still damp from a morning shower; she must have only now stepped back into the room.

“I do,” Hani huffed. “Erin wanted to borrow a jumper. She’s cold.”

“She’s something, that’s for sure,” Parvati grumbled quietly. “You’re going to have to have a serious talk with her eventually. Didn’t something come up during the Prefect meeting? I swear Lisa mentioned her when I last saw her.”

“Wren and Cedric think we should give her a couple of weeks to adjust before we do anything too drastic,” Hani sighed. She understood – she did – but the thought of having to wait another two weeks to discipline Erin was arduous. “I’m trying my best to make her feel welcome.”

Parvati winced, and Hani shot her an amused look.

“Sophie and I are making things worse, aren’t we?” She asked, combing her hair with her fingers absently as she spoke. “I never mean to snap at her, but then she says something, and I just–”

“You’re giving as good as you’re getting,” Hani shrugged. “I’m not going to ask you to behave to make up for Erin’s lack of manners. If you and Sophie can put her in her place a little bit, I certainly won’t complain. It’ll make my job a whole lot easier once Wren and Cedric give us the okay to start doling out punishments.”

“Are we talking about Little Miss Princess again?” Lavender sidled up to them, dressed in her embroidered school robes, her hair trailing down her back in a thick braid. “Is that one of your jumpers she’s wearing right now?”

Hani nodded glumly as the three of them discreetly glanced at Erin. At least the black jumper didn’t clash horribly with her red and gold streaks the way most of her weekend clothes did. Hani was willing to subject herself to a great many things for the sake of personal style, but Erin’s hair tested her limits at every turn.

“We’re being nice,” Hani said, not sure if she was talking to her friends or to herself. “She’s adjusting. Hogwarts isn’t easy to get used to. She needs as many friends as she can get.”

“Did you get that straight from Diggory?” Parvati snorted, lightly tapping Hani’s prefect badge.

“And what if I did?” Hani sniffed haughtily. “I certainly couldn’t have come up with that kind of mantra myself, but Wren will murder me if I don’t make a real effort with Erin. I wish she’d asked Dean instead. He’s better at this stuff than I am.”

“You think Dean is better at female friendships than you are?” Lavender asked, her lips quirked up in a smirk.

“He’s a good friend to us, isn’t he?” Hani pointed out.

The summer had treated Dean well. He’d come back to school more grounded and kind than ever before. He’d been around for Hani every night after their patrols, stuck with her when the younger students were causing mayhem, and always checked in with their year group when he had a few minutes to spare.

“Oh, he’s a great friend,” Lavender chuckled. “I just don’t think he’s quite as patient as you think he is. Dean likes simplicity; he does not like complicated girls who struggle to understand the basics of social etiquette.”

“Erin’s not–”

Hermione’s raised voice interrupted her thoughts, Hani’s eyebrows rising when she spotted Hermione standing in front of Erin, her brows furrowed and jaw clenched. These days, confrontations with Hermione were almost non-existent; Sophie and Fay had become the perfect intermediates between their trio and Hani’s former best friend.

Therefore, the sight of an angry Hermione was nowhere near as common as it might have been at the beginning of the previous year.

“I don’t have the time to find my copy,” Erin was saying impatiently. “It’s not a big deal.”

“And it’s not my fault you lost your textbook,” Hermione snapped, tugging a book out of Erin’s hands – their required reading for History. “Professor Picquery won’t hold it against you anyway; he clearly feels bad about how new you are to British History.”

“I already forgot to bring it on Monday. He’s not going to let me get away with it a second time,” Erin frowned. “Your record is obviously spotless and Picquery seems to like you more than anyone else in our class. I don’t want to have to be kept after class again.”

“Then keep better track of your books,” Hermione said sharply, tucking her book back into her bag.

“I’m not used to–”

A pillow smacked the back of Erin’s head and she whirled around, glaring at an innocent-looking Fay.

“Why you–”

“No one cares that you’re not used to bringing your books, Hargreaves,” Fay cut her off, keeping her voice soft and even. “We were all new to boarding schools when we were firsties, and yet we were still asked to take care of our own stuff. It’s been almost two weeks now. Find a better system.”

Erin glanced around the room, trying to catch Hani’s eye, but she quickly realised she wasn’t going to garner anyone else’s support.

“Fine,” she hissed. “I’ll ask Alice for her copy.”

She stomped out of the room before anyone could respond, and Hani resisted the urge to bury her head in her hands and scream.

“Well, that went better than yesterday,” Lavender said thoughtfully.

Even Hermione laughed at that. Hani was almost certain they were using humour as a coping mechanism.

How else were they supposed to deal with the unwanted addition to their dormitory?

“You tried the meditation technique?”

Hani nods at Sue, keeping her movements small and restrained to escape Professor Black’s knowing eyes.

Sue hums softly, tapping the parchment in front of them while Hani pretends to fiddle with the model of Jupiter they were asked to study. They’d made a few notes at the beginning of the session, but Sue had quickly strayed off-topic, her brain working faster than her mouth.

As the days passed, Daphne and Sue were becoming more impossible to pin down, both of them eager to get as much time with the Sisters as possible before their departure, but also constantly thinking about the next steps in their Programme journey.

Even now, Hani could see Sue’s thoughts racing, her fingers drumming nervous patterns that only she seemed to know.

“Sue?” She whispered.

“Hm?” Sue turned her head towards Hani, blinking rapidly. “Oh. Sorry. I just remembered something Professor Hornby said about our Divination studies while we’re abroad. But we were talking about the meditation technique she mentioned the other day. You said it was close to something you’d found in your family Grimoire? The Black one?”

Hani made a vague sound of approval, both in an attempt to avoid Professor Black’s narrowed gaze and – mostly – because she still hadn’t told the rest of the Sisters about the Evans Grimoire.

“Well? Did it work?” Sue pushed her.

Hani sighed quietly, doodling a messy outline of Jupiter while she struggled to find the words to describe her attempts at meditative divination.

“There was something,” she finally murmured. “I reached out like you suggested, and I used the breathing techniques from my family Grimoire, and it was– There was something .”

“That’s good,” Sue pointed out, though Hani still didn’t fully understand what she’d experienced the night before.

When Parvati, Sue and Tracey had excitedly cornered her the day before about the recent Divination method their professor had introduced them to, Hani had been curious. Parvati was still attempting to forge a stronger bond with Hornby so they could potentially dig into the subject of prophecies, but their investigation had been on standby until then. Therefore, the potential of a method Hani could try alone had been enticing.

According to the girls, the method was supposed to connect a magical individual to the part of their core that felt called to the divinatory arts. Wixen with no affinity for the subject wouldn’t feel anything; it was the professor’s way of determining how she could best teach the students in her class.

For Hani, however, it became a way to potentially access a prophecy that was now out of her reach.

They didn’t know the specifics, of course, but if Hani did have a skill for Divination, then perhaps she could tap into it to get answers about her Fate. At least, that was what Padma had suggested when they’d brought the topic up with her. It was all hypothetical, but there was a chance residual magic from the prophecy lingered somewhere in Hani’s mind.

Her first attempt at the technique, however, hadn’t been what Hani had expected.

Parvati had described the absolute abyss that had come with her lack of affinity, Sue had explained that she had felt like something was tapping on her shoulder, and Tracey had ‘seen the light’ – though Hani wasn’t sure how much she believed the last one.

Hani…

Whatever it was that had been lurking in that part of her mind, it hadn’t felt like Divination. It hadn’t felt like Fate or the Magic she was used to.

“It didn’t feel good,” she frowned, rubbing at her eyes when she realised they’d gone dry.

Sue had jotted down a few words while she’d been lost in her thoughts, and Hani smiled at her friend gratefully.

“If you did have an affinity for divination… It would go against the rest of your magical nature,” Sue mused out loud, lowering her voice when Professor Black shot them a stern look. They weren’t being as subtle as they probably should have been. “Maybe your mother or father had a natural inclination towards Divination but your Black family magic messed with the order of things. It could explain the dissonance.”

Hani nodded slowly, hiding a dubious grimace.

Even if her father had somehow been a talented divinator, there was no way her mother’s magic would have allowed for the Light skill to survive.

“It’s probably nothing to worry about,” Sue added, and Hani tried to hang on to the nonchalance in her voice – one that was not matched in her mind. “We might have to try something else, though. I doubt you want to put yourself through an uncomfortable process on the off-chance that there might be something to dig out.”

“Right,” Hani whispered. “It was worth a shot.”

“Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised when Professor Hornby told us there was a method to Divination’s apparent madness,” Sue laughed silently. “I’m almost sad that I won’t get to enjoy her teaching this year; everyone else is going to get such a head start.”

“I’m sure you’ll diligently catch up the second you’re back here,” Hani said, relaxing at the shift in topic. “You’ll have to tell me what she teaches the students without any affinity for the subject.”

“Oh, Parvati will be able to tell you all about that,” Sue waved her off. Hani nudged her until Sue met her gaze again.

“I love Parvati, but there’s no way she’ll have the patience to walk me through the whole process,” she grinned. “You know how she is.”

“I do,” Sue smiled. “From what I understand, the curriculum is actually pretty straightforward. It plans on using more of the social–”

“Miss Potter, Miss Li.”

They jumped in unison, almost knocking their Jupiter maquette over in the process. Professor Black loomed behind them, her eyebrows raised and arms crossed. Hani widened her eyes as innocently as possible, biting back a laugh when she noticed Sue doing the same thing next to her.

“If you’re struggling with your study of the planet, you are both welcome to stay after the lesson,” Professor Black continued. “I understand it isn’t an easy subject.”

“We’re trying to be thorough, professor,” Sue piped up, her voice sounding a lot more confident than the nerves her shaking fingers betrayed. “I’m not quite familiar with Jupiter, and Hani–”

“You know how I am with Astronomy, professor,” she completed, smiling brightly when their professor narrowed her eyes at them. “We’ll have the work finished before the end of the hour.”

“See to it that you do,” Professor Black huffed, muttering about teenagers as she walked away.

“Merlin, she scares the hell out of me,” Sue shuddered once the older witch had moved onto another pair – who seemed equally as uninterested by their model planet. “Guess we’re going to have to take this seriously for a second.”

Hani groaned. “I miss being partnered with Lavender.”

“Am I really that bad?” Sue gaped.

“Sue, darling, you’re absolutely perfect,” Hani chuckled. “But there’s one thing you don’t value nearly enough when it comes to these silly, unmarked assignments.”

“And what’s that, darling?” Sue rolled her eyes.

Hani beamed.

“The power of complete and utter bullshit.”

“It’s not a load of crap, McLaggen,” Angelina sighed for the fourth time that morning. Hani was worried she might start yelling soon if the rest of the Gryffindors didn’t knock some sense back into their heads. “Try-outs happen every year, no matter how good the previous year’s team performed.”

“And that’s not bullshit?” The boy in question scoffed. Hani wished she could smack him, just a gentle tap to put him in his place. “I earned my place on the team fair and square.”

“You barely got the spot,” Katie laughed, leaning back further in her armchair when McLaggen turned his glare on her. “I’m stating facts, Cormy. Weasley almost had you beat, and he’s older now. His brothers have been helping him out. It might not be as obvious a choice for Angelina.”

“Don’t call me that,” McLaggen sneered. Hani thought the nickname suited him well; a perfect abbreviation for a boy who behaved like a toddler. “I thought your announcement about try-outs was a formality, especially with the new schedule the professors are insisting on.”

“Madam Hooch was the one to suggest it,” Angelina said patiently – far more patiently than Hani would have managed in her place. “It’s a good change, McLaggen, so I’m going to need you to get over yourself. If you don’t show up this afternoon, you won’t get a spot on the team. It’s as simple as that. So, either you come along with the rest of the group and prove you still deserve to be our Keeper, or you can crawl back to whatever hellhole you emerged from this morning. Doesn’t make a difference to me.”

“Fucking women in charge,” McLaggen cursed at them as he stormed off back to his friends, who didn’t appear nearly as distressed as he did.

Thank Merlin for small mercies. She didn’t have the time to deal with boyish foolishness before the Prefect meeting, and she certainly didn’t want to have to file a last-minute report because of an arrogant prick.

“Sorry about that, Hani,” Angelina said once she was sure McLaggen wouldn’t come back. “I promise I’ll be quick. As I was saying, our current team is one of the strongest we’ve had in a while. If we ignore McLaggen’s complete lack of team spirit, we’ve got a real shot at winning the cup again, especially since we’re the only house that hasn’t lost a player.”

“We’re going to crush the competition,” Alicia grinned. “It’ll be a massacre.”

“You’re going to jinx it,” Katie sing-songed, earning herself a sharp look from Angelina. “Hey, don’t come for me! She’s the one jinxing it!”

“No one’s jinxing anything,” Angelina rolled her eyes. “My point, Hani, is that I’m not worried about this year. What I am worried about is next year and the four empty spots we’ll be leaving in our stead. Ginny and Demelza are amazing, but they aren’t enough to make up for us and the twins. And since our Keeper isn’t a done thing… We need to make sure the team is solid by the time I leave.”

“Right?” Hani nodded, confused.

“I’m only going to be captain for one year,” Katie interjected, “and I refuse to let it be a loss because of high turnover. We’ve got almost four whole months before our first game, and we’re going to use that time to train the next generation.”

“That’s ambitious,” Hani said, her eyebrows raised. It was hard enough finding time to practise with the main team; she couldn’t imagine how much of a hassle it would be to organise trainings for a replacement squad. “And with all the Prefect stuff, I won’t be as available as I was in the past, and I–”

“Don’t worry about that,” Angelina waved her concerns away. “Katie and I will be taking the lead with help from Fred and George. What I need you to do is be available every Saturday afternoon and to choose an extra slot once a month to regroup with Katie, Ginny and Demelza. Next September, you’ll be the senior group. We need you to be a unit, to know each other like the back of your hands. Can you do that?”

It wouldn’t be a piece of cake, especially considering how much of Hani’s free time was being eaten up by the dozens of projects and mysteries she was working on, but–

Quidditch was her last true hobby.

“Absolutely,” she nodded. “Once a month. I can do that.”

“Perfect,” Angelina let out a sigh of relief. “Now, Bailey and Louise look like they’re seconds away from dragging you out of here themselves.”

“And your poor partner looks like a lost puppy without you by his side,” Alicia added, snickering.

She wasn’t wrong. Without the older male prefects there to keep him company, Dean looked out of place next to Hani’s sixth and seventh-year counterparts. He kept shifting from foot to foot, and Hani knew he’d flee the scene if she didn’t show up soon.

“I’ll go save him,” she chuckled. “You guys behave while we’re gone, alright? Don’t scare the little ones. They’re not used to having you all around here.”

“It’s not us you should be worried about,” Angelina tilted her head towards Fred and George, who were currently holding court with the second years. “Whatever they’re up to, it can’t be good.”

“Thankfully, I have other things to attend to, so they’re currently none of my business,” Hani snorted, purposefully shielding her eyes as she stepped away from the other girls. She smiled when they laughed in her wake, her grin widening when she joined Dean and the older prefects. “I see you’ve also decided to leave Fred and George be for the time being.”

“I had a talk with them earlier,” Louise shrugged. “Nothing more we can do unless the second years complain about them.”

“It’s not complaints I’m worried about,” Dean muttered. Hani giggled, earning herself a smirk from her partner. “You can laugh now, but we both know the last thing the little ones need is encouragement from the Weasley twins. The second years are hard enough to manage as it is.”

“Honestly, you guys are doing better than I thought you would,” Bailey said, sounding genuinely impressed as she led them out of the tower and towards the Prefect room. “From the outside, at least, it looks like the firsties respect the hell out of you two. Wren still isn’t sure putting you in charge of four other year groups was a good idea, but at least you aren’t crashing and burning.”

“Yet,” Hani added. “We aren’t burning yet, but I was going to bring the subject up with Wren if no one else did. It’s not like we’re in desperate need of help, but it would be nice to get a bit more support from some of the Gryffindor professors.”

“We’ll back you up when you mention it,” Louise smiled encouragingly. She’d been a great mentor to Hani for the past two weeks, but Hani knew she had better things to do than look after a panicked fifth year student. Extra assistance from the Gryffindor staff would mean less work for her.

“Professor Alderton would be a good pick,” Dean chimed in, and Hani nodded in agreement. “He knows the younger students best, and he’s not quite as prickly as Professor Prewett.”

“He’s also not hard on the eyes,” Bailey pointed out, earning herself three pained grimaces. “Oh, come on! We all noticed it when he started working here. Don’t act all innocent now.”

“Can I get this memory wiped from my brain?” Louise whined. “I don’t want to know what you’re thinking about when you see Professor Alderton. It’s bad enough that I get it from some of my dorm mates; you have no right to inflict this upon me during what should be a safe time.”

“Weak,” Bailey scoffed. Her eyes shone with amusement, though, and Hani wondered how much of her little comment had been for Louise’s benefit. “If I were you, Hani, I’d bring Professor Alderton up at the beginning of the meeting. I’ve heard whispers about what’s coming today, and I don’t think anyone will be in the mood for extra requests once Wren and Cedric are done with us.”

“What does that mean?” Dean paled, his skin taking on an ashy tone. He, more than Hani and the other girls, was terrified of Wren. “Bailey, what does that mean?”

The eldest Gryffindor prefect only cackled, skipping ahead of them and slipping into the Prefect room, leaving the rest of them to trail in behind her.

By the time they caught up to her, she was already sitting amongst the other seventh-year prefects, her legs extended in front of her and her arms folded over her chest. She waggled her eyebrows at Dean when they passed by her, and Hani bit back a smile when she noticed the nervousness on her partner’s face.

“She’s toying with you,” she teased, waving at their yearmates and settling down in her spot next to Theo. Dean quickly followed her suit, pulling out the chair next to hers. “You can’t let her get underneath your skin. She’ll keep doing it if you don’t get your expressions under control.”

“It’s not like I’m an open book,” Dean huffed, earning himself a loud laugh from Lisa. “Oh, shut it Lisa. You’re just as terrified of Wren as I am.”

“Actually, I’m more terrified of what Wren can do to us than Wren herself,” Lisa shrugged, winking at her patrol partner from her position further down the line. “Besides, I prefer to see it as respect rather than terror.”

They all laughed at that, earning themselves a sharp look from the Head Girl in question.

“It’s like she knows when we’re talking about her,” Lily whispered, leaning over Theo to glance at Hani. “Down in the dungeons, rumours say the professors only gave her the badge because they knew she would physically harm the other girls if they were picked.”

“Okay, that’s ridiculous,” Justin snorted. “Sure, Wren is a little bit scary, but there’s no way she would have done anything that extreme. She loves the other seventh-years.”

“Sure thing, dude,” Lily shrugged. “But it’s hard not to love the things you control. My bet is on some sort of mind-altering device.”

“A spell, you mean?” Theo raised his eyebrows.

Lily scoffed. “No, Theodore, I do not mean a spell. I mean a device. Some sort of gadget she created to get in the minds of other prefects, and potentially even professors. A very serious, definitely-real creation that I didn’t just make up.”

“I only meant–”

“Your pureblood is showing,” Dean interjected, covering his words with a loud cough when Theo turned to glare at him. “Sorry man, there seems to be something in my throat.”

“Speaking of things in other people’s throats–”

“Jesus, Lisa,” Michael choked on his own breath as he spoke. Lisa only raised an eyebrow at him, the picture of poise. “You can’t say shit like that out of nowhere. You’ll put the wrong idea in people’s heads.”

“The only person’s head you should worry about right now is yours,” Lisa said dryly. “You are truly a child. It’s a wonder you even got picked for Prefect. Perhaps I should ask Wren and Cedric if it’s too late to reconsider. What I was going to say is that I noticed the third-year Ravenclaws were coming down with something. They’ve been coughing all week. Are the other third years experiencing something similar?”

“Not that I’ve noticed,” Dean shrugged, turning to Hani for confirmation. “Not that we see much of our third years. They’re a little elusive. Makes me feel like they’re up to something.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from these last two weeks, it’s that they’re always up to something,” Lily groaned. “I swear, the little ones thrive on causing absolute chaos. However, I haven’t noticed anything particular about the third years. It’s like Dean said; they’re never in the common room to begin with. Even if they were sick, I wouldn’t have had the time to notice them.”

“Nothing from the Hufflepuffs either,” Justin shrugged. “Sorry, but you guys are on your own there. You could ask the older Ravenclaw prefects to check the tower? Maybe there’s a specific area the third years like that’s collected some nasty mould or something.”

“Perfect,” Michael muttered. “Because we need mould on top of everything else. It’s not like we have to deal with the worst cases of bullying already. Then again, maybe the mould is a result of all the toxicity floating around.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Lisa grimaced. “We might need the other Prefects to spend more time in the common room until we get a good grasp of what’s going on with the fourth years. Though, it might help if we didn’t have an unwelcome addition to the tower at all times. I’m sorry to ask, Hani, but–”

“If you don’t give Erin a stern talking to right about now, I will kick her out of the common room myself,” Michael finished for her, and Hani didn’t hide her wince.

“Wren and Cedric don’t want me intervening yet, you know this,” she mumbled. “Besides, I have a hard enough time trying to contain her actions within Gryffindor. Maybe you should talk to the fifth years about not inviting friends into the tower? Not like they should be doing it in the first place. I know she can be a pain, and I understand she’s making the atmosphere worse than it already is, but there’s not much I can do once she’s out of lion territory.”

“Merlin, what I wouldn’t do to put her in her place,” Hannah frowned, shrugging when the rest of their group – besides Lisa – shot her an incredulous look. “You didn’t have to deal with her for an entire month this summer. You have no idea what kind of comments we got from her just because she felt like it. Sorry guys, but I’m with Hani on this; until we’re given permission to punish her properly, her time in Ravenclaw Tower is your responsibility. It’s bad enough that Hani has to share a room with her. I can’t imagine how petty she’ll get once points and detention become a problem.”

“Fair enough,” Lisa sighed. “In which case, I’ll definitely need to have a talk with Cedric about diplomacy. I’m seconds away from stunning all the fourth and fifth years into silence. Maybe even the third years, if only so I don’t have to deal with the constant sickly wheezes.”

“Hear hear!” Michael called out, blushing when Wren shot him an amused look from the front of the room.

“Well said, Michael,” their Head Girl laughed. “I suppose it’s as good a time as any to start the session. Seems everyone is here, and we’ve got a long one up ahead, especially since it appears you all have separate concerns.”

“We’ll have to ask that you keep your individual demands to yourselves for the time being,” Cedric continued with a smile. “Most of you already brought these concerns up in your reports, so I promise Wren and I have been thinking about solutions for the past few days.”

“However, your reports are exactly what we’re here to talk about today,” Wren declared, her laughter turning into a vicious smile. “Despite our training day in August, it looks like we’re going to need another conversation about literacy, appropriate language and content.”

Groans echoed around the room.

Next to Hani, Dean slumped in his seat.

When she looked back at the seventh-year prefects, she spotted Bailey smirking at the rest of their groups, her eyes full of delight.

Maybe Hani should have brought Alderton up at the beginning of the session.

If there was one thing Hani was developing this year, it was a propensity towards headaches.

The Prefect meeting had run on longer than intended – though Bailey had been prepared with a sandwich and a spread of desserts – and she’d barely had time to snag an apple and a scone from the kitchens before she’d had to rush out to the Quidditch Pitch.

She’d made it at the same time as Angelina, Alicia and Katie, who had taken one look at her and had sat her down on the bench, promising that they could handle the first part of the try-outs without her input.

Unfortunately, try-outs were not something one could simply sit out of, hence the headache – which was bordering on a migraine, layered on top of the rushing of her mind.

Within the first five minutes of Angelina’s introductory speech, chaos had already exploded on the pitch. Students wanted to know what the new schedule would mean for their team, what the replacement team would be getting up to, why some of the older members wouldn’t be asked to try out again… The stream of questions was incessant, and Hani could tell even Angelina was reaching the end of her rope.

“But surely, you should let us all have a fair shot?” A third-year boy protested. He was a relative of Oliver Wood’s, Hani thought; usually a calm-tempered student as elusive as the rest of his yearmates. “There’s no way we’ll get the experience we need if we can’t join the team until we’re past our fourth year.”

Angelina took a deep breath before speaking. Hani was glad she was behind her; she could feel a storm brewing even from her cushy spot.

“Look, Wood, I understand your frustration,” she said between gritted teeth. “For the most part, positions on the Quidditch team are random. Some people get lucky and acquire a spot as early as Second Year, while others have to wait until they’re well into their Hogwarts career. It’s unfortunate, but it’s also not something I can fix. I’m not going to make my entire senior team try out when I know they’re the best we have; all it would do is take away the attention I need to be giving everyone else.”

“Though, if anyone thinks they can beat our current stars, you’re free to make yourself known,” Katie added, crossing her arms over her chest and gesturing towards Hani as well as the twins, who had settled further to her left. “We’ll keep a close eye on you, and we’ll give you the recognition you deserve if we believe you would do better than them.”

Which they wouldn’t, of course, since none of them had the advantage of experience. Hani would be happy to share her position with someone else, but she doubted any of the Gryffindor hopefuls would be as prepared for an actual match as she was.

“But–”

“Alright, I’m going to ask you all to shut the hell up!” Angelina finally exploded. “If you don’t like the way I run my team or my try-outs, you’re welcome to leave the pitch and never come back.”

Silence followed her announcement, and Hani didn’t bother biting back her smile. If there was one thing she appreciated about Angelina, it was her lack of tolerance for absolute bullshit. There was a reason she hadn’t been chosen as a Prefect, and it showed in the way her temper flared out now.

“The only open position we have on the team right now is for a Keeper,” she continued. “Everyone else will be trying out for the junior team, unless we truly think you deserve to replace one of our senior members. Again, if you have a problem with that, you can leave before the process even starts. I don’t want to deal with teammates who are gonna complain every time they’re benched.”

This time, a few of the older students stepped out of the group, catching deathly glares from Fred and George when they started grumbling about the unfairness of the situation.

“Merlin, our housemates can be petty.”

Hani jumped in her seat, the sound of Dean’s voice so close to her ear she was afraid to move in case she accidentally bumped into him.

“It’s as though they don’t realise we’ve been winning the Quidditch Cup for years because of our amazing team,” he added when Hani stayed mute, still startled by his proximity. “I was actually going to try out for the team Keeper at first, give it a shot and see if I could have some fun before we graduate.”

“Didn’t want to go up against Ron?” Hani asked, tilting her head towards their nervous-looking friend. It was his second year trying out, and only because the twins had insisted he give it another shot. After he’d lost to McLaggen the year before, Hani had thought he might abandon the idea altogether, but it seemed his siblings had more influence upon him than she’d assumed.

“Nah, I’m not afraid of Ronny boy,” Dean laughed. When Hani stared back at him curiously, he tapped the Prefect badge pinned to his robes. “Some of us get a little overwhelmed when responsibilities are thrust upon them. Not sure how you manage it, Hani, because these first two weeks have already made me question every decision I’ve ever made.”

“It’s not been as bad as I thought it would be,” she shrugged. “And Wren agreed to talk to Professor Alderton for us, so hopefully he’ll be more present in the future. I think we’re doing just fine.”

“I think I’m barely breathing,” Dean snorted. “But I’m glad one of us is doing alright. I’m guessing you didn’t feel too attacked by the speech about our reports this morning?”

“Theodore and I are pretty thorough with our checks. If there was something wrong with my reports, he would have told me as soon as it happened. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s not exactly subtle with his criticism.”

“Tell me about it,” Dean said, rolling his eyes. “He’s a decent enough guy, but a pureblood through and through. Definitely wouldn’t be caught dead at one of these things.”

By ‘these things’, Hani assumed he meant the organised chaos Angelina was currently leading, calling different names out and putting people into groups as they came up to her and expressed their preferred positions. The result was a mass of students – about twenty, if Hani wasn’t mistaken – milling around the Pitch, following the warm-up instructions the Gryffindor team had abided by since Oliver had been captain.

“He’d have an aneurysm,” she agreed, smirking at the thought of dragging Theodore to one of these events. “Though a lot of the little ones look like they’re struggling as well. Do you have any bets on who’ll make it through?”

“Wood’s cousin, surely,” Dean hummed thoughtfully, leaning against Hani’s bench – and out of her personal space, finally. “And I’m sure Ginny will earn her spot back. Robins as well; they were amazing last year, and Angelina won’t let them go.”

“She’s already rigged the try-outs in their favour,” Hani chuckled. “I’m meant to meet with Katie, Ginny and Demelza once every month to make sure we’re on the same page for next year’s season.”

“Playing favourites,” Dean said, faking disapproval. “I should’ve known Angelina wouldn’t leave her replacement team entirely up to luck. She certainly wasn’t going to let you–”

“Thomas! Leave my Seeker alone!”

Dean slid off the bench inelegantly, his cheeks bright red when he spotted Angelina glaring at him from her position in front of the group of hopefuls. The younger students all stared at him with expressions ranging from curiosity to amusement, and Hani knew he wouldn’t be living this moment down anytime soon.

“I’m pretty sure they can tell you’re blushing even from all the way over there,” Hani called after him as he sulked off shamefully. His ears burned as he passed the cackling twins, and he was quick to melt into the rest of the audience, meeting up with a delighted Seamus and a laughing Neville.

“You’re no better than him, you know,” Fred said as he finally sidled up to her. “Chatting with your partner when you should be focusing on the new team. How shameful of you, little lion.”

“Angelina’s got them under control,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ll start paying attention once they’re up in the air.”

“Thinking like a simpleton,” George sighed. “How typical. I can tell you right now Ginny already knows who she wants on her team, purely based on how everyone has been acting while they’re on the ground.”

“Because of their attitude?” Hani scoffed. “We’re not supposed to pick teammates because we like them, Georgie. If that were the case, McLaggen would have never made it onto the team.”

“I don’t claim to understand how Gin comes to conclusions so quickly,” George shrugged. “But I assure you it isn’t only a matter of attitude. When it comes to Quidditch, she’s on a whole other level. You should have seen her fly last year when you and Angelina were gone. She was great when you were there, but she shone even more when Katie let her take charge of their plays.”

“She’s a wonderful flyer,” Hani agreed.

“She’ll have Charlie beat by the end of her time here,” Fred said, sounding so genuine Hani almost did a double-take. “Oh, c’mon, you remember how mum was with Gin when you stayed with us for the summer. She hates how much Ginny flies, and it’s a wonder she’s managed to come as far as she has. If she beats Charlie despite all the obstacles our dear mother put in her way, it’ll be a miracle.”

“And it’ll be good for her,” George added. “It’s tough being a Weasley when there are so very few ways for us to stand out.”

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Apprentice,” Hani waggled her eyebrows, perking up at the reminder of the millions of questions she hadn’t wanted to ask Severus. “How did that even come about? Have you been slipping love potions to Professor Snape?”

“I think he might have murdered me if I’d done that,” George said, paling. “One of the first conversations he had with me after he selected me as his apprentice was all about consent, boundaries, and the importance of ethics when dealing with potions. He made it clear that no love potions of any kind should be brewed without his supervision.”

“That–” Hani cut herself off. 

She’d been about to say that it sounded like Severus; biting and sharp but, at the end of the day, more about safety than anything else. It was the same way he treated her, for better or for worse.

But George didn’t know that, and Professor Snape couldn’t be her father. Not to Fred and George, at least. Not as long as they were unbound by secrecy vows and far too likely to accidentally spill the news to the rest of the student body.

“That sounds surprisingly reasonable,” she said instead, blushing at the matching looks of curiosity the twins were wearing now. “And I’m happy for you, George. It seems like a wonderful opportunity.”

“It is,” her friend grinned. “If I didn’t care about Quidditch so much, I would have left the team already. Professor Snape is no slacker; he’s got me brewing potions every evening and going through essays every morning. It looks like I might spend most of my year deep in the dungeons, which is–”

“–completely impractical,” Fred tutted. “We were supposed to end our Hogwarts careers on a high, but now Georgie is going to be too busy sucking up to Snape to engage in any illicit activities.”

“You wound me, brother dearest,” George gasped. “I have three new recipes being developed as we speak, all thanks to the private laboratory Professor Snape lets me have access to whenever I desire. Meanwhile, all you’ve done is dilly-dally around the new dorms complaining about the superior twin finally ascending to his highest form.”

“See, Hani! The arrogance is already getting to him!” Fred bemoaned, shooting his twin a betrayed glare. “You have to promise that you’ll never be this bad once you get promoted to Head Girl and probably bat away at least five offers of apprenticeship. It’s all downhill once your ego gets too big.”

Hani chuckled at the twins’ banter, trying to imagine what the year would look like now that they could no longer be joint at the hip.

“At least tell me you’ll let me keep the map and the cloak, little lion,” Fred batted his eyelashes at her. “You’re a Prefect now; you understand why I need both of the tools at my disposal.”

“You can keep them for as long as you’d like, Fred,” she laughed. “I’ll let you know if I ever need them for a special excursion, but I see no reason to steal them away from you when I now have privileges you could never even envision.”

“I see the arrogance has already infected your brain,” Fred muttered through a poorly-concealed grin.

“Hey! You three! I don’t pay you to sit around and chatter about your lives!” Fred and George looked up in unison, their eyes dancing with mischief when they spotted Angelina standing a few paces away from them.

She’d left the potential recruits to warm up in the air, though Hani noted three of the hopefuls had already been dismissed.

“You don’t pay us at all!” George called back, laughing loudly when Angelina narrowed her eyes at him. He bounded over to her before she could say anything else, leaving Fred and Hani to trail behind him. “What do you need, oh benevolent leader?”

“We have eighteen hopefuls in the air right now,” Angelina explained. “I need to focus on McLaggen and Ron for the time being, especially considering how rough they got during last year’s try-outs. Katie is keeping an eye on Ginny and Demelza to make sure they haven’t let themselves go over the summer. Alicia is on Chaser watch, naturally. I need the three of you to watch out for any hopeful Beaters, Seekers and Keepers. Remember, we’re going for a full replacement team.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Fred saluted her. George followed suit and, after a second’s hesitation, so did Hani.

Angelina rolled her eyes at them but didn’t protest any further. Within a minute, she had Ron and McLaggen back on the ground with her and was going over the rules of their try-outs.

Hani was tempted to focus on Ron and see if he’d finally managed to work through his performance anxiety, but Fred and George were already pulling her closer to the rest of the senior team. She reluctantly turned away from her yearmate, looking at the gaggle of younger students instead.

“Seekers and Keepers, little lion,” George reminded her as they sidled up to Alicia and Katie. “Leave the Beaters up to us.”

She nodded half-heartedly, her mind already on the possible choices in front of her.

Based on the time they’d been up in the air, the hopefuls had to be on their third lap of the pitch, which meant they should have barely been winded. The senior team could go ten laps in a row without breaking a sweat, and though she didn’t expect the same endurance coming from a new set of flyers, she still needed to see some effort in order to consider any of them for the new team.

She immediately dismissed the pair of students lagging far behind the rest of the group. The Gryffindor training method could do a lot, but even Oliver’s rigorous exercises couldn’t save those two.

The flyers keeping up a good pace would make good Beaters and Chasers, but what Hani needed…

She hummed thoughtfully.

“Hey Alicia, do you have a Quaffle on you?” She asked, glancing over at the older witch and grinning when she passed her a ball without hesitating. “Thanks, you’re the best!”

“Just don’t do anything–”

But Hani was already gone, jogging towards the spot the pack would soon be reaching. They’d come to her straight from a turn, which was perfect for what she had in mind.

She waited patiently, Quaffle in hand, as she watched the students get closer and closer to her. Already, she could see a few heads looking down towards her, and she grinned approvingly.

“Hey hopefuls!” She yelled once they were right above her. “Catch!”

She flung the ball as high as she could, moving out of the way in case none of the flyers reached her before the Quaffle hit the ground again. Thankfully, the hopefuls weren’t quite as incompetent as she’d anticipated.

In fact, three students came zooming down towards her, one of them snatching the Quaffle out from the air right before it touched the ground, and Hani’s smile widened when the student managed a relatively-unscathed landing. The girl still stumbled off her broom inelegantly, her knees catching against the floor, but she was overall in better shape than most people would have been in her place.

“Good,” Hani nodded excitedly, gesturing for the other two students to join her as well. “You three are with me.”

She guided them back to the rest of the senior team, laughing when Alicia sighed in her direction.

“You’re a crazy one, Hani,” she shook her head. “That ball could have given you a concussion if no one had caught it.”

“Have a bit of faith, Alicia,” she shot back. “I was only stopping here to make sure none of you wanted these three for yourselves. If not, I was going to take them further down the pitch to run them through a few drills and see if they’re worth anything as Seekers or Keepers.”

“Sounds good to me,” Alicia shrugged. “Oi, Katie, how are Ginny and Demelza looking?”

“They seem fine to me,” Katie replied, pointing at the front of the pack, where Ginny and Demelza were easily leading the others around the pitch. “Not that Angelina actually wanted me to evaluate them. We all know their try-outs are a sham.”

“Precisely,” Alicia snorted. “I was going to call the group down anyway, so why don’t we let Ginny go with Hani? She’ll have a good eye for Seekers and Keepers as well, considering her siblings have played pretty much every position in Quidditch history. We can keep Demelza with us to run some Chaser drills.”

“Sounds good to me,” Hani smiled, turning back towards her three hopefuls. “Let’s head out. We’ll have Ginny join us once she’s ready. In the meantime, why don’t we go over the positions you guys enjoy most. Who wants to go first?”

“I usually go for Chaser,” the girl who’d caught the ball answered immediately. “Name’s Beth, by the way. Beth Callaghan, third year. I don’t play Quidditch often, but I used to play basketball before coming to Hogwarts, and I thought it could be fun to try out.”

Hani hummed, already thinking about the ways in which her knowledge of basketball could help with her Quidditch training.

The other girls introduced themselves next; Hikari Shinohara, a second year who flew all the time but rarely ever played Quidditch, and Cecily Tarawalli, who hesitantly admitted she’d never settled on a position. All three of them relaxed when Hani assured them she wasn’t there to criticise their previous Quidditch experience.

“What matters most is what you can do now,” she added. “We’ll try a few things out, and we’ll see how it goes. No matter what the results are, just remember we can’t allow everyone on the team, if only because we don’t have enough spots. If it doesn’t work out this time around, you can always try out again next year. We’ll have positions opening every year after this one.”

That said, she set the three of them to race back and forth from one set of stands to the other, keeping an eye on their speed.

“Hey Hani!”

She smiled at the sound of Ginny’s voice and eagerly waved the other girl over.

“Speed test?” The youngest Weasley asked as she sidled up to Hani. “Fred and George said we’re here to find a Seeker and a Keeper.”

“That’s right,” Hani replied. “They’re the only three who instantly reacted to my shout when I tossed the Quaffle, so their reflexes are already good. They all have potential, though I’m leaning towards Beth as Seeker for the time being. She’s the one who actually caught the Quaffle.”

“Hmm,” Ginny said, her brows drawn together. “Short, blond hair?”

“That’s her,” Hani nodded.

“She’s certainly the fastest,” Ginny said slowly. Hani glanced at her, encouraging her to keep going. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, she’d make a good Seeker. A good Chaser too, I reckon, if she can keep up her pace. But look at the younger girl, the one with her hair in a ponytail. Her movements are way smoother. If we gave her the proper training, she could easily pull off some of the more intense feints.”

“Maybe,” Hani frowned. “And with a good broom, maybe…”

“What position does she usually play?”

“She doesn’t,” Hani answered instantly. “Most of her experience comes from flying, not playing.”

“Even more impressive, then,” Ginny pointed out, and Hani couldn’t disagree with her. “You should send the third girl to Angelina. She’s about to finish up with Ron and McLaggen, so it would be a good time for her to have a look at whether she’d make a good Keeper.”

“Glad we agree on that one,” Hani grinned, raising her voice when the girls rushed back to their end of the stands. “Cecily, come here for a sec! Beth and Hikari, you can keep going!”

All three followed the order easily, which had Hani letting out a short breath of relief. The one risk with a team was having to deal with students who refused to listen to others, so she was glad to note none of her hopefuls appeared to have an issue with authority.

“Is everything alright?” Cecily asked worriedly as she landed next to them.

“Perfectly,” Hani beamed. “We’re going to send you to Angelina so you can give Keeper a shot. You’re not quite as speedy as the other girls, but you’re steadier on your broom, which is exactly what you’ll need if you want to defend our hoops.”

“Seriously?” Cecily lit up.

“Absolutely,” Ginny nodded, tilting her head towards Angelina. “Go on, let Angelina see what you can do.”

She was off in a flash, leaving Ginny and Hani to focus on Beth and Hikari.

“Damn, Beth really does have more speed than Hikari,” Ginny huffed. “Maybe I was too optimistic when I said Hikari would have better form in the long run. If she can’t keep up with that kind of pace when they’re on the same broom… Skill is useless if she can’t win a race of brute speed.”

“I say we should give her a chance,” Hani said encouragingly. “You’ve got a better eye for this than I do, Ginny. If you think Hikari has potential, then we owe it to her to see what she can do against Beth when it comes to reflexes, mobility, and the ability to deal with unpredictable hazards.”

“I haven’t been on the team as long as–”

“You’ve been playing Quidditch since before I even knew Magic was a thing,” Hani said, laughing. “I think you’re more than equipped to disagree with my opinions when it comes to these things.”

“Well then,” Ginny blushed. “Lead the way.”

“And you’d better take notes,” Hani said, smirking when Ginny looked at her curiously. “Leadership is a requirement if one wants to become captain someday.”

Ginny’s answering grin was so blinding, Hani was surprised Beth and Hikari managed to make their way back to them without blinking at the pure sunlight she was emanating.

“A replacement team? Why didn’t we think about that?”

Hani laughed at the devastated look on Tracey’s face, which Hannah was quick to mirror when she noticed their Slytherin friend staring at her.

“Our captains are more focused on our current victories than our future ones,” Hannah said smoothly. “Obviously the Gryffindors are putting everything they can into their replacement team; they know they won’t win this year, which is bound to be an atrocious loss for them. Absolutely terrible.”

“You’re not nearly as subtle as you think you are, Han,” Tracey snorted dryly. “At least I’ll get to properly fly against both of you this year. And I got another girl on the team, which is revolutionary in and of itself.”

“Slytherin had been getting disgustingly male-oriented,” Daphne agreed from her spot next to Hani. They’d been working on their crafts when Tracey and Hannah had joined them to talk sports, and Daphne had – surprisingly – opted to stick around. “And Draco will hate having to fly on the same team as Emma, which is a glorious bonus.”

“Not that you’ll get to see his most interesting game,” Hani pointed out, pouting a little at the reminder that Daphne wouldn’t be there to see her destroy Draco’s ego. “You know, it’s not too late to change your mind and decide to stay here for the year. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to manage the Sisters when you’re gone.”

“You’ll be fine,” Daphne drawled. “I did it without you, and you’ll do it without me. Besides, it actually is too late to change my mind. Professor Snape has all my consent papers, and I’ve been given my Beauxbatons schedule.”

“You have?” Tracey gaped. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I thought Sue might want us to share them together,” Daphne shrugged unapologetically. “Sorry Trace, but she’s my buddy for the year. You remember how it was last year for Hani and–”

She clamped her jaw shut.

“Hani and Lisa,” Hannah completed with an awkward chuckle. “They didn’t know each other either, but now look where they are. I’m sure you and Sue will make a wonderful duo.”

“And I suppose Granger isn’t so bad, once you take her out of the classroom,” Daphne added, earning herself three incredulous looks. “What? She isn’t. I mean, I knew there had to be a reason Hani was her friend for so long, but she really is a good person. She’s been a great buffer between Ernie and us, too. She doesn’t let him get away with anything.”

“Rightfully so,” Hani snorted. It was all too easy to imagine Hermione putting Ernie in his place when he made out-of-pocket comments. The thought had her softening a little. “I’m glad it’s going well with her. Hogwarts is going to be weird without the three of you around.”

“Eh, we’ll get used to it,” Tracey interjected. “It’s definitely strange at first, but we’ll find a new rhythm until the traitors get back to us.”

“Besides, it’s not like the Sisters have been a fixed group from the beginning,” Hannah said gently, shooting Daphne a small smile to soften the blow. “Lisa, Sue, the Programme, Susan, and even Leo these days… I actually like that we mix things up every once in a while. It’s a nice reminder that we’ll still be there for each other at the end of the day.”

“Not all those changes were good,” Tracey pouted. “Leo’s hardly ever here anymore.”

She had a point.

The Sister room was busier than ever, especially now that they only had a few weeks left before Sue and Daphne left for France, but Leo was rarely anywhere to be found.

They all understood why, of course. Hani had been happy to see him settle in with the other Hufflepuff boys, and even the boys in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, but it still left a Leo-shaped hole in their group. Every time Hannah and Tracey stepped into the room, there was an empty spot next to them, as though they were expecting Leo to turn a corner and join them. And every once in a while, one of the Sisters would turn to ask him a question, only to realise he’d never been there to begin with.

“I’m sure things will get easier once he’s found his marks,” Hannah murmured. “And he’s been there when it matters. He even showed up to your Quidditch try-outs although he couldn’t care less about the school teams.”

“I know,” Tracey groaned. “I’m just sulking. Let me sulk, Han.”

“Sure thing,” Hannah snorted.

“Should we gather the troops and have a look at the Beauxbatons schedules?” Hani suggested, eager to shift away from the topic of Sisters and the changes they’d had to make over the years.

“Actually, could I talk to you about something before we call everyone else over?” Hannah was looking at Hani now, her fingers twisted in front of her. “It’s nothing– Well, it’s nothing bad, but the triplets…”

She interrupted herself with a frown, her lips pressed together as she struggled to find her words.

“Tracey is already watching over Grace, making sure she’s not doing anything dangerous in the dungeons,” she finally continued. “And I’ve got my hands full with Abby, who– Honestly, I don’t think any of us realised she would be alone in Hufflepuff this year, and it’s been tough for her so far. She misses Charlie, she misses Grace, she misses home… It’s not easy.”

“Right,” Hani nodded slowly. She’d noticed Abigail sitting close to Hannah during meals, but she’d assumed it was more out of habit than anything. She should have known the youngest triplet would be struggling with Charlie’s unexpected Sorting.

“I’m keeping my ears open during Prefect meetings, and Michael has been great at keeping me updated about Charlie, but if you could– I don’t know, just give him a smile when you see him? Ask him how he’s doing?” Hannah sighed. “I know there’s nothing for me to worry about, but it would make me feel better. Abby’s set on ignoring him for now, and I doubt he’s getting much from Grace either, and I don’t want him to be…”

“Lonely?” Hani completed for her, smiling faintly. “For the record, I’m sure he’s already made tons of friends. He’s a great kid. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll check in on him once in a while. Don’t even worry about it.”

“Great,” Hannah nodded. “Cool. Perfect. I’ll go grab the other girls so we can look at the timetables.”

She whirled away, Tracey following after her with a quick wave in Hani and Daphne’s direction.

“Intense beginning of the year, don’t you agree?”

When Hani turned to look at Daphne, her friend was staring down at the drawing in front of her, a beautiful abstract pastel piece. The colours made something ache within Hani, filling her with yearning she’d never experienced before.

She blinked before she could delve too deeply into Daphne’s runic enchantment.

“It’s been different,” she agreed. “I assumed it was the same for you last year when we were getting ready for the Programme.”

“Not exactly,” Daphne said, furrowing her brows. “There was less tension last year. Everything feels more serious this time around. Hannah is always stressed, Lisa is constantly busy with Prefect duties, Leo’s never around, Sue and I are getting ready to leave, Tracey loses a bit of herself every time we’re in the common room, Parvati is entangled with Blaise, and you’re– keeping secrets.”

She hesitated before the last part, her breath hitching, but Hani didn’t miss the hurt in her voice.

“I–” She stopped herself, not wanting to lie to Daphne. It wouldn’t work anyway; Daphne saw through her even quicker than Lavender and Parvati did. “You noticed?”

Daphne shrugged. “At first, I thought it was the issue of your guardians and the prophecy they’re keeping from you. But then, you started feeling… brighter. You’re more in control of yourself, and you’re always dying to get back to your dormitory at the end of the day. My second guess was that you were in a relationship with a fellow Gryffindor, but that didn’t make sense either.”

“I would have told you if I was dating someone,” Hani said, trying to hide the sting of Daphne’s words. “I would never keep that from you.”

“But you are keeping something else from me, aren’t you?” Daphne looked at her now, her eyebrows drawn, her gaze daring Hani to disagree.

“I’m just– I’m trying to understand myself better,” Hani breathed out. “I’m learning to control my Magic as best as possible. Not like there’s anything more I can do until Parvati manages to get through to Professor Hornby.”

“I know we didn’t–”

Joyful voices stopped her before she could get any further. Daphne’s features fell for a second before she got them under control and plastered a smile onto her face. She grinned when Padma complimented her drawing, and leaned further into her chair while the rest of the Sisters settled down.

“No Parvati?” Hani asked, pursing her lips. Her best friend had been there earlier in the afternoon, and she hadn’t seen her leave.

“She’s meeting with Blaise,” Lavender rolled her eyes. Next to Hani, Daphne let out a humourless laugh. “Apparently, she doesn’t care about the timetables that much anyway. Though she does want to see your Prefect robe before your next patrol.”

“You got approval?” Lisa’s face lit up, her eyes falling down to find the green and silver robes Hani had been working on. “And they’re done?”

“I’ll have them ready for you before your patrol this evening,” Hani smiled. “They’ll pair well with those sleeveless jumpers I knitted last winter. Although, there should be enough enchantments embroidered into the fabric that you won’t need any additional layers.”

“It’s not about the layers, Hani,” Hannah scoffed playfully, her earlier mood forgotten. “It’s about style .”

“We get it guys; Hani’s robes are amazing,” Sue said loudly, grinning bashfully when Hannah and Lisa narrowed their eyes at her. “Could you please be excited later? We haven’t been able to gather as a group all week, and I’ve been dying to share my timetable with people who will understand my excitement without stewing in bitterness.”

“Are the other girls still bothering you?” Lisa frowned. “I thought I’d made it clear they’d be put in detention if they didn’t leave you alone.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sue waved her concerns away. “Now, here’s the fun thing! See, my exchange partner chose the Practical Magic specialty at school, which means I have tons of Defence, Charms and Transfiguration classes. It’s actually the most commonly chosen specialty, so most of the exchange students are part of that group, but Daphne–”

“Somehow got put in the one specialty that deals with Herbology,” Daphne finished for her, widening her eyes for emphasis.

Hani bit the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from reacting, but the other Sisters weren’t as quick to hide their amusement. Tracey was laughing silently, her hand covering her mouth in a poor attempt at acting casual. 

“It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little bit funny,” Lavender smirked, taking Daphne’s icy glare with more grace than Hani ever had. “You spend all summer complaining about your one less-than-perfect grade, and now you’re stuck taking it as a major subject for the first term? Sounds a bit like karma to m– Ow!”

“It’s not even the worst part,” Sue sighed, ignoring the anger radiating off of Daphne in waves.

“What’s the worst part?” Hannah frowned, her eyes scanning over Daphne’s timetable as though looking for the punchline. “I mean, besides the obvious inclusion of what seems to be… sports?”

Hani leaned closer to the other girls, and the answer glared up at her in less than ten seconds.

“Ah,” she winced. “No Arithmancy?”

Daphne’s head thumped onto the table.

Hani opened her mouth to tell her she would get used to the absence of her favourite subject, but another look at the schedule – which was almost completely taken over by Potions and Herbology – had her snapping it shut.

She’d have to send Daphne a lot of letters while she was gone. It wouldn’t do for her to lose her favourite crafting partner because she’d driven herself insane during the Programme.

The meditation was working.

Beneath her skin, Hani could feel her heart rate pick up and settle again, the flow so familiar it was almost instinct to fall into it. Her mind felt clearer than ever before, though she could see the cracks in her barriers even better now that her thoughts had faded to a dull buzz. If she let her heart rate slow even further, perhaps she could get closer to her barriers and–

“Of course, this conversation would be even more interesting if my goddaughter was actually here with me.”

She snapped out of her daze, looking up sheepishly at Remus. Her de-facto godfather rolled his eyes in good humour, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Lots on your mind, Harini?” He asked, his voice bordering on a laugh. “It’s not the first time I’ve noticed you drifting off in this past week. At first, I assumed you’d grown bored of my lessons, but it seems you’re equally as tired of my chatter.”

“Sorry,” she blushed. “I’ve been working on some new meditation techniques, and you were kind of talking to yourself for a while there, so I figured I could get some practice in until you were done.”

It was Remus’ turn to grow bashful, the tips of his ears burning red as he considered Hani’s words.

“I suppose I might have gotten a little caught up in the details of the Programme,” he mumbled. “I’m so used to talking to people who have never experienced it, I momentarily forgot you’re even more familiar with the proceedings than I am. It’s what I was asking you about, actually. I was wondering if there was anything you’d wished Professor Slughorn had done differently while you were abroad.”

“Remus,” she said seriously, pinning him down with an unimpressed stare. “Are you really asking me to compare you to Slughorn ?”

“Brat,” Remus huffed. It was an almost perfect imitation of Severus. “That’s your professor you’re talking about.”

“He was fine,” she rolled her eyes. “Although he really should have toned down the insistence on making everything about Hogwarts. You’re a great teacher, Remus, and I’m sure everyone will love you. Just be available but not overbearing. They’ll want you to be there, but they definitely don’t want you to always hover around them as though they’re incapable of making their own choices.”

“Touché,” Remus winced, taking in Hani’s sharp tone. “Your father–”

“Is doing what he thinks is right,” Hani cut in, shrugging when Remus narrowed his eyes at her. “Is that not what you were going to say?”

“Harini,” Remus sighed. “I understand you’re still upset about this summer and the things your guardians and I failed to mention, but you can’t hold it against us forever. The prophecy is long gone, and worrying about it won’t get you anywhere.”

“I’m not worried about it,” Hani said, the lie rolling effortlessly off her tongue. “And I’m not holding it against you. I mean, what’s a prophecy when I just found out I have Blood Magic?”

“I– A fair point,” Remus snorted. “I would love to talk to you about it when I come back from the Programme. I’m no expert on the topic, but I think I know enough about Magic that I could help you parse through any of the passages you might still be struggling with at that point. That is, unless Severus and Sirius have offered to walk you through it already.”

“Not exactly,” Hani frowned. “You know, Severus mentioned–”

A knock on Remus’ door interrupted her sentence, and her frown deepened when Remus looked at her apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Harini,” he grimaced. “I promised Miss Granger I would go over some last few points before our departure, and I didn’t notice how much time had passed since you got here. You should stop by later this week, tell me all about the beginning of the Grimoire and what your guardians think of it. And, of course, it wouldn’t feel right to leave without saying a proper goodbye.”

“Right,” Hani smiled tightly. “I’ll leave you to it.”

She brushed past Hermione on her way out, not wanting her frustration to lash out at the wrong person.

Instead, she held it in until she reached her dormitory, pricking her finger slightly deeper than she needed to and letting her hands curl tightly around the Grimoire, the pages wrinkling in the corners where her fingers pressed into them.

What was the use of parsing through her mother’s spells with Remus, she thought, if she couldn’t even try them out? What was the point of the Grimoire at all, if the only thing she was getting out of it were a few meditation techniques that couldn’t do anything to patch the holes in her barriers?

She flipped to the next page in the book and stared down at it enviously.

Finding your Magic, it said, the most tempting offer the book had suggested so far.

And really, Hani had never been one to resist temptation.

Chapter Text

It is, perhaps, in our nature to be foolish. I have never claimed to be a particularly careful woman, and I was certainly less so when I was a child. Therefore, it stands to reason that my descendants may also lack some of the foresight that others are blessed with. Under these circumstances, a warning is necessary.

Your blood is precious. Do not lose it, do not give it away, do not bleed unless you know you are in control of every variable. If the worst is to occur, be meticulous. Clean thoroughly, check for traces of your Magic on others, and heal yourself until even your scars have disappeared.

It is not blood loss you should worry about, it is where the blood you lose will go.

~ ToB ~

Hani was cold.

One thing the Grimoire hadn’t mentioned was how draining meditating would be; how exhausting it would be for her to keep up with the dozens of methods she was trying to learn at once.

Despite having slept in that morning, she could already feel drowsiness blurring her vision and dulling her senses.

She glared at the book in front of her.

“Clean thoroughly, she says, as though that’s the greatest of my worries,” she grumbled, wishing she could ask her mum if meditation had been easier for her. If the reason she didn’t mention the tiredness was because she’d never struggled with it to begin with. If she’d been so paranoid, she’d forgotten the more mundane side of Magic.

Hani felt it keenly now, seeping into her bones like a ghost. Every time she closed her eyes to focus on her heartbeat, the tips of her fingers went numb and her teeth chattered.

She’d spent too much time wearing her enchanted clothes; she’d forgotten how cold she got when sleep tried to claim her. She’d overestimated her ability to wander around the castle the same way she’d done when she was a first year, full of restless energy and used to the frigid atmosphere of her cupboard. The seventh-floor was especially brutal, the walls thinner in the Room of Requirement than they were in Gryffindor Tower.

If she hadn’t been worried about her thread magic interfering with her maternal Magic, she would have already given into the urge to claim her comfort back. After all, what was the use of studying magic late at night if she couldn’t walk back to her dormitory once all was said and done? Her feet were freezing already, her shoes bringing her very little solace in the face of the magic she didn’t know how to control yet.

However, she couldn’t stop. She needed her meditation technique to be perfect before she could access anything else in the Grimoire, and she needed it to be perfect now . Even beyond her family magics, her mind was fractured and struggling, constantly fighting the walls she tried to put up.

She needed to be stronger if she wanted to master the delicate spells and rituals her mother had carefully written out for her. Not that she intended on trying them so soon, not without considering what it would mean to go against Severus’ express instructions. Not that it mattered, since she needed to find her knife and vessel first.

Hence her relentless meditation efforts.

When it came to wixen, she was starting to realise it all came down to meditation and the control of one’s mind. It would be commendable if it wasn’t also the bane of her existence.

She breathed in deeply again, ignoring the wisp of frost that threatened to worm its way into her heart. She pushed it away by focusing on the warmth of her blood, the steady rhythm that had flowed through her even before she’d noticed it. She wondered if the cold was a side effect of the heat that burned within her; perhaps her magic was punishing her scorching blood for warming her from the inside out.

Hani shook the thought away. Thinking was always her downfall; the very reason her meditative state was only clinging on by a thread. She couldn’t clear her mind the way everyone else seemingly did, but if she forgot about her head and focused instead on her body…

She felt herself float away, her heart rate slow for three beats, fast for one. An unusual rhythm, she thought, but one she’d grown to find comforting. When the cold nipped at her fingers and curled around her face, she pushed it away with three long pulses and a single short one, her blood singing happily from her head to her toes.

Colour swam in her vision, the usual pitch black replaced by blood red. Threads shimmered behind her eyelids like strands of her hair.

There was nothing else.

It felt like peace, and it felt like danger, and it felt like Magic. It breathed with her as though it was a living thing. It rested inside her, languid and vicious and familiar; it felt like it was waiting for something. She wondered how long it had been there, under the tip of her nose. How many times had it wanted to come out, to be used the same way she played with her thread magic? How long before it forced its way past her fingertips, into the rest of the world?

The thought dragged her out of her meditative state, her breathing harsh and rapid.

She was cold.

She was laying on the floor, though she had been sitting when she had started to turn her focus inward.

She sprang up and pressed her hands to her chest, caught between reassurance and panic when she felt the steady rhythm of her heart. Three long beats, then a shorter one, as though something was scaring her on repeat.

Hani slammed the Grimoire shut, but her mind was swirling with questions now.

When she’d started her daily meditations, she’d been careful to follow what her mother had written down to the word. She’d skipped ahead for that very purpose, wanting to get a headstart on a Magic she couldn’t even begin to understand. She’d been desperate to feel her Magic, to find out what it looked like within her, that she had – perhaps foolishly, as her mother claimed – ignored some of the earlier pages.

She sighed now, opening the Grimoire again and tracing her fingers over her mother’s advice on picking the correct knife and vessel she would need for future experiments. She’d never been patient, and the idea of waiting for the right item to find her was bordering on torturous.

Meditating was supposed to take her mind off her search, but it had been a hopeless endeavour. Clearly, there was something more to the vessel; perhaps it would help temper the strands of red begging to be set free.

“Damn it mum,” she hissed underneath her breath. “What’s the point of writing a Grimoire if you’re not going to give me a clear list of steps to take?”

She stopped on the page she’d been reading earlier that evening, before she’d even attempted meditation.

There was a drop of blood on the parchment. There were drops of blood on quite a few of the pages, as though her mother had opened the Grimoire too fast after unlocking it. Or perhaps she’d been experimenting and writing at the same time, losing track of what was ink and what was blood.

A repulsive thought. Hani would have to make sure she was more careful if she was ever to add entries to the Grimoire.

Still, the blood made her tilt her head curiously and narrow her eyes. On paper, the blood looked no different than any other blood Hani had ever seen. Yet her mother insisted that it could not be left lying around.

“You’ve left plenty here, mum,” Hani snorted humourlessly.

After all, her mother didn’t have to worry about her blood anymore. She didn’t have to worry about anything at all.

Hani, however, had plenty of worries to fill her head with. Out of all of them, losing her blood barely made the top five. She was rather certain no one knew she was a blood witch, so why did it matter to her if they found her blood? Whatever they did with it, they could have done with any other miserable soul.

But now that she looked at her mother’s blood, the curiosity to compare it to her own was too strong to ignore. Her favourite needle was already in her hand, and the prick on her finger hadn’t completely healed over yet. A drop of blood dripped from her thumb a second later, landing an inch away from the mark her mother had left behind.

Candlelight flickered over the fresh splash, and Hani leaned as close to the Grimoire as she could without disturbing her blood.

It gleamed crimson but ordinary.

It was nothing more than blood. It dried quickly, staining the parchment further, and she didn’t doubt it would eventually settle into the same colour as her mother’s. A darker shade of red, almost brown, human and unremarkable and dull.

Perhaps the Magic wasn’t in the blood. Perhaps it was only within her, interacting with her blood only for the time that it existed in tandem with the rest of her core.

And yet–

Her mother’s words were scared. More than that, they were adamant. Even if her mother had been paranoid, Hani had learned enough about Lily Evans to know that she was not the kind to make up knowledge based on nothing but a feeling.

She cursed, pushing the book to the side and falling back onto the floor with a thump. Her head ached from the sudden movement, but Hani had grown used to the migraine that constantly threatened to overtake her mind. In comparison, a bump was inconsequential. Besides, how else would she knock some sense back into her mind?

She didn’t have the energy to look into her mother’s warnings anymore, but she’d have to come back to it later. When she had a knife of her own, maybe. She could collect some of her blood in a vial and inspect it more closely. She was almost certain Severus wouldn’t want her experimenting with her blood even if it was in a purely scientific way, but he also hadn’t explicitly told her not to.

She sighed as she stood, her blood rushing to her head uncomfortably while her extremities struggled to warm up.

She picked up the Grimoire and went to slip her needle back into her pocket, but she paused as it gleamed in the candlelight, the silver turning an enticing shade of gold. A speck of blood shone at its tip, and Hani wiped it off without a second thought, wondering if her mother would have berated her for using her sleeve instead of bringing out a special handkerchief.

She snickered even as she spun the needle around her fingers.

It was one of her most prized possessions. She took it with her everywhere. It probably carried a piece of her thread magic already, or at least traces of the enchantments she weaved into the clothes she created.

It was innocuous, meaningful, and easy to carry around.

A vessel, or a knife?

She turned the thought around in her head as she tip-toed out of the Room of Requirement, wincing when she swayed on the spot. Exhaustion and magical stress weighed on her body, and she cursed herself for having picked a room so far from the tower. It had felt easy when she’d slipped out of the common room right after Dean had left for his patrol, but it struck her as foolish now.

Every step she took on her way back to Gryffindor Tower felt heavy and resoundingly loud. Her head was pounding, she felt dizzy from a lack of sleep, and she tensed every time she turned a corner.

Despite the Prefect badge shining on her chest, she had a feeling she would not be let off easy if she was found wandering too far from her dormitory.

She managed to evade a pair of older Prefects when she reached the fifth floor, and she made it back to the Tower without any further sightings. Her luck started to make more sense, however, when she reached the common room door precisely at the same time as Dean, who blinked wearily at her.

“Dean,” she smiled, trying to keep her tone light. She didn’t even want to think about how she looked, dressed in her school robes, her braids mussed from laying on the floor for far longer than was probably recommended.

“Surprisingly, I don’t want to know,” her prefect partner huffed, shaking his head. “You’re lucky I’m not writing you up for this.”

She snorted, poking him in the ribs. “You would never add to your workload because of a little run-in with a fellow prefect.”

“I could still tell Wren,” Dean pointed out.

Hani stared him down as the portrait slid to the side, and a spark of energy flickered through her when Dean finally laughed, tension and tiredness melting from his face. He shoved her inside playfully, and Hani thought the journey back from the Room of Requirement had almost been worth it, just for this moment.

“Next time, though…”

“Next time, you won’t catch me,” she chuckled, wiggling her fingers at him before slipping up the stairs to the fifth years’ dormitory.

Maybe her mother had been a bit paranoid when she’d written her entry about foresight and blood loss, but her words weren’t entirely pointless.

Now that Blood Magic was involved, Hani couldn’t get away with half-assed plans and clumsy trips around the school.

“Another headache?”

Hani hummed half-heartedly, almost tempted to ask Severus to keep speaking. His voice was low enough that it might lull her to sleep, and then she could finally get the rest she’d been denying herself these last few days.

Although, comparatively to some of her other headaches, this one was almost laughably easy to tolerate. It had only come on later in the day when she’d tried to explain a new Runes concept to Tracey and Leo, going around in circles until Hannah had finally dragged her best friends away. It was nothing compared to the migraine she’d woken up to the previous morning, which had lasted all the way until her Defence class.

“Did Remus say something?” She asked, resisting the urge to open her eyes. The second she did, the illusion of peace would be broken. “I know he was worried about it. Then again, he’s been so busy with the Programme preparations, I thought he might forget about our conversation altogether.”

“I have not seen Remus in the last few days,” Severus huffed, amusement colouring his tone. “He is indeed too busy with the Programme to think about the rest of us mere mortals. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d spent the last week dreaming about France and the problems that are bound to come up while your yearmates are abroad. He may be excited about the opportunity, but he’s been coming apart at the seams in the staffroom.”

“Oh,” Hani said quietly, her brows furrowed. “I guess that makes sense. How did you know about the headaches, then? I’ve only started to have them in the past two weeks or so, and we haven’t really– Well, I mean…”

“Your avoidance is as obvious now as it was when you failed to stop by my quarters this weekend,” Severus laughed softly. He didn’t sound hurt, but he’d always been good at hiding his more negative feelings from Hani. “Minerva was the one who brought up concerns over your well-being. She noticed a lack of participation on your part this week.”

This time, Hani’s eyes snapped open.

“Severus,” she said seriously. “No one participates in Professor McGonagall’s Monday class. It’s the first class of the week. What, do you guys expect us to actually raise our hands and feign interest when we’re still thinking about our Sunday activities? Not a chance.”

“Participation is expected no matter the day and time,” Severus drawled.

Hani rolled her eyes. “How many classes do you have every week again? Because believe me, it would be a lot easier to participate in my lessons if I didn’t have three others to think about that day. Slughorn takes up all of my energy on Monday mornings. You’ll have to tell Professor McGonagall that headache or not, I’m going to withdraw my participation on those days.”

“That message will have to be delivered directly, I’m afraid,” Severus said, biting back a smirk. “Minerva dealt with enough of my nonsense when I was her student, and I don’t wish to anger her any further.”

“Well then,” Hani shrugged. “You can tell her that her messages can also be delivered directly. Unless she’s sending letters to other parents every time she suspects their children have a headache, I don’t think she has any right to talk to you about me. Especially not over something as inconsequential as a headache. At worst, she should have sent me to see Madam Pomfrey and Healer Meadowes.”

“I see,” Severus hummed, his eyes twinkling. “So, Remus may come to me about you whenever he wishes, but Minerva may not? And should I also stop talking to your Head of House about his nephews and niece? Perhaps Professor Forrester shouldn’t be involved in any dealings with her daughter either.”

“It’s just–” Hani began, pouting a little when she realised how petty she sounded. “I only mean that it’s not really fair that some of us have to deal with more scrutiny than others. I get enough of that as the Girl-Who-Lived already, but now I have to worry about you and Remus as well?”

“You should consider yourself lucky,” Severus retorted, still smirking infernally. Hani would have asked him to stop if she wasn’t painfully aware that she wore the same expression every time she wanted to lord something over her friends. “Most staff members are not aware of our relation, and the others are kept under strict secrecy vows. The only reason Minerva comes to me is because she frames it as concern for a prominent figure who is involved with a megalomaniac Dark Lord.”

“I think that might be worse,” Hani groaned. “I’d much rather be associated with you than the Dark Lord. At least you’re only mildly inconvenient to deal with.”

“You’re toeing the line, Harini.”

“I can’t see the line through my debilitating headache that the entire school is apparently aware of,” she answered, tapping a finger to her head and immediately regretting it when pain lanced behind her eyes.

“Foolish child,” Severus said softly. “You said your godfather was worried about these headaches; should we worry? The last time you were assaulted by this kind of constant pain, there was a lot more than simple exhaustion at play.”

“It’s not Dark Lord related, if that’s your question,” she huffed.

He stared at her expectantly, and she hesitated. She hadn’t told anyone about her late-night excursions or the endless hours she spent in the confines of her bed, desperately pouring over the Grimoire. Parvati and Lavender had caught onto her lack of sleep, and she was almost certain most of the other Sisters suspected something was going on with her, but none had asked any questions.

It was a very Severus move, she thought, to prod in the gentlest of manners so she would want to spill her secrets.

“I’ve been reading the Grimoire late at night,” she finally answered, her chest tightening for a moment until she saw the understanding in Severus’ gaze. “I haven’t even made a dent in the thing. I don’t know where my mum found the time to write, but she must have spent months preparing it for me.”

“I’m sure she was aware of how unstable her position in the war was,” Severus said. His voice was careful, but Hani wasn’t sure whose emotions he was trying to be mindful of. “A Grimoire is a good way to solidify a legacy, and to make sure young girls with reckless intentions don’t jump into things headfirst.”

A smart assessment, even if it was relatively incorrect. If anything, the Grimoire only made Hani want to do more, quicker, all the time.

“She didn’t see her death coming, at least,” Hani said, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Severus was frozen, his eyes unseeing as they bore through her head.

“She never finished the last entry,” Hani continued, trying to lighten her tone. “It’s a potion of some sort, funnily enough. I haven’t looked at it yet, not that I think I could understand it even if I wanted to. Everything gets more complicated as you get deeper into the Grimoire, so I’ve only touched the first few chapters. I definitely wouldn’t be able to decipher that last recipe, though, considering she cut herself off halfway through the list of ingredients.”

Her father came back to life halfway through her babbled speech, and she hated how small his piercing stare made her feel.

“Harini,” he said slowly. “I know we– that I do not speak of your mother often, but I hope you know you are always surrounded by people who carry a piece of her with them. I may not be the best suited to talk about her, but Remus and your other guardian and even your professors–”

“She reminds me of you the most,” Hani murmured, looking down at her hands so she wouldn’t have to see emotion tear through Severus. “She speaks like you, sometimes. Very elegantly, like she’s thought about her words a thousand times and finally settled on the best possible combination. It makes me want to be more like you as well, in a way. I never think before I speak.”

“I believe your inability to filter your words is something quite a few people admire about you,” Severus laughed lightly. Hani decided it would be better for both of them if they ignored the breaking of his voice. “You already talk more like her. I believe it’s a side effect of growing up. You’re getting more sensible, if a little more dramatic.”

“Well, of course,” Hani smiled impishly, finally looking up at her guardian and grinning wider when she noticed him looking at her exasperatedly. “I’d be so dull if my sensible nature wasn’t tempered by a good bit of drama. I’m many things, dad, but boring is not one of them. Imagine how tragic it would be for the world’s saviour to be utterly uninteresting. We’d be doomed to a terrible fate.”

“Perhaps,” Severus shook his head ruefully. His brows drew together again. “Though, I doubt our fate will be much better if our supposed saviour curses herself with never ending headaches because she’s too busy reading her nights away.”

“Most parents are happy when their children show an interest in a new academic subject,” Hani pointed out.

“Most parents don’t have you as a daughter,” Severus drawled. “And your academic endeavours won’t be of any use if your days are spent fending off headaches. I know you care for the Grimoire, and I understand why your mother’s Magic matters so much to you, but you cannot run yourself into the ground so early in the year. How on earth will you cope when OWLs come around?”

“That’s actually a forbidden word in our dormitory right now,” Hani groaned. “I’m trying not to think about that. Or the future. Or the homework we get handed every single day by our sadistic teachers. The Grimoire is a lot easier to deal with in the grand scheme of things. A bit morbid, but a better read than most of my textbooks.”

“If I find out you are still attending class with headaches, Minerva will be the least of your worries,” Severus said, ignoring her grumbles. “Take care of yourself, Harini.”

“I–” She snapped her mouth shut before she could protest. “I’ll try, dad.”

“Good,” Severus nodded. “Now, have you found anything of interest in the Grimoire that you wouldn’t mind sharing with me? I have to admit I’m rather curious about the topic, even if I do think you’d be better off leaving it alone for the time being.”

She ignored the second part of his statement. “I’ve mostly read the parts about our family and the things all Blood Wixen need to know. Mum is– was very big on giving warning upon warnings. I skipped ahead to read a bit more about meditation, but I don’t think the methods would work for you the same way they would for me. It’s all about feeling your blood and whatnot.”

“Delightful,” her father said, his face pinched. “And the warnings?”

“Pretty standard,” Hani shrugged. “Don’t practise Blood Magic alone, don’t be an idiot about the spells you use, don’t use any random knife to draw blood… The latest one was about leaving blood laying around. I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s anything physically different about my blood, but it looks completely normal to me.”

“Magical blood is potent in and of itself,” Severus explained. Hani urged him to keep going with a curious noise. “It can be used for a great many things, some of them good but most of them bad. I’d imagine your blood is a lot more potent than anyone else’s, whether it looks the same or not.”

“Right,” Hani frowned.

She’d turned her mother’s words over in her mind for the past two nights, thinking about the blood she’d lost in her life – to her relatives, to accidents, to her adventures, to the Duelling Tournament. Those instances had been so banal, she was almost certain no one could have collected her blood after the fact. At the very least, the blood would have been tainted by outside elements.

There was, however, one thought that kept clawing its way back to the front of her mind.

“The Dark Lord has my blood, you know,” she pointed out.

“Yes, I’m aw–”

Severus was a pale man, but Hani didn’t think she’d ever seen him as sallow as he appeared now. His eyes were wide and haunted, fixed on her as though she’d just made his worst nightmares come true.

“He doesn’t know I’m a Blood Witch, does he?” She asked. If she let herself get carried away by Severus’ panic, neither of them would have the presence of mind to ask the important questions. “So it’s probably fine. He’s… absorbed all of my blood already, right?”

“In theory,” Severus dragged a hand over his face. “Your blood was needed in the potion created to give him his new body. With no Blood Wixen in his ranks, he wouldn’t have gained anything from keeping it. Some of them might dabble in Blood Magic, of course, however… The Dark Lord may be saner now than he was when you defeated him as a baby, but I doubt he would have the foresight to keep a portion of your blood.”

“Then we know where it is,” Hani shrugged. “Mum says I should always know where my blood is, and now I do. There’s nothing the Dark Lord can do now, not without using some of his own blood as well.”

“Harini, I do not know why you think that is any better,” Severus grimaced. “I– Your godfathers and I will have to discuss this at a later date. You are mostly right in your appraisal. So long as the Dark Lord is not aware of your status as a Blood Witch, we shouldn’t jump to the worst conclusions. However, in the future…”

“Believe me, mum freaked me out more than enough,” she replied. She’d cleaned her needle meticulously that morning, and she’d even wiped the Grimoire down in case any traces of her blood had remained. “No more losing blood to random circumstances.”

“Lavender and Miss Patil will have to be careful as well,” Severus sighed. “Sirius and I were so busy thinking about the effects your Magic might have on you, we may have forgotten to consider what it would mean for others. If the rest of the world finds out about your affinity, your blood would become inconceivably valuable. I do not want to think about the lengths people would go to simply to get their hands on your magic.”

“I haven’t told anyone else,” she said softly, relaxing when Severus’ shoulders dropped with relief. “The Sisters know something’s going on, but I’ve let them assume I’m worried about the Dark Lord and the prophecy and my arguments with you.”

“You’ve told your friends about our disagreements?” Severus’ eyebrows shot up, caught between surprise and disapproval.

“If the professors get to tell you about me, then I get to tell my friends about you,” she answered. “It’s only fair.”

“I thought Lavender was the gossip of the group, but I suppose your best friend has rubbed off on you after all these years,” Severus said, sounding so exasperated, Hani was surprised he didn’t punctuate his statement with an eye roll. “I believe the comparison is an unfair one, but I doubt there is anything I can do to stop you from carrying on as you have been. And I am relieved to hear you have not shared the news of your Blood Magic too widely. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Harini, but I would not put it past the Dark Lord to have spies within the school already.”

“He hasn’t told you?” Hani asked. “I thought he counted on you to spread misinformation and… I don’t know, gather the troops at school?”

“The Dark Lord is not entirely foolish,” Severus sighed. “I am his only spy now that Pettigrew has been found out, at least as far as we’re aware. He needs someone to make sure I am acting as he sees fit.”

“Do you have any suspicions?” Hani tried not to sound too eager, even though the idea of uncovering a spy was more than a little tempting.

“It could be any of the children with Death Eater relatives,” Severus answered, his lips pressed together thinly. “I would like to believe that he wouldn’t utilise students as young as eleven, but familial pressure is a dangerous thing. I do not particularly care who he chose; my actions here provide no proof that I am deceiving him. So long as you keep your visits to my quarters secret, there is no reason for him to suspect anything.”

Hani grimaced. It seemed another conversation with Fred would have to happen in her near future. She’d been careful when trekking down to the dungeons, but there was no telling who could be lurking around the corners. Without any knowledge of Disillusionment, the cloak was still her best option.

“I’ll be even more discreet around children with Death Eater affiliations,” she swore. “Though I’m not sure I’ll be able to avoid Theodore even beyond our prefect duties. We are… acquainted now.”

“Mister Nott is the least of your worries,” Severus said dismissively. “He won’t give anything up unless he is being held under duress. Mister Malfoy, Mister Goldstein, and Miss Perks are far more worrying. They are loyal to their parents, far more than any of your other yearmates, and they will do anything to ensure their families do not lose the status they fought hard to earn.”

“Goldstein and Sally-Anne? Really?” Hani frowned. “But Sally-Anne is so…”

“Her situation is a complicated one,” Severus replied, his voice almost regretful. “I doubt she wishes to harm anyone, but her duty to her parents may very well surpass her desire to remain uninvolved.”

“Oh,” Hani whispered. “That makes sense. Is there– Is there anyone else? Any Gryffindors?”

“The only one I’m aware of is Miss Rosier.” Something shuttered in his gaze, his eyes hardening. His jaw was clenched tightly, as though the mere mention of the name filled him with resentment. “I do not think her parents are associated with the Dark Lord, but she has quite a few relatives who stray on the wrong side of the war.”

“Edith, right?” Hani prompted, picturing the first-year girl in her mind. Small and slight, quieter than most of her yearmates. “I doubt she has a hand in this at all.”

“As do I, though I would be a fool if I didn’t at least consider her,” Severus breathed out. “And, while I truly do not want to doubt her character, you will have to be especially attentive around Miss Avery.”

“Wait, Wren ?” Hani’s eyes widened. “No. There’s no way. Why would you have even chosen her as Head Girl if you thought there was a chance she might be involved with Death Eaters?”

“It was not a unilateral decision,” Severus pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “Miss Avery is an accomplished prefect, a polite student, a kind classmate, and an ambitious young girl who would have sooner abandoned her Prefect badge than answer to any of the other prefects in her year. Her position was always guaranteed.”

“Right,” Hani murmured. “I still don’t think she has anything to do with whatever scheme you believe the Dark Lord is implementing here, but I won’t reveal any damning secrets to her. I’m pretty sure she’s too busy to pay attention to me anyway.”

“That is my belief as well,” Severus chuckled. “Though, truly, I do not think the Dark Lord’s junior agents are a threat to my status amongst the Death Eaters. I have carefully curated my position within the group, and he would be hard-pressed to find someone who could replace me.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” Hani frowned. “But I guess it’s better than the alternative. Do you think there’s a chance the Dark Lord–”

She was interrupted by a knock at Severus’ door. She shot her father a panicked look, but he called out to their unannounced guest before she could slip into the kitchen or any of the other adjoining rooms.

“Good evening Severus,” Remus smiled cheerfully as he walked into their living space, his grin widening when he spotted her. “Harini. I’m sorry for interrupting your time together; dinner is about to start, and Severus, you did mention that my potion would need to be collected before the end of the evening…”

“Your timing is atrocious, wolf, but I suppose I brought this upon myself,” Severus drawled, sweeping past them and into his personal laboratory before Remus could add anything. “Do not make yourself at home!”

“I trust he was in a more agreeable mood with you than with me,” Remus laughed once Severus’ voice faded away.

“As agreeable as he gets,” Hani grinned, sitting up in her armchair and stuffing her things back into her satchel. “I didn’t realise how late it had gotten. I was only supposed to be here for half an hour so Severus didn’t start believing I was avoiding him. Not that I wasn’t, because I definitely was.”

“Naturally,” Remus snorted. “I have to say, I’m glad I caught you here. I wanted to see you again before our departure for France, but it seems my free time is being held hostage by the Programme. If you need anything from me while I’m gone, anything at all, you know I’m only a letter away. I’ll even Floo back here if I have to, Harini.”

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. They were both far too protective for their own goods. “You should enjoy your time in France. I’ll send you letters about my studies, and you can send me news of my friends without making your snooping too obvious.”

“Unlike others at this school, I don’t snoop,” Remus huffed. “But please, do feel free to tell me about your mother’s Grimoire. I would love to know what you’re getting up to while I’m gone. And when I’m back, we can–”

“Go to dinner,” Severus cut him off, appearing between Hani and Remus in an instant and effectively startling both of them. He shoved a case into Remus’ hands. “Your potions. We should be on our way. Minerva pesters me to no end when I dare show up a few minutes late to her favourite meal of the day.”

“She wouldn’t pester you if you weren’t so easy to irritate,” Remus said, winking at Hani over Severus’ shoulder. “Will you at least let me hug my goddaughter goodbye? Merlin knows I won’t get another chance to see her before the end of this magic-damned week.”

“If I must,” Severus sniffed, though he was smiling when Hani rushed to hug Remus.

She fell into her godfather’s arms easily, sinking into his familiar warmth and wondering how on earth she and Severus would cope without Remus around.

Hani was growing to love the silence of Hogwarts after dark.

She used to hate it, the way her footsteps echoed down the halls and kept her on high alert, always on the lookout for someone trying to catch her. She’d tense up if she so much as breathed too loud, even with the cloak at her disposal. It reminded her of nights worrying about accidentally waking someone up, and she’d despised how uneasy it made her feel.

Now, the quiet welcomed her, her shoes clacking against stone in a steady rhythm that made her want to race down the hallways and dance until a professor had to drag her back to Gryffindor Tower.

She breathed in, relishing the stillness only broken by the occasional flicker of wind or–

“We’ll never be inconspicuous again.”

Her jaw clenched as she slid her gaze towards Theodore. “I’m sorry, which one of us are you accusing of being conspicuous right now? Because as far as I’m aware, only one of us has decided to interrupt the silence that we’re supposed to be taking advantage of. You know, the silence that makes it easy for us to overhear the firsties if they try to sneak out of the common areas?”

“I hardly see the point of silence when your robes are screaming at me, Harini,” Theodore huffed, wrinkling his nose at Hani’s prefect uniform.

She raised an eyebrow at him and purposefully gave him a twirl, the lighter fabric spinning with her. He’d been grumbling about her robes from the moment he’d first seen them, claiming that the bright red wasn’t conducive to proper behaviour during “official” activities. Wren had turned him down when he’d tried to bring it up, reminding him that she’d been the one to okay Hani’s designs in the first place.

Hani would never forget the disgruntled look on Theodore’s face when he’d realised she had free reign to wear her handcrafted outfits if she so wished.

“You sound jealous, Theodore,” she sing-songed. “And nonsensical, as well, which is quite unlike you. Do you have complaints to make about my work ethic in the past few days? You must, if you’re so concerned about the state of my robes.”

“I’m not concerned about–” her patrol partner sputtered, his cheeks burning bright. “I don’t care about your robes. However, I do care about us standing out like sore thumbs every time we turn a corner.”

“I’ll make sure to note your concerns in my next report,” Hani grinned. She smoothed her robes down for emphasis, tracing the embroidered hibiscuses reverently. “And if you ever change your mind, I’d be happy to add a few details to your uniform. After all, my robes are laced with enchantments designed to cancel noise and heighten the senses.”

“I didn’t ask,” Theodore drawled.

“I don’t need your permission to speak,” she retorted. “In fact–”

She cut herself off at the sound of hurried footsteps behind them, exchanging a surprised look with Theodore as they turned to catch the stray student. She was already opening her mouth to reprimand them and remind them that the halls were not meant for wandering when she recognised the girl in front of her.

“Anna?” She frowned.

“You’re not supposed to be–” Theodore started, but both Hani and Anna cut him off with a sharp look.

“We need you back in Gryffindor Tower,” Anna said without preamble. “Like, now.”

“I have patrol duties,” Hani replied, though her mind was already racing at a thousand miles an hour trying to imagine what would necessitate her immediate presence. “Prefect Thomas should be managing the common room and dorms, and the professors are around if you need further help.”

“No, they’re not,” Anna bit down on her bottom lip. “Professor Prewett and Professor Alderton are out tonight for the Programme meeting. We checked their offices and even had Ginny check Professor Prewett’s personal quarters, but they’re nowhere to be found. And Har– Prefect Potter, it’s bad. Dean is trying his best, but he’s losing his grip, and the firsties are waking up, and–”

“You should go,” Theodore interrupted her.

He was looking straight at Hani, not even acknowledging Anna, but his eyes were sincere. Hani considered him for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll look over your report tomorrow morning,” she said seriously. “And you know where I am if you need me. I’ll make sure to keep Wren and Cedric updated about the situation as soon as I can. But seriously Theodore, if you need anything…”

“I’ll be fine,” he rolled his eyes. “It sounds like the lions need you more than I do. I doubt I’ll catch anyone outside anyway, if all the commotion is happening within the common room.”

She opened her mouth to remind him that Gryffindors were far from the only students who dared wander out of their common rooms, but the amusement in his eyes stopped her short. After his constant groaning and mumbling about her uniform, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of rising to his bait.

“Good night, Theodore,” she said in the end, already following Anna back towards Gryffindor Tower and ignoring the offended partner she left in their wake. The closer they got to the common room, the more Anna’s pace quickened. “Shit, how bad is it?”

“It wasn’t physical when I left,” was the only answer she got, and Hani cut ahead of the younger girl.

She faced the Fat Lady in record time, whispering the password underneath her breath and urging the portrait to open faster. As soon as it slid unlocked, noise burst out of the common room, raised voices making Hani tense up.

She stepped into the tower with a frown on her face and disapproval radiating from her very core. Instantly, she was pinned down by at least forty pairs of eyes.

They followed her as she approached the small cluster of people in the room who hadn’t noticed her arrival. She was suddenly even more grateful for her robes and the confidence they inspired in her. Deep down, she was shaking, wondering what on earth she was supposed to do about the scuffle happening where Dean was standing.

He stood frozen between two groups of younger students. His gaze was pinned on her, wide and helpless. He opened his mouth but was immediately cut off by one of the third years to his left.

“Now you’re just being a bitch for no reason,” the girl hissed. “If you weren’t–”

“I’m going to stop you right there.”

Hani kept her head held high as the seven students finally registered her presence and swivelled towards her. Dean relaxed ever-so-slightly as their anger was turned upon Hani, who only raised an eyebrow at them. One of the second years – Julie Parks, Hani thought – stepped towards her, her face thunderous, but Hani shook her head sharply.

“I don’t know what on earth is going on here, but I promise there is nothing you can say that will make it any better,” she said, her voice deceptively soft. She let her gaze slide to Dean for a moment. “Get the first years out of here and back to their dorms.”

He nodded, heading towards the boys’ stairs to herd the group that had gathered there back up the steps. A quick glance to her right showed Hani that the girls were retreating of their own volition, shooting her worried looks.

Thankfully for them, Hani had bigger things to worry about.

“Fourth and fifth years, back to your dorms now,” she called out. She watched as her friends’ faces filled with anger, but she didn’t have the time to deal with them. “I’ll have a talk with you all once I sort out… whatever this is. In the meantime, I’m asking you to leave so I don’t have to deal with a bunch of students treating this as entertainment. And yes, Ginny, I’m talking about you.”

The youngest Weasley at least had the decency to blush as she ushered her friends away from the common room. Hani’s year was quick to follow, though she was under no delusions that they would actually follow her instructions. More likely, the fourth and fifth years would meet up higher in the stairs and listen in on everything she had to say.

So long as they were out of her way, she didn’t care.

“Now,” she snapped, turning back to the seven offending students. While she’d been giving out orders, they’d somehow gotten closer to each other again, exchanging hissed insults that Hani would have never dared speak at their age. “I’m going to need an explanation, and I’m going to need it now. It is past curfew for both of your year groups, so I must admit I’m confused as to what the problem could possibly be. Dean should have sent you back to bed as soon as you stepped out here.”

“But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Tristan, a third-year and the only boy involved, said vehemently. “You’re going to send us back to our dorms where we have to walk over each other’s beds to get to our desks while the second-years get as much space as they could possibly need?”

“There are as many boys in our year as theirs,” Beth Callaghan added, shooting a vicious glare at the second-year boys who still crowded the stairs. “Meanwhile, the girls are being princesses about their rooms and lording it over us.”

“That’s rich coming from the girl who purposefully walks into our dorm to annoy us,” Sunako, one of the second-year twins, snapped. “Prefect Potter, we understood the first few times they walked in thinking they were in the right room, but now it’s feeling a little too convenient to be a mistake.”

“There would be no mistake to make if we were given the dorm we deserved,” Beth retorted. “How are you going to feel when they force you back into a single room because next year’s group is even bigger than yours?”

“I certainly won’t pester the first years because of my own issues,” Zoya Johar drawled. She was one of the second-years that Hani had immediately marked as trouble, and she looked the picture of it now. Her lips were pulled into a dry smirk and her voice dripped with contempt. “If your dorms are too tight, why don’t you talk to the professors about it? You know Professor Alderton always listens to our concerns.”

“Some of us aren’t suck-ups,” the last third-year, Jasmine, rolled her eyes. “We were trying to see if you lot could be civilised about the situation, but you hold it against us at every turn. Maybe we’d be more willing to have normal conversations if you weren’t always gloating. Clearly, maturity levels aren’t high within your year group.”

“We learn from our elders,” Julie smirked, her hand flying to her wand when Tristan moved to grab his.

Hani stepped between them easily, catching Dean’s eye as he stepped back into the common room.

‘Staff room’, she mouthed at him while holding an arm out to stop Julie from physically lashing out at her. He nodded and was out of the room in a flash, shooting her a grateful look that had Hani feeling a little better about her handle on the situation.

Prewett and Alderton would be there soon; she only had to hold them off for a little while longer.

“I don’t think disappointment even begins to cover what I’m feeling right now,” she said quietly, gratified when all seven students’ gazes dropped to the ground. “A squabble about dorms? Insults being thrown at each other? I truly thought you knew how to behave yourselves when you were within the confines of Gryffindor Tower, but clearly I was wrong. I hope you’re satisfied now, knowing my patrol partner was made aware that our house does not know how to comport itself after curfew.”

“We didn’t mean to embarra–”

“Embarrassment is the least of my concerns,” Hani cut Hikari off, making sure to lay the disappointment even heavier for one of their newest Quidditch recruits. She should have known better than to cause trouble. “You took advantage of my absence to put Prefect Thomas in an impossible position, to cause a commotion, and to disrupt everybody else’s sleep. I do not care that your dorms are uncomfortable right now. In fact, I struggle to understand why you third-years are making a fuss about it at all. How many of you share a room?”

“Eight, but–” Hani shot Jasmine down with a withering look.

“Eight?” She hissed, staying close to the second-years even as she turned to focus on the third-years. “Eight girls to a dorm? Do you see the fourth years here complaining about the lack of space? Do you see my dormmates rioting?” 

“No, but–” Beth tried to speak this time, her voice fading once she spotted the victorious look on the second-years’ faces. Her cheeks went bright red. “It’s not about the room, it’s about their Merlin-damned attitude. They rub it in our faces, they come into our dorm commending us for being ‘tight-knit’ while huffing about how close our beds are to each other.”

“Which we only did because you would not stop entering our dorms,” Zoya spat. “You treat it as your clubhouse in your spare time, as though you own it simply because it could have been your room in another life.”

“At least these two have the decency to confront us face to face,” Hikari added. “Samira and Cecily are just as bad. Their little girl group, too entitled to realise we’re not the reason they only have one room while we have two.”

“Why not tell me about it, then?” Hani asked, levelling with the younger girls. She understood their frustration – though she could not condone their retaliation – but they could have approached her as soon as it became an issue. “I’m in here every morning, evening, and nights that I’m not patrolling. I have already solved some of your dormitory issues, so you surely knew I could have intervened.”

“We’re not all snitches,” Julie scoffed.

“And neither are the students who have come to me with real concerns about their well-being and the state of their dorms,” Hani replied smoothly.

“Well said, Miss Potter.”

Hani jumped at the sound of Professor Alderton’s voice. A quick glance at his office door proved he’d avoided the main entrance, and she happily noted that Dean seemed more relaxed now that they had a professor on their side.

Alderton strode towards them, his eyes never leaving the students around Hani, and she felt a swell of pride when she realised she’d managed to keep them in line long enough. She’d done her job, even if the younger students were still seething, now just as angry at her as they were at the ones who had wronged them in the first place.

She didn’t care. Alderton nodded at her gratefully once he finally reached them, and she moved to stand by his side, both Dean and her flanking their Deputy Head, presenting a united front.

“You are all lucky that I arrived before this could devolve any further,” he said, deceptively calm. Hani could feel disappointment rolling off him in waves. “I hope you will have the clarity of mind to thank your prefects tomorrow, once you’ve had a chance to sleep off… whatever it is that is going on here. And no, Miss Shinohara, I do not care to hear your explanations right now. It is an hour and a half past your curfew, and you are disturbing the rest of the house with your petty squabbles.”

“Professor Alderton, we were only–”

“All of you will head to bed instantly,” Alderton continued, ignoring Jasmine’s attempt to placate him. He turned to the rest of the room as he spoke. “All of you. Every student in the stairs, everyone who believes they may have a right to stay out here longer because they were personally offended tonight… All of you, back to your rooms.”

Hani and Dean stayed put and were rewarded with a tired smile from Alderton, who remained silent as they watched the rest of their house shuffle up the stairs at varying speeds. Silence reigned, swirling thickly around them as though it were a living entity. Hani didn’t think she’d ever heard their house so quiet before; gone was the laughter, the teasing, the shouts… It would have been relaxing if it weren’t for Alderton’s tense stature.

“Let’s head to my office,” he sighed once all of the doors were closed, all the stair lights extinguished. “I was hoping for an early night in, but it appears I am doomed not to get the things I wish for.”

Dean and Hani laughed softly at that, and their professor’s lips ticked up, as though it had been his goal all along.

His office was cosier now than it had been two years earlier. Hani hadn’t admired it properly when she’d been ushered in for her beginning-of-year meeting, but she noticed it now. Armchairs were spread out unevenly, covered in blankets and pillows. Books lay untidied, titles that Hani recognised from her first few years at Hogwarts. His desk was as organised as ever, but there were more personal touches now. A photograph of Ginny’s year at Hogsmeade was hung up on the wall behind him, along with what Hani assumed were student essays and letters.

It reminded her of the teachers she’d had in primary school, and a nostalgic kind of comfort wrapped around her at the thought.

Alderton also seemed to feel it, sinking into his desk chair with a long breath and closing his eyes for a second, leaving Hani and Dean to take their seats across from him. Even these chairs had been changed, doodles painted onto the hardwood and cushions elevating them slightly.

After the silence of the common room, this different kind of quiet was welcome. Hani didn’t have to wonder for a second if the younger students trusted Professor Alderton. It was written all over his room, all over the disappointment in his features.

“They’re not bad kids,” Hani said tentatively. Alderton huffed out a chuckle, and she blushed. “I only mean–”

“You are absolutely right, Miss Potter,” he smiled, finally opening his eyes and leaning forward so he could meet their gazes square-on. “They are good children, and even better students when they want to be. Unfortunately, even the best of humans cannot be perfect at all times. Even more unfortunate for me, the second and third-years are far from perfect. They have… tempers.”

“The third years do not approve of the second years being given two dormitories,” Hani explained, though Alderton didn’t look even slightly surprised. “Apparently, the second years have been taunting the third years about the lack of space in their dorms, while the third years continuously enter the wrong room.”

“All accidental, I suppose?” Alderton asked dryly.

“Actually,” Dean spoke up, “they don’t seem inclined to deny what they’ve been up to. I doubt they would have had such a public argument if they wanted to remain innocent.”

“Unsurprising, coming from the lot I saw tonight,” Alderton shook his head. “I’ll have to gather the second and third years together, have a talk with them about fairness and rules… And I suppose I’ll have to punish the specific offenders as well. I trust the two of you will give me an accurate recounting of who was involved.”

“Of course,” Hani hurried to say while Dean nodded. “Anything you need, professor. I apologise if the way I handled it wasn’t ideal. I tried my best to remember what Wr– Head Girl Avery suggested we do if we ever come across an encounter like this one, but it’s not like I’m trained to–”

“Miss Potter, you handled it perfectly,” Alderton cut her off. “Both of you did. You kept the situation under control for as long as you could, someone was sent out to get you so Mr Thomas wouldn’t be alone, and one of you came to find me the second the opportunity arose. If anything, I should be the one apologising. I told Professor Prewett that things would not go smoothly forever, but I should have been more insistent. You’re dealing with a few volatile students who will jump at the first sign of weakness; they knew we would be occupied tonight, so they chose their time well.”

“It did feel just a tiny bit targeted,” Dean grumbled, his lips turned down into a pout. Hani had to refrain from laughing at his pitiful expression, and her prefect partner glanced at her sharply. Hani beamed at him, and Dean rolled his eyes. “We all know respect for the prefects is a little imbalanced, so it makes sense they would choose a day when Hani is out patrolling with Theo.”

“Indeed,” Alderton agreed, holding in his own laughter. He sobered up before speaking again. “I want the two of you to lean on me more heavily in the future. I have noticed that the two of you stay up until the other comes back from patrols, but I need you to know that is not a necessity. I am rarely asleep before all of you are safe in your dormitories, and the two of you need even more rest than your other classmates.”

“It’s just in case something happens with the younger students,” Dean said quietly. “Or during the patrols. I trust Hani and Theo to get along fine, but we’ve come across some pretty fiery wanderers already, and it doesn’t feel right to go to sleep when the day isn’t fully over.”

“I understand,” Alderton replied. “But you are prefects, not guardians. Your duties end at the same time as everyone else's, with the exception of your patrols. Do not exhaust yourselves on behalf of your housemates, especially not the ones who have very little respect for those around them. I mean, of all the things they could have argued about, their dormitories? The third-years are only slightly more cramped than the rest of you, and you have been far more graceful with your complaints.”

“Actually,” Hani perked up a little, mulling over a thought that had tickled at the back of her mind as soon as Alderton had mentioned punishment. “I think I know how we might push them to accept their current circumstances.”

“You do?” Dean frowned. Hani shot him an exasperated look and grinned when his ears turned a deep shade of red.

“I will gladly accept any suggestions,” Alderton smiled encouragingly.

“Well, since the problem is about their dorms…”

Hani might have been insistent on her Sorting when the hat had been placed on her head, but not even four years in the House of the Lions could have squashed the things that would have made her a wonderful Slytherin.

She wasn’t above being a little cruel if it meant satisfaction in the long run.

“They haven’t killed each other yet?”

Hani snorted at Parvati’s question, shaking her head as she shut the door to the dorm behind her.

“Two days down, only five more to go,” she laughed, shrugging her robes off and tossing them onto her bed before throwing herself down next to Lavender. “The other second and third-years are having the time of their lives. It turns out a bunch of them get along just fine once you throw their troublemakers into a separate dorm.”

“Anna said she heard screams coming from the fifth floor this morning,” Lavender raised an eyebrow at Hani. “Sacrificing the joy of a few for the peace of the many, huh?”

“They’ll be fine,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Besides, Alderton made a good point: if they murder each other in their sleep, we’ll have solved the problem anyway. No more fighting, no more sneaking into dorms they don’t belong in… It’s a win-win.”

“Alderton did not say that,” Parvati scoffed, scooching onto the bed on Lavender’s other side. “He would sooner give them each an individual room than have them hurt each other, and you know it.”

“I may be paraphrasing,” Hani shrugged, trying to hide the uptick of her lips. “Or maybe Dean was the one to say that. Either way, it’s a fair point. If the girls learn to live together, we won’t have to deal with infighting again. If they take care of each other… same result.”

“You guys are awful,” Lavender chuckled. “Though I suppose I’m in favour of anything that’ll make your life easier. You’re always busy nowadays; no time for your two poor best friends who spend their free hours wishing you were there.”

“I’m pretty sure Parvati spends those free hours doing something else entirely,” Hani waggled her eyebrows at their best friend, darkening Parvati’s copper skin with a blush. “If I’m not mistaken, there have been whispers that she and Blaise are sneaking around the dungeons, looking for some private spaces to–”

“To talk!” Parvati blurted out, so loud that the other girls in the dorm turned to glance at them. Their attention did nothing to calm Parvati’s burning cheeks, and her next words were barely more than a whisper. “We’ve been looking for places to talk. His housemates aren’t exactly delighted by my presence, and it’s not like I particularly like them either, so it’s easier if we find somewhere else to talk.”

“Right,” Lavender huffed out a laugh, and Hani followed with peals of quiet chuckles. “Blaise and Parvati, sitting in the dungeons, t-a-l-k-i-n-g.”

“Doesn’t have the same ring to it,” Hani sighed, rolling out of the way when Parvati lunged to cover both of them with her body. She slid off the bed and straight onto the floor, laughter bursting from her mouth as the air was sucked out of her chest.

“You’ve damaged her irreparably!” Lavender screeched dramatically, jumping onto the ground next to Hani and urging Parvati down with them. “I can’t believe you would do this to her when we’re trying to support your… conversations with Blaise. Hani was even saying she approves of the way you spend your free time.”

“Very resourceful,” Hani agreed, still winded. “Parvati has her boyfriend, Lavender has her newspaper, and I have my one thousand duties.”

“At least your duties are real,” Lavender pouted. “It’s all well and nice for me to have classmates who want to start the Gazette with me, but it means nothing if the professors refuse to make it official.”

“Eh, they’re probably just waiting for the Programme to kick off,” Parvati pointed out. Lavender looked unconvinced, but Hani knew Parvati was right. If there was one thing professors hated, it was having to stack additional responsibilities on top of their busy workload.

They’d get back to Lavender as soon as the Programme started.

“Only a few days now,” Hani added encouragingly. “Then you can show them how prepared you are and they won’t be able to deny you. Besides, your idea to follow some of the exchange students is brilliant; they’ll jump on the chance to have someone making them feel more welcome.”

“Speaking of the Exchange Programme–”

Hani jumped out of her skin.

“Holy shit Hermione, what the hell?” Lavender clutched a hand to her chest, letting her head thump against her bedframe while she took deep, calming breaths. “How did you even get here?”

“I… walked?” Hermione said slowly. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you all about the Programme, and Harini’s been pretty busy lately, so…”

“All of us ?” Parvati frowned.

“The whole dorm,” Hermione specified. When Hani glanced around the room, she noticed they had indeed managed to all gather in the same spot, probably for the first time in weeks outside of their bedtime. “If you don’t mind?”

“Sure,” Hani shrugged. She sprang up to her feet and headed to Fay, Sophie and Erin’s side of the room, sitting down on Sophie’s chest with a wink at the girl in question. Sophie rolled her eyes but didn’t otherwise reprimand her, which she took as approval. Lavender was quick to claim the seat next to her, and Parvati flung herself down at their feet.

“So,” Hermione started, looking self-conscious now that she had all of their attention. Hani realised it had been a while since she’d seen Hermione in such a large-group context. It was strange, she thought, how quickly her ex-best friend had been to erase herself from their house life. “You all know I’m leaving on Sunday, obviously.”

“Duh,” Erin scoffed. Hani and Sophie shot her twin looks of displeasure, but she didn’t pay them any mind. “You’ve only been talking about it non-stop for the past month. I’m pretty sure you mumble about it in your sleep.”

“Right,” Hermione said. She was trying to hide her dislike for Erin, but she had never been able to keep her emotions a secret from Hani. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to find a solution to my problem for the past few weeks, but Professor Prewett and Professor Alderton agree there is no simple way to go about it. The thing is, Crookshanks can’t come on the Programme with me. He can’t travel internationally the way I can, and my parents can’t take care of him either, since they’re–”

She cut herself off there, her annoyance replaced with embarrassment, and Hani hated the look on her face. No matter where they stood, she refused to let Hermione feel ashamed of her parents.

“They can’t take care of a magical cat,” she continued in Hermione’s stead, keeping her voice nonchalant. “It makes sense.”

“Right,” Hermione nodded, relieved. “Professor Alderton said I could technically put Crookshanks in someone else’s care, but I don’t want him to think that I’ve abandoned him or something. He’s familiar with the dorm, and with all of you, so I thought… I was hoping you would agree to take care of him while I’m away. It would just be making sure he has food and water, and maybe playing with him once in a while.”

The six of them blinked. Hani waited for something else to come up, but Hermione stayed silent, shuffling from foot to foot.

“That’s it?” Parvati asked, her eyebrows high on her forehead. “Hermione, of course we’ll take care of Crookshanks. He’s like, the easiest kneazle in the world. We’ll keep a schedule between us or whatever, and Sophie can send you updates about his well-being.”

“I actually already drafted a schedule, if you’d like it,” Hermione suggested, caught between hope and caution. “I didn’t put your names in or anything, but it has a few ideas about what times he needs the most attention, and a rotation you could adopt so the job doesn’t fall upon a single one of you. I don’t want him to be a burden, and I wouldn’t ask if there was another reasonable solution, but– He’s my first pet, you know?”

“You don’t have to justify yourself,” Lavender shrugged. “Even if he was your tenth pet, we’d still take care of him.”

“And you’re all okay with it?” Hermione pushed. “Professor Alderton said it would only be an option if you all agreed to it, and I don’t want to pressure any of you into doing something you don’t feel comfortable doing.”

As one, five pairs of eyes turned to pin Erin down. Hermione followed their gazes and winced a little, but none of them flinched or looked away from their last roommate. Erin was looking down at her nails, and Hani wished she could knock some sense into her.

“Erin?” Fay asked, her voice deceptively gentle. “Any thoughts?”

“What?” Erin huffed. “I mean, sure. Who cares? It’s just a kneazle. I’ll help keep it alive if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you!” Hermione beamed, standing on her tip-toes for a moment as though she’d had to restrain herself from jumping. She bounced for a few seconds instead, her smile wide and brighter than Hani had seen it in a while. It made something within her pang with longing, and she had to look away, stepping back towards her side of the room while the others talked about what they’d need to organise for Crookshanks.

She rubbed at her chest as she sat on the edge of her bed and pulled out the Evans Grimoire, tracing the cover in a soothing motion.

She never opened it in front of the other girls, but the feel of it in her hands was enough to calm her down and make her blood sing. If she wasn’t so afraid of losing it, she would have started taking it along with her everywhere.

“Hey, Harini?”

This time, Hermione’s voice didn’t make her jump, though she did furrow her brows, confused by the other girl’s presence by her bed. Lavender, Parvati, Fay and Sophie were still chatting about Crookshanks on the opposite side of the room.

“I wanted to say–” Hermione paused, biting down on her bottom lip for a few seconds. “I’m glad you made Prefect. You’ve been great with the younger kids. I don’t think I would have ever thought to put all the tricky girls into a single dorm to sort out their issues.”

“Oh,” Hani’s lips parted. She stared at Hermione, speechless, for a few seconds, before her own tapping on the Evans Grimoire brought her out of her trance. “Thanks, Hermione. I’m glad you’re the one going on the Programme this year; the others probably wouldn’t have appreciated it nearly as much, and it’s not the kind of thing you can go into half-heartedly.”

“Right,” Hermione nodded. “It’ll be good. Great, even. Sue and Daphne have been wonderful, and Professor Lupin doesn’t mind if I have endless questions for him. I think it helps him think about the possibilities he hadn’t considered.”

“I’m sure,” Hani laughed lightly. “And don’t worry about Crookshanks while you’re gone, Hermione. Even if Erin decides to act up, we’ll make sure he’s alright. Parvati and Sophie are both great with animals, so he’ll be in good hands.”

Hermione hummed in agreement. When she didn’t add anything, Hani stared and waited for her to leave, but Hermione remained there, watching her carefully. They assessed each other for a few moments, as though they were trying to read each other’s minds. Hani’s thoughts were both too loud for her to hear and too quiet for her to comprehend. Still, she knew she had to say something. Hermione was leaving in two days, and they hadn’t talked in months, and now it would be months until they saw each other again.

“I’m–”

“Harini, I’m–”

They cut themselves off, the air filled with tension. The words were begging to be let out, but her confidence had vanished as soon as Hermione had spoken. Two steps away, her old friend had gone similarly speechless.

Then she shook her head and retreated: back to the other girls, back to Crookshanks, back to the side of the room she still felt safe in.

Hani was left alone on her bed, a heavy book clutched in her hands and even heavier words caught on the tip of her tongue.

I’m sorry.

Hani was wrenched out of her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder.

She forced her gaze away from Hermione and Ron, who were discussing something in low tones, their voices too quiet for her to distinguish their words. They were bent close together, fragile smiles on their faces, and Hani wished she had the confidence to join them.

Instead, she looked back at Daphne, who was staring at her, unimpressed. Her blonde friend was dressed in her modified set of school robes that Hani had embroidered with orchids – they lined her collar and trailed down her sleeves, splashes of silver against black. Her Programme badge was pinned to her chest, the intertwined school crests shining in the morning light that streamed through the entrance doors.

Even the frown marring her features couldn’t undo the care she’d put into her appearance that morning. She looked resplendent.

“Don’t miss me too much,” Daphne finally said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t want you to be miserable while I’m gone, even though I know it’ll be incredibly hard not to have me around.”

“I’ll make sure to only miss you a reasonable amount,” Hani teased, ignoring the way her heart tightened at the thought of Daphne leaving for so long.

It had been different when she was the one going away; she’d been so excited about the Programme, it had been easier to ignore the hole her friends had left behind. Now, though, she could only think about all the things she usually did with Daphne that she would have to go through alone: her runes studies, her Arithmancy homework, the hours spent crafting side by side in the Sister room…

“I’m stealing you back from Padma as soon as I’m home,” Daphne added with a sniff. “You’re not going to get rid of me so easily. And you’d better not let yourself stop sewing just because I’m not here to push you. I’m expecting an amazing Christmas gift and an even better birthday one.”

“Only the best for you,” Hani agreed, trying to pretend as though her eyes weren’t welling up with tears.

Daphne was kind enough not to point it out, so Hani didn’t mention the stiffness of Daphne’s smile or the paleness of her cheeks.

“We’re being abandoned again!” Parvati cried out when Daphne gently manoeuvred them back to the main group. Sue stood between the other girls, her skin flushed red and tear streaks painting her face. “Every year! Our sisters all leave us eventually!”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Daphne rolled her eyes, but Hani knew she was pleased.

If there was one thing Daphne wanted to be sure of, it was that she would be missed. Hani didn’t doubt that she would be; the thought of meeting the Sisters without Sue was saddening, but the thought of meeting them without Daphne was… she couldn’t picture it.

She wished she could apologise for being so clueless the previous year, but she didn’t think Daphne would appreciate the sentiment right now.

“Take care of each other,” Hannah said in a moment of silence, her smile genuine. “Enjoy your time away from this magic-forsaken country. Take pictures if you can. And make friends! Don’t forget to make tons of them if you can.”

“Duly noted, mum,” Sue laughed, leaning close to Hannah and giving her a quick hug. “We’ll send letters.”

“You’d better,” Lavender huffed.

“And you all take care of each other as well,” Daphne said softly, refusing to meet their gazes when they looked at her. “Leo, if any of the boys in Slytherin even try to bother you, you tell me right away and I’ll send them a strongly-worded letter. And Tracey, keep an eye on Blaise for me; we both know he’ll be pathetic without me by his side. Lisa, if you need me to do that thing we talked about–”

“Daph,” Lisa said gently, placing a hand on Daphne’s shoulder. “I’ll let you know if I need anything. We all will. Don’t you dare worry about us when you should be busy enjoying France. It’s not the kind of experience you should waste thinking about your friends back home.”

“She’s right,” Hani grinned. “The two of you are going to be amazing, and we’ll be perfectly fine.”

“I doubt it,” Sue snorted, catching Padma and Parvati in another hug when they tried to get her to take her words back. “I’ll miss you guys.”

“We’ll miss you too,” Leo said, his voice breaking on the last word.

Just like that, they were engaging in the world’s most awkward group hug. Daphne squawked from her spot in the middle, yelling out for help and reminding them she had worked hard on her hair that morning. They only held on tighter after that, and Hani laughed when Lavender leaned over to purposefully wrinkle the front of their Slytherin friend’s robes. 

“Awful, all of you!” She said when she finally extricated herself. Professor McGonagall and their chaperones would be waiting for them now.

“We love you too, Daph,” Tracey winked. “Go kill it in France!”

They let themselves be fussed over for a minute longer, but there was only so much stalling the girls could do before Sue took Daphne’s hand and led them over to Hermione and Ernie, who were both waiting anxiously by the stairs.

The second they disappeared around a corner, the entrance hall seemed to deflate.

It wasn’t just them, either. The fourth years were all on the verge of tears as they clung to their yearmates. Ginny’s hands were clasped tightly around Daphne’s little sister, her lips turned into a pout Hani had never seen on her before.

“Sucks just as much the second time around,” Lavender sniffled, breaking their silence. When she didn’t move to wipe her tears, Hani figured it was okay for her to cry as well. She rested her head on her best friend’s shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling Parvati settle on her other side.

“It’s the worst part,” Parvati murmured. “It gets better after this.”

“And thank Merlin for that,” Padma said wetly. “These girls had better realise how much we love them, because there is no one else I would cry over. It’s ridiculous.”

“I mean, you are pretty ridiculous,” Leo chuckled, cackling when Padma whipped her wand out and waved it at him menacingly. “Put that away before you get into trouble, Pads. You can save it for the Sister room.”

“Speaking of,” Hannah perked up a little. “How about a movie afternoon?”

“Only if I can pick,” Tracey sniffed. “I’m the one who lost my only Sister housemate, after all.”

Padma protested, pointing out that they’d been down a Ravenclaw Sister two years in a row and hadn’t pulled any sort of guilt-trip, but Tracey was already leading the way out of the entrance hall, away from the fourth years and their devastated faces, out of sight of their classmates with red-rimmed eyes.

Hani gladly followed after her, eager to put Sue and Daphne’s departure out of her mind.

And mentally, she shook her head at her mother, words from her Grimoire dancing in front of her eyes.

It wasn’t the loss of blood she was worried about, it was the loss of people.

Chapter Text

Once you have found your vessel and knife, once you have heeded all my warnings, you will be tempted to start immediately. I am here to remind you not to rush into things. You may believe you are prepared, but you are not. In truth, I do not believe I was ever ready myself, and it has perhaps impacted my writings throughout this Grimoire.

 So, settle yourself. Take your knife and let it sit with you. Take your vessel and let it know you. Find the place within yourself that feels the safest and let it consume you. Page through this Grimoire until it is as familiar as the back of your hand, and let it guide you.

Wait until the feeling of your blood rushing no longer intoxicates you. Wait for the beating of your heart to become a melody you would recognise even in your sleep. Settle slowly and carefully, so the Magic becomes an extension of you rather than an energy you must constantly confront.

~ ToB ~

“Settle down everyone, make it quick!”

Professor Babbling’s words were enough to push the stragglers into moving, creating a mad shuffle for their seats as they hurried to sit before the professor decided she’d had enough of their dallying.

“Mister Entwhistle and Mister Grey, you’ll be working together from now on,” Babbling added. Two rows in front of Hani, Leo grinned and gladly scooted closer to Entwhistle, who beamed back at him. “You’ll be split again when Miss Greengrass and Miss Granger return from their trip, but I’ll allow you to work on projects together for the rest of the year.”

“Thank you, professor!” Leo said cheerfully. “But what about–”

He gestured to the empty desks where Sue and Erin usually sat, their absence noticeable now that over half of their row was away on the Programme.

“She’s pulling this again?” Emma groaned next to Hani, who pursed her lips in agreement. “For fuck’s sake, surely she realises she won’t be able to get away with it forever, right? And Babbling is going to snap sooner rather than later. She certainly won’t be as lenient as some of our other professors.”

Indeed, Professor Babbling’s jaw was clenched, her brows furrowed. She looked towards the door as though the motion would be enough to bring Erin out of hiding, but the wooden object stayed determinedly closed.

“Miss Hargreaves will join Miss Vane and Miss Potter,” the professor finally sighed. “I’m sure her seatmates will make sure to catch her up on any content she may have missed by the time she finds her way to the classroom.”

Emma let out a sound akin to the call of a dying bird. Hani could empathise. Runes with Erin?

“At least her one month of grace is about to be up,” Hani whispered once it was clear the professor wasn’t going to add anything. “No more wandering around for her. If she steps even a toe out of line, she’ll be going straight to detention. I think Professor Alderton realised how much she’s been taking advantage of our leniency.”

“Bit late for that,” Emma rolled her eyes.

Hani opened her mouth to defend Professor Alderton, but Babbling was already jumping into the start of her lesson, her eyes twinkling as she wrote four dreaded letters onto the board.

The entire class drooped as one, sighs and whispers erupting while their professor dusted her hands off.

“I see your enthusiasm knows no bounds,” she chuckled. “I have been kind enough to give you a month to adjust to your augmented workload before talking about exams, but it is unfortunately not something we can avoid forever. As you are all aware, your exam in June will be separated into two sections: a longer theoretical portion, and a short oral exam in which you will be presenting a project of your choice.”

Hands were already shooting into the air, but Babbling shooed them away. If there was one thing she hated more than chatting in her classroom, it was her students’ inability to patiently wait for her to be done speaking.

“The theoretical exam will cover every topic you will have studied over the course of these three years,” she continued seriously. “My lectures will be your main source of content, so I suggest you pay closer attention now that your OWLs are drawing near. Remember, the requirement to enter my Ancient Runes NEWT class is an Outstanding or a high Exceeds Expectations. If I were to accept students right now, my class would be made up exclusively of Prefects and members of the Exchange Programme.”

While most of the class stayed quiet, looking down at their hands with flaming cheeks, a single cough drew Babbling’s attention to the desk right in front of her.

She sighed. “And Mister Boot, of course. However, my point stands. You will be making decisions about your future soon, and if that future involves a NEWT in Ancient Runes, you will need to work harder than you ever have before.”

She answered a few questions this time. She assured three separate students that the exam would not cover anything that had not been studied in class. She scolded Seamus when he inquired about ‘advanced warning’ and shook her head when Entwhistle asked about extra credit.

“The only credit you will be given is for the projects you complete within the curriculum,” Babbling explained, keeping her cool despite the rising moans from Hani’s classmates. “This includes your final project, which will count for half of your OWL grade. Your project will be completed over the course of the year; it will be made up of a written essay detailing a runic sequence of your choice and a demonstration proving you can concretely apply your sequence.”

Next to Hani, Emma’s head thumped onto her desk.

She felt for her classmates, she truly did, but the idea of being given an entire year to explore a project of her choice felt like a blessing. Babbling would provide resources, advice, a place for Hani to test out her runic sequences… It was everything she’d been missing when she’d been developing her Duelling robes the year before. 

Unfortunately for most of her yearmates, Ancient Runes was far from an ‘easy’ subject. For the majority of them, working on a year-long project would be akin to torture. A slow, constant torture that would potentially define their future in the magical world.

When Hani glanced around the room again, Tracey’s hand was high in the air, her body vibrating with anxious energy.

“Miss Davis, please speak before you accidentally wrench yourself out of that chair,” Professor Babbling sighed. There were another five students waiting for her attention, half of them with parchment and quills in hand as though they were hanging onto her every word. As though one of her answers would fix all of their problems.

“So we’re expected to complete a project for every single elective we take?” Tracey said sharply. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and Hani couldn’t tell if it was out of defiance or nonchalance. “What about those of us who already know we’ll have to drop the subject next year? Do we still have to complete three original projects, all of them showing our dedication to the topic?”

“While I understand this may seem like a daunting task, electives stop being optional as soon as you select them,” the professor answered calmly. “Each professor will make sure to check in with their students, to provide support and–”

“She has a point, professor.”

Babbling’s jaw twitched as she turned to look at Theodore, whose gaze betrayed nothing of his intentions. Theodore, who did not speak out of turn in lessons. Who did not speak at all, really.

“I understand Miss Davis’ point,” their professor continued with far more grace than Hani could have summoned if she’d been in her place. “However, in case you have suddenly forgotten, you are here to study. Projects will be commonplace when you are in your NEWT years, so I suggest you get used to this.”

“I don’t know why they’re bothering,” Emma snorted quietly. “Nothing the professor can do, since this is probably an order from higher up.”

“Sometimes, people like to argue just for the sake of it,” Hani said, her lips twitching when Tracey rolled her eyes overdramatically. She slouched in her seat the second Professor Babbling shot her a sharp look, as though her posture would be enough to express her displeasure. “And I feel for Tracey; it’s not like she’s particularly interested in any of this.”

Emma nodded silently, and Hani was happy for the opportunity to consider Babbling’s instructions.

Their professor was still making her rounds, speaking in hushed voices to a few students who seemed put-upon by the news of another project. Hani was grateful for the opportunity to think about Babbling’s instructions without having to worry about missing a crucial piece of information.

Her focus would have been shot anyways; there were too many ideas bouncing in her head. It wasn’t as though she had a shortage of Runes projects in progress. If anything, she was already in over her head, trying to work on five sets of robes at once. It was tempting to pick one of the projects she already had and improve on the runic sequences she had mastered. After all, her runic needlework was already above OWL standards.

It would have been a perfect plan if Hani cared about Ancient Runes even just a little bit less. But she didn’t.

Her only current project that would live up to her usual classwork was the set of Duelling robes she planned on creating for Daphne, and even that idea lacked… something. She’d made Duelling robes last year, and although her sewing had improved since then, it wasn’t something that would impress Professor Babbling.

It wasn’t something that would impress her.

In a way, battle clothes were too easy. They didn’t rely on much of anything except a good understanding of runic alphabets and plenty of willpower. The second she’d started including Sanskrit and parseltongue runes in her threadwork, it had become a task as simple as breathing.

She didn’t want that for her final project. She wanted a topic that would make her sweat and cry and wonder why she picked something so convoluted when she had a million other options at her disposal. She wanted a project that would make her think of her mother even if she couldn’t use the knowledge from her Grimoire. She wanted to prove that there was more than comfort and practicality to her Magic.

Just like when she’d duelled, she wanted to prove that she wasn’t just the Girl-Who-Lived. She could create things that no one else would dare attempt, especially at her age. Something like–

“The atmosphere in here is so not it.”

Hani shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath, willing herself not to open them until she was certain she wouldn’t use her gaze to murder her classmate.

“Erin,” she finally said with as much fake cheer as she could muster. “There should be an extra desk and chair next to Lisa and Blaise, if you want to get it.”

“Haven’t you guys been in here for like… over twenty minutes? You could have definitely moved the desk already,” Erin sighed loudly, as though the idea of having to move three steps to her right and levitate a piece of wood was too taxing to consider. “Professor Babbling said you have to catch me up on what I’ve missed.”

“Professor Babbling also told you that the next time you were late, you’d be put straight in week-end detention,” Emma snapped. “Go get your own fucking desk, Erin, we’re not your servants.”

“Geez,” Erin snorted. “Someone’s in a mood.”

“You–”

“Kindness definitely isn’t an English quality,” Hani’s housemate continued, tutting quietly as she waltzed over to the free desk next to Blaise and Lisa’s table.

“I am getting real tired of her straight-up aggressive insults,” Emma hissed as soon as she was out of earshot. “Do you know how hard it is to focus on what a professor is saying when you have someone like her at the table next to yours? Blaise was bad enough when he was alone, but this is insufferable.”

“Yeah, that sounds–”

“Can I switch with Turpin?” Erin huffed, her desk levitating behind her lazily. She kept her distance from them, her gaze bouncing from Blaise to Hani and back again. “She clearly doesn’t like working with Blaise, and I’d much rather spend time with someone who I’ve gotten to know over the past month.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve gotten to know Harini as well,” Emma drawled. “Besides, Babbling asked you to work with us for a reason. Blaise and Lisa will be fine.”

“Most of our projects this year will be individual anyway, so you won’t have to worry too much about who your partner is,” Hani shrugged. “Although, you can always go back to working with Sue once she’s home for the last part of the Programme.”

“But Blaise and I–”

“Oh, we all know what you want ‘Blaise and I’ to be,” Emma snickered, mimicking Erin’s accent mid-sentence and ignoring their yearmate’s murderous glare. “It’s not going to happen, by the way, so would you please sit down before Babbling decides she’s had enough of your chattering?”

Hani stiffened a little at the implication behind Emma’s tone, her eyes cutting across to Parvati’s boyfriend and noting the discomfort on his face.

Parvati didn’t need any more reasons to dislike Erin, but it seemed their housemate was going to give them to her anyway.

“So, what did I miss?” Erin demanded once she’d finally set her desk and chair down next to Emma, purposefully placing herself closer to Lisa and Blaise despite the extra room on Hani’s side of their trio. How irritating.

“You know you’re not actually supposed to show up to classes late, right?” Emma asked in lieu of an answer. “You’re not going to get a free pass forever, and it would be a lot easier for you to adjust if you made even a single effort to show up at the same time as everyone else. I mean, what do you even get up to before classes?”

“I don’t expect that you would understand,” Erin laughed lightly. Emma’s cheeks flushed a violent red.

Even when there was no way to tell what Erin was implying, her tone was always clear as day. Hani had been on the receiving end of her ‘friendly comments’ enough times to separate her casual voice from her vitriol, and it was obvious she was trying to get under Emma’s skin.

“You’re right, I doubt either Emma or I could understand the concept of purposefully showing up to class late,” she shrugged. “You might want to take a notebook out for the next part, by the way. Professor Babbling went over the details of our final project, and it would be a shame if you missed out on part of the instructions.”

“Another project?” Erin grimaced. “Is this one in pairs, at least?”

“Obviously not,” Emma muttered underneath her breath.

“It’s a valid question, considering she forced me to join another group even though I could have worked alone,” Erin pointed out dryly. Hani hated that she wasn’t entirely wrong. “Then again, the professors do seem to have some kind of obsession with me. So, what kind of project am I supposed to come up with?”

The professors had an obsession with Erin because she refused to follow a single rule that was introduced to her, but Hani didn’t think her housemate was quite that clueless.

“You’ll have to choose a runic sequence, study its theory, and apply it concretely,” Hani explained. “It doesn’t have to link directly to the curriculum so long as you can explain why you chose that particular sequence. We do also have a theory exam, so it would be good to choose a sequence that would give you the opportunity to revise the different alphabets we’ve learned.”

It was more than she would have given some of her other classmates but, at the end of the day, Erin had only been at Hogwarts for a month. It hardly seemed logical to let her wade through unknown waters when it would make Hani’s life easier if she finally started finding her bearings.

“You’ll also want it to be solid as hell if you plan on taking Runes at NEWT level. Professor Babbling only accepts high EE and O students,” Emma smirked, satisfied, when Erin paled. “Pretty harsh, isn’t it?”

“Right,” Erin said, smoothing her features over. “So, do you have any ideas?”

“I think I know what path I’m going to go down,” Hani nodded. 

Erin stared at her expectantly, and Hani smiled right back at her. She stayed immovable even when Emma started snickering between them, her eyes lit up with mirth.

“So, no help from you?” Her roommate finally sneered.

“Oh, Erin, I would love to help you as soon as you narrow down some of your options,” Hani said sweetly. “I’ll even give you some tips about Professor Babbling and what she likes to see most from her students. And, of course, you can always ask to see my notes from previous years if you’re unsure about a concept you didn’t study at home. However, Babbling prefers for us to come up with our own ideas.”

“Don’t you have a few spares I could pick from?” Erin asked frustratedly.

“Are you any good with a needle and thread?” Hani raised her eyebrows, looking down at the jumper her housemate was currently wearing. Another one of Hani’s creations, taken from the end of her bed without so much as a heads up.

“Obviously not,” Erin grit out.

“Then no, Erin, Harini can’t give you her spare ideas,” Emma snorted. “She’s a thread witch. She also uses parselrunes in her work, which I doubt any of us would be able to decipher even if we tried. She’s not withholding anything from you maliciously, she’s doing you a favour. Professor Babbling will be far more impressed if you come up with your own concept.”

It was a little malicious on Hani’s part, but she wasn’t about to correct Emma when her seatmate was standing so firmly on her side.

“Feel free to ask me for advice as soon as you have a few drafts,” Hani said, smiling genuinely at her roommate. Her grin widened when Erin huffed and turned away from them, twirling her quill between her fingers and trying to catch Blaise’s attention.

The Slytherin boy was far too busy working on his project ideas to notice her, and gratification swelled within Hani.

She left Erin to her own devices, focusing on the parchment in front of her instead. The words ‘Final Project’ stared back at her, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

With Blood Magic out of the running, there was only one thing she’d been curious enough about for the past few years to warrant a final project. She scribbled the word onto the blank piece of parchment and settled deeper into her seat when wisps of runic sequences immediately rose to her mind.

She loved Magic.

The scribbles in front of Hani weren’t making any sense anymore. She buried her face in her hands and rubbed at her eyes, hoping that the motion would knock wisdom back into her brain. When she looked down at her notes, however, they were still little more than a jumble of words. She couldn’t even remember if she’d been working on Arithmancy or Ancient Runes.

Lavender had been the one to insist they should work on their projects, so it had probably been Arithmancy at first, but the spiky letters looked more like runes than numbers.

“Are you finally done?” Parvati teased from the other side of their study table.

They’d stuck to the Sister room for the day, since Lavender had left most of her initial project ideas laying around their study area. It made for a calmer atmosphere than the main common room but, for once, Hani almost wished she could find refuge in the din of casual conversations.

There was nothing worse than sitting at a table with three of her closest friends, knowing all of them were drowning in schoolwork but unable to properly support each other. Their Arithmancy genius was gone and, with it, their capacity to deal with the subject in a sane manner.

Tracey and Parvati had long since given up on studying for the day. The second Tracey had suggested they practise their palmistry techniques, Parvati had all but thrown her quill and parchment to the ground. They’d been quietly giggling over each other’s hands for the last thirty minutes, much to Lavender’s frustration.

“Not even slightly,” the girl in question sighed, furrowing her brows as she jotted down another sequence of numbers Hani didn’t recognise. “I want to have a draft ready by next week, or at least a solid lead that Professor Vector can approve. The sooner I get started, the better my chances are of having a coherent essay at the end of the process.”

“I’m good for the day,” Hani said, stretching her arms out above her head. “I don’t even know what I’m writing anymore. I’ll have to look over these equations tomorrow, because I’m almost certain they’re wrong. Or at least, I don’t think they do what I think they’re meant to do.”

“I can’t believe you guys already know what you’re working on,” Tracey said, her eyes tracking Lavender’s erratic writing. “The only project I’ve picked is my Divination one, and it’s not like that was a particularly hard choice to make. Especially since Professor Hornby told us we had another month or two to change our minds.”

“She’s so great,” Parvati sighed happily. “She’s also the reason I’m here right now, but I won’t be able to get to that if Lavender spends our entire free slot working on her mysterious Arithmancy project. Can you please put the quill down for a little bit?”

Lavender rolled her eyes but obliged after drawing out one last diagram that had Hani feeling dizzy.

“I should have known you were here to meddle,” she grumbled. “Or else you would have been with Blaise, holding his hand and giving him kisses and calling him your little snuggle-bug or whatever it is you’re going for these days.”

“Jealous much?” Tracey snorted, covering her mouth with her hand when Lavender looked at her, betrayed. “Sorry, sorry. I’m with you, Lav; Blaise and Parvati are revolting when they’re together.”

“I’m pretty sure you couldn’t care less about Blaise and I,” Parvati deadpanned. “Regardless, I’m not here to talk about him. And I’m not only here to discuss Hornby. I actually do enjoy spending time with my best friends, you ungrateful little brat.”

Lavender chuckled, some of the tension melting out of her body. She finally pushed her parchment fully to the side, earning herself a bright smile from Parvati.

“So, Hornby?” Hani asked hopefully. She’d been waiting weeks for Parvati to get back to her, but her best friend had insisted that she needed to take her time with the process if they wanted their investigation to go smoothly.

“Right,” Parvati’s eyes lit up with excitement. “So, it turns out prophecies aren’t something we really discuss, at least not at OWL level. We had a brief lesson on it last year, but that was more of a bunch of ramblings that Trelawney strung together than anything else. It definitely isn’t included in our curriculum this year, since Professor Hornby would prefer for us to focus on methods that are easily practised by people with a divinatory affinity.”

“Oh,” Hani said quietly. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Do you really think I would have come here bearing nothing but bad news?” Parvati scoffed. “Fortunately for you, I do not possess an inkling of talent for the divinatory arts. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have negative skills when it comes to the practical side of the subject. It’s not ideal, but it does mean that my final project will have to be entirely theoretical. No palm reading for me.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Lavender asked, sounding sceptical. Hani hadn’t wanted to interrupt Parvati, but she agreed with their best friend. She couldn’t imagine how dull her final projects would be if she didn’t have the ability to turn them into a practical demonstration.

“It’s a great thing,” Parvati huffed impatiently. “Because prophecies are entirely theoretical for every single member of the population who doesn’t happen to be a prophet. Professor Hornby was over the moon when I suggested it as a final project topic. No one else is going to pick something even remotely similar, which means Professor Hornby will jump at the chance to give more information to work with.”

“She’s onto something,” Tracey nodded. “Everyone else has picked something that’s more likely to be used in day-to-day life. Palm reading, tea leaves, dream interpretations… Prophecies feel so impractical, but Professor Hornby looked so excited when Parvati brought them up. She’s got her wrapped around her pinkie.”

“It helps that I’ve been very slowly building a rapport with her,” Parvati grinned proudly. “Blaise hangs out with me after class while I ask the professor about her tarot readings, her other students, the things she enjoys doing outside of Divination… I even listen to her book recommendations that make absolutely no sense to me. Apparently, one of her passions is the connection between the divinatory arts and human behaviour.”

“Really?” Lavender’s eyebrows rose. “That sounds… surprisingly insightful.”

“I love Professor Hornby,” Tracey said dreamily. She rested her chin on her hand, looking towards Parvati. “She’s brought something new to Divination, you know? For the first time in a while, I’m actually excited about a class. Even if I try a new method and it doesn’t work out, she makes me dig deeper and think about what I have learned through the experience. How did the other person react to my words? Which parts of what I saw could be interpreted further? Is Divination self-fulfilling in all of its manifestations, or are prophecies an exception?”

“You’ve been talking about self-fulfilment?” Hani asked, trying not to sound over-eager. “What does Professor Hornby think about it?” 

“It’s actually the angle I’m focusing on for my final project,” Parvati said, her smile bordering on arrogant. Not that she didn’t deserve to feel that way; she was going further than Hani could have possibly imagined just to get them the answers they needed. “I’ve told Professor Hornby that I have a test subject I can use, and I’m working on her to figure out the ethics of a prophecy-based social experiment. Essentially, we’re trying to figure out if you being the subject of a prophecy means your Fate is more predetermined than others, or if we are all pushed forth by forces out of our control.”

“That’s–” Hani started, her mouth staying open when she realised she had no idea how to describe Parvati’s progress on the subject of prophecies.

All she’d managed to glean when she’d tried to look up prophecies was that they were relatively common and usually inconsequential, but always self-fulfilling. The idea that there was more to the topic than she’d originally thought was exhilarating.

“That’s amazing, Parvati,” Lavender gaped, her expression a mirror of Hani’s. “I never would have thought getting rid of Trelawney would have such a big impact on our lives, but I guess I live to be surprised. Does Professor Hornby realise Hani is your test subject? I mean, do Divinators like her suspect that there may be a prophecy linked to You-Know-Who and his eventual demise?”

“I don’t think Divinators have an advantage over the rest of us when it comes to those things,” Tracey explained. “Professor Hornby is a Seer, so she has access to a multitude of possible futures, but it’s not like there’s a voice inside her head telling her exactly what the future holds. And she definitely doesn’t have access to things that happened in the past. The only way she would know about the prophecy is if someone told her about it.”

“Right,” Hani nodded slowly. “So, for all she knows, you have a cousin who’s the subject of a random prophecy with very little impact on their life.”

“Pretty much,” Parvati laughed. “It’s a perfect plan, if you think about it. I can continue to gather information from Professor Hornby, you can explore the meditation techniques we’ve been studying in class, and we can hopefully gain access to some more in-depth books.”

“I don’t know, Parvati,” Hani frowned. “Sue seems convinced that I must have some kind of talent for the arts because I ‘saw’ something when I reached out, but it didn’t feel like something I should purposefully seek out. Besides, it’s not like I’ll suddenly be able to hear the prophecy even if I continue to pull on that metaphorical thread, right?”

“Probably not,” Tracey shrugged. “But who knows? There has to be a way for you to bypass your thread magic to reach the more neutral parts of your core. Blood adoption is a mysterious thing, so there’s no telling how it might have affected your connection to Magic. You’re a powerful witch, Hani; if anyone can find the connection to a prophecy within her own mind, it’ll be you.”

Parvati and Lavender’s mouths pursed in unison, their gazes torn between meeting Hani’s and pointedly avoiding it so they wouldn’t crack under the pressure.

They loved Hani, but neither of them were particularly good at keeping secrets, especially from the other Sisters. It didn’t help that her Blood Magic was so deeply entwined with the rest of her magic, making it hard to discuss things that pertained to her without wanting to discuss her newest affinity.

Who knew what kind of effect the Evans family magic had on the prophecy. Was it the reason behind it? Would it cancel out the Light Magic that had determined Hani’s Fate? Was there a ritual Hani could undertake that would help her get rid of whatever connection existed between Voldemort and her?

She’d looked through the Grimoire when she’d first thought of the connection, but her mother hadn’t given any advice about prophecies. It wasn’t entirely surprising, but Hani still wished a clue had been left for her to find. 

“Well,” Parvati finally chuckled awkwardly. “I’m sure we’ll solve this mystery one way or another. I was thinking of going to the used bookshop this weekend to see if they have any obscure tomes about prophecies.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Tracey smiled.

Their Slytherin friend wasn’t clueless. Hani knew she’d noticed the tension between the three of them, and she knew it would have cost her nothing to tell Tracey about the Blood Magic her mother had passed down to her. No matter how paranoid Severus and Sirius were about the situation, she knew the Sisters would never betray her confidence.

Still, when Tracey didn’t ask any more questions, Hani felt a knot loosen within her.

Someday, the idea of telling others about her Blood Magic wouldn’t make her insides turn upside down, but today was not that day.

It was a beautiful day for a Hogsmeade visit, and Hani was on edge.

Parvati might have been looking for hidden Divination books, but Hani had an entirely different plan for the morning. Her nerves were shot, her fingers twitching every time the girls asked her what she wanted to do.

Aside from Daphne and Sue, Tracey was the only Sister missing. Hannah and Leo had begged her to spend the day with her Slytherin friends so they could get to work on finding birthday presents for her. Hani had been counting on Tracey to serve as her cover for her escapade, so her absence felt tangible.

“We could head over to the Three Broomsticks for an early lunch,” Leo suggested when the clock struck eleven. They’d done their rounds of the usual shops they liked to frequent and had been lingering outside for a handful of minutes, much to their professors’ consternation.

Hani had come to learn that the staff did not like seeing her wandering outside for long periods of time. Whatever instructions they’d been given pertaining to her, it involved lots of pointed looks and barely-veiled demands to head back inside.

“Parvati and I wanted to see the used bookstore,” Hani said before she could second-guess herself. Lavender’s eyes widened then narrowed, her gaze flickering to an equally confused Parvati. “We’ve got to look up some stuff for her Divination project.”

“But what about–” Hani cut Lavender off with a forced smile, pleading with her eyes.

“I know you wanted to meet with some of the students who were interested in the Gazette,” Hani said, quietly enough that only Lavender and Hannah – who stood next to the former – could hear her. “I promise I’ll catch up with you when we get back, and I’ll even buy you a book to make up for it. One of those Divination textbooks Professor Hornby recommended for the sociological study of the arts, maybe?”

Lavender bit down on her bottom lip but nodded slowly. “Fine. But you’d better not do anything silly, Hani. We’ll be waiting for you at the Three Broomsticks. I’ll get my interviews done before lunch and drag you to another table if I have to.”

“Noted,” Hani smiled, hugging her best friend tight and shooting Hannah a grateful smile.

Their Hufflepuff Sister wasn’t a snitch. Even if she didn’t understand or approve of Hani’s recent streak of sneakiness, she wouldn’t call her out for it. At least, not so long as Hani was keeping an eye on Charlie and acting normally during their Sister hangouts.

“Get me something too, Titi!” Padma called out as Hani took Parvati’s hand and hastened their steps.

“And don’t forget a gift for Trace!” Leo added.

Hani rolled her eyes at that. She’d been working on Tracey’s present for the past month already. Even though she didn’t know her as well as Daphne, she was close enough to the second Slytherin Sister to come up with a present idea slightly more original than a used book.

“What did you make for her?” Parvati asked, correctly assuming the direction her thoughts had taken.

She didn’t ask Hani why she’d made Lavender stay behind. She was a good best friend; they both were.

“A Quidditch kit,” Hani replied, her lips ticking up. “Clothing-style, of course. New gloves that will help her Magic tune into the magic of the broom, a hair tie that’ll stay in place even if a storm hits the pitch, and leggings for her to wear under her robes. She’s always complaining about the lack of good wizarding sportswear, so I think she’ll appreciate those the most.”

“You always outdo us when it comes to gifts,” Parvati huffed, though the sound was more fond than anything else. “I actually might have to settle for a book. I love Tracey, but the most we have in common is our love for Professor Hornby and our dislike of anything school-related.”

“Speaking of Tracey,” Hani perked up, her plans unfolding perfectly.

It wasn’t that she’d been trying to orchestrate a run-in with the Slytherins in their year, but she’d noted the direction they’d taken earlier and had hoped they would cross paths on the way to the bookshop.

Tracey stood between Blaise and Lily, who walked next to Emma. The four of them tended to stick together, especially when Daphne wasn’t around. They were far more vibrant than the other half of their roommates. Far friendlier, too.

And a lot better for Parvati’s overall mood.

“Blaise!” She exclaimed, jogging lightly to join her boyfriend. Blaise spun her around once when she reached him, pecking her lips gently before tucking her underneath his arm. “Hani and I are on our way to the used bookshop. If she doesn’t mind, maybe you want to come along as well?”

She batted her eyelashes at him as he spoke, but he’d melted long before she’d finished her question. The Slytherin girls were mock-gagging, and Hani laughed at their antics.

“Dude,” Lily grimaced. “Keep that away from us! You rub it in our face enough when we’re in the common room, there’s no need to ruin our Hogsmeade trip as well. At least our other housemates have the decency to keep it on the down-low.”

“I’ll gladly keep it away from you,” Blaise huffed. “We’ll meet back at the Three Broomsticks? Food is on me today.”

“Yes!” Emma punched the air, leaning over to ruffle Blaise’s hair before taking off running, Lily hot on her heels.

“Be nice to Hani, Blaise,” Tracey added as she headed off. She blew a kiss at Parvati and gave Hani a quick side-hug on her way to the inn, but she didn’t linger.

It was going almost too perfectly.

Blaise and Parvati led the way to the used bookshop, talking in low voices and only remembering to include Hani every few paces. They were so deep in conversations regarding Divination and Tracey’s birthday, she didn’t even mind the accidental exclusion. It wasn’t as though she could have added anything to their debate about the merit of tea leaves or what flavour would suit Tracey best.

In fact, as much as she hated it, their distraction was exactly what she needed.

As soon as they entered the bookshop, both of them hurried to the Divination aisle, leaving Hani stranded by the front door.

It was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, but she still hesitated for a second, watching the back of Parvati’s head as her ponytail swung side to side in her excitement. Her hands were moving animatedly, and Blaise was looking at her, completely smitten.

They were fine. She’d be fine.

She raised her hood and slipped out of the shop before she could second-guess herself. She rarely wore her embroidered hoodies when she was at Hogwarts, which had made them the perfect choice for the day.

As she sped up and turned the corner onto the next street, the purple hood kept the professors’ eyes away from her bright hair. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed none of them had noticed her leaving the main road.

If they had, they would have already followed her by now.

She looked forward again and felt herself come to a grinding halt.

Her mind flew into a frenzy and her stomach flipped, everything in her telling her to turn around and head back the way she’d come from.

The alley was empty, the few residential houses unlit and unoccupied. Her destination was the only busy building in sight, but the handful of students milling around inside weren’t enough to calm Hani’s pounding heart.

The longer she waited, the worse it would get. She checked her holster for her wand and resisted the urge to take it out. Then again, could she get in trouble for having her wand in hand? Surely, the professors would understand. But the antiques shop was just a few feet away; it wouldn’t take her longer than twenty seconds to reach it. 

All she had to do was walk.

Her legs felt heavy, and she suddenly couldn’t remember which direction she was supposed to head in. She knew there were friends waiting for her if she turned back, but they were looking for birthday presents, and Freja was in the shop already. She’d need help finding a present for– It was someone’s birthday, she was sure of it.

Freja’s snowy footsteps led to the antiques shop, except– It wasn’t snowing anymore. Freja’s footsteps were gone, as though she’d vanished out of thin air, and Hani thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest. Her blood felt too hot, her skin itchy, and she’d lost Freja again.

She’d be looking for her soon, they’d all be looking for–

“Harini?”

She jumped. Her wand was in her hand in an instant, and she whirled around to point it at the person behind her. It shook as she tried to hold it steady, and she cursed herself for not remembering to bring her heavier robes when it was snowing outside, except–

It wasn’t snowing anymore. And the person behind her was only Justin, his Prefect badge reflecting in the warm autumn light. Freja wasn’t here, and she wasn’t in the antiques shop either. There were no presents to get for Susan and Lisa’s birthdays. Her wand was still shaking, but she forced herself to lower it.

Her own Prefect badge caught her eye as she slowly slipped the wand back into her holster. She hadn’t been wearing a badge last year.

“I–”

Her throat felt numb. Her cheeks were warm, her mind overtaken by fear and embarrassment.

Justin stared at her calmly.

“Were you heading to the antiques shop?” He asked, and Hani willed herself to nod. Justin rewarded her with a bright smile. “Perfect, I was on my way there too, and it’ll be nice to spend some time with a fellow prefect outside of our usual duty hours.”

She nodded again, not trusting herself to speak, and slipped her arm into Justin’s when he extended it out to her. Instead of the usual discomfort she experienced when people she barely knew touched her, she felt warmth and gratitude seep into her. She clinged onto Justin’s arm tighter and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t try to pry her off him.

“I was going to get something for Tracey,” Justin chattered on easily. He didn’t meet her eyes, but Hani knew his words were more for her benefit than his own. “It’s her birthday soon, you know? And she held it against the entire study group last year when we didn’t get her something ‘thoughtful’. Really, she was only pouting to manipulate us into getting her a cake from the kitchens, but I think we know each other well enough now that it would genuinely offend her if we forgot her big day.”

“She likes her birthday,” Hani murmured.

“That she does,” Justin laughed. “Is that why you’re here as well?”

Hani shook her head, and Justin didn’t pry any further. Instead, he opened the door with his free hand and talked to her incessantly as they wandered around the shop. He pointed out objects he thought Tracey would like, clothes he believed were ‘entirely inferior to what you make, Harini ’ and magical artefacts he swore would curse him if he touched them.

Hani relaxed next to him and, eventually, she left him to his own devices in the furniture section of the shop. It was close enough to lunchtime that the other students were on their way out, so it was ridiculously easy to head further into the shop without being noticed – though she kept her hood up, just in case.

Finally, in the back corner of the building, she found what she’d been looking for.

Rows of knives lay in front of her. Waving her hand above them was enough to determine that at least half of them were magical in nature, so she settled in place and sank into her mind.

Grounding herself took longer than she would have liked, but her thoughts were in disarray and her barriers somehow stronger than usual, making it hard for her to focus on her meditation techniques.

Finally, she opened her eyes to the familiar feeling of her waking meditations. She let her right hand hover from knife to knife even as anxiety crept in the edges of her consciousness. She needed to find the perfect blade, but she also needed to hurry before someone caught her digging into the somewhat dubious portion of the shop.

Just when she thought the anxiety would become too much, her body lit up with excitement, and her eyes snapped down to the knife resting less than an inch away from her hand.

It was small; the blade was shorter than the length of her palm, and the hilt not much longer. It was not, however, unassuming. In fact, it was one of the flashiest options on the table. The blade was pitch black with veins of gold and, when Hani raised it to the light, it shimmered until it appeared almost entirely golden. Meanwhile, the hilt was made of sparkling red glass, deep when she set it down but almost translucent when she tilted it at a specific angle.

It was going to cost her a fortune.

It was perfect.

She stuffed it into her hoodie’s pocket as she hurried to the front of the shop. A cursory glance revealed that Justin had stepped right outside and was waiting for her by the front door, so she pulled the blade out of her pocket and placed it on the counter.

The worker looked up at her briefly and drawled out an exorbitant price, though Hani had expected it to be higher.

When Hani placed a small stack of silver and gold onto the counter, the worker looked up again, as though she hadn’t been expecting Hani to actually follow through. Hani met her gaze and didn’t think; she dropped an extra piece of gold into the pile and felt her heart calm down when the worker accepted it without another word.

The knife disappeared into her satchel the second the transaction was completed, and she hastily joined Justin, hoping against hope that the worker hadn’t recognised her.

“Come on,” Justin tucked his arm in hers again and quickened their pace on the way out of the alley. “Your friends will be worried sick if you’re gone for too long. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“I did,” she smiled hesitantly. “And you?”

“Absolutely,” he grinned. “Tracey is going to love it.”

She didn’t ask about the gift, and he didn’t ask about her purchase. Instead, he told her about his plans for the afternoon as he led them to the Three Broomsticks. Hani felt guilt drop to her feet when she spotted Parvati and Lavender waiting outside the inn with a handful of their professors.

“Harini,” Justin told her right as her best friends spotted her. She glanced at him. “Next time you want to go to the antiques shop, feel free to find me first. And maybe tell your friends where you’d planned on going?”

She winced but squeezed his arm gratefully before letting it go.

“Thanks, Justin,” she whispered, then lost sight of him when Parvati and Lavender jumped onto her, their grips almost crushing her in their panic.

The guilt within her tripled at their frenzied questions, and doubled again when a lie slipped past her lips. She’d just wanted to see the shop again, she told them. She’d needed to do it alone, not wanting to admit that she still sometimes had nightmares about the day she’d been kidnapped.

She didn’t tell them about the knife in her satchel.

Instead, she let them settle down when she told them Justin had joined her almost as soon as she’d entered the alley, though they berated her all the way back to the table where the other Sisters waited, relief evident in the way their shoulders relaxed.

The guilt remained and her heart still pounded, but the fear had been replaced with restless anticipation.

The plan hadn’t gone off without a hitch, exactly, but it had still happened as she’d needed it to.

She had her knife.

The vessel was the easy part. There was no real ritual to complete, no steps to take to ensure her Magic would react to it as it needed to. She’d used her sewing needle enough that it was already imbued with power, Blood Magic probably buzzing inside it without her knowledge.

She’d used the needle to create a tiny pocket in her wand holster. The needle would rest next to her wand and take in any excess Magic she let out when she cast spells, which would make it an even stronger vessel. She’d have to switch to another needle for her embroidery but, truth be told, the one she’d been using was more sentimental than anything else. Nothing made it superior to others when it came to thread magic, though it would make a huge difference as a vessel to her Blood Magic.

It was fascinating, she thought, how two Magics within her could react so variably to the same object.

She’d miss her needle, but Lavender had been begging her to stop twirling it around incessantly for months now. It gave her the shivers, especially once she’d found out about Hani’s affinity for blood, and Hani knew she would be grateful for its disappearance.

Not that Hani had told them what she was doing that night. Or any night that she vanished despite her lack of patrol duties.

She knew her best friends assumed she spent that time with her dad, and she’d selfishly decided not to correct them when she realised how much easier it would make her life. Despite their support of her affinities, her Magic, and the potentially-dangerous Grimoire her mother had left for her, she had a feeling neither Lavender nor Parvati truly approved of her applying that magic in a practical way.

It was one of the many reasons the Room of Requirement couldn’t remain her primary base of operation for much longer. There were too many people aware of its existence, and Hani was starting to toe the line between morality and legality.

Settling with her knife and vessel wasn’t dangerous, nor was it technically forbidden by law, since it didn’t directly involve Blood Magic, but–

Well, Hani didn’t want to find out what would happen if someone caught her communing with a bloody knife.

She stared at it now, the last hurdle that remained between her affinity for Blood Magic and an actual understanding of the spells her mother had crafted in her youth. Once the knife grew attuned to the rest of her Magic, she would be able to delve into the rest of the Grimoire. She could try spells, could explore rituals, could brew potions, could–

She let her thoughts trail into nothingness.

She wasn’t meant to practise alone. She was supposed to have a community of people there to support her; people who could watch out for her while she attempted spells beyond her skillset. She was supposed to have a father who would heal her if she hurt herself and who would roll his eyes when she whined about failing the same spell for the hundredth time in a row.

Instead, all Hani had was a vessel, a knife, and so much nerve she thought she might be consumed by it if she let it grow any longer.

It wasn’t as though she’d broken any rules yet, not really. She’d done nothing more than read the book, meditate, and play around with a few sharp objects.

Still, as she stared down at the knife in her lap, she wondered if going through with this would be crossing the line she’d been careful to stay behind. If Severus found out about her knife, would he hold it against her? Would he confiscate it? Or would he understand that she was only going through the first steps so her Magic settled and her blood stopped burning every time she got upset?

The blade gleamed in the moonlight that streamed through the room’s windows, and it felt like the sign she’d been waiting for.

With a single motion, she let the blade cut into the palm of her hand, leaving a streak of dark red in its wake.

She barely registered the stinging pain, too busy lifting the knife higher so she could catch the flashes of red against black and gold. The combination was mesmerising, a perfect union of colours that reminded her of the Gryffindor common room at night. Her blood dripped onto her dark robes, and she made a note not to wear them the next day. The stains wouldn’t show – she didn’t think so, at least – but her mother would probably return from the dead to murder her if she knew Hani was letting her blood get all over the school.

The blood finally slipped onto the hilt of her knife, and Hani’s lips parted when the liquid shimmered against the glass.

It wasn’t Blood Magic – it couldn’t be – but everything within her sang at the sight. Sparks shot through her body, and her Magic felt like it was dancing. Light flitted around her fingertips, wisps of gold and red to match her glittering blade.

She let out a soft sound, wanting the moment to last forever.

If she hadn’t had a ritual to complete, she would have let it. She’d have stayed there all night and watched as her blood illuminated the room in a haze of red, gold cutting through the crimson like starlight.

But she had things to do, time-sensitive matters to attend to, and a dorm to get back to before Dean came searching for her. She placed the knife down in front of her and breathed in deeply, forcing herself to sink back into a meditative state. It came to her more easily now, especially with her Magic in such a potent state, and she barely had to focus before her mind quieted and her body settled.

When she opened her eyes again, the haze was still there, but she managed not to be pulled back in by its intoxicating radiance. Instead, she grabbed the cleansing water she’d taken from the lab storerooms and poured it over her blade. As her blood mixed with the water, diluting until the red haze disappeared, Hani raised her wand above the knife and cast the simple purity spells she’d learned over the past year. They were perfect for cleansing rituals, and she could already feel the Magic take hold of the blade.

Since her blood and the pure water were the only liquids touching the knife while she performed the short ritual, they would be the lone substances her blade would accept as binding from now on. That was, for as long as she managed to keep it clean and pure, not tainting it with someone else’s blood.

In the future, if her friends wanted to use her Blood Magic, she would have to use a separate blade or risk contaminating the knife she’d chosen for herself.

For now, though, she shook herself out of her meditative state and admired her handiwork, grinning at the now-polished hilt. Her blood should have clung to the metal and glass, but the purifying water had combined with the darker liquid until both of them had dripped into a useless puddle in front of her.

“You’re perfect,” Hani grinned at the blade, resisting the urge to toss it in the air while her palm was still bleeding.

With the haze gone and the excitement of the ritual behind her, she winced a little at the sting the cut had left behind. 

If she ever did start practising her Blood Magic, healing spells would have to be at the top of her list.

“There are a lot of potions in the Grimoire, you know?”

Severus made a non-committal sound, and Hani bit down on her bottom lip. He wasn’t watching her, but she could feel the way her dad had straightened as soon as she’d mentioned the Grimoire.

It was the same way every time she spoke about it, which was the exact reason she’d told herself she would steer clear of the subject. If he didn’t ask her about it, there was no cause for her to bring it up.

Except, of course, the unbearable guilt she’d been feeling ever since she’d cleansed her knife and dabbled in what felt like borderline Blood Magic. Even if she hadn’t actually done anything, it was hard for her to believe her father would have been even remotely okay with what she’d been getting up to in the Room of Requirement.

It might not have been take-her-Grimoire-away bad, but it had certainly been a few steps further than what she’d told him she’d been doing.

“The healing ones look interesting,” she added when Severus stayed silent. “Not that I can understand much of what’s going on yet, but I think you’d like them. I could show them to you, if you’d like. You’d have a better shot at deciphering them, especially since mum got a bit creative with the way she wrote down the recipes. It’s like she hadn’t fully made her mind up about them when she added them to the Grimoire, so she had to add a dozen annotations later on.”

“Believe it or not, Harini, but she got that from me,” Severus snorted. “Lily was always the meticulous kind until she met me and realised there was no reason to be certain of a recipe the first time around. Sometimes, I have to work on a Potion ten times before I’m perfectly satisfied with its effects. Lily realised if she ever wanted to beat me at my own game, she would have to steal my methods as well.”

“And did she?” Hani asked softly, not wanting Severus to stop speaking about her mother.

These glimpses were so rare, she sometimes forgot Severus and her mum had been friends when they’d been at school. And yet, he seemed to know more about her than both Remus and Sirius did combined – if one took away the notable exception of her Blood Magic.

“She earned the top Potions spot during our OWL exams, but I claimed it back during NEWTs,” Severus smirked. “Still, it doesn’t surprise me that she included Potions in your family Grimoire. They are a precious tool when it comes to Magic, but even more so a Magic that is so dependent on a liquid-based source. I imagine she experimented extensively once we left Hogwarts.”

“Do you really think she waited until she was out of Hogwarts?”

Severus raised his eyebrows at her exasperatedly, but Hani wasn’t trying to argue in favour of her own Blood studies. Rather, she was just curious to hear what her mum had been up to in her last few years at Hogwarts. If she’d known about her Blood Magic already, would she truly have waited until she was done with school to start experimenting? Or was she more like Hani, desperate to find out more about her Magic?

If the Grimoire was anything to go by, Lily Evans had not been the patient kind.

“Hogwarts isn’t exactly welcoming of Dark Magic,” Severus finally sighed. “If Lily was practising it… I struggle to imagine a world in which she would have figured out how to go undetected. There are certainly ways to bypass some of the school’s security measures, but nothing a sixteen-year-old witch should have been able to grasp.”

Hani bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from mentioning the multitudes of wards she’d found in the Evans Grimoire.

Somehow, her mother had managed to dabble into Runes enough that she had turned the usually Light wards into a byproduct of Blood Magic. She had worked around her own affinity and had come up with some of the most complex Arithmantic sequences Hani had ever seen.

If she’d wanted to study in secret, she could have.

“That makes sense,” she said instead, chuckling awkwardly. “It’s even more impressive, in a way. I mean, you should see the amount of spells and potions she managed to add to the Grimoire. Inventing them all in the span of three years would be nothing short of a miracle.”

“She was good at those,” Severus whispered, and Hani’s chuckle died mid-air. “She thought you were the greatest miracle of all. I’m inclined to agree, though I’m afraid it would get to that head of yours.”

“Don’t worry,” Hani smiled weakly, not sure how to handle the melancholy in her dad’s gaze. “My head’s so big, you couldn’t inflate it any further even if you tried. It’s the Sirius genes in me.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Severus shook his head, his lips tilting up in amusement. “Speaking of your godfather, he tells me he hasn’t heard from you in a while. I know you’ve been busy, Harini, but it would mean the world to him if you reached out. It would also mean the world to me , since it might make him stop Flooing over on the weekends. He seems to believe he has the right to enter my office now that we are co-guardians.”

“That’s so sweet,” Hani said, her voice saccharine-sweet. Severus narrowed his eyes at her, and she giggled. “I’ll send him a letter. It’s not like I’ve been actively trying to avoid him; I just haven’t been doing anything worth mentioning, especially since I doubt he cares about my Prefect patrols.”

He might have cared about her prophecy investigations and her exploration of the Evans Grimoire, but she wasn’t ready to share those parts of herself with him. Not yet, and certainly not now that he was in regular communication with Severus.

They were frustratingly in agreement when it came to her so-called safety, and she refused to lose her Grimoire because Sirius had suddenly decided he needed to stop her from doing anything ‘reckless’. As though he hadn’t been reckless at her age. As though she hadn’t seen Remus pale at the thought of what they’d done when they’d been at school.

“He’ll appreciate any distraction he can get,” Severus said slowly, and Hani’s eyes snapped to her guardian. There was something in his tone, and if she stayed perfectly still, perhaps he would– “We’ve been looking into the Dark Lord’s attacks on the Muggle World. Dumbledore doesn’t believe there’s anything we can do as of right now, but the rest of the Order refuses to stay inactive while innocents are being killed.”

“And?” Hani asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. She didn’t want to break whatever spell had convinced Severus to tell her about Dumbledore’s Order.

“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the incidents,” Severus sighed, rubbing his forehead in soothing circles. “The North has been a greater victim, but it’s hard to tell whether the attacks are targeting something there or if he is simply aware the Magical World isn’t as developed when one leaves London’s circle of influence.”

“So he still hasn’t attacked the Wizarding World?” Hani prodded.

It didn’t make any sense. Even if Voldemort wanted to rid the world of Muggles, he wouldn’t be able to get very far if he didn’t have the Magical community under his thumb. As soon as his attacks grew too fatal, the Ministry would have no choice but to step in, whether they were ready to admit Voldemort was back or not.

Eventually, he would have to switch away from Muggles. She just didn’t understand what he was waiting for. It was putting her on edge, wondering if she would wake up one morning to news that her little village in Wales had been pillaged. Wondering if one day, a spike of muggleborn deaths would appear in the Daily Prophet, left ‘unexplained’ by the Ministry officials. Wondering if the next time she went out to Hogsmeade, there would be another Death Eater waiting for her around the corner.

She didn’t want to live in constant fear anymore, but the weekend had stirred up feelings she’d thought had been buried deep within her mind.

“From what I have gleaned both in Order meetings and in the less savoury ones I have to attend, the Dark Lord does not plan to change his methods anytime soon,” Severus answered grimly. “I suspect, however, that he is being more careful with the information he distributes this time around. I am unsure which of his older followers managed to get through to him, but he is being… secretive.”

“That’s not good.”

“No, Harini, it isn’t good at all,” Severus shook his head. “It makes the Order’s work a hundred times harder, and my position even more precarious. We are hoping that, with enough time, our investigations will yield conclusive results. Your godfather’s job makes him perfect for these duties, and he is determined to come up with answers.”

“Oh,” Hani said dumbly. “I didn’t realise he was so involved. I thought he was still upset at Dumbledore about the prophecy and– Well, everything he did this summer, really.”

“Black does not trust Albus any more than I do,” Severus snorted dryly. “However, we both understand that some things supersede our dislike for a single man. These investigations are carried out by the Order, but they were our decision. We decided, as a group, that we needed to act before the Dark Lord’s forces grow out of proportion. Your godfather, more than anyone, refuses to have blood on his hands when this is all over. He also refuses to ‘sit on his ass and do nothing’.”

“That sounds like Sirius,” Hani smiled. Her stomach turned a little at the thought of who her godfather might run into during his investigations, but she had to trust that he had it under control. She doubted the Death Eaters revisited the scenes of their crime, anyway. “What about you?”

She saw the moment Severus shut down, the humour in his eyes disappearing. It was soon replaced by concern, the ever-constant expression he wore around her these days. Every time she asked a question, dug a little too deep, talked about her Magic… He would frown, purse his lips, and stare at her as though he would be able to determine what she was getting up to through sheer willpower.

That she’d even been able to get so much out of him in one sitting was an achievement she hadn’t thought she would ever reach.

“I haven’t heard nearly enough about your classes lately, Harini,” Severus said after a few tense moments. “Have you started thinking about your Final Projects? I know Professor Babbling is eager to see what you will come up with this year.”

Hani sighed but knew indulging her father was the only way to please him now that he’d decided to change the subject.

Perhaps she could send a letter to Daphne soon and ask if she had heard anything on the political side of things. Between the information Severus had given her, the gossip Lavender had managed to gather, and whatever Daphne was made aware of by her parents…

Maybe the prophecy wasn’t the only thing they could investigate.

Hani really hoped McGonagall didn’t know what she and Morag got up to during her classes. If she was reporting back to Severus about her headaches, there was no telling what she would say if she knew Hani spent most of her lessons coming up with new ways for Morag to learn without having to rely on her friends, lip-reading, and a complex combination of spells that still failed half of the time.

The pillow they’d meant to Evanesco had disappeared within the first five minutes of their lesson, courtesy of Hani’s extensive study of the spell, and they’d been left with over fifteen minutes to brainstorm while the rest of their yearmates completed the revision period of McGonagall’s class.

Hani was finishing up her explanation of a theory that would combine BSL and Morag’s current communication spell when the door burst open. Erin swanned into the room with her usual lack of urgency, tossing her striped hair over her shoulder as she greeted the professor and made her way to Sally and Runcorn, both of whom welcomed her with bright smiles.

McGonagall’s jaw was clenched tightly, but she greeted Erin in return with a pointed reminder that they were one month into the school year already.

“I’m sorry, professor,” Erin sighed. “I just can’t get the hang of this side of the school.”

‘She somehow gets worse every day,’ Morag wrote into the air while McGonagall was too busy narrowing her eyes at Erin to pay attention to them.

Runcorn was tittering while Erin took her time sitting down and taking her things out of her bag. Hani wondered how Erin’s seatmates had somehow earned the same immunity she’d been given, considering they had been at school for as long as the rest of their year.

Before she could do something reckless like raise her hand and protest the continued favouritism shown to Erin and her seating partners, the door swung open a second time, and Hani’s jaw almost dropped when Susan walked into the room, her chin held high.

“Good afternoon, professor,” she said with a polite smile.

Then, as if she did this all the time, she plopped herself down in her seat next to Fay and quietly greeted her seatmate, whose eyes were crinkled in amusement.

“Miss Bones.”

Professor McGonagall’s voice was thunderous. She stormed back to the front of the room, abandoning Erin altogether, and loomed over Susan’s desk, her cheeks red and her eyes stormy.

“Never in my career have I ever witnessed a student show such disrespect to their professors,” she hissed.

The entire class was watching the encounter now. Hani was on the edge of her seat, wondering what Susan could have possibly thought would happen after she pulled a stunt like that.

“Really?” The Hufflepuff girl’s voice was poised but sharp. Hani could picture her raised eyebrow and the tilt of her lips as clear as day. “I’m sorry, professor, I was only following my classmate from the lunch hall. I thought there must have been a delay to the class, since she seemed entirely unhurried. She was lounging around in the Great Hall, and I thought I would catch up on my reading while we waited.”

“Miss Bones, I expected better from–”

“Actually, professor, I think we all expected better from you,” Susan interrupted her. Hani knew she must have been dying to stand, but she maintained her relaxed position in her chair. It was the perfect move, and Hani couldn’t help but reluctantly admire her gumption. “It’s October now. We have been back at school for five weeks, and yet you continue to excuse the behaviour of a spoiled child who has never bothered with basic manners.”

“Five points from Hufflepuff,” Professor McGonagall said, deathly calm. Hani might have started crying if she’d been pinned down by her glare. “Insulting your classmates will hardly excuse your own behaviour, Miss Bones. We all understand that Miss Hargreaves is taking her time to find her bearings. If anything, you should have helped her find her way to class so neither of you would have been late.”

“Ah, yes,” Susan laughed.

Hani couldn’t stand her, but she loved her all the same.

“Excuse me for laughing, professor, but it seems everyone around here truly has lost their minds,” she continued, ignoring McGonagall’s outrage. “You see, I was curious about Hargreaves’ behaviour, so I went to investigate. I met her sisters, who I’m sure you know as well. Emily is a sweetheart; she’s actually the one helping her classmates with homework already, and I’ve caught her leading the way to her classrooms on more than one occasion. Erica is just as lovely, and she’s settled in wonderfully. She hands in papers without delay, never gets lost… Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I would think she’d been at Hogwarts all along. Don’t you agree?”

It was perhaps bolder than anything Hani would have said, but she thought that was rather the point. As Prefects, there was little Hani and her partners could do to go against the direct instructions they’d been given by Wren, Cedric, and the entire teaching staff. Susan, on the other hand, hadn’t been asked to behave or to make Erin ‘feel at ease’.

And, although no one wanted to admit it, the preferential treatment Erin was receiving had become ridiculous weeks ago.

“Every individual is different, Miss Bones,” Professor McGonagall argued, but there was a hint of something else shining in her eyes now.

Not quite respect, but perhaps a glimmer of pride.

“I think I’ve made my point,” Susan shrugged. “I’m not trying to lose more points for my house than I have to. That being said, from now on, I’ll be showing up to my shared classes with Hargreaves only when she does as well. There are already more Hufflepuffs than Gryffindors; I should help balance the scales.”

“Professor Sprout will be hearing about this,” McGonagall sighed. Susan didn’t say anything to that, so their professor shook her head. “20 points from Hufflepuff for lateness and disrespect, Miss Bones.”

Behind Hani, Erin snickered.

Susan let out an unimpressed huff, and something flashed across Professor McGonagall’s face. She slowly let her gaze slide from Susan to Erin, who was still laughing to herself. Her amused demeanour wasn’t doing her any favours with their irate professor.

“The rules are universal, Miss Hargreaves. 20 points from Gryffindor. Now please, settle down.”

Erin’s snickers came to a grinding halt. 

It took everything in Hani not to turn around and look at the drop of her smile.

Chapter Text

Awareness can be slow, at least according to the books I read on the topic. A coven of Nigerian Blood Witches in the 1100s claims that the connection to their Magic was a slow and arduous process. It took time, patience, and most importantly focus. I say this so you do not grow discouraged if you do not forge an instant link to your Blood Magic.

However, I also urge you not to be alarmed if it happens far quicker than you might have expected. My awareness was not a slow process, nor one that required as much focus as I thought it would. In fact, it was so sudden it almost scared me half to death.

You see, knowing you have Blood Magic and feeling that Magic are not even remotely comparable notions. Once I became aware of it, ignoring it was no longer an option, especially because of how quick that process was. 

This is why you must be settled. Because once you are aware of your Magic, you will never settle again. It will never let you.

~ ToB ~ 

Hani’s footsteps echoed in the stone hallway as she raced towards Gryffindor Tower, leaving the masses of dinner-bound students behind her. Her bright red robes earned her a few curious looks from older students who had yet to see her wander around the halls in her Prefect garb, but she paid them very little heed.

She’d gotten caught up in the Evans Grimoire, tucked in her corner of the Sister room with none of the girls around to disturb her – bar Padma, who had been more than happy to ignore her. Naturally, time had gotten away from her. Padma would have probably warned her that dinner was approaching, but her friend had been just as busy with her project. When Hani had bolted from her chair, she’d startled as though she’d completely forgotten someone else was in the room with her.

Hani could relate.

At one point, she had almost taken her knife out of her bag to let it settle with her. Thankfully, Padma had chosen that moment to devolve into a coughing fit, so she had quickly dropped her knife back into her satchel. Padma had been none the wiser, but Hani’s heart had raced for ten minutes afterwards.

She blamed that lapse in judgement for her current lateness. If she hadn’t slipped up, she would have stuck to her usual after-class routine and reached the end of her section right on time for her to head to dinner. Instead, she’d had to reread the same paragraph five times, and she’d obviously missed her mark by a mile.

Or at least five minutes.

She picked up speed, happy to sprint now that she’d passed the majority of the Gryffindor students headed for the Great Hall. Anyone she crossed now would be too busy hurrying in the opposite direction to focus on her dishevelled appearance.

She dodged between a pair of third-years two corridors away from the common room and finally came to a screeching halt before the Fat Lady.

“Password?” The portrait prompted when Hani remained quiet, but she held a finger up as she caught her breath and ran her hands over her hair.

Her braids hadn’t moved an inch from the crown she’d styled that morning, but it never hurt to check. Her robes, on the other hand, needed a quick straightening. She smoothed her fingers over the light fabric while she took deep breaths before finally whispering the password to the Tower’s guardian.

A glance at the clock in the common room told her she was only two minutes late, and she let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Louise and Joshua lingering by the fireplace.

She hadn’t missed anything.

“Harini!” Her sixth-year mentor waved her over, and Hani relaxed as she walked over to them. “We’re still waiting on Professor Alderton. He stopped by the Great Hall first to make sure the other professors were aware he’d be absent for the evening.”

“It’s not as though he’s reminded them ten times already,” Hani grinned.

“Considering the crowd he’s dealing with, I’m not surprised he’s so stressed,” Joshua snickered. Louise and Hani echoed his laughter. “I mean, come on, have you guys seen how often Professor Forrester and Jenkins forget to show up to our house meetings? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were doing it on purpose.”

“Oh, Joshua, you don’t know any better,” Louise patted his shoulder soothingly. Hani bit back a smile. “Professor Jenkins always conveniently needs to take care of a plant right before our house meetings, and she couldn’t possibly go alone, so Professor Forrester has no other choice but to follow her.”

“Well–” Joshua blushed. “All the more reason for Professor Alderton to ensure they’re aware of the plans for the evening.”

“Not going to argue with that,” Louise chuckled. “Do you reckon we’ll get the same dinner as everyone else?”

“I doubt it,” Hani frowned. “Professor Prewett seems like the kind to go all out for a meeting like this. Especially the first of the year. He’ll want to make a good impression and act all chummy so we forget they’re our professors for the night. How else are they supposed to guarantee we’re being totally honest with them?”

“You’re so smart, Harini,” Louise winked at her. “You should head inside, by the way. Dean is waiting for you.”

She waggled her eyebrows for good measure, and Hani felt her face warm at the suggestive gesture. It wasn’t as though she was ignorant to what the other prefects thought about Dean and her, but she’d also never heard it first-hand. As far as she was concerned, Dean’s attention towards her was entirely platonic. They needed to band together as the students responsible for the dorms at night, and Dean had taken that duty seriously.

Hani had too, and that didn’t mean anything.

Still, she shuffled into Professor Prewett’s office without delay, only pausing in the entryway for a second to admire the changes their Head of House had made for the occasion.

Gone was his desk, student chairs, and even the corner he had set up for the younger students – or perhaps mostly for his niece and nephews, who waltzed in and out of the room as though they owned the place. In their stead, Professor Prewett had placed a round table that would fit the eight of them comfortably but left very little room for anything else.

He’d also changed the lighting to a dimmer glow, which made the atmosphere seem decidedly friendlier. If she’d had any doubts about their Head of House’s intentions before then, they would have vanished as soon as she’d entered the room.

“Hani!”

She smiled at the sound of Dean’s voice and navigated her way around the table to the seat Dean had chosen. The seats to either side of him were empty, and Hani eagerly threw herself onto the one to his right. Bailey and Owen were seated on the opposite side of the table, and she made sure to wave at them briefly before focusing on Dean, who was already looking right at her.

“What?” She asked, suddenly self-conscious. She resisted the urge to check her hair again. She knew it would be perfect.

“You’re late,” Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “You’ve been talking about this meeting all week, telling me how happy you are that Professor Prewett set it up, and then you show up late. What could have possibly taken up so much of your time that you would risk missing the beginning of our first ever Gryffindor Prefects dinner?”

“It looks to me as though I’m actually perfectly on time,” Hani sniffed. Until Professor Alderton joined them, their Head of House would not start the dinner. For the time being, he stood to the side of the room, his head buried in a book. “Am I not in the first half of people to sit down at the table?”

“The dinner was supposed to start five minutes ago,” Dean rolled his eyes. “So, unless you’ve acquired a sudden talent for Divination, I struggle to understand how you could have seen this coming.”

“Tracey is actually quite good with palm reading,” Hani hummed teasingly, feeling herself light up when Dean snorted. “However, I’ll admit that in this instance, I simply got lost reading one of my favourite books. Padma and I were spending time together, and we were both too absorbed to realise dinner time was approaching. I had to race from the other side of the castle to get here.”

“Ah, yes,” Dean grinned. “Ron was almost certain you had a girls-only lair hidden somewhere in the school. I don’t suppose you would want to share where it is? I could bleed the boys dry of their money with a well-placed bet.”

“Dean!” Hani gasped, caught between amusement and disbelief. “We’re noble Gryffindors! We don’t deal in bets, especially not the kind that are rigged to begin with, and especially not with classmates who would ruin themselves for a chance to win your silly wager.”

“Always so sensible,” Dean huffed. He hadn’t stopped smiling, though, so Hani figured she hadn’t said anything that had truly offended her Prefect partner. “Can you at least tell me what you get up to when you’re in there?”

“Nefarious things,” she responded dryly.

Dean stared at her, eyes narrowed and ever-so-slightly concerned. Hani valiantly fought against the uptick of her lips – and won.

When Professor Alderton strode into the room with the sixth-year Prefects in tow, Dean was still looking at her worriedly. She wondered if it was his self-preservation or chivalry that stopped him from asking any further questions.

“You’re joking,” he finally whispered. Professor Prewett and Professor Alderton had each taken a seat on opposite sides of the table, leaving Louise and Joshua to fill the gaps between them. Hani and Dean were perfectly placed.

She hummed non-committally in response to Dean’s affirmation and laughed quietly when his confusion failed to melt away.

“You are such a—”

“Alright, wonderful Gryffindor prefects!” Professor Prewett’s cheerful voice cut him off.

The Prefects all turned to look at their Head of House, whose glass was already full despite the lack of beverages in sight. He seemed at ease in their small setting, leagues away from the man Hani had gotten to know in her Third Year.

It was good for the school, she knew, but she still wished she could have been treated to this version of Professor Prewett when she had been terrified of Sirius breaking in. Maybe if they’d had a group of Prefects as united as their current one, she wouldn’t have had to spend an entire night locked in her dorm with her roommates.

She sighed to herself, realising she had tuned out the beginning of Professor Prewett’s speech.

She was sure that, with time, she would like him as much as she’d grown to appreciate Professor Alderton. She only needed to give him a chance.

“Your Head Boy and Head Girl are extremely impressed with your work so far,” their Head of House was saying when she tuned back in. “Apparently, you have taken to your new roles and obligations surprisingly well, especially our very own fifth-year duo. We all know your position within the house isn’t quite what you were expecting when you accepted the role, and we wanted to commend you for the effort you’ve obviously been putting in.”

“Gideon, if I may?” Professor Alderton interjected, earning himself a nod from his colleague. The casualness of his tone threw Hani off, his demeanour far more relaxed than she’d ever seen it before. “Miss Potter and Mister Thomas have been far more accommodating than I could have ever hoped for. I know our younger students have been a handful to deal with, and if I didn’t run the risk of being accused of favouritism, I hope you know you would have each received a hefty number of points for your behaviour in the past month.”

“The little ones do seem to respect the hell out of you,” Bailey grinned, winking at Hani. It was no secret to everyone in their house that she’d been the one to diffuse the latest tensions between the lower years. “Maybe a toast to our newest Prefects?”

“Of course!” Professor Prewett smiled. With a clap of his hands, the table was laden with foods and drinks of all sorts, the smells wafting deliciously through the air.

Hani immediately spotted a platter of bao that called her name, and she all but threw herself onto it while the rest of her housemates focused on beverages.

“Some juice to go with your food, Hani?” Dean’s voice was laced with laughter, and Hani made sure to glare at him while she grabbed the pitcher of apple juice and slowly poured herself a glass. “I admire your priorities.”

“You know, I was going to offer to share, but maybe I’ll keep the platter to myself,” she smirked.

Next to her, Louise chuckled, and Hani’s attention strayed from Dean to her mentor instead.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Louise said innocently. “I was just wondering what to say in my toast to the two of you. There are so many things to mention, after all…”

“I think, Miss Fontwell, that a toast to their success will suffice,” Professor Alderton reasoned from Louise’s other side. Hani didn’t express her gratitude for his intervention, but she made a note to do something nice for Professor Alderton in the near future.

After all, she wasn’t the only one fielding rumours about her ‘love life’.

“A toast, then, to the many accomplishments of Gryffindor House!” Professor Prewett cheered loudly, and the rest of the group was quick to follow. Hani’s cheeks were burning at the camaraderie between the students and professors, but she refused to be the only person in the room feeling awkward.

Thankfully, Dean seemed just as uncomfortable as her, and she shared a commiserating look with him before their attention was pulled back towards Professor Alderton.

“If any of you have concerns about this first month of duties, now is the time to bring them up,” he said sensibly. “I have already had a few conversations with Miss Potter and Mister Thomas about the dormitories and common room, but I am here if any of you have other questions to ask.”

“Actually, professor—” Louise’s voice lowered as she spoke to Professor Alderton, and Hani shrugged. She wasn’t overly concerned about the older students’ plights; as far as she knew, she and Dean were dealing with enough already.

“I think Professor Prewett is tipsy.”

She jumped out of her skin.

“ Jes—Merlin, Dean,” she held a hand to her chest and glowered at her smirking companion. “Wait, did you say Professor Prewett is tipsy?”

“Unless you have another explanation for his behaviour,” Dean shrugged. He’d picked a selection of small sandwiches as his meal for the evening, and Hani almost scoffed at the simplicity of it. A plate of roti lay less than three inches from him, and he’d gone for a club instead.

“Please rethink what you have on your plate right now,” she groaned, not letting him defend himself before speaking again. “And it wouldn’t be the first time I dealt with tipsy professors. There’s something about private dinners that make them lose their usual composure. I doubt Professor Alderton is impressed by the turn of events.”

“Sometimes, I feel like Alderton is our real Head of House,” Dean agreed, whispering as though afraid Professor Prewett would somehow overhear their conversation.

Given that their professor was in the middle of a debate with Joshua and the seventh-year Prefects, Hani thought they were in the clear. Then again, she’d noticed Dean held a fair share more respect and fear for their professors; he absolutely hated when he got called out for poor behaviour, lateness, or mediocre grades.

“In Professor Prewett’s defence, he was the one to come up with this dinner idea,” Hani pointed out. “You know, I think Slughorn wanted to instate something like this across the school. A Slug-Club, or something of the like? It obviously got turned down, but he would occasionally bring it up during the Programme last year.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Dean shuddered. “Professor Prewett may be more of a cool, chaotic uncle than a Head of House, but at least he doesn’t make me feel gross every time he talks to me.”

Hani giggled. “Praise from Slughorn genuinely feels like an insult.”

“I mean, maybe not an insult, but…” Dean cut himself off with a thoughtful look. “Never mind. It’s definitely an insult.”

“What’s an insult?”

Hani managed not to startle this time, but she did shoot Louise a reproachful look, especially since she’d brought Alderton’s attention along with her own inquisitive gaze. Their professor’s gaze shone with poorly concealed amusement, and Hani wondered if Dean had been right to be wary of eavesdroppers.

“Oh, we were talking about the Slug Club,” she said smoothly. Next to her, Dean had already started floundering. Lies were not his forte. “And how it’s an insult to his character and his work in the Programme that he wasn’t granted permission to host it again. A shame, really.”

“Right,” Dean croaked. “A shame. An insult!”

Louise grinned sharply. “You two are so damn cute. Now, I was just telling Professor Alderton about some of the tensions between the other Prefects, but I realised I don’t have any gossip about your year. You’re dreadfully boring as a group, you know? I was expecting more from you and Nott, Hani. Not even a little spat?”

“Miss Fontwell,” Professor Alderton pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please do not further encourage your housemates to cause dissent. I, for one, am glad that the fifth years are getting on splendidly. Please carry on as you have been. Please.”

“Of course, professor,” Hani smiled, swallowing a nervous chuckle. “We’ll carry on.”

“Splendidly, even,” Dean added. “ Ow .”

He spent the rest of the night rubbing his leg as though Hani had mortally wounded him, but she refused to take her kick back.

He was going to jinx their entire year group.

“Things won’t stay splendid if Erin doesn’t stop flirting with my boyfriend.”

Hani winced at Parvati’s cool tone. Her best friend’s shoulders were tense and, though Hani couldn’t see her expression, she had a feeling her gaze could have frozen hell over. She wasn’t sure whether the cold anger was better than the initial fury she’d experienced when Hani had told her about Erin’s machinations.

Apparently, Blaise had been entirely oblivious to the situation. When Parvati had stormed over to him demanding answers, he had blinked prettily and had sworn that he hadn’t even realised Erin was trying to make a move on him.

Lavender had helpfully pointed out that Erin wasn’t exactly a charming person, which could have explained Blaise’s lack of awareness. Their best friend’s logic was the only thing that had spared Blaise a heated lecture from Parvati, who had been ready to scream at someone . Since Erin was still somewhat protected by her status as a new student, she’d been hesitant to call her out directly.

Especially since, despite Parvati’s ranting and raving about their roommate’s audacity, Erin had actually made herself sparse in the past week. It made Hani’s job in Gryffindor infinitely easier, but her duties outside of the Tower ten times more complicated.

“At least she’s not rubbing it in your face,” Lavender said softly. She was laying on Hani’s bed, her head pillowed on Parvati’s lap while Hani worked on the latter’s hair. “I mean, it sucks that she’s trying to steal your man, but it’s clearly not working and she’s left us alone now that she’s found a new purpose in life. I count it as a win.”

“Give me your hand.” Lavender frowned at the strange request but held her palm out to Parvati, who pretended to fret over it for a few minutes while Hani finished her ministrations.

Parvati hadn’t wanted anything too elaborate, but she’d been ‘in desperate need of your Magic’ and Hani had been happy to oblige. She’d gathered the strands that usually framed Parvati’s face, had braided them back and tied them together with a ribbon before styling the whole thing into a high ponytail. Her best friend looked stunning, and Hani hoped the calming enchantments would eventually soothe Parvati’s frayed nerves.

“So, what do you see?” Lavender asked impatiently.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing much,” Parvati shrugged. “Just that you’ll have to do your homework alone this weekend if you don’t stop trying to flood me with positives in these dark times. Let me wallow and rant, Lav.”

“Oy,” their friend gaped, though her cheeks were bright red. Hani giggled at her flustered look. “Alright, point taken. Erin sucks, which isn’t new but still disappointing when she manages to manifest it in an entirely innovative way. Thank Merlin I’m not into boys. I do not want to have to dip into the same dating pool as her.”

“Speaking of dating pools, don’t you have someone on your radar?”

Hani didn’t tune out of her best friend’s conversation, but she did grab one of the Divination books Parvati had brought back for her while Lavender chatted about her dating prospects.

“No one in here, obviously,” she sighed. “Hani was my best option, and now that I’ve blown that chance, I’m back to the other houses. It would be a lot easier if there were fewer pretty girls in our year.”

“And fewer queer ones, too,” Hani snorted, flicking through a chapter on the nature of prophecies so she could find one about self-fulfilment.

“I thought it was only the two of you and Daphne?” Parvati frowned, fiddling with her hair and earning herself a small slap from Hani. “Sorry, sorry. But, seriously, how many girls in our year are also into girls?”

“I’m not going to out anyone,” Lavender shrugged. “But I know of at least three others.”

She and Hani had never specifically talked about their classmates’ sexualities, but they’d both silently agreed not to divulge private information that their yearmates most likely didn’t want made public. So, when Hani had caught Emma and Lily kissing in the library, she’d turned a blind eye and hadn’t mentioned it to Lavender, even though she was sure her best friend knew about the situation already.

She loved Parvati dearly, but now that their best friend was in a very straight, committed relationship with the most prized boy of their year… Well, perhaps if Blaise had been less of a gossip, Hani would have felt comfortable talking about the queerness levels within Hogwarts but, for now, she liked that people’s sexualities weren’t the talk of the school.

“And you, Hani?” Parvati turned her questioning gaze onto Hani, though there was something else there.

Hani nodded subtly. Even if Lavender didn’t want to out the other girls in their year, her complete lack of additional gossip or salacious comment was suspicious.

One more thing to investigate amongst the hundreds of duties Hani was desperately trying to juggle.

“I’m in a committed relationship with these Divination books,” she said evasively, ignoring Parvati’s scoff. “This one goes back to the most supported theory on self-fulfilment. I know you’re leading a social experiment and will have proper results at the end of the year, but I think the evidence so far is already pretty damning.”

“I checked out the Prophetical Past book over the weekend, and I noticed the same thing,” Lavender hummed. Parvati shot them both a quizzical look. “What? Did you really think we were going to let you deal with this alone? It’s Hani’s prophecy, and I’m your best friend. Besides, the sociological side of Divination is actually fascinating. If I wasn’t busy trying to create a Gazette from nothing, I’d probably spend more time looking into it.”

“What she said,” Hani shrugged. “It’s my prophecy. I don’t really get most of the Divination stuff, but it’s also not rocket science. The main point is that though they don’t have much data when it comes to individuals not being made aware of their prophecy, the data they do have leans heavily in favour of self-fulfilment being the strongest theory.”

“Though there’s the fact that Hani already knows the prophecy is out there,” Parvati nodded. “At this point, we’ve already started the process of self-fulfilment, if such a thing does exist.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Hani groaned.

“What? Prophecies? Divination? Magic?” Lavender snorted. “I don’t think any of it is supposed to make sense to us. If anything, I’m half-convinced it’s all mostly made-up stuff that we’ve managed to wrangle into a semblance of control.”

“That’s deep,” Parvati said mock-seriously. Lavender swatted her arm with a textbook and rolled her eyes when Parvati only chuckled. “But you have a point. I know you want to figure as much out as possible, Hani, but sometimes there aren’t any solid answers.”

“I mean, you do have one way of getting proper answers,” Lavender piped in, dropping her book back onto the table in front of her and tapping it absent-mindedly. “We’ve gone through research, we have papers and evidence, data that backs our theories… It’s everything we were looking for.”

“And now?” Hani frowned.

Lavender frowned back, her features coloured with confusion. “Now you go to your guardians, show them everything you’ve learned, and make a case about this prophecy they’re hiding from you. If we’re right, they have absolutely nothing to lose by telling you about it. I mean, you’re already acting upon its words even though you don’t know them, so what else are they trying to achieve?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Hani huffed. She wanted to share Lavender’s optimism, of course, but… “They’re not going to give in just because I managed to do a bit of research on my own. They’ve probably gone through the same texts, analysed the same data, and come to the same conclusions. Still, they don’t want me to know the prophecy. I need something more. Some proof that relates to my specific situation.”

“I think you overestimate adults’ commitment to research,” Lavender scrunched her nose up.

“I think you underestimate my guardians’ desire to explore every single avenue and come up with every possible answer,” Hani retorted, rubbing her forehead tiredly. “They’re not going to give in.”

“Then what on earth have we been doing for the past month and a half?” Lavender threw her hands up.

Hani exchanged a look with Parvati, who looked apologetic but remained silent. She wasn’t going to share her opinion, whatever it may be. Hani wanted to take it as a statement of neutrality, but considering the fire in Lavender’s eyes, it felt more like quiet approval.

“I thought we were looking into the prophecy so I could figure out how to access it,” Hani said softly. Lavender’s eyes widened, and Hani bit back a curse. “I mean, there have to be different channels I can go through that will let me figure out what the original wording was. And if not, I thought we could come up with a plan, start thinking about what it means for me in the long run. Even if Voldemort can’t gain access to it anymore, there’s no telling what he knew to begin with.”

“That’s what the adults are for, Hani,” Lavender pointed out.

In the face of everything they knew, it felt like a mockery. But Lavender wasn’t laughing, or smiling, or acting as though her words were unreasonable. She was looking at Hani heads on, her gaze serious, and Hani knew they’d gotten lost in translation along the way.

“I thought you wanted me to hear the prophecy,” Hani whispered. “I thought you understood why this mattered to me.”

“Of course I do,” Lavender softened. “But I want you to find out through your guardians, who care and love you very much. They have consistently put your safety first, and I truly believe they’re doing what’s best for you now. I also believe that if you show them the research you’ve been doing, they’ll understand how important this is to you. They wouldn’t be hiding this from you if they knew you were already in this deep.”

It was a nice sentiment, of course. It would probably be true for most parents and guardians, and certainly true in Lavender’s case.

When it came to Hani, though?

Severus and Sirius weren’t the kind of men who changed their minds on a whim, even if that ‘whim’ was a deeply thought out presentation that their ward had put together. They would want to consult each other, and they would come to the same conclusion they had every time.

Hani didn’t need to hear the prophecy.

Unless she could find proof so irrevocable, even they couldn’t deny it.

“So, our research stops here?” She asked Lavender, trying to push down the bitterness bubbling in her throat.

“There’s nothing more to do,” Lavender answered.

“We just want you to be safe, Hani,” Parvati added.

And that was that.

“Alright,” she said. She cleared her throat. “Alright. Lavender, do you want your hair done as well?”

Her best friend nodded hesitantly, shifting until she was the one sitting in front of Hani while Parvati lounged casually next to them.

“Maybe something for focus?” Hani suggested lightly, feeling her best friend’s shoulders relax. “I know how stressed you’ve been with the Gazette. An enchantment for relaxation wouldn’t be out of the question. I’m guessing you’ll want purple ribbons?”

“Always,” Lavender smiled.

Parvati rolled her eyes. Hani got to work on threading Lavender’s beautiful curls.

And that was that.

Stress was becoming a part of Hani’s daily routine, and she was sick of it.

Prefect duties had lost their initial anxiety-inducing quality, but Hani still found herself rubbing her fingers together nervously dozens of times a day. Her classes were settling, the loss of their Programme Sisters had dulled, and the foreign professors had facilitated an easy transition from Remus and Picquery.

Even the tension in Gryffindor Tower wasn’t usually enough to make Hani’s heart skip a beat. Erin’s antics were tiresome but less so now that the teachers and Prefects had permission to reprimand her, and the younger students were in a – suspiciously – good mood.

She didn’t have any reason to feel particularly worried, except the one thing that weighed down her bag and flittered at the corner of her mind no matter where she was. The Evans Grimoire was a heavy volume, one she had unconsciously started packing with her every morning. Blood Magic was an even heavier burden to hold in her mind with no one to share it with.

Lavender and Parvati knew she took the Grimoire to class with her now, but they mistook it as a sentimental gesture rather than an intentional one. Hani hadn’t bothered to correct them, especially not considering their latest opinions on the control she should have over her life.

Her main issue was how vulnerable she felt every time she took the Grimoire out. Even in the safety of her own bed or in the darkness of the Room of Requirement, she felt at constant risk of being discovered. If someone caught her at the wrong time; if they wanted to go for a midnight stroll while she wandered the halls on her off-nights– She didn’t want to think about the hundreds of illicit things they would find in her Grimoire if she didn’t manage to shut it in time.

What she needed was a safer place to read and meditate. She needed a private spot, far from the rest of the school, and she needed it two weeks ago. 

It was that pursuit, and perhaps the rapid approach of Samhain, that had her strolling down the East Wing of the castle.

She knew, through whispers and rolled eyes at Prefect meetings, that most of the older students had chosen rooms near their new dorms to claim as their own. What they did in them was a mixed bag; projects, homework with friends, revisions, and plenty of nefarious things – if Bailey was to be believed.

While there was no guarantee that her favourite seventh-years had picked a room to gallivant in, Hani struggled to imagine a world in which Fred and George didn’t take full advantage of their newfound freedom.

George might have had a lab in the dungeons, but Hani doubted they were using Severus’ homeground as their business point. If they truly did want to start their own shop in the immediate future, they would need a more secluded spot. Somewhere professors wouldn’t come, surrounded by other innocuous rooms their yearmates were eager to fill with sofas and textbooks.

Hani had no idea where they would be exactly, but she figured enough traipsing through the corridors would eventually attract someone’s attention. Once they noticed her, it was only a matter of time before Fred and George appeared.

She’d even worn her Prefect robes for the occasion, though that was also partly to give them a mini heart attack.

She knew how paranoid they were that she would call them out on their extracurricular activities now that she’d earned her badge. And while part of her wished they would trust her a little more, she couldn’t deny she got a rush of power every time they ran away at the sight of her bright red robes.

“Hey, Potter.”

She looked up at the sound of her name and smiled politely at the sight of an older Slytherin she’d never crossed paths with.

“Hello,” she said. “Can I help you?”

“This isn’t your part of the castle,” the boy drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t you have better places to be nowadays? Duties to attend to? Little ones to look after? Classmates to reprimand?”

“I’m looking for Fred and George,” she shrugged. Despite what the majority of the student population believed, Hani wasn’t actually required to be a Prefect at all times of day. She would have turned the badge back in if Prewett had forced her to be on constant high alert. “I thought they might be around here somewhere.”

“Prefects talk too much,” the boy rolled his eyes. “Was it Wren? She’s always so eager to share details.”

Hani raised her shoulder again and bit back a smirk when the boy huffed. Sometimes, she forgot how close in age she was getting to the seventh years. They really weren’t that different from her and her friends. Though, perhaps dramatics were more of a wixen trait.

“Weasley will be in his room in the next corridor over,” the boy finally told her. “I trust you won’t have to wander around in the future?”

“I’m sure I’ll find my way,” Hani smiled brightly. “Thanks for the help…”

“Wilkes,” the boy scoffed.

“Well, thanks Wilkes!” She beamed, then took her time strolling towards the corridor the boy had indicated.

From there, finding Fred and George’s room was beyond easy.

While the other doors were plain and uninspired, Fred and George had added a sign to theirs. It glowed orange and purple, welcoming all pranksters and friends alike. Hani smiled at the sight of it, some of her previous heaviness disappearing as she looked at the silly installation. It alternated between the two colours irregularly, as though the two brothers were constantly fighting on which colour would be better.

She knocked on the door clearly and leaned against the closest wall, expecting to be waiting for a minute or so while they finished whatever they were getting up to in there.

When the door flew open, therefore, she jumped out of her skin and held a hand to her racing heart. She glared up at Fred, who smirked down at her. The twins had gotten even taller over the summer, and Hani’s growth spurt would never be able to make up for the space between them.

“Little lion,” Fred greeted her. “I should have known you’d come looking for us sooner or later. Missing your favourite Weasleys?”

“Gryffindor Tower isn’t the same without you around,” she admitted with a longing sigh. While the common room was a lot calmer now that the older students had their own space, she had to admit she missed the chaos that the NEWT students brought with them. “The second-years’ drama doesn’t quite live up to your antics. We have some prankster hopefuls, but they’re still finding their footing.”

“Maybe I should take on a protégé,” Fred joked, gesturing for Hani to follow him inside.

Suddenly, his quick appearance made a lot more sense. George was nowhere to be found, and the room was ten times tidier than Hani had anticipated. It felt more like an office than the experimental lab she’d thought she would find there.

“Not what you were expecting?” Fred laughed. “I know it doesn’t scream ‘Gred and Forge’, but we had to make some choices when the year started. George has access to the labs in the dungeons, so he’s going to take the lead on his experiments down there. As an apprentice, he has privileges that neither of us could have ever dreamed of having.”

“So this is…”

“Our front,” Fred spread his arms wide, smiling. Looking closer, Hani could spot pamphlets for their early-stage products, business plans, and an array of letters scattered across one of the desks. A bright orange nameplate read Fred’s name. “It’s not much yet, but it’s exactly what we needed. George let me make most of the decorating decisions, since I’m the one spending most of my free time here.”

“And getting busy,” Hani pointed out, looking at the letters. Some of them looked more official than anything Hani had ever received, including her communications from the Ministry. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“You’re never interrupting, Hani-kins,” Fred huffed. “Besides, I was only looking through the latest mail from our Diagon Alley acquaintances. I’m trying to make friends in the right places, hoping we can get a good storefront if one opens up. Even if we don’t end up starting our shop next year, we’ll still need as many connections as possible.”

“Sounds like a nightmare,” Hani wrinkled her nose. Fred shot her a wry look. “What?”

“What do you think you’ve been getting up to in these past few years, little snake? Whether you like it or not, you have an extended network of allies and friends who would gladly do your bidding,” Fred snorted. “Your ‘Sisters’, your Programme partners, the many students you’re helping now that you’re Prefect… You’re one of the most social people I’ve ever met.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“Maybe not,” Fred shrugged. “But the point still stands. If you ever want to start your own business, you’ll have a head start that George and I never considered. We’re damn lucky our reputation within our year is as good as it is, because our classmates have done more for us than I could possibly imagine.”

He softened a little as he said that, and Hani narrowed her eyes at him. In all the years she’d known Fred Weasley, she didn’t think she’d ever seen him look so… hopeful.

“Is it their help you’re grateful for, or a specific classmate?” She teased, blushing when Fred levelled her with a deadpan look. “I’m just curious! I know you and George so well, but I also don’t know your lives at all. I didn’t even know the Prefects in your year until we started attending meetings together.”

“I’m grateful for the help,” Fred insisted. He paused. “And I’m grateful for some of the new people this business has brought into my life already. It’s always been me and George, and then the Gryffindors, but now… It’s nice knowing that there are other people out there who enjoy my company, sans my wonderful twin brother.”

“Oh,” Hani murmured. “I guess that makes sense. I’ve never had to think about it that way, but I suppose it was nice when I was able to make friends without Lav and Parvati around. And I’ve only known them for four years.”

“Exactly, little lion,” Fred ruffled her hair then went to flop over in his chair, motioning for her to take the seat across from him. “Now, why are you actually here? I don’t doubt you’ve missed our marvellous presence, but you’re too busy to be wandering here without a purpose.”

“I’m not that– Well, I’m maybe a little busy,” she winced. “It’s been a lot harder than I expected, dealing with Prefecthood on top of OWLs. I’ve barely been able to see some of my friends lately. If I didn’t run into Leo during our mutual classes, I’d think he’d vanished off the face of the earth.”

“Don’t you just love growing up?” Fred said, faking longing. “All those responsibilities, the hormones, the pressure…”

“Last year was so much easier,” Hani sighed. “But hey, at least you seem to be thriving. No new roommates to mess with your flow, and plenty of opportunities to develop the best shop in all of Diagon Alley.”

“You’re too sweet, Hani-kins,” Fred chuckled.

Silence settled between them. Fred stared at her, and Hani pointedly avoided his gaze, both glad and unnerved by George’s absence. When she’d imagined this interaction, she’d thought George would be there cracking jokes next to Fred.

It was a lot harder to make demands when she had to deal with the twin who would ask questions first, fulfil her request second.

“Alright, fine,” she groaned. “I need the Invisibility Cloak back.”

Fred’s eyebrows jumped up.

“I know I told you it wasn’t a problem this year, but circumstances have changed,” she carried on, caught between the urge to spill her secrets and the desire to spin a lie. “Besides, it looks like you won’t have to do things quite as undercover as you have in the past, so perhaps the Cloak is a bit overkill.”

“What circumstances?” Fred asked, leaning back in his seat. He looked eerily like Professor Prewett with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re still a Prefect. You still have additional privileges, and the immunity that comes with being Harini Potter. Is it because Professor Lupin is gone now? Was he the one pulling the strings behind the scenes?”

That idea was laughable, and Hani didn’t quite manage to bite back a snort at the thought of Remus being the one controlling the rest of the school staff.

“No, definitely nothing to do with Remus,” she smiled awkwardly. “I’m–”

“You’re?”

“I’m investigating something with my friends,” she finally said, settling on a half-truth. “It’s easy enough for me to get around the castle, but we need the additional privacy. We want to find a secluded spot, which is going to be hard enough already, let alone if my non-Prefect companions get caught sneaking out after dark.”

“Mischief? Why little lion, you should have led with that,” Fred laughed.

While he leaned down and – presumably – searched for the cloak, Hani hid a wince. Blood Magic was certainly mischief, in a way, but she doubted it was what Fred had in mind. In fact, she was almost certain his reaction would have been entirely different if she’d pulled her Grimoire out and explained what she was actually trying to do.

The twins were far more lenient than anyone else in her life, but even they would have to draw the line somewhere.

As Hani was coming to realise, Blood Magic and prophecies linking her to a Dark Lord were often the line.

“You have to promise you’ll keep me updated on whatever it is you’re getting up to,” Fred added once he reemerged from the depths of his desk with the familiar silky garment in hand. “A fair deal, don’t you think?”

“Considering it’s my cloak we’re talking about, I’m not sure there needs to be a deal at all,” Hani said sharply, softening the blow with an impish smile. Fred’s eyebrows drew together slightly, and Hani wished she hadn’t said anything at all. “I’ll let you know how everything goes, Fred. At least, as much as I can. It’s not exactly the kind of thing I can mention at the dinner table.”

She’d tell him about her Ancient Runes project and the feat she was trying to achieve in the upcoming year. He’d buy it, especially if she told him about her thread magic and how suspicious people grew whenever she used it in front of them;

And if she had to. If she had to, she’d give up the prophecy. Let him believe she was taking Lavender and Parvati out for midnight strolls in an attempt to figure out how to crack the code behind her link to Voldemort.

Better than the alternative.

“Promise?” Fred stared at her as the cloak lay between their hands.

“Promise,” she nodded and let out a sigh of relief once the material was safe in her hands. She tucked it away in her satchel, watching as it slid over her Grimoire, distorting the familiar title. “Though it should be noted I did not make the same promise to George.”

Fred grinned at her. “Exploiting loopholes, little snake?”

“Celebrating your individuality, dearest Fred,” she countered, and smiled when her friend laughed brightly.

She’d give him whatever pieces of her story she could spare without running over that delicate line, and she’d earn that smile a dozen times over.

In the meantime, though, she would finally have her invisibility back. And hopefully, with it, her anxieties would disappear.

The Sister room was quiet – almost eerily so – and far emptier than Hani was used to.

She’d been in the room alone before, but there were usually marks of her friends laying around. Padma would leave her satchel there between classes, and Lavender’s various items of clothing tended to congregate towards the pink armchair of their own volition. During the day, the room was overflowing with signs of the Sisters’ presence. Pens, papers, unfinished homework, drawings and projects and forgotten objects.

However, for all their forgetfulness between lessons, the Sisters were surprisingly good at gathering their belongings after dinner.

There was, after all, no reason for them to leave their things behind overnight.

Hani just wished there were a few more reminders of her friends around so the place wouldn’t feel so damn creepy. The large windows, which she usually loved, cast shadows over the furniture and made Hani long for curtains to hide the moonlight. The Room of Requirements, while far more inconvenient to access, at least had the advantage of listening to Hani’s design desires.

She sighed as she sat cross-legged on the floor, placing the Invisibility cloak to her left and the Evans Grimoire in front of her.

She resisted the urge to open the Grimoire again. It would do nothing but waste the precious time she had left that evening. She’d read the passage she needed over and over throughout the day, flipping through the pages whenever she could slip into a dark alcove and repeating the words to herself when her professors droned on for a little too long.

All she needed to do now was put her plans into action.

Her mother had suggested that her awareness had come to her quickly, and Hani was hoping the process would be similar for her. The last thing she needed was to lose weeks of precious time trying to meditate until she finally became ‘aware’.

From what she’d experienced already, she had a feeling an evening would be more than enough to accomplish her goals, but she had long since learned that optimism could only get one so far in life. Just because bonding with her knife and vessel had been an easy undertaking didn’t mean she would be so lucky this time around.

Still, she was hopeful. Her knife and vessel were tucked away safely in their respective positions – the former in a secret pocket in her bag, the latter in her wand holster. Her fingers itched to take them out, but they weren’t supposed to assist her that night. They would provide a familiar link to her Blood Magic, but nothing more.

She couldn’t rely on spilling her blood every time she wanted to connect with her Evans family magics. Not only was it completely inconspicuous, it was also rather impractical in the grand scheme of things.

It was impractical now .

If she ever wanted to access the more practical parts of her Magic, she needed to understand this awareness and exploit it as much as she possibly could. After all, if there was a way for her to use her Magic without having to use her knife, who was she to complain?

Perhaps Severus would finally let her try a few things out. The lack of blood would certainly be an argument in her favour, if nothing else.

“Alright,” she whispered, giving the Grimoire one last loving tap before closing her eyes and leaning away from it.

She placed her hands on her knees and willed herself to still. Her shaking limbs wouldn’t get her anywhere, and neither would her restless mind.

If her mother’s instructions were correct, accessing ‘awareness’ was like meditating with her Magic. She would have to find the part of her that thrummed with power and let it sink into a meditative state with her, which sounded both unusual and unpleasant. Meditating was already a difficult process for her, and that was when she only had her thoughts to fight against. She had no idea what adding her Magic to the mix would do.

She had to believe it would be fine.

She breathed in and out slowly until she could feel the unsteady rhythm of her heart. Superficial meditation came easy to her now; her mother’s methods had been more effective than she could have hoped for.

Her mental barriers were still fragile, even more so when she lost herself in her mind and body like this, but her mind itself felt stronger. She was more at peace with the thoughts she found there, more eager to delve into the parts of it she’d never touched before.

When she’d begun her Occlumency journey, everything had felt overwhelming. Meditating had made her feel sick, as though she was fighting against her body’s natural urge to spill its secrets to the rest of the world. Now, it felt more like what she’d imagined it should; she was both in and out of her body, feeling the steady flow of her blood while also roaming around her own mind in search of its weaknesses.

She loved it, because she finally understood herself a little better, and she hated it, because it never failed to make her body complain as soon as she left her meditative state. 

Even now, lost in the haze of her mind, she could feel her extremities complaining. They shivered and winced in pain, as though begging her to come back to the real world.

It was tempting, but Hani resisted the urge. She knew if she gave in, she would lose her only chance at gaining awareness that night. She needed to achieve the kind of results she’d only experienced when she’d bonded with her knife, and she couldn’t do that if she was fully conscious.

She latched onto her heartbeat again, breathing in and out in tandem.

Then, she looked deeper.

Her Magic was in her blood, so there was no use trying to search through her mind. All it would do was distract her from her goal, or remind her of the other responsibilities she was ignoring to access what her mother had described in the Grimoire.

Her teeth clenched of their own accord as she tried to pinpoint where her Magic was coming from.

It wasn’t a tangible thing, not the way her mind or her barriers were. It flowed through her following a rhythm only it knew, the power everywhere and nowhere at once. She knew, immediately, that chasing it would be a fruitless task. There was nothing for her to catch or latch onto. It would escape her forever, knowing where she would try to take her floating presence next.

Her first instinct was to curse and give up. Her body was still begging her to leave her trance, and her barriers were so vulnerable that even her mind was growing restless.

Hani blocked them all out.

She breathed in and out, not bothering to focus on the rhythm of her heart. Instead, she thought about her knife.

Red and gold, drifting in front of her as though the air itself was alive, breathing life and Magic into Hani until she was made into something new. It had felt like an entity of its own, like Hani was floating in Blood Magic, like she was the Magic itself, like the red haze had been trying to show her something.

Unbidden, a memory flittered to the front of her mind. 

Hani, sitting in a circle of Magic on a remote island, surrounded by dark witches. Her magic sparking out of her, ribbons of light dancing around her friends. Hani, fingertips buzzing with Magic even while her body sagged with exhaustion. Her magic swirling in colourful threads, bursting with joy.

She was buzzing now. Not just her fingertips, but her hands and her toes and her head, all of them vibrating with awareness in a way that had her clenching her jaw even harder. Her mind wasn’t calm now, and neither was her body.

Her eyes snapped open, and Hani almost forgot to breathe.

The world was red and gold, and the world was perfectly normal. Every time she blinked, colours flickered across her vision, making her head spin. The buzzing had stopped as soon as she’d snapped out of her meditation, but everything else–

Her body felt heavier and lighter all at once, and her mental barriers had grown so weak they were almost non-existent. Her magic, however, felt more alive than Hani had ever felt it before, at least outside of ritual days and spaces.

Every time she breathed, she could feel sparks dance through her blood all the way to her fingers, gathering around her holster as though begging her to do something . They looked like gold dust, but when she tried to capture them, her hands came away empty.

She laughed a little deliriously as she blinked again and watched the sparks fade away, only for them to reappear as soon as she thought about them.

“Woah,” she whispered, watching the red and gold sparks dance around her, around the Grimoire, into her bag. Everything that had been touched by Blood Magic seemed to draw the sparks closer, making them glitter softly in the moonlight. 

Once I became aware of it, ignoring it was no longer an option.

Perhaps the biggest understatement Hani had ever come across. She felt like she was flying and drowning all at once, her heart beating fast as she tried to get her breathing under control.

She knew, from reading further into the Grimoire, that Awareness eventually became more manageable. It wouldn’t stay like this forever, overwhelming and almost too much for Hani to even believe. For now, though, she felt herself blink more rapidly than before, her Magic dancing in and out of her focus with every beat of her lashes.

She picked the Grimoire up and skipped back to the chapter on Awareness.

“Not what I was expecting,” she giggled breathlessly, fondly, shaking her head at the Grimoire as though it should have given her more of a warning.

She started paging through the chapter again, trying to make sure she wasn’t experiencing anything out of the ordinary. Her mother seemed confident that everyone would go through a slightly different process, but that her awareness wasn’t something for her to worry about. If anything, her mother suggested there was a connection between Awareness and a Blood Witch’s ability to connect to her mind without the usual discomfort.

Hani was about to test the theory when a loud alarm ripped her out of her thoughts. Sparks jumped around her as she reached for her buzzing wand.

Curfew had just started. Hani’s patrol had just started.

“Fuck,” she hissed, gathering all of her things and standing in a hurry.

She took a second to check herself in the room’s mirror, glad to note the sparks were invisible in her reflection even though she could still feel them floating around her. Her hair was still up in twin french braids, and her badge hadn’t moved an inch out of place.

Her flushed cheeks were the only indication that she had been up to something, but it would be easy to blame those on her lateness.

As soon as she closed the Sister room’s door behind her, she took off running, picking up the pace the closer she got to her and Theo’s meeting spot in the Entrance Hall. Her footsteps echoed down the corridors while Hani tried to come up with an acceptable excuse for her tardiness.

She came to a skidding halt just outside of the Entrance Hall and gave herself a second to catch her breath before waltzing into the room with her head held high.

Theodore stood by the castle’s entrance, his arms crossed over his chest and a report card held in his right hand. His eyes were closed, but they snapped open as soon as Hani approached him, narrowing reproachfully. 

“You’re late,” he said coldly.

“I’m aware,” Hani huffed.

“I’ll be writing this into my report, of course,” Theodore added. Hani rolled her eyes. “Is there any particular reason you want me to note, or should I come up with one of my own? I’m sure Wren would appreciate my creativity.”

“I was meditating,” Hani shrugged, settling for a half-truth yet again. It was too easy, she thought, to manipulate the truth in her favour when no one had any reason to suspect her. “With Samhain growing nearer, I’ve been trying to reinforce my mental barriers. It’s always a good failsafe to have in place during rituals.”

“I’m well aware of that, Harini,” her patrol partner scoffed, though Hani could tell the excuse had gotten through his initial hostility. “I’ll still have to make a note of it for Wren. She’ll know either way.”

“She always does,” Hani laughed, mostly to herself, surprised when Theodore snorted dryly in front of her.

He quickly coughed to cover it up. “We’d better get going. Our absence will be noticed soon if we don’t start moving.”

“Lead the way,” Hani gestured towards the Great Hall, which was always their first stop when they were on ground-floor duty. “Did you see Hannah and Michael before they headed up?”

“They were also late,” Theodore drawled. “They passed me just a minute or two ago. They were clearly in a rush, which is unsurprising for them. The two of us, however, have an impeccable reputation to maintain.”

“Oh, you’re such a drama queen,” Hani muttered, overtaking Theodore when he paused to glare at her. “We’ve got bigger things to worry about! Students to catch! You’ll definitely want to add one to your tally, since I took care of two issues today. We wouldn’t want your report to feel like a personal attack on me and me only.”

It was enough to make Theodore splutter, his glare gone in an instant while he reminded Hani of the numerous days when he had completed more duties than her. 

She let the familiar bickering wash over her, glad that her partner’s complaints were helping distract her from the inconvenient sparks dancing up and down her body, begging for her attention.

You will never settle again.

Hani shivered.

When Theodore pressed her about it, she blamed it on the cold and endured her partner’s doubtful look.

“Don’t look, but I think someone’s watching you.”

Hani quirked an eyebrow at Lily, who had leaned in ridiculously close to whisper in her ear. Her seating partner shuffled back into her own seat with an unapologetic smile, tilting her head slightly to the left.

Hani let her gaze dart that way briefly, unsurprised to find a group of first-year Gryffindors chatting quietly while shooting her furtive glances. She made sure to linger for a second longer, smirking when Thomas looked her way and immediately blushed a deep shade of red, almost toppling over in his effort to casually turn back to his friends.

“They’re harmless,” Hani laughed softly. “That’s Daphne’s little brother and his gang of girls. They orbit around him as though he’s the sun, but really he’s a softie. I’m surprised they haven’t eaten him alive already; those girls are not to be messed with. Do you have any like that?”

“Not quite,” Lily chuckled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, the Slytherin groups are a lot smaller than your Gryffindor ones. It doesn’t leave as much room for girls to band together against a single boy. Or with a single boy? Mini Greengrass does seem to be holding his own surprisingly well. I take it he takes after Daphne?”

“Not even slightly,” Hani replied, amused. “He’s as tough as she is, but that’s about where the resemblance ends. The other day, he initiated a group hug to ‘settle their differences’. I’d have paid to see Daphne’s reaction.”

Lily laughed loudly this time, attracting attention from the tables around them. Hani blinked and watched copper dust swirl around her fingers, as though it was laughing along with Lily.

Another blink and the spots of Magic vanished.

“Still no sign of Morag,” she sighed while Lily calmed down. The tables nearby looked away as soon as Hani met their gazes head-on, caught between embarrassment and mirth. “Do you reckon she got caught up in her lunch plans?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Lily shrugged, her eyes crinkling at the edges. “She’s a busy girl. We could get started on the Arithmancy revision while we wait for her?”

Hani groaned but dutifully took out her Arithmancy notes. They were by far the messiest ones she had to sort through every week, if only because Professor Vector loved going on tangents and including tidbits of knowledge they would need for an essay or exam further down the line.

Without Daphne there to guide them, the Sisters – and Slytherins – had to readapt and find new ways to deal with the class. Unfortunately for Hani, these ‘new ways’ usually included asking her for her notes, since the second best student in their class wasn’t inclined to share his work.

“Did you get anything out of Theodore?” She asked Lily anyway.

“Of course,” Lily winked at her and brandished a piece of parchment covered in neat handwriting like a prize. “I think he feels guilty about the whole muggleborn thing. Emma refuses to go near him, but he’s surprisingly easy to manipulate whenever I bring up his association with Malfoy and company.”

“Shame he doesn’t feel the same way about his dad allying with the man who–” She cut herself off, suddenly aware that the details of her kidnapping weren’t common knowledge. Most people had quickly made the connection, but she had no idea where Lily stood on the matter. “Well, you know.”

“I know,” Lily snorted dryly. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to get double the information from him as retribution. He actually drew a diagram for me explaining what Vector was talking about regarding ritual-related Arithmancy this week.”

“Maybe I can finally make some sense of the thesis I’m trying to create for my final project,” Hani said hopefully, scooting closer to Lily so the two of them could pour over Theodore’s notes together.

They worked quietly for half an hour, only speaking to clarify points they didn’t quite understand even with Theodore’s notes as support. Lily was clearly struggling with the basic usage of Arithmancy in rituals, but Hani had enough of a grasp on the subject to steer them in the right direction. 

She was midway through trying to explain the link between tools and incantations in a basic Samhain ritual when Morag plopped herself down in the seat across from Hani, letting her bag fall on the chair Sue would have occupied had she been there.

“Well, well, look who finally showed up,” Lily drawled. She waggled her eyebrows at Morag, who blushed deeply but otherwise ignored her friend. “No comment?”

‘None at all,’ Morag waved her wand lightly while she used her other hand to dig out her textbooks and stacks of notes. ‘I hope you managed to get some work done without me. I’m sorry if I held you back.’

“You’re good,” Hani said, signing clumsily as she spoke. “Lily desperately needed help with our Arithmancy work anyway. If anything, you did her a favour. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, I’m sure Morag is fi–”

‘I’m alright Hani, thanks,’ Morag signed back, slowing down her movements for Hani’s sake. ‘What did you want to work on first?’

“Up to you,” Hani grinned, giggling self-deprecatingly when Morag corrected her hand movements. “Ancient Runes, maybe?”

‘Not now,’ Morag signed, grimacing. ‘Something easier. Lily?’

Their friend was staring off at something near the front of the library, her brows furrowed in concentration. Morag glanced at Hani, who shrugged and tried to catch sight of whatever Lily had spotted.

“Lily?” She asked out loud, rolling her eyes when the Slytherin girl shushed her. “Care to share with the class?”

“Professor Hornby is here,” Lily answered off-handedly, signing along so Morag could catch what she was saying.

Morag and Hani exchanged an exasperated look, though both of them were struggling to fight their smiles.

Professor Hornby had only been at the school for one month, but she’d already managed to garner many of the Slytherin students’ admiration and respect. Every time Hani had seen her around the school, she was surrounded by a small group of Slytherins peppering her with questions or listening to her tell a story. Even the first and second-years, who couldn’t take Divination yet, were eager to sit close to her during meals.

Lily was no exception to this rule. She was absolutely smitten with their new professor, and if Hani hadn’t seen Parvati behave in a very similar way when talking about her Divination classes, she would have suspected her Slytherin partner had a bit of a crush on Hornby.

‘We should have known,’ Morag signed, her eyes alight with laughter. ‘I think she’s suddenly regretting her decision not to take Divination as one of her electives.’

“Dude,” Lily glared at her friend. “I can see you signing, you know? You’re not as subtle as you think you are.”

‘I wasn’t trying to be subtle, dude,’ Morag retorted, her lips split into a wide smile. ‘We should call her over here. Hani hasn’t had the chance to meet her properly yet, right? So this would be a win for all of us.’

“What are you winning?” Lily scoffed, her hands tripping over her signs as she spoke. “An opportunity to mock me for liking one of the best professors we’ve ever had?”

‘Or maybe help with my Divination homework,’ Morag signed. Hani mentally congratulated herself for finally knowing the difference between their different class signs. ‘Some of us actually have a reason to talk to her, you know?’

“She’s got you there,” Hani laughed. “I wouldn’t mind meeting Professor Hornby.”

Not for any particular reason, she told herself. She was simply curious about the professor everyone raved about. She wanted to see for herself how Hornby could inspire Parvati enough that she now genuinely seemed to enjoy her Divination lessons. She needed to understand what made Lily sigh longingly every time they spoke about the newest staff member.

“I mean…” Lily hesitated, glancing from Hani and Morag back to the front of the library, where Hani now realised a small group of Slytherins had gathered.

“The little ones love you,” Hani reminded her, grinning when Morag nodded enthusiastically across from her. “They’ll understand if you take Professor Hornby away from them just this once. Tell them we have some important OWL business to attend to.”

Clearly, their Slytherin partner didn’t need much convincing. As soon as Hani finished talking, she faked a sigh of exasperation but hurried to the front of the library where she quickly inserted herself into the group. She was too far for Hani to overhear, despite Morag’s insistence that she eavesdrop on them, but there was a bright smile on her face when she managed to extricate herself from the smaller snakes.

“Success,” Hani winked at Morag, who beamed back at her.

Lily walked back towards them triumphantly. A few paces behind her, Professor Hornby followed at a more sedate pace.

Now that she was really looking at her, Hani could understand everyone’s obsession with the professor. She was tall and curvy, with hair the colour of moonlight – paler even than her skin – and joyful eyes. Every step she took radiated confidence, but her smile was soft as she trailed behind Lily.

She reminded Hani of someone, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. Her colouring was similar to Malfoy’s, but they couldn’t have looked more different if they’d tried. Besides, Hani was certain Malfoy would have already bragged about his connection to the professor if one had existed.

‘Hello, professor!’ Morag wrote into the air, her wand trailing gold in a way that had Hani blinking rapidly, gold and red fading in and out of her vision. The sight was dizzying; she snapped her gaze to Professor Hornby instead, who was greeting Morag with a bright smile and a question about the end of her week.

“And this is Harini Potter,” Lily added once Morag was done replying. She gestured at Hani as though she was introducing any other student and not someone who frequently had to field questions about her parents from the younger Gryffindors. “Sue Li is in our group too, but she’s off on the Programme now.”

She pouted a little as she spoke, but Professor Hornby didn’t seem to mind her attitude. If anything, the expression made her smile a little wider. She motioned to the chair Morag had covered with her belongings and took it gratefully when their Hufflepuff partner removed them in a hurry.

“Miss Li is a good student of mine,” the professor said once she was seated, turned towards Morag so their friend could read her lips. “As are you, Miss Macdougal. I suspect Miss Moon would be equally attentive if she were to join my class. Did you have questions about Divination?”

‘Yes!’ Morag signed and wrote at the same time, her hands working quickly. ‘Lily was considering taking Divination as an elective when we move onto NEWTs and was wondering if you had any tips on where to start.’

It was a smooth lie. So smooth, in fact, that Hani had a feeling Lily and Morag had discussed the topic already. It wouldn’t be surprising; Lily didn’t care for any of the electives she had chosen, but she also wasn’t the kind of student to give up on schoolwork entirely. If the new Divination curriculum was as interesting as Parvati made it out to be, the subject would be a good way for Lily to explore a new class when she dropped the ones she couldn’t take at NEWT level.

“I have a few books I can recommend to you, Miss Moon,” Professor Hornby said, delighted. “Starting an elective late isn’t an easy task, but I believe you could complete the OWL content in two years if you put your mind to it. It isn’t quite a NEWT, but it’s still something to be proud of.”

“I haven’t made my mind up yet,” Lily said nonchalantly, though Hani could see the hope in her eyes. “But I’ve considered it. I’m already planning on taking the Muggle Studies exam as a free candidate, and it wouldn’t hurt to have something else up my sleeve. And it would be better than Arithmancy.”

She shuddered a little at the thought of it, and Hani snorted, patting her shoulder supportively. 

“I’m sure you’d do great,” she said with a small smile. “I can’t even imagine picking up a new elective right now.”

“No interest in Divination, then?” Professor Hornby chuckled. “Miss Patil is a star student in my class, and I know she’d be pleased to have another friend with her if she decides to carry on with my NEWT lessons.”

“Oh,” Hani said awkwardly.

She opened her mouth again to explain that she wasn’t interested in the subject – at least not enough to add it to her workload – but the words caught in her throat.

She looked at the professor, who stared at her calmly but inquisitively, as though she really was curious about Hani’s interest in the Divinatory Arts. As though she was hoping Parvati’s influence was rubbing off on those around her.

And it was. Lavender had delved deeper into the topic than Hani could have imagined, had checked out introductory books and asked plenty of questions about the topic whenever Parvati brought it up.

Meanwhile, Hani listened and picked through textbooks about prophecies. Or at least she had, before her friends had announced they would be done with their investigation until she asked Severus about it.

“I find Divination fascinating,” she found herself blurting out. Morag and Lily frowned lightly at her, but she refused to let it fluster her. “Parvati told me all about the project she’s doing on prophecies, and I’ve started looking into a few other books when I have some free time. I don’t have much, unfortunately, but it’s been a very informative first month. Your class has quickly become a favourite for those who take it.”

“Thank you, Miss Potter,” Hornby’s smile returned full-force. “I understand you’re quite short on free time, but if you ever have any questions for me, I’ll be happy to answer them. My predecessor seems to have made quite a mess of our Art, and it would be an honour to help new students access the true material you should have been taught from the start.”

“Oh, I have questions!” Lily piped in.

‘And I wanted to make sure I understood the topic for this week’s essay. I haven’t dealt with sociology much, so I’m not certain I’m heading in the right direction.’

While Professor Hornby eagerly answered Lily and Morag’s questions, taking books out of her bag as though she was the Mary Poppins of Divination, Hani blinked and watched specks of gold flutter anxiously around her hands. Red floated at the edge of her vision, and she quickly shook her head to rid herself of the distraction.

The book in front of Morag was open on a page that detailed the sociological theories behind different divinatory methods. At the top of the page, the word prophecy was written in bold, bright letters.

The conversation at the table lulled as Morag flicked through her book while Lily furiously scribbled on a spare piece of parchment, and Hani took the silence as a sign.

“Actually, professor, I do have a question,” she said slowly, trying to appear relaxed despite the nerves buzzing in her stomach. “Parvati mentioned that one of the main theories she’s researching for her project is the idea of self-fulfilling prophecies, but she never mentioned what theory you presented in your class. Do you believe it’s true?”

“Oh, self-fulfilment, a question for the ages,” Professor Hornby hummed, sounding almost amused. “I have just the text for you, Miss Potter. Perhaps you should read it first, and find me again once you’ve explored it in depth. It should answer quite a few of your questions, but I’d be happy to discuss it with you afterwards.”

Hani smiled, gladly accepted the book, and thanked the professor profusely – though not as profusely as Lily – when she excused herself to join a group of third-year students vying for her attention.

Parvati and Lavender might be done with their research, but Hani wasn’t.

Chapter Text

Every Dark wixen worth their salt knows that Samhain is the most crucial time of the year for their Magic. It is a night of connection to our family, including the magic they have passed down to us, but it is also a time of strengthening.

I have detailed here a list of traditions you may wish to participate in when All Hallow’s Eve comes around, but they are not necessary so long as you centre yourself within your Magic. Meditate, feel your blood humming, and let your worries float away while you focus on your link to the veil and the Dark.

And to all the future Evans daughters, remember that your Magic is more aware than you could possibly imagine. Samhain will call to you, and your blood will guide you.

~ ToB ~

“Are you coming to Muggle Studies with me?”

Hani shushed Erin instantly, keeping an eye on her best friends’ beds where they slept. Sophie and Fay were snoring softly on their side of the room, their breaths steady and reassuring, but Lavender was a surprisingly light sleeper after sunrise.

She grabbed her satchel and headed out of the dorm, tilting her head so Erin would know to follow her. Her newest housemate rolled her eyes at the silent command but left the room after her regardless, half of her belongings in her arms while the rest poked out of her school bag.

“No need to look at me so judgingly,” Erin huffed as they ambled down the stairs, greeting the younger students who called out sleepy ‘hellos’ when they passed by. “I’m trying to get my affairs in order, but it’s a work in progress. I’m not like you, with your perfect schedules and your tendency to carry around every single book you might need. You even have an encyclopaedia in there.”

Hani didn’t correct Erin; if people thought she was carrying an encyclopaedia and additional textbooks in her bag, then so be it. She’d rather be known as a swot than a prophecy-ridden blood witch. 

Instead, she smiled wryly at her roommate. “I’m sure our professors are delighted to know you’re finally trying. And with, what? Only two weeks left before November? Perhaps you’ll give us all a Yule miracle.”

“I–” Erin cut herself off when she noticed the amused glint in Hani’s eyes. “Hilarious. You haven’t answered my question about Muggle Studies.”

“I will obviously not be joining you this morning, since I like to spend my free time doing things other than attending a class I am not enrolled in,” Hani snorted. “I have a lot on my plate, so I’m trying to chip at the long list little by little.”

“Should’ve known your answer would be as boring as ever,” Erin rolled her eyes, plopping herself down on a sofa when they entered the common room. She pointedly ignored Hani when she let her gaze linger on the clock above the fireplace.

Muggle Studies would begin in less than half an hour, and Erin never skipped breakfast.

“Geez Harini, I’m going to get to class on time,” Erin scoffed, shooting Hani one last long look before closing her eyes. “Unc– Professor Sikander would murder me if I didn’t, you know that. He’s been keeping an even closer eye on me ever since my meeting with him and the detentions I can’t quite seem to stop accumulating.”

“Right,” Hani sighed, wondering why she’d even hesitated to begin with. She didn’t care enough about their house points to shoo Erin out of the common room on time. “Well, good luck with class.”

She had bigger things to worry about.

She weaved her way out of the common room, managing to only get stopped once by a curious first-year who wanted to know if Quidditch practice was open for everyone to attend. She gave him an affirmative and smiled when his face lit up but didn’t let herself get caught up in a conversation about the sport.

Instead, she left Gryffindor Tower, took the stairs down to the first floor, and veered off from the students heading for the Great Hall at the last second. None of her housemates paid her any mind, and she was quick to disappear down another corridor, relaxing a little once she was away from the morning crowd.

She passed three doors before getting to the one she needed.

Professor Hornby’s office was tucked neatly between Professor Sikander’s and Professor Vector’s. The door was almost as plain as the ones on either side of it, except the newest staff member had painted a tiny replica of her tarot deck underneath her name plaque. It was small enough that the other professors wouldn’t complain about the desecration of school property, but big enough that students wouldn’t be able to miss it if they wanted to visit Hornby.

It had Hani’s lips ticking up even as she fiddled with her embroidered sleeves and checked the time with a quick tempus.

Fifteen minutes until classes began.

From what Hani had observed in the past few days, Professor Hornby liked to leave breakfast a little before the last Slytherin students. She would laugh lightly as they begged her to stay but eventually remind them they had responsibilities to attend to, as did she.

If Hani’s calculations were correct, the professor would appear in less than five minutes, giving them over two hours to discuss Hani’s research.

Not that she wanted to take up the two hour slot; in fact, she would much prefer finishing her meeting with Hornby before the end of the first hour. It would be easier to explain her absence to Lavender and Parvati if she wasn’t gone for quite as long.

A pang of guilt squeezed at her heart as she considered the different lies she’d thought of feeding them so they wouldn’t grow suspicious of her.

They should have been with her, she knew, but they’d been the ones to strictly oppose continuing their research. Professor Hornby was a professor, which would soothe some of their worries, but she wasn’t Severus, which would negate the point they had made about telling one of her guardians about her discoveries.

It was better this way. She could find out more about prophecies, perhaps even dig into the one that pertained to her life, and then she could go back to Severus and prove it changed nothing. She was still his daughter, and she would still be safe. She wouldn’t go running into danger, but she wouldn’t face the future unprepared.

It was the perfect compromise, even if it meant having to lie to some – most – people in her life for a little while.

“Miss Potter! What a pleasant surprise!”

Hani turned towards Professor Hornby with a smile, hoping to radiate the aura of a curious student rather than the ever-stressed subject of a prophecy.

“Professor Hornby,” she greeted the older witch, stepping to the side when the professor went to open the door. “I hope I’m not bothering you this morning. I saw you had office hours available at this time, but I can always come back later if you have other obligations.”

She made sure to sound genuine, as though she hadn’t planned this meeting down to the second, knowing it was the best opening she would have in the next two weeks. She didn’t want to appear desperate.

She wasn’t desperate, just… eager to find out more.

“I have nothing on my schedule, Miss Potter,” the professor chuckled, gesturing for Hani to follow her into her office. “And I’m always happy to help a student discover the beauty of the Divinatory Arts. Am I to assume you’ve made your way through the text I lent you already?”

“I spent all weekend going through it,” Hani answered honestly. She’d even skipped one of her usual Blood Magic sessions to focus on the theories of self-fulfilment instead. “It’s even more interesting than I originally thought. I mean, I’d already come across some of these theories when I was helping Parvati with her research, but this clarified a few points I hadn’t considered.”

“Oh?” Professor Hornby raised a delicate eyebrow, sitting down and waiting for Hani to do the same. “Anything in particular?”

“The theory of avoidance,” Hani explained, taking the textbook out of her bag and skipping ahead to the chapter in question. “‘An individual running away from a prophecy often heads straight into its cruel arms.’ A little bit flowery in style, but the argument is a good one. The book favours self-fulfilment as the correct theory, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed,” Professor Hornby hummed. “Do you disagree?”

“I just–”

Hani took a deep breath. She’d planned this question carefully in her mind, making sure it wouldn’t involve her any more than it needed to. No mention of specifics, no ‘what ifs’, no hinting at a particular prophecy.

She was a curious student, nothing more.

“I was wondering what happens to the prophecies that aren’t heard,” she states, as though it’s a fact. As though she’s certain there are prophecies out there that haven’t been heard at all. “How do we argue in favour of self-fulfilment when considering the prophecies that only the prophet has experienced?”

Professor Hornby sat back in her chair and looked at Hani seriously, though Hani could tell she’d picked the right question. There was an air of eagerness vibrating around the professor, along with–

She clenched her jaw and blinked rapidly, wishing she could tell the gold and red specks to make themselves sparse.

Not now, she wanted to hiss at them.

They mocked her, dancing around Professor Hornby’s hands as she drew out her tarot deck and shuffled it mindlessly.

“Most wixen believe prophecies are always recorded,” the professor finally answered, her tone not giving her own thoughts on the matter away. “Prophets are– asked to keep the Ministry aware of the prophecies that come to them, even if no one else is there to view them at the time.”

“Of course,” Hani nodded. “But I don’t believe in that theory. There have to be prophecies out there that no one has ever heard. And then what happens? Do the objects of the prophecy fulfil their destiny without knowing it was foretold? If they do, self-fulfilment is a moot point.”

“There have been cases of the subject being kept unaware while other entities kept track of their movements,” Professor Hornby pointed out, and Hani had to stop herself from cheering victoriously.

“Right,” she agreed. “But someone knows about the prophecy. Perhaps self-fulfilment applies by proxy. If someone believes this event is meant to happen, then they will make it so. In which case, self-fulfilment is still a moot point. As soon as the prophet has a vision, they will unintentionally act towards the fulfilment of what they have seen.”

She didn’t bother hiding her excitement as she spoke.

“Miss Potter,” Professor Hornby chuckled. She sounded delighted. “How familiar are you with Muggle sociology?”

“Not at all,” Hani shrugged. She knew Parvati had been assigned Muggle readings as part of the new curriculum, but she’d been busier trying to understand the magical explanation behind prophecies.

“I believe you would enjoy Professor Rosenthal’s work on self-fulfilling prophecies,” Hornby continued, jotting something down on a scrap piece of paper. When she pushed it back towards Hani, an article title and reference number appeared in scratchy handwriting. “He may be a Muggle, but he has an even stronger grasp on the subject than most Divinators in the world. You’d be surprised at how closely our communities can be linked, when you take out the obvious difference.”

“Prophecies aren’t a thing in the Muggle world, are they?” Hani frowned. She’d never heard of them before coming to Hogwarts, but she could never be sure – never knew what the Dursleys could have been keeping from her.

“Prophecies are more of a concept to Muggles,” the professor explained. “But the idea is the same. If someone is told something will happen, they do everything in their power – even if it is subconscious – to make their prophecy come true.”

“And you agree with this?” Hani asked.

She didn’t need Professor Hornby’s full approval to present her theories to Severus, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.

“Wixen may be magical, but they are still human,” Hornby answered seriously. “Our brains work the same way as Muggles’, with the addition of a few tweaks to help us survive purely magical situations. At the end of the day, we are just as easily influenced as anyone else. I believe that, the more people know about a prophecy, the higher the chances that it will come true. Though, in reality, I agree with your initial statement. Self-fulfilment is a fascinating subject, but it’s the idea of destiny that would be more appropriate to the study of the Divinatory Arts.” 

“Oh?” Hani’s brows drew together. She’d already gotten what she needed out of the conversation, but the topic piqued her interest despite her desire to get back to the dormitory as soon as possible. 

“Magic isn’t psychology,” Professor Hornby said, keeping her voice low as though she was sharing a secret of the utmost importance. “It isn’t human, and it isn’t something we can predict. It appears at random, disappears when it no longer feels welcome, and shares its gifts in a pattern no one has been able to determine in almost two thousand years of recorded history.”

“Right,” Hani frowned deeper. She wasn’t sure she was following what the professor was saying anymore, but she didn’t want to stop the flow of the discussion either.

“Magic is Destiny,” Professor Hornby continued, and Hani felt something shift within her. A spark of understanding that materialised in the form of a hundred red and gold spots floating in front of her eyes. They settled around Hornby’s hands again, and Hani wished she could recognise a method in their madness. “We have Magic because the universe wills it that way. Prophecies are not a matter of what could happen, they are a matter of what will, because the universe has decreed it. Prophets are given visions not to stop the future, but to try and prepare the world for what is to come.”

“So, what? We should embrace prophecies?” Hani tried to wrap her head around the idea that her prophecy was inevitable, that it was something she should simply accept and move towards.

She didn’t want to accept it, but if Professor Hornby was right…

“Why waste time wondering if something is or isn’t true?” The professor said, shrugging lightly as though she were merely discussing the weather. “I would much rather be overprepared than spend my life trying to avoid something that was destined to happen to me. Don’t you agree?”

Right then, Hani wished she could tell her everything, every obstacle she’d faced, so the professor could understand just how much she agreed.

Instead, she asked the professor to point her in the direction of another textbook, anything to prove the theory they now agreed was most likely to be magically accurate.

She had research to do, and a father to convince.

“It’s Slytherin day! Make way!”

The door to the Sister room had been thrown wide open as Hannah and Leo strode in, holding packages and bags in their hand, leading the way for Tracey. Their best friend swanned in behind them, decked out in green, silver and brown, a smile illuminating her features.

Next to Hani, Lisa let out an amused snort, barely looking up from the latest art book she’d claimed as extracurricular reading. Hani was tempted to do the same with her book on the interpretation of prophecies, but Tracey was begging for attention, throwing herself onto the room’s biggest couch and pushing both Parvati and Padma out of the way as she did so.

“How long is this going to last for?” Parvati groaned, relocating to a pile of pillows on the floor nearby. “We already accommodated you all morning, Trace. We went flying. We played Quidditch for you! We planned a whole picnic we weren’t even invited to!”

“And what a good picnic it was,” Hannah sighed happily, settling down to Tracey’s right while Leo settled to her left. “Really, you guys outdid yourselves. Raspberries aren’t even in season right now, but the ones you packed for us were perfect.”

Padma rolled her eyes, perching herself on the couch arm and smacking the back of Hannah’s head.

“You’re being obnoxious,” she drawled. “You packed half of the picnic yourself, and the elves always pull out the most surprising, exquisite fares when they know you’re involved. It’s not ladylike to brag so much, Hannah dearest. Besides, it’s Slytherin day. We should be celebrating Tracey, not you.”

“Ah, but any celebration of me is a celebration of my best friends as well,” Tracey grinned, repeating the refrain she’d been hammering into their brains from the moment they’d stepped into the room for breakfast.

This time, Padma wasn’t the only one rolling her eyes. 

“Oh, come on,” Tracey pouted, turning her pleading gaze on each of them in turn. “We haven’t even opened presents yet. You can’t be sick of me already!”

“We can, actually,” Lavender sniffed, though Hani could tell she was only teasing. She caught the pillow Tracey sent flying her way easily, grinning and using it to prop herself even more comfortably on the armchair she’d claimed as her own. It was Daphne’s armchair, and she was the only one who dared settle herself there in the absence of their friend.

“Tracey,” Lisa started placatingly, finally putting her book away to stare at their eldest Sister. “We love you very much, and we’re so happy we get to celebrate your birthday with you, but you are being– Well, have you considered perhaps you are being a tiny bit obnoxious? In a loveable way, of course! But still, we’ve all been trying to juggle your birthday plans on top of our other responsibilities, and you’re making it–”

“You’re not making our lives any easier,” Hani finished gently.

Tracey huffed but didn’t disagree, and Hani withheld a sigh of relief.

She would have pandered to their friend all day if that’s what it would have taken to make her happy, but there was only so much the others could have handled before reaching their breaking point.

Parvati loved birthdays, but even she had never gone as far as to make the entire group bow to her feet and worship the ground she walked on.

Then again…

“What did you do last year?” Hani asked, tilting her head curiously. Her lips tugged up into a smirk when she noticed Lisa subconsciously mimicking the movement.

“We had a movie marathon,” Leo answered in Tracey’s stead, grinning widely. “It was rainy outside and Quidditch was a no-go, so we settled in the main common room and ate popcorn until we were sick to our stomachs.”

“So, none of this?” Lisa raised an eyebrow, visibly fighting back a tired sigh when Hannah shook her head in the negative. “How lucky we are, to have traded a movie marathon for your official Slytherin Day.”

“You’re awful,” Tracey gaped. She might have managed to fool Hani had she not been pursing her lips in a valiant attempt to hold in her laughter. “We had Daphne last year, so obviously she disagreed with the initial plan to hold a Quidditch tournament in the rain. Also, it’s my sixteenth birthday. It’s a big one!”

“For you?” Padma snorted. “Sixteen only matters to heirs, Trace. You’d have been better off waiting until next year to make a fuss about your day. Magical maturity is a worthier cause than a nonexistent heirship celebration.” 

“Semantics,” Tracey sniffed haughtily, finally dropping some of her posturing. She relaxed further into the couch, letting Hannah cross her ankles over her lap. “Have you considered, my dearest Sisters, that I might have simply been trying to lighten the mood? Bring a bit of much needed life to our group while the year continues to drag us down?”

“The mood’s been fine,” Lavender argued, the words so obviously hollow, she immediately chuckled. “Okay, the mood’s been a bit weird.”

Tracey’s teeth sank into her bottom lip, her eyes suddenly transfixed by the overhead light – a strange combination of a Muggle lamp and a traditional chandelier. It flickered ever-so-slightly as Hani blinked, only to be replaced by a swarm of red and gold dust.

Tracey’s gaze didn’t move, but Hani found herself following the twinkling spots of Magic as they danced around her friends.

She still couldn’t recognise a method to their madness. She watched, mesmerised, as they settled around Tracey first, crawling up and down her arms and poking curiously at Hannah every time she shifted towards her best friend. There was another cluster of dust lingering between Hani and Lisa, the glitter unable to settle as it whirled around them. She blinked rapidly, her fingers buzzing, until the dust dissipated, leaving only a confused Lisa in their wake.

“Something in your eye?” Her friend asked quietly. Tracey had started speaking again, and guilt flared through Hani at the thought of missing an important part of Tracey’s day. 

“All good,” she lied, and tuned back into Tracey’s passionate speech.

“– is fine! We’re allowed to be busy and have different interests and live our own lives, but I still want… I still want my Sisters at the end of the day. I don’t want to come in here and study for hours on end, wondering if I’m even going to get a conversation out of my visit or if the only words I’ll exchange are ones about my final project.”

Hannah’s face was a picture of remorse, and Hani wondered how much of the day had been Tracey’s idea – how much of it had been Hannah’s desperate attempt at making up for something she wasn’t responsible for.

“I want us to watch a movie,” Tracey added, her voice softer now. “I don’t want us to sit around reading our separate books, splitting at the end of the night as though the silence wasn’t genuinely stifling.”

It wasn’t stifling to Hani, but she knew Tracey wasn’t the same way. She was more like Leo and Lavender, always happier if the world was awake with noise and movement around them. It was easy to imagine how dull the Sister room had become for them now that the Sisters were more preoccupied with schoolwork and responsibilities than hanging out with their friends.

“And I want us to gossip a little,” Tracey finished, throwing her hands up in a huff. “Lavender is starting a Gazette, and you’re telling me we haven’t spent a single second of this past month talking about what Daphne and Sue are getting up to in Beauxbatons? Where are the notes comparing our letters? The theories? The rumour mill spreading absolutely ridiculous conspiracies to the rest of the school?”

Lisa and Hani shared a quick look while the other Sisters laughed.

Hani hadn’t realised such a thing had even happened in the first place. She hadn’t considered what their friends might have been talking about while they were gone. She couldn’t imagine Lavender and Parvati spreading rumours about her, but then again–

“Wait a second,” Lisa gasped. “Theo and Susan!”

“Oh, they were all the rage,” Tracey cackled, her eyes shining with excitement that Hani hadn’t seen in weeks. Perhaps she hadn’t been looking closely enough – trying hard enough. “It was my idea, of course, and Daphne thought it would be a worthy way to honour our Slytherin classmate while he was gone.”

“What about Theodore and Susan?” Hani asked, hoping she came off cooler than she felt.

“There were rumours that the two of them dated during the Programme,” Lisa rolled her eyes, grinning when Hani snorted loudly. “My thoughts exactly. Clearly, the gossipers weren’t made aware of some of the… tenser moments that occurred between them.”

“Tension is what the gossipers live for,” Padma pointed out, smiling when Lavender loudly endorsed her statement.

“No, no,” Hani shook her head. “Not romantic tension.”

“More like ‘Death Eater kids don’t get to have thoughts about the war’ tension,” Lisa completed for her.

The other Sisters stared, struck silent, while Hani shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Lisa sat straight, seemingly unbothered by the reaction to her words, but Hani knew the subject was a sensitive one for them both – for everyone who had been in that Beauxbatons common room, watching as Susan spat vitriol in Theodore’s face.

“Alright, so maybe we should go lighter on the gossip,” Leo chuckled awkwardly after a few seconds of contemplation. “No need to spread rumours about Ernie; I’m sure whatever he does will be a thousand times worse than anything we could imagine. And the girls will give us plenty of truths to use as fodder.”

“Right,” Parvati said, life returning to her face along with a mischievous smile. “Speaking of the girls. Have you guys heard from Sue? Methinks someone has a little crush already.”

“Oh, Henrik is amazing! I wish Henrik was in my group,” Padma added, her voice teasing but her features soft, almost awed. “I can’t believe our Sue already has that boy wrapped around her finger. If Daphne’s to be trusted, Sue and Henrik are rarely apart when they’re not in class.”

“He’s an artist,” Lisa grinned, sighing – dreamily, longingly? Hani wasn’t sure she wanted to know. “According to Sue, the best one she’s ever met, which is an insult to both Daphne and me.”

“She’s in love, Lisa,” Hannah laughed softly. “Of course she thinks he’s the most amazing person she’s ever met. You know how amazing the beginning is.”

A tick of silence as Hannah’s lips parted, her brain catching up to her mouth. A beat of surprise when Lisa broke into a bright smile, nodding as though admitting that Hannah had a point.

“The beginning is the best part,” the Ravenclaw agreed. “I’m sure Sue will soon realise that no boy is as perfect as he seems.”

“No girl is perfect either,” Leo pointed out, raising his hands in surrender when the others booed him, Tracey poking at his ribs until he was begging her to stop. “I take it back! You guys are perfect, of course!”

“As are you, dearest Leo,” Tracey relented, poking him one last time before leaving him be. “I actually haven’t heard from Sue yet, but Daphne sent me a very lengthy letter this morning. Most of it was about my birthday, my plans, the present she left in Blaise’s possession… But there were also several paragraphs about some of the other girls in the Programme, and you’ll never guess who features as a main character.”

“It’s Hermione, isn’t it?” Lavender drawled. The rest of their group turned to stare at her curiously; she was usually the type to jump at the prospect of gossip. “What? I get letters from Daphne too. She seems to think Hermione deserves more credit than what we’ve already given her.”

Hani refrained from agreeing with Daphne, not wanting to poke at the metaphorical bear when Lavender was already in a mood.

“I think it’s hilarious,” Tracey laughed. “Daphne Greengrass, realising she likes the most infamous muggleborn girl in our year? She’ll never live this down, not if I have anything to say about it.”

“They grow up so fast,” Hannah added teasingly, giggling along with the birthday girl. “I’m so proud of her.”

“It’s so weird to think about,” Parvati said, scrunching her nose up. “Hermione and Daphne feel like… Well, they don’t actually feel that different, but I still can’t imagine the two of them being close friends.”

“Can we please talk about anything else?” Lavender groaned before Hani could contribute. She snapped her open mouth shut and wondered if her best friend was doing her a favour; she had no idea what she truly thought about Daphne and Hermione. “What movie are we watching this afternoon?”

“Movies, plural,” Leo corrected, bounding off towards the TV they’d acquired for the room and rifling through the many videotapes they’d accumulated in the past year. “Tracey couldn’t make up her mind, so we’ve decided to hold a marathon until it’s time for dinner. Afterwards, we thought we could risk it and sleep here overnight.”

“And how exactly are you going to pull that off?” Hani raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering to Hannah when she shifted uncomfortably.

“Hannah Abbott!” Padma exclaimed, cackling. “Abusing Prefect powers?”

“I–”

“She’s so rebellious,” Lisa teased, her nose wrinkling when Leo held up a videotape victoriously. While their friend exclaimed about the virtues of Star Wars, Lisa leaned closer to Hani and lowered her voice. “You don’t want to be here for this.”

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Hani frowned. “Is it really that bad?”

“It’s a fine movie,” Lisa shrugged. “But I made the mistake of asking Tracey about it once, and I don’t think you’re ready for her fanaticism. If we had alcohol here, I’d tell you to take a shot every time she says Anakin’s name dreamily.”

“You say ‘take a shot’ like that’s something we do regularly,” Hani snorted. “I’m sure it’ll be alright. It’s Tracey’s day! She’s allowed to swoon and dream about her prince charming, or whatever this Anakin guy is.”

“Your mistake,” Lisa sighed, then drew her book back out of her bag and settled as far away from the television as possible – if she’d been given the option to sit at the table, she probably would have taken it.

And, of course, she proved her point within thirty minutes of the first movie.

When the second one started, she turned to Lisa and almost choked on a laugh when her friend raised an invisible glass in her direction.

By the end of the marathon, they’d taken at least one hundred ‘shots’ each.

Hani was oscillating somewhere between consciousness and deliriousness. Red and gold danced in front of her eyes, seeming almost like a dream in her current state. Though she still didn’t understand the exact pattern of their appearances, she’d noticed they were more active in the evening, after classes were over.

They were especially active in moments like these, when she felt caught between sleep and the desire to do something more with herself. They flittered anxiously around her hands, up her arm, and just behind her eyelids.

They were impossible to ignore.

She sighed and waved a useless hand in front of her face, watching as dozens of specks dashed away from her vision. They reappeared moments later when she blinked again and she let out a silent groan, tipping her head back against the couch’s armrest.

For the first time since the beginning of the year, her duties as a Prefect had taken precedence over her Blood Magic research, and it felt as though she was paying the price for it now. She was almost certain that, had she been able to leave the tower and commune with her Magic, she wouldn’t be batting away immaterial flecks of dust like a crazy woman.

She wanted to be angry at the missed opportunity but, if she was being honest with herself, handling the younger students was one of her favourite parts of being a Prefect. As inconveniently timed as their problems had been, she couldn’t find it in herself to hold it against them.

They were her responsibility, and she didn’t intend on letting them down, no matter how tempting it was to disappear into the night, wandering the halls in search of the perfect room for her Blood Magic adventures.

Nevertheless, the evening had sapped the energy out of her, hence her current state of utter disarray.

Her patience wore thinner every time she shut her eyes only to open them to the sight of her restless Magic. If she hadn’t made a promise – to herself, but a promise even so – she would have already dragged herself to her dormitory and collapsed onto her bed.

Instead, here she was, alternating between reading the Ancient Runes essay she’d drafted earlier that day and falling into a state of half-awareness.

She was rereading a sentence for the third time when her saving grace – and the object of her promise – finally strode into the room, looking far more awake than Hani could ever hope to be at the end of a patrol session.

“Hani!”

He sounded so surprised that the rest of Hani’s frustration disappeared, leaving only satisfaction behind. Staying up had been worth it for the opportunity to see Dean smile at her, so clearly pleased by her presence.

She owed him at least ten evenings, since he always made sure to be there when she got back to the tower after her evenings out with Theodore.

“Dean,” she responded, her greeting softer and heavy with exhaustion. Dean’s smile grew gentle and amused as he crossed the room and plopped himself down next to her. She looked up at him from her awkward position – sprawled on her side, her braids tucked uncomfortably between her back and the sofa.

They stayed quiet for a second, Hani feeling her face grow warm as she realised how untidy she must appear to Dean, who was still dressed in his uniform with barely a hair out of place. Meanwhile, she’d already changed into comfier clothes – not quite her pyjamas, but a warm jumper and a pair of leggings she’d embroidered over the summer.

She sat up too quickly, blinking rapidly as black spots joined the fireworks of red and gold that followed her every move.

“Careful there,” Dean murmured. “You look tired, Hani.”

“Way to make a girl feel special, Dean,” Hani snorted, the sound interrupted halfway through by a yawn which she was quick to cover up. She thanked Merlin for her dark skin which – hopefully – hid the burning of her cheeks.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to deny how exhausted you look,” Dean laughed quietly, pointing at the hand that still lingered in front of her lips. “How much longer do you think you would have lasted before passing out on the couch?”

“Well, I picked the uncomfortable one on purpose,” Hani said with a wry smile. “I may have been aware of my state when I decided to wait for you. Not that any of us can really prove how tired I am, since it’s something only my brain can attest to.”

“And your body,” Dean teased, stifling a louder laugh when it threatened to slip past his lips – another yawn had escaped Hani, her traitorous body clearly conspiring with Dean. “Sorry. Long night in here?”

“You have no idea,” Hani muttered. She rubbed at her eyes and sighed happily when her vision came away clear, no Magic in sight. “I think the little ones are worried about Samhain next week. Apparently, Professor Cresswell reminded them that the holiday was next week and gave them an open invitation to come see her if they had any questions. Of course, you know what that means.”

“They brought their questions to you,” Dean’s eyes twinkled amusedly. “Oh, how good it feels to be the more laid back Prefect. So much less responsibility, so many less inquiries, so few firsties bothering me at all times of the day.”

“Oh, hush,” Hani poked his leg with her foot and bit back a smile when he grinned at her. “I don’t mind their questions, or their worries, or any of their demands. I simply wish they thought to ask them during the day instead of waiting until the last possible moment of the day. And then there’s the nightmares and nighttime anxieties.”

“Who was it today?” Dean frowned.

Though he wasn’t quite as popular with the younger students as Hani – he was far more able with their yearmates and the fourth-years beneath them – he was still a wonderful Prefect. He’d learned their names the same way Hani had, and he paid attention to the ones who struggled the most with school and homesickness and socialising.

“Tracie Everson, initially,” Hani answered. “I’m not surprised. Apparently, some of the other students in their year finally spilled the beans about the Halloween curse. When she realised it was the night my parents died, she worked herself into a panic and found herself unable to fall asleep. She’s worried that if she doesn’t do anything for Samhain, the ‘curse’ will get her.”

“Oh,” Dean winced. His eyes were soft and sad, and it took Hani a second to realise the look was for her, not Tracie. “Did you–”

“It’s okay,” she smiled, patting his shoulder reassuringly and stuttering when he caught her hand in his. “I think she was glad I was the one talking to her. I reminded her that even if something terrible had happened on a specific day, it didn’t mean anything would happen to her. I may have also implied I was more likely to be cursed than her, which made her laugh.”

“She laughed at that? Hani!” Dean gaped at her, but Hani only giggled lightly. “It’s not funny!”

“It’s a little bit funny, Dean,” she pointed out, squeezing his hand once before letting it go. He looked down at his fingers, bereft, before meeting her eyes again. She made sure to look as sincere as possible. “If anyone’s allowed to joke about it, it’s me.”

“Fine,” Dean grumbled. “I’m guessing Tracie wasn’t your last visitor?”

“Of course not,” Hani laughed dryly. “Arlo made an appearance, as did Thelma and Dewi and Emerald. Edith was in here less than half an hour ago.”

“Again?” Dean’s brows furrowed. “Did she talk to you this time?”

“Yes, actually,” Hani’s lips twitched a little as she remembered her conversation with polite, poised, serious Edith. “She also wanted to ask me a Samhain-related question. She’s under the impression that she’ll be punished if she participates in a ritual.”

“I mean, they are technically discouraged,” Dean said slowly. “I can understand why she’d be anxious about it. It’s not like her family has an easy reputation to deal with; she probably doesn’t want to cause any issues for her parents.”

“Any connection people make between her and the Death Eaters is prejudice,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Her parents weren’t involved in the war, and she’s a part of the main family line. Her dad is an elemental wizard, for Merlin’s sake. She’s probably as Light as one can get without an inheritance.”

“Oh.” The sound was almost silent, and Hani raised an eyebrow at her Prefect partner. He looked at her sheepishly. “Alright, so perhaps I made similar assumptions upon hearing her name.”

“Of course you did,” Hani snorted, flicking his arm. “Edith is a smart girl, and she can probably smell your uncertainty from a mile away. Be normal around her, and she might actually start talking to you. And if she does decide to participate in a Samhain ritual, you’d better not call her out on it. She’s doing the ritual with a bunch of her friends, as far as I can tell, and I want them to feel safe when they get back to their dormitory.”

“Are you sure you and Theodore don’t want to take over patrols on the 31st?” Dean groaned at the reminder of his nightly duties. “You’re probably better suited to the job.”

Hani blinked at him slowly, watching gleefully as realisation overtook his features. He opened and closed his mouth in rapid succession, horror flickering in his gaze.

“Really putting your foot in your mouth tonight, Dean,” she smirked, laughter bursting out of her when his embarrassment turned into a glare aimed her way. “Asking me to take over patrols on the anniversary of my parents’ death, huh? Very classy, very smooth. Especially considering what I’ll be getting up to that night. It would be hypocritical of Theodore and I to take any points for loitering when all our friends will be doing the same thing.”

“Right.” Dean’s skin didn’t give anything away, but Hani knew his face had to be flaming hot. “Well. I promise I’ll let the first and second-years off easy, but you’d better be more careful than them. I mean– That’s to say– Not you, specifically. You can– Oh for fuck’s sake. You know what, feel free to do whatever the hell you want to that night. I only meant that I won’t be as lenient with our yearmates.”

“I got it, Dean, relax,” Hani smiled at him reassuringly and watched as his shoulders lost some of their tension. He was looking at her face carefully, as though checking to make sure she truly was alright. Hani let him stare for a few seconds before breaking the moment. “Anyway, I’m guessing you’re not participating?”

“Nah,” he answered, looking away from her. “Not really my thing. Mum never felt comfortable introducing rituals to me with dad around. Besides, we lived in a Muggle neighbourhood when I was a kid, so Halloween made more sense.”

“I never liked Halloween,” Hani scrunched her nose up in distaste. Dean looked at her curiously but didn’t push for details, which only made her want to tell him even more. “My relatives weren’t a fan of taking me out for fun events. They preferred spending time with their son alone, so I often stayed home while they were trick or treating. They took me along once and I hated it even more, so Samhain felt like the perfect option once I found out about it.”

“That makes sense,” Dean hummed. “So, what are your favourite Samhain traditions?”

“There are way too many,” Hani chuckled. “But if I had to choose, I’d say anything to do with baking and cooking. Last year, my guardian sent me a family recipe to try out, and I want to give it another whirl now that I have better control over my Magic. You’re supposed to be able to infuse it with what are essentially enchantments.”

“Black family enchantments? Sounds… interesting,” Dean laughed, and Hani forced herself to laugh along with him instead of saying something she would regret.

Why did it matter if he thought her traditions came from the Blacks? She’d never cared that people didn’t know about Severus, and she wasn’t about to start caring now, just because Dean was looking at her with those warm eyes of his. Especially not so close to Samhain, when her mind already struggled to keep itself safe.

“I’ll save you a slice,” she finally said, and smiled when Dean beamed at her. “Of course, there are tons of other traditions you’d probably like more. You strike me as the type to be more interested in the outdoorsy activities.”

“Tell me more,” Dean pleaded, his eyes wide with excitement.

And so, Hani did.

She had no idea how long she spoke for, nor how long she stayed awake. All she knew was that when she woke up in the early hours of the morning, her head was pillowed against Dean’s leg, his steady breathing the only sound breaking their sleep-induced silence.

Her exhaustion had disappeared along with her previous deliriousness, but she felt dizzy with something new, overwhelmed by a feeling she had no idea how to explain.

The last thing she saw before she slipped away from Dean and up the stairs was a flurry of red and gold dancing excitedly above Dean’s sleeping head, a blinding flash of light in the Dark.

She was gone before she could ponder this development and, a blink later, so was her Magic.

The halls were dark and empty, Hani and Theodore’s footsteps seeming to echo louder than they usually did.

With only four days to go before Samhain, nighttime escapades had diminished until they were almost nonexistent. Hani had heard from the older prefects that the sixth and seventh years hadn’t stopped their wanderings, but they never strayed into fifth-year territory, so their patrol had been particularly dull.

They’d attempted conversation at the beginning of their session, as they always did, but it had fizzled out into nothing before Hani could even think to bring up an interesting topic. She’d had a plan, carefully paired with the item she’d hidden in her satchel, but they’d lapsed into awkward silence before she could mention it.

It had been forty minutes since then, and she was still trying to figure out how to broach the subject without appearing overeager or uncomfortable. Both would be equally distasteful outcomes and would give Theodore far too much fodder for future teasing.

Instead, she busied herself tracing the embroidery on the hem of her sleeves, ignoring the red and gold sparks buzzing around the threads, and trying to act as though their patrol wasn’t one of the most useless endeavours they’d partaken in this year. 

At least if they’d been responsible for a higher level, they would have a view of the gorgeous night outside. The weather was clear, the rain having let up for now, and though the moon was barely more than a sliver, Hani knew it would hit the Forbidden Forest in a way that made it look enchanting rather than foreboding.

As they turned into yet another empty corridor, she let out a quiet sigh and almost jumped when Theodore snorted next to her.

“Merlin,” she hissed, clutching a hand to her heart. “Are you trying to scare me to death so you’ll have something to write in your report?”

It was a running joke that Theodore hated handing in an empty report, even if they truly hadn’t encountered any trouble. The joke would have been funnier if it wasn’t painfully accurate – if he had to make a point about the lack of student activity, he would.

“My apologies for laughing, Harini,” her partner drawled, raising an imperious eyebrow when he caught her watching him huffily. “I forget that we are supposed to complete these patrols in excruciating silence. I should have kept my good humour to myself while you sighed as though the world was weighing on your shoulders.”

She wacked his arm.

“Stop speaking like an antiquated pureblood,” she rolled her eyes. “I barely made a sound. Besides, this patrol is by far the most boring one we’ve had so far. Is it truly a crime to express my displeasure?”

“Is it a crime for me to express my amusement?”

“You find it funny that we’ve been walking around in circles with nothing to do for the past hour?” Hani asked dryly, clenching her jaw when Theodore snorted again. “Oh, for fuck’s–”

“I find it funny, Harini, that you prefer to walk in complete silence rather than actually talk to me,” her partner answered before she could finish her sentence. “I mean, I know I’m not the world’s best conversationalist, but surely I’m not that bad, am I?”

Hani paused, her steps faltering as she turned to face Theodore.

His features were open and as honest as they got – which was to say not very, though it was better than the treatment she got during the day. He paused next to her and smirked infuriatingly. Hani knew he wasn’t making fun of her, but his default expression really did make her want to slap the smile off his face.

“Actually,” she answered slowly. “You are quite low on the list of conversationalists, if I had to make a tally. Somewhere above Malfoy, that’s for sure, and maybe a little higher than Slughorn, but definitely below Erin.”

“Below– Potter, take that back,” Theodore gaped after her as she started walking again. “Harini, I can hold a far more intriguing conversation than Hargreaves can. She’s– Well, she’s–”

“Oh, I don’t like her,” Hani hummed, finishing Theodore’s thought for him. Erin was irritating on a good day. “But she’s got good ideas sometimes, and she’s more entertaining than most people in our year. She loses points for her tendency to slip an insult into everything she says, but that’s one trait you share.”

“We don’t share any traits,” Theodore protested. Hani was the one to snort this time, watching delightedly as colour rose to her partner’s cheeks. “You simply haven’t given me a chance to have a proper conversation with you. We have lots of things in common, don’t we?”

“We have a few electives together,” Hani responded, then furrowed her brows. “I can’t really think of anything else off the top of my head. I know this may come as a shock to you, Theodore, but we don’t know each other.”

“Yes, clearly,” Theodore huffed, a flicker of something flashing behind his eyes. “Even the basics are apparently too much work for someone like you. I wouldn’t want to take up any more space than strictly necessary.”

The corner of Hani’s lips twitched. She stopped again, bringing them to a halt in front of a window; the light caught Theodore’s cold eyes when he angled himself towards Hani. When she blinked, red and gold dust glittered between them then vanished just as suddenly, blinking in and out of existence while Hani dug through her bag.

Her fingers curled around something soft and she let out a small victorious cheer.

Green and silver slipped out of her satchel until the scarf was fully visible, a replica of the item most Slytherins acquired during their first winter at Hogwarts. The only difference, of course, was the presence of tiny runes stitched into the silver portions of the scarf. They were only warming enchantments, but it was already a lot more than she did for most of her acquaintances.

“What–” Theodore started, frowning as he accepted Hani’s offering. His hands roved over the scarf as though trying to solve an Arithmancy problem.

“Happy birthday,” Hani huffed. “I was going to give this to you at the beginning of our patrol, but then you droned on about last week’s Prefect meeting for half an hour and I wasn’t sure how to change the topic.”

She started walking away, leaving Theodore behind for a handful of seconds before he finally caught up to her. The scarf was nowhere to be seen, probably tucked away in the depths of his own bag. She didn’t doubt that he would be overanalysing the gift at a later time, but at least he’d taken it without asking too many questions.

“Did Michael and Justin also get a scarf for their birthdays?” He asked her quietly a few minutes later. 

“I don’t even know when Michael’s birthday is,” Hani shrugged. “And I only found out about Justin’s after the fact. Besides, I don’t really hang out with them. I figured you might cause a fuss if I didn’t mark your birthday somehow, and I was right.”

“You realise my birthday was–”

“Yesterday, yes,” Hani rolled her eyes. “I may not know you, Theodore, or even particularly like you, but we did spend an entire year together abroad. Antero mentioned your birthday at some point. He was sad he missed it and wished he could have celebrated it with you. I guess the date stuck in my mind.”

“Right,” Theodore murmured, then fell silent again.

Hani didn’t mind. She’d given him the gift she’d planned and had acknowledged his big day. As far as she was concerned, her duty was done. He would have a scarf for the winter and wouldn’t complain when the weather got cold and, if she was lucky, he might return the favour when her birthday came around.

She was sure the Notts had all manner of interesting things in their vaults and homes.

Books, certainly, but also clothes and jewels and plenty of magical items that Hani could find a use for. Perhaps something that would work well with her family magics, if she got lucky. She wasn’t so foolish as to believe she’d get an explicit guide to Blood Magic, but something worth even a fraction of that would do the trick.

She was still considering the possibilities when awareness pricked at her mind. Her fingers tingled. Her gaze flicked to her left of their own volition, and she almost cursed out loud at the sight that greeted her.

Red and gold obscured the window they passed, then the next, and the next again. Magical sparks swirled in the moonlight, running next to Hani as she tried to keep her steps steady and her pace unhurried. When she slowed down, hoping to curb their curiosity, they aimed for her hands again. They danced over her wand holster, lingered over Theodore’s satchel, then raced back to the windows when Hani attempted to ignore them.

She blinked. Blinked again. Repeated the movement ten times. Red and gold mocked her every time she opened her eyes, and she barely resisted the urge to glare at the offending dust.

“Something in your eye, Harini?” Theodore’s voice dragged her away from her battle of wills. “You know, it’s okay if you need glasses.”

“What?” Hani frowned, the non-sequitur catching her off-guard.

“You’re always blinking like that these days,” Theodore answered, his voice slow as though explaining a particularly complicated concept. Hani resisted the urge to snap at him without letting him finish his thought. “Rubbing at your eyes, squinting, looking left and right like you’re confused by something. It makes you look a little deranged.”

“Wow, thanks Theodore,” Hani clenched her jaw. She didn’t want to tell him that she felt deranged, didn’t want to give his theory any credit. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, just dealing with a bit of a magical mishap.

But Severus would never forgive her if she purposefully spread rumours about her Magic.

“I’ll look into getting glasses,” she lied, smiling sweetly at her partner. “Wouldn’t want to look deranged while you’re creeping on me in class.”

“Much appreciated,” Theodore responded, and though Hani knew he was probably teasing, she felt fury sweep through her.

“You know, most people would have at least thanked me for the gift before criticising my appearance,” she snapped. “If you were wondering why I don’t particularly try to have conversations with you, think back on this one and maybe consider what you could have done differently.”

His cheeks flamed, and Hani felt satisfaction mix with her anger.

“I didn’t mean…” He started, but never ended his sentence.

They continued the rest of their patrol in the same stilted silence they’d started it in. 

The red and gold dust had disappeared. It didn’t bother her again that night.

Hani traced constellations amongst the flecks swaying above her.

She wasn’t sure when they’d appeared. They’d been content to leave her alone throughout the day; they hadn’t been there when she’d snuck out to meditate with her knife that morning, or spent time with the Sisters, nor when she’d had a one-on-one practice with Beth and Hikari, and not even when she’d retreated to the library with Lily and Morag to study for their upcoming Charms test.

Now, she batted absently at the dust that danced unevenly in front of her eyes. Sometimes, the Magic would concentrate until it was impossible to ignore but, most of the time, it was more of a passive distraction. It behaved the same way whether she paid attention to it or not, so she’d quickly concluded it wasn’t the sort of sentient entity that wanted to be noticed.

Like her mother had warned her, the awareness wasn’t something she could take back, nor was it something she could simply treat as a common nuisance.

“What am I going to do with you, huh?” She whispered, staring at her Magic as it grew nearer to her before retreating, blinking out of existence for an instant only to reappear around her hands.

She sighed and closed her eyes – the only way to pretend as though she wasn’t losing a battle against specks of invisible Magic. Severus’ sofa was more comfortable than the one in the Sister room, and Hani was tired.

Hikari’s training was coming along better than Beth’s, just as Ginny had predicted, but it meant Hani was having to intensify their sessions. She’d initially committed to a single practice every month, but after seeing what Hikari had been able to do after just a couple weeks of instruction, Hani had known they’d have to meet more frequently.

Her body ached from the two hours they’d spent out on the Quidditch pitch, running through drills that Hani hadn’t practised since Second Year. It had been worth it to see the awe on Hikari’s face as she eventually managed to pull off moves she hadn’t even known existed at the beginning of the year, but Hani’s arms and legs were paying the price of her overexertion.

Not that the pain had anything on the headache she’d accumulated throughout the day. The appearance of her red and gold Magic had managed to distract her from her migraines when they’d first made themselves known, but now they only added to her affliction.

She was being punished for her hours of study and ambling around the castle – Lavender had begged her to spend time with her while Parvati was off with Blaise, and Hani hadn’t been able to resist her best friend’s pleas. She didn’t regret any of the things she’d done that day, but it felt like her Magic was punishing her for her busy schedule.

Why else would it have waited until she was finally at ease, finally resting and relaxed, before dropping red and gold sparks onto her chest?

The door to Severus’ quarters swung open before she could ponder the question any longer, and she sat up suddenly, grinning a little as the red and gold flecks fought against the black fuzz at the edge of her vision.

(She doubted it was meant to be funny, but the mixture always made her feel like her mind was going through an internal conflict.)

“Dad!” She exclaimed, surprised to find the term slipping past her lips so easily after weeks of tense exchanges with the man. She hadn’t even properly visited him since their conversation about the Order’s current plans.

She’d stopped by a few times, mostly to complete homework and act like a semi-decent daughter, but they both knew she’d been avoiding him.

In her defence, he hadn’t been making much of an effort either.

“Harini,” he greeted her, sounding just as perplexed by her enthusiasm as she felt. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“I know,” she said sheepishly. “I wanted to ask you about it, but our schedules have been all over the place lately, and I thought it’d be better to come and ask for forgiveness rather than miss out on time with you altogether. We’ve barely talked.”

It was more honest than what she’d planned on saying, but it got Severus to smile softly as he put his bag to the side and took off his teaching robes. 

“Busy day?” She asked.

“My apprentices had a great deal of questions to ask,” Severus answered, rubbing a thumb over the divot between his eyebrows. “They are remarkable students, of course, but I do sometimes wish they were slightly more independent. I can’t hold it against them, since one of the main goals of their apprenticeship is reaching that independence by the end of the year, but Miss Fenwick is quite demanding.”

“Not George?” Hani tried to keep her curiosity to a minimum, but the amused look on Severus’ face told her he wasn’t fooled. “I just want to know how my friend is doing!”

“Mister Weasley is quite aware that I prefer to stay undisturbed,” he smirked. “He only asks questions when necessary. It is unfortunate that today happened to be a crucial point in one of his brews; he checked in with me quite a few times, which would have been fine if Miss Fenwick hadn’t also been in need of support.”

“It must be tough,” Hani sighed, biting back a smile when Severus narrowed his eyes at her. “I mean, having to do your job? Truly a nightmare. It’s not like you could have opted not to take on any apprentices at all…”

“Brat,” her father snorted. “I suppose you’ll want something to drink now that I’m here? Still incapable of making your own cup of hot chocolate?”

“It’s so much better when you make it,” Hani said, shrugging unapologetically. “It doesn’t turn out the same way when I try to give it a go. Besides, you’re the one who knows where you hide all the best biscuits. What’s a cup of hot chocolate without a good snack to accompany it? Really, you’ve brought this upon yourself.”

“I’m sure,” Severus drawled, though he strode into the kitchen without any further comments about Hani’s tendency to laze around on his couch. She grinned triumphantly after him and closed her eyes again, resisting the urge to resume her previous position.

Instead, she listened as Severus poured their drinks and grabbed a plate for their snacks. The noises lulled her until she could almost forget about the pains the day had brought with it. As soon as she opened her eyes to accept the mug Severus had taken out for her, however, the reminder hit her right in the face – almost literally, considering how close the dust was to her head. 

She lifted the cup of hot chocolate up to her face defiantly and scrunched her nose up when her Magic adapted and flickered around her drink.

“Is there something wrong with your drink, oh daughter of mine?” Severus huffed, amused. 

“It’s perfect,” Hani answered absentmindedly, too busy silently begging the Magic to disappear to properly focus on her father’s words. “Although I’m not sure how I feel about the little lemon cakes.”

“They aren’t my doing,” Severus replied dryly. “I’m rather hoping you enjoy them so I can finally get rid of them. It seems your godfather is a fan of lemon, but he doesn’t spend nearly enough time here to justify the dozens of lemon-flavoured treats he brings along with him. I’ve accumulated a ridiculous number of them.”

“When does Sirius even come here?” Hani frowned, struggling to imagine her godfather stepping foot inside Severus’ quarters. “Why does he come here?”

“Order business,” Severus shrugged. His face was the perfect picture of nonchalance, but Hani didn’t buy it. A year ago, he wouldn’t even step into Remus’ quarters when Sirius was around, and now he was giving her godfather open invitations into his personal space? “Questions about you and our co-parenting situation, complaints about the Headmaster… And company, I suppose.”

He laughed at whatever look had taken over Hani’s features, and she fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

“Your godfather has gotten relatively more tolerable now that he is employed and starting to behave like an adult,” he explained when she only stared at him, still trying to imagine her guardians interacting in a polite setting. “I try to limit our interactions, but he has proven to be decent company when he is not in a terrible mood.”

“So you like him?” Hani asked slowly, caught between hope and suspicion.

“Like is a strong word,” Severus laughed shortly. “However, I would consider him a friendly acquaintance, and certainly a competent co-parent. He has been looking into finding a Mind Healer for you. Or a therapist, if you would prefer to see someone in the Muggle world.”

It was like having a bucket of cold water being dumped atop her head. She swallowed back the thickness threatening to rise in her throat and looked steadily at her father, whose laughter had turned to softness.

“I’ll talk to him about it when I see him for Yule,” she finally said.

Severus took the hint and hummed without pushing any further. Hani’s shoulders radiated with tension; she forced them to relax even while her heart still pounded. The unsteady rhythm was familiar enough that it helped calm her once she focused on it, but the discomfort didn’t disappear.

“Speaking of Yule,” she made herself speak. “Well, speaking of holidays, I was wondering if you wanted to do something today. We could bake that recipe you sent me last year.”

“Samhain isn’t for another two days,” Severus pointed out.

“We won’t have time on Tuesday,” Hani retorted, and smiled lightly when Severus tilted his head in agreement. “We’re both too busy to make time during the week, and I really want to do something with you. We didn’t get a chance to do anything last year, and we were still figuring things out the year before, so…”

“Harini.” A warm hand fell upon her shoulder, almost startling her into spilling her drink. “We can bake today if you want us to, though I would recommend saving some of the loaf for Samhain anyway. Magic doesn’t like being forgotten, and it might take offence to us partaking in a tradition before the actual day.”

“That’s a little superstitious,” Hani scoffed. Still, she made a note of this fact in her mind, vowing she’d always save some of the Magic for the actual holiday. “I was hoping you could teach me more about the magical technique you use to enchant the loaf. The one I made last year was delicious, but it also definitely didn’t have any magic to it.”

“You’re young,” Severus waved her concerns away. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually. I can show you the first steps as soon as you’re done with your hot chocolate. In the meantime, though, I would love to hear what you’re planning on doing for Samhain itself. I know your godfather was curious about it too. He can’t stop gloating about how well your core melds with Black traditions.”

“They’re good for my thread magic,” Hani smiled. She could easily picture Sirius telling everyone about his goddaughter and her affinity for his family magics. Never mind that most people would be horrified at the thought of Harini Potter practising Black traditions. “I like the Potter traditions for Samhain, though. Lots of balance. And I was thinking of mixing them with some of the rituals mum suggests in the Grimoire.”

Severus paused. Hani looked at him evenly while she sipped at her hot chocolate.

“Appropriate rituals?” He raised his eyebrows at her.

“There’s no blood in them, if that’s what you’re asking,” Hani responded, which was mostly true. Using blood wasn’t a prerequisite for any of the rituals, though she did plan on integrating a tiny bit of it to help her Magic bond with her knife even further. Samhain would be the perfect night for the occasion.

Her sessions with her knife hadn’t caused her any problems so far, so she reckoned she was in the clear. No one knew she was… experimenting with her Blood Magic, and she was staying safe.

It was all under control, hence why Severus didn’t need to know about it.

“Will you manage to blend the rituals in a way that makes sense?” He asked her, and she felt a pang of guilt rip through her heart.

He didn’t even suspect her, and she was lying through her teeth. Meditating using techniques specific to Blood Magic, planning a presentation to convince him she should know about the prophecy, cutting her palm to connect with a knife she acquired without anyone’s knowledge.

It hurt for a second, the pain sharp enough that she briefly considered spilling everything to him – at least the parts that would get her into trouble if he found out what she’d been up to. He would forgive her if she told him now, though there was no telling what he would make her do with the Grimoire.

“I–”

She cut herself off, her gaze catching on a set of black robes hung in the half-open closet Severus used for his teaching robes. Except this one wasn’t a teaching robe. A white mask hung next to it, innocent enough until one remembered the context.

“I think the Potter traditions will work well with the ones my mother came up with,” she finished her sentence with a smile. “I’m almost certain my dad helped her invent some of these. And there are elements of the Black traditions I’ll be able to incorporate as well. It should be alright.”

She wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.

She hadn’t been the one to start these lies of omission.

She was only protecting herself; protecting the Magic her mother had wanted her to learn about even before she’d been born.

“You’ll have to tell me how it went next weekend,” Severus smiled back at her. “It would be nice to have you around here more often.”

“Yeah,” she breathed out. “It would be nice.”

It would be even better once she got a handle on the Magic that buzzed around her incessantly – though it was surprisingly quiet at the moment. Even more so once she presented her findings on prophecies and proved that keeping it from her would do nothing but make her more curious about the situation.

For now, though, she took deep breaths and promised herself she’d be careful with her Samhain ritual. She wouldn’t do anything that her mother hadn’t approved.

“The loaf would be a good offering to add to your ritual,” Severus added once Hani had downed her last few sips of hot chocolate. “And I think Magic would be pleased to see you embrace every aspect of your family.”

Hani nodded and swallowed back another wave of culpability.

Her family, who she was supposed to honour with her Samhain ritual. Who she was lying to, all so her mother’s words wouldn’t go to waste.

She had to believe it would be worth it, in the end.

She settled on a damp, abandoned room a few corridors away from the Sister room.

She’d been scouting the area for two weeks now, stopping by between patrols and study sessions and Blood Magic meditations. It was close enough to the room she shared with her friends that they wouldn’t grow suspicious if she headed that way, but far enough that they wouldn’t accidentally stumble upon it.

The room itself was shabby and run-down, as though the elves weren’t able to access it during their cleaning rounds. It made it all the more appealing to Hani. She’d stopped there the previous evening to apply some basic precaution wards around the area, but she thought it would be safer to keep it unassuming.

She could always work on the inside without bathing the door and walls in Magic. The small runic pattern she’d applied to the floor right outside the door would have to be enough for now.

Just until she figured out what she wanted to do with the place, and how she could conceal it without making it obvious she was hiding something there.

Thankfully, Samhain was the perfect night to slip away into the little room without being noticed or bringing attention to this part of the castle.

The professors were busy patrolling the areas outside of the common rooms while the Prefects on duty kept to their designated spaces. Stray students would be loitering in the ritual area, but she wasn’t worried about running into anyone from that group. They’d have their own escapes to consider and wouldn’t pay attention to her even if they did come her way.

She reminded herself of that fact as she took out the items she’d prepared for her ritual. The thought helped her breathe more easily, and by the time she’d emptied her satchel, she was feeling more eager than stressed.

The red and gold dust had been flickering in and out of sight all day, but it was nowhere to be found now. Still, out of respect for the Magic that had been haunting her for the past few weeks, Hani set her candles out first. Four red, four gold, purposefully picked to satisfy the Magic that kept poking and prodding at her.

They were the guiding points for the boundaries of her ritual circle. As soon as they were in place, she took out the spare piece of chalk she’d brought with her and got to work on her runes.

The runic sequence she’d designed was meant to reflect the values of Samhain while welcoming the spirits from the other side of the veil. They would also keep her safe – most people believed spirits couldn’t actually interact with the physical world when they passed through the veil, but Hani didn’t want to try her chances.

The balance of the candles would work well with her Potter Magic; Light and Dark, covering each of the cardinal points and the points between them. The red candles stood to her right, representing the four Dark celebrations, while the gold ones depicted their Light counterparts.

The robes she was wearing would pay homage to her Black relatives and the thread magic she carried with her thanks to generations past. She’d chosen a formal red ensemble for the occasion, complete with cream embroideries – runes to encourage grounding, power, and connection.

The loaf of bread she’d baked with Severus would act as an offering while also strengthening her link to the family of her heart.

And the knife in her hands was for her mother. For herself.

There was only one window in the room, and it had been placed far too high for the light to penetrate it effectively, but Hani could picture moonbeams dancing off her blade anyway. She knew that when the ritual started, there would be enough light to make up for the darkness of the room.

She centred herself and carefully placed her knife in the middle of her ritual circle while she moved around the room, lighting candles in complete silence while calling to Mother Magic in her mind.

By the time she was done, the room was alight with fire and Magic. Red and gold sparks danced from candle to candle, gathering around her knife when Hani reached it.

She breathed in deeply and held the hilt between careful fingers.

Then, she spoke words she’d come to know by heart.

“Mother Magic, I call upon you. On this day of darkness, I draw on the strength of light to guide me and bring harmony to our world. Andhere mein, mujhe ujaala lao.”

She’d closed her eyes, but red and gold light flooded her vision regardless. Her mind was buzzing with energy, her Blood Magic taking up every inch of her until there was no room for anything else. Her Occlumency barriers dissipated, her thoughts wavered, and she wouldn’t have been able to continue the ritual if she hadn’t learned the words long ago.

“On this day of remembrance, I draw on the strength of my parents, Lily Evans and James Potter, to guide me down the path of balance. Andhere mein, mujhe ujaala lao. On this day of Magic, I draw on the strength of your gift to bring me peace and faith. Andhere mein, mujhe ujaala lao.”

The Magic was overwhelming.

It burned within her, clenching around her heart and flowing through her blood as though it owned her.

“Darkness, I call upon you. On this night of death, I wish for the gift of clarity. Kyonki jaadoo kaala hai. On this night of memories, I wish for the gift of empathy. Kyonki jaadoo kaala hai . On this night of Magic, I wish for the gift of faith. Kyonki jaadoo kaala hai.”

The Magic didn’t settle, not like it had before. Instead, it seemed to swell with excitement. It bounced through her mind; she wasn’t sure she was breathing anymore.

“Light, I call upon you. On this eve of darkness, I offer the world radiance. Kyonki jaadoo halka hai. On this eve of loss, I offer the world sustenance. Kyonki jaadoo halka hai . On this eve of Samhain, I offer the world my Magic, both Light and Dark, Good and Evil, to celebrate Life and Death. Kyonki jaadoo halka hai.”

The world was red. The gold felt like an afterthought, as though her Magic had finally drowned within her mother’s blood gift.

This was where she usually ended the ritual.

She should thank Magic, swear her loyalty to the power that gave her life, and settle with the restless energy for the rest of the night. She would feel her parents’ presence, would relish in the feeling of her Magic swallowed by the darkness of all the rituals being completed at the same time, all of them within Hani’s reach.

Instead, she paused, breathed, spoke again.

“Blood of mine, I call upon you. On this night of Magic, I offer you life. Kyonki jaadoo khoon hai . On this night of Magic, I offer you memories. Kyonki jaadoo khoon hai. On this night of Magic, I wish for power. Kyonki jaadoo khoon hai.”

And then, she dragged her blade across the palm of her hand and felt it dig into her skin until blood dripped onto her robes and the floor in front of her.

She could picture it in her mind amongst the red haze, which was singing with delight. Her Magic seemed to crow gleefully, jumping from one side of her mind to the next until she was left feeling giddy with happiness and power and rightness.

She needed to finish the ritual, but she wanted to sink into this feeling, just for a little longer. At least until the red sparks retreated, until it no longer felt like she was bathing in euphoria.

That was when she felt it.

Her Magic, leaving a gaping hole where it had resided seconds earlier.

The red sparks shuddered as they dashed away from the spot in her mind she now couldn’t stop staring at. It felt so familiar, so enticing; it was calling to her even while the Magic in  her blood tugged her away from it.

Her mind, though. Her mind recognised it, and she was reaching out to it before she could think any better of it – not that she could think any better, not that she could think, not that she could–

She felt herself fade away.

She was Harini Potter, but she was someone else too. She was somewhere lighter than the room she’d just been in, she was standing taller than she usually did, she was staring at a face she recognised but didn’t know, and she was–

She wasn’t Harini Potter.

“The Dark shall rise again!”

It was her mouth moving, but it wasn’t her voice. She wasn’t herself. She wasn’t anywhere at all.

“My loyal followers, you have done me proud! Today, we celebrate the Dark and the many soldiers who have joined our ranks.”

She was happy, delighted, her emotions so heightened they were almost impossible to comprehend. The euphoria she’d experienced was nothing compared to this. She didn’t know joy could go this far, didn’t know it could feel like breaking apart from the inside. She felt sick. This wasn’t her joy.

“And our most loyal follower of all, our dearest Peter, rising to prove his worthiness to the Dark.”

Cheers. She wasn’t cheering. Her mouth was pulled into a smile far too wide to be comfortable. She wanted to cry. Her red sparks were nowhere to be found.

Someone else was speaking now, bowing deeply and smiling cruelly and so familiar Hani screamed within the confines of her own mind. The confines of whichever mind she was stuck in, desperately trying not to even think about, not to even think, not to think–

“My lord. Will you do the honours?”

Barty grinned when Hani grinned. He laughed when Hani laughed. And when Hani raised her wand, he stood to the side and bowed once more. He was surrounded by masks, all of them congregating until Hani thought she might pass out.

But her body – the body that moved her – didn’t faint.

Peter Pettigrew lay on the ground in front of her, and when he begged, she kneeled to face him. She put a hand on his head. She stared at him and sighed.

“Your sacrifice will be remembered, Peter.”

The flash of green erupted before Hani could stop it.

The last thing she saw before she was wrenched back into the room she’d deserted was the light dying in Pettigrew’s eyes.

She emptied her stomach on the ground next to her.

The candles flickered in the dark.

Her knife lay forgotten in front of her.

Her palm stung, red blood caked over her skin and her fingertips in which she’d been holding a wand seconds ago. The wand she’d killed someone with.

The wand Voldemort had killed someone with.

The sparks weren’t there anymore.

The ritual wasn’t over, and she tripped over her words to bring it to an end. They felt thick on her tongue. Her voice was hers again, but she raised a hand to her throat and wondered if it would stay that way for much longer.

When she closed her eyes, red and gold danced in her mind. Her Occlumency barriers were non-existent.

The gaping hole was still there, had perhaps always been there, though it didn’t call to her anymore.

She forced herself out of her thoughts. Blew out the candles. Gathered up her knife and her Grimoire in her hands. Stumbled out of the room until she reached the familiarity of the Sisters’ space. Collapsed onto Daphne’s armchair.

Then everything went black.

Chapter Text

This world, my dear Evans children, is not one that will welcome you with open arms. It will do everything it can to push you away because it will not know how to accept a coven of Blood Witches with power as unbelievably potent as the one that runs through our veins.

Sanguinis Praesidium is the first ward you should teach yourselves. It will keep you safe, keep your secrets, keep you unharmed and undiscovered. It is not easy, but I should hope my daughters and those that follow will have the same talent for runes as I did. 

Remember that when it comes to wards, fresh blood is always preferable. It is an unpleasant endeavour, but one you’ll most likely get used to. I think you will agree with me when I say that discomfort is preferable to weakness.

~ ToB ~

“Hani?”

She startled awake. Light streamed around her. Her mind ached, her heart pounded, her hands shook. She couldn’t place where she was, or why she was so uncomfortable; all she could feel was the gentle grip on her arm and–

“Parvati?” She asked, her voice cracking. Her best friend’s eyes looked down at her, concerned and soft.

“Hani, it’s me.”

She frowned, then registered the shoulder-length hair and blue-piped robes. Parvati would never have been caught with a book first thing in the morning, but Padma’s fingers were clenched tightly around an unknown volume. 

With her brows furrowed that way, she really did look just like her sister. And though she appreciated her friend’s presence, Hani wished Parvati were there so she could–

Her heart lurched as her mind finally caught up with the events of the previous night. The ritual, the blood she’d spilled, and the atrocious feeling of being trapped in somebody else’s body, unable to escape while a man cowered at her feet, his snivelling face covered in tears as he awaited his death. 

She dry-heaved over the armchair she’d settled on.

It came back to her now; her blind stumble to the Sisters’ room after hastily putting an end to her ritual. She’d picked the armchair subconsciously, perhaps hoping it would somehow bring her friend back to the country she’d only recently left. Daphne, of all the Sisters, would understand Hani’s feelings on the matter. She wouldn’t waste her breath asking pointless questions, because she always understood the point of Hani’s stories.

As she sat back up, averting her eyes so she wouldn’t get caught into Padma’s worried gaze, she felt tears prickle behind her eyelids.

There was no Daphne here to bring her comfort.

“Hani, you’re scaring me.” Padma’s voice was soft despite the fear that laced her words. “Do the girls know you’re here?”

“What time is it?” She asked instead of answering. She fumbled for her wand but gave up when Padma cast a perfect tempus for the two of them to see. 7:15. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d woken so late on a school morning. “I’m going to be late.”

Her voice sounded hollow to her ears. Padma was worrying at her bottom lip, a habit Hani had never noticed before – though perhaps her current state was slightly more anxiety-inducing than the rest of the problems they faced as secondary school students.

“I need you to tell me what’s going on. Do Lavender and Parvati know you’re here? Did something go wrong last night?”

Hani blinked out of her daze.

She was still wearing her ceremonial robes. She had nothing but the Grimoire on her person; she must have left her satchel and the rest of her things in the room she’d so carefully picked. Classes would start in less than an hour, and her hair was probably a mess. She could feel a thin crust on the palm of her hand where she’d cut herself during her Samhain ritual.

She’d been in Voldemort’s mind the night before.

“I–” She started, swallowing thickly when her voice cracked again. “I don’t think Lavender and Parvati know I’m here. They’ll be heading to breakfast soon, though, and I’m sure they’ll ask around. The ritual– Something went wrong.”

“With the ritual?” Padma frowned.

“With my mind,” Hani countered, shaking her head slightly.

She curled her hands into fists and struggled against the impulse to check her cut. It would be one thing for the Sisters to learn about this connection she appeared to share with Voldemort; it would be another to suddenly expose her Blood Magic to a fifth of their class.

“Did your Occlumency shields not go down properly?” Padma asked softly. “It’s happened to me before, when I was younger, and I know it can be a little disconcerting when you’re used to feeling the full strength of Magic.”

“The opposite, actually,” Hani laughed mirthlessly. “They dropped too well. Or just the right amount, I guess. Turns out, I’ve been keeping more hidden in there than I realised.”

“Oh, Hani,” Padma murmured, already reaching towards her. She stepped back, clenching her jaw at the sympathy in her friend’s gaze.

She wouldn’t be feeling quite as sympathetic once she found out it wasn’t grief Hani had been keeping locked in; it was the monster of a man who’d murdered her parents.

“No, you don’t get it.” She forced the words out. If she told Padma now, it would be easier to tell the others later. It would make it less difficult for her to look her best friends in the eye and inform them that she was apparently able to reach into Voldemort’s mind, which meant there was a chance the contrary could also be true.

Still, she hesitated.

She needed to talk to Severus. He would know more about the situation than she did. He would have information about his more unfortunate master and the things he may or may not be able to do regarding Hani and her mind. He would tell her everything would be alright.

Except it wasn’t, and she still felt nauseous at the memory of the things she– Voldemort had done the night before.

And Padma was right here, looking at her so genuinely that Hani thought she might start crying.

“I was in Voldemort’s mind,” she said. The words came out harshly in the silence of the room, nothing to cover them except the hitch in Padma’s breath. “After I dropped my barriers, I settled into my usual meditation, and then before I knew it, I was in his head. It was like I was in his body, too. I could see everything he was doing. I could feel everything he was feeling.”

She shuddered, resisting the urge to take her clothes off and burn them. Fighting the desire to crawl out of her own skin until she could no longer feel the wand in her hand, the spell slipping casually past her lips. She stood suddenly, swaying as another wave of nausea crashed into her.

She crouched down and held her breath, tears stinging at her eyes.

Padma was behind her, so close and yet so respectful of her space. Her hands hovered nearby, a heat Hani couldn’t help but feel through the cold sweat wracking her body. Hani wanted her friend to pull her into a hug. She wanted to flinch away from her. She wanted to hold Padma until night fell again. She never wanted to be touched again.

“He killed someone,” she whispered to her feet. Her voice was beyond recognition, morphed into something small and broken she hadn’t heard in years. “I killed someone.”

“Hani, no.” Padma stepped closer and, just like that, she was crouched next to Hani, her gaze so unwavering, Hani had no choice but to meet it. “You didn’t kill anyone. No matter what happened in your mind last night, it wasn’t you. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“It was my hands, Padma,” she murmured. “It was his wand, and his voice, but it was my hands and my mouth and my joy.”

Padma’s resolve didn’t falter. She didn’t back away from Hani. She didn’t wince or frown or twist her features in disgust. The only sign she’d heard Hani was the slight trembling of her hands. They shook for less than an instant before she clasped them together tightly, leaving only her determination behind.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” her friend said again. She sounded so confident, Hani felt her own terror waver for a moment. “Do you need me to repeat it a few more times? Because I will, if that’s what it takes for you to believe it.”

But she wouldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe it.

Green light flashed behind her eyes, vicious glee tainted her thoughts, and her mind barriers were nowhere to be found, unable to keep the horrors of Samhain locked behind a tight wall.

She shook her head slowly, swallowing back the sob that desperately wanted to leave her.

“We have to get to class,” she said, her voice straining as she raised it. Her entire body groaned as she moved, standing straight once more. It begged her to sink to the floor and stay there all day. Her brain disagreed, Voldemort’s oily voice creeping into the corners of her mind as though it belonged there. As though it had always been there, just a barrier away. Just one ritual away.

It had always been there.

“I have to go back to the tower for my things,” she continued. She felt hollow, and she knew her voice was as empty as the rest of her. She didn’t know how to make it anything else, worried it would turn into a scream if she lost the last ounce of control she’d managed to preserve. “Please don’t–”

She stopped herself, turning pleading eyes onto Padma.

Her friend looked at her, and Hani wondered what she saw. How exhausted did she look? How much of a toll had the night taken on her? What other wounds hid under the cut she’d inflicted upon herself? Did she still look like herself, or had Voldemort taken that over as well?

She needed to get back to the tower.

Still, she stared at Padma. Her gaze was so familiar, as steady and warm as Parvati’s, but there was a seriousness to it that Parvati hadn’t acquired yet – perhaps never would. If she thought Hani was a danger to herself, what would she do? Who would she spill her secrets to?

Finally, the Ravenclaw Sister let out a loud sigh and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she said quietly. “At least not today. You should be the one to tell– to tell your father. Both of your guardians, maybe. And you should definitely be the one to tell Parvati and Lavender.”

“I– Yes,” Hani nodded, the motion painfully stilted.

“You’ll tell them, right?” Padma frowned, though the rest of her features were still soft. “Hani, I know this feels horrifying, but you can’t keep it all to yourself. You’ll go insane trying to hide it from them. You don’t owe them anything, but you know they’ll help. They’ll be there for you. They won’t judge you for it.”

There should have been no hesitation, but Hani still felt herself pause for a second before nodding again.

“You could skip class if you wanted to, Hani,” Padma added, so gently it ached. “I can tell Professor Flitwick you aren’t feeling well, and the girls can come up as soon as classes are done for the morning, and you can take some time to… be yourself again.”

They both grimaced at her choice of her words. Hani’s skin tingled again. When she looked down, red and gold sparks were fluttering angrily around her arms and hands. The sight of them made her itch, even though she knew she would feel nothing at all if she tried to catch one of them.

She didn’t want to be in her body. She didn’t want to be in her mind. But she didn’t want to be here, staring at Daphne’s empty chair and longing for the girl she would have trusted with every bit of her story.

“I’ll be okay,” she forced a smile onto her face and pretended like her misery wasn’t painfully obvious. “Tell Parvati and Lavender I’m on my way.”

She walked out of the room, down corridors full of students. She smiled listlessly, answering greetings in a voice that still didn’t feel like her own. She made it to Gryffindor Tower like a ghost living outside of the body they had always inhabited.

There were people in the common room, maybe. There were people in the stairs, too. Girls who talked to her, who she knew, but whom her eyes couldn’t focus on.

She was in her dormitory, red and gold sparks taunting her while she looked for her things. Her satchel, her books, her uniform, her badge. The checklist in her mind got shorter, and her thoughts slipped further from her grasp.

Her hands were in her hair. Her hair pooled around her in thick waves. Her hand ached. Her wand felt too heavy to hold, even as she stared at the cut and knew she had to get rid of the evidence. There would be a scar if she didn’t take care of it soon. There would be questions.

She needed to–

“Harini?”

She blinked up, her hand clenched into a fist and her heart pounding fast. She didn’t know what she looked like, her uniform probably a mess already, and she was sitting with her hair down, her hair, her hair –

“It really is long, damn.” Erin’s voice was low and tinged with awe. Her own hair was pulled into a high ponytail, faded red and gold giving way to a dull brown. “If I had waves like yours, I would never put my hair up. I’d show it off to the whole school as often as possible. Imagine all the attention you’d get, all the admirers!”

“I can’t,” Hani interrupted her softly. Her hands trembled as she raised them to her hair, and she cursed when the shaking made her stutter, her usually smooth motions stilted and janky. Erin was still staring at her, and she couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t feel her body, she couldn’t think of anything but her hair and the fact that Erin was looking at it, that Erin could see everything, that she needed her braids back.

The braids that hadn’t kept her safe from the one person she’d needed protection from.

Her face was wet, she thought.

Erin was closer now, her eyes full of a concern Hani had never seen before. Her lips were moving, the sounds melodic and soothing – Erin really did have a nice voice, when she wasn’t using it to disparage those around her.

“What did you say?” She croaked out.

Erin rolled her eyes. “I can do your hair. I’m not an expert like you, but I can handle a pair of dutch braids. Those are the ones you prefer, right?” 

She opened her mouth to refuse. That privilege belonged to Lavender and Parvati alone, and perhaps to Sirius if he someday decided he wanted to give it a try. It didn’t belong to the girl who shot snide remarks at Hani, who bullied the younger students, who teased her friends relentlessly.

But her fingers refused to hold still. The gold and red sparks took over her vision until she wasn’t sure she could even see where they stopped to give way to her skin.

The nausea was back. The panic, too. Her mind was breaking from the inside; it was the only explanation for the way her body fought back against the movements she tried to impose upon it.

“Okay.”

The voice that was hers but wasn’t, again. Her body, but not. Her feelings, but someone else’s too.

There was no one else in her mind, she was sure of it. But she wasn’t there either.

She was in her dormitory, surrounded by dust, warm hands in her hair and Erin’s voice lulling her into a sense of false calm. She let her roommate talk about her morning and chatter about her experience with Emily’s hair. She let her tell the story of the time she’d helped her sister deal with a last-minute disaster.

She ignored the fact that the braids weren’t hers, weren’t laced with the spells she was so careful to cast every day.

The spells that had let her be expelled from her mind, straight into a murderer’s. A mad man’s.

“All done! And look at that, we still have five minutes to get to class. A miracle worker, some would call me,” Erin grinned at her prowess, and Hani thanked her numbly. Her housemate’s lips parted again, but something stopped her before the first syllable could escape.

She stared at Hani, and Hani stared back.

Hani tugged at her braids, satisfied they would hold for the rest of the day, until she could do something about them. Until her hands stopped shaking treacherously.

“I’m sorry.” Erin’s words startled her enough that even the sparks around her faltered. She tilted her head to the side, curious. “I can’t imagine what I would do without my parents. So, I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve to lose them.”

Grief gripped at Hani’s heart, tightened around it until some of her panic was forced out. For a moment, her mind cleared, and she could see clearly. She could think about the previous night, and the warmth she’d experienced before she’d– Before. She could almost imagine the sound of her mother’s voice, reciting a passage of the Grimoire to her.

She’d dreamed of her, she thought.

“I wish they were still here,” she blurted out, the words more honest than anything she’d said about her parents in a long time. “Especially on nights like– I just wish they were still here.”

“Yeah,” Erin whispered.

She didn’t say anything else, and Hani felt her mind crack again, watching her insufferable roommate look at her kindly, talking to her as though what Hani was feeling was normal. As though she didn’t know that Hani had spent the evening sharing a body with the man who had taken her parents from her. As though the world was still moving as it should.

She felt sick again.

“We have to go to class.”

“I’m sure Professor–”

But Hani was moving again.

Every breath she took felt like a challenge.

Breathe in. She sat alone at a desk, no Sue to keep her company. Breathe out. She smiled at Lavender and Parvati, laughing along with them and ignoring the worry in their gazes. Breathe in. She took notes about the history of Scottish wixen, grateful for the empty space next to hers. Breathe out. She was at the Gryffindor table, picking at food covered in red and gold dust.

Breathe. She was sitting in her favourite armchair, wrapped in a blanket she knew like the back of her hand. The harder she tried to drift away from her body, the more red and gold sparks appeared around her. It was like she was floating with them, her mind trying to grasp at the pieces of her Magic while she desperately pushed them out. Closing her eyes wasn’t an option; her mind was wrecked by terror, the absence of her barriers jarring after months of building them up so carefully.

The door to Severus’ quarters banged open. Her father looked harried, rushing into his home office for a second before backing out and staring at her wide-eyed.

She stared back at him, feeling her heart settle, the usual rhythm slowing down until she no longer felt like she was drowning. Tears pricked at her eyes, relief and dread warring within her.

“Harini,” her father murmured. His shoulders slumped as he pulled his robes off like he was ridding himself of a physical weight. “I’m afraid I don’t have much time this afternoon. There have been a few… developments in the past twenty-four hours that need to be dealt with.”

“I know,” Hani whispered. Her father didn’t react to her words.

“The Order is scrambling for purchase, the older Slytherin students are disturbingly focused, and–” He paused, his mouth snapping shut as he met her steady gaze. “You know. What do you know, Harini?”

Everything, she thought. More than him.

Black cloaks and white masks, brimming with glee. Barty, lips stretching into an unnatural smile. A voice filled with power and victory and the knowledge that the Dark was rising again. Green light, from the man who had murdered her parents to the man who had betrayed them.

“Peter’s dead.”

Her dad’s eyes flashed with fear.

“How do you know that?” He asked, his voice sharp and short. “Who was told? Hani, whoever it was, you have to be careful. This is not information that has been shared with the wider public.”

“I know,” Hani blinked up at Severus. She was everywhere and nowhere again, her mouth moving without her approval. “I was there. Were you?”

“Was I where?” Her dad dropped to his knees in front of her, and Hani distantly wondered if his answer mattered. Would it make it better or worse?

“In the room, when he killed Peter,” she specified. “I was there. Were you?”

“Harini, what are you talking about?” He sounded more panicked than she’d ever heard him. Even more than the day he’d found her in front of the Cottage, covered in her own blood and shaking from exhaustion. “You weren’t in the room. You were here, remember? We made bread for your ritual.”

“And then I was in Vol– in the Dark Lord’s mind,” she stated matter-of-factly. She watched him unmoved even as her heart clenched with phantom fear. “I’ve never seen a sacrifice before.”

Her father’s heart broke in front of her eyes. She waited for him to step away, to ask her what she’d done wrong, to shake some sense back into her.

Instead, she looked on in slow motion as he gathered her into his arms.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

She was in her father’s home, in her father’s arms. His heartbeat was steadier than hers would ever be, and he smelled like herbs – a familiar garden she’d gotten to know intimately. His hold was firm but not suffocating, and Hani felt herself settle again. The red and gold faded from her vision, just for a moment, and her mind blanked blissfully. She was simply Harini Potter, Severus’ daughter. He would keep her safe.

She could have stayed there forever.

She told him everything in stilted sentences.

The tale was riddled with white lies, and it pained her to realise her father didn’t notice them. When she explained she’d been using a deeper meditation technique recommended by the Black Grimoire, he only nodded. When she stumbled over the description of her own mind, struggling to describe the emptiness without first mentioning the vibrant haze, he attributed it to her lingering shock. When she told him she’d cut the palm of her hand by dropping the plate of bread she’d been holding at the time, he pursed his lips and quickly gave her a salve for her wound.

He didn’t pick up on the trembling of her voice, or perhaps he couldn’t separate her lies from her fright. 

His eyes grew darker the more she spoke, but she didn’t let herself stop. If she paused, even for a second, she knew she wouldn’t find it in herself to start again. Instead, she weathered the fear in his gaze and the paleness of his face, trying to convince herself that it was a symptom of her own paranoia.

Her Magic buzzed underneath her skin when she faltered even for a second, so she rushed through the thoughts she’d had inside Voldemort’s mind. She raced against her own mind as she recounted the way Peter had laid on the ground, terrified of his death even though he’d already accepted the inevitable.

Severus hadn’t been there. He’d been at Hogwarts, handling things with some of the Junior Death Eaters – a title he loathed, and that made Hani’s skin crawl. He hadn’t witnessed the events in person; had only found out when he’d visited Voldemort’s current hideout early in the morning.

“You should have come to me instantly,” he murmured to her once she was done piecing her tale together with the information he’d gathered. “I would have found time for you, Harini. I had time for you.”

“I had to get to class,” she replied instinctively, cringing at the ridiculousness of her own words.

Her father stared at her, his eyes sad and knowing, though she knew there was no way for him to understand what had been going through her mind at the time. She could see more clearly now, her mind temporarily quiet and content, but she didn’t think she could have done anything in the state she’d been in that morning.

Going to class had been her only solution. If she hadn’t had her routine to fall back on, she was almost certain she would have broken down in the middle of a corridor.

“You’re done with classes for the day,” her father stated instead of digging for a deeper answer. When Hani opened her mouth to protest, he shot her a stern look and held his hands up. “I know you enjoy Runes, Harini, but you are in no state to participate in lessons. Besides, we still have much to discuss. There are… consequences to the events that occurred last night. We need solutions. What we don’t need is for you to go to class and run yourself into the ground until you can no longer hold yourself up. How is your mind?”

The question cut through her skin painfully. She didn’t want to consider the state of her inner being.

“Not good.”

“What do you–”

“It’s not good, dad,” she interrupted him, refusing to meet his gaze. “I had my barriers down while I was meditating, since it’s what every Grimoire I’ve read recommends, especially on Samhain. I was reaching out for– for mum and dad, and my Magic was more active than usual. When I was thrown into Voldemort’s mind, my barriers just… collapsed. They’re not there anymore.”

“Barriers don’t collapse,” her father said softly, and Hani resisted the urge to snap at him. He didn’t know what she’d experienced, but he was trying to help, to parse through the knowledge he’d acquired in order to help Hani build herself back up as quickly as possible. “However, under the correct circumstances, I suppose your mind could forcefully expel all Magic that it doesn’t fully recognise.”

“But it’s my Magic,” Hani frowned, then felt her entire body constrict at the thought of her barriers being an extension of something else– someone else.

“Harini, breathe,” her father instructed her. She hadn’t even realised she’d stopped doing so. “I only meant that Occlumency is a neutral Magic. If threatened, there is a good chance your body and mind would reject anything that isn’t compatible with the core of your power. You are quite possibly the darkest wixen in England currently alive. Your mind wasn’t made for Occlumency.”

“But I’ve worked on it,” Hani grit out. There were tears in her eyes she refused to let fall, and an unbearable pain in her mind that she wanted to rid herself of. “I’ve spent so long making them stronger, dad.”

“I know,” he said softly. “Unfortunately, your Magic most likely believes it doesn’t need those shields. Your Thread and Blood Magic should be enough to keep you safe, in its eyes. You should not need to shut your mind using strategies that were created with the intention of helping neutral, muggleborn children.”

She didn’t have the heart for a history lesson. Now that she felt more in control of her body, her head pounded and her eyes itched. She felt simultaneously starving and nauseous.

She loved Magic, but right now she also hated it. A quiet fury burned within her at the thought of the Occlumency she’d worked so hard for; at the idea that her Blood Magic had so swiftly destroyed the one thing she had built for herself inside the mind she’d never fully trusted.

“I am close to a Master of Occlumency, Harini.” Her father’s calm voice brought her back to the present, and she blinked tiredly at him, trying to conceptualise his words. “We will work on your mental shields together, until they are back to a satisfactory state of being. Once a week, or even twice if time allows it.”

“Won’t they crumble again if–”

If something happened again. If her Magic abandoned her and pushed her back into Voldemort’s mind, where no amount of mental barriers could protect her from the horrors of a monster’s feelings. Whatever connected her to Voldemort, it was clear even her potent Magic wasn’t enough to keep it at bay.

Still, she felt her heart warm at the thought of learning from her father. And her mind, the treacherous thing, quietly begged her for a purpose, for a goal, for something to get it back on track.

“We’ll get through it together,” her father assured her. This time, she decided to believe him. When he handed her a small book, she took it without protest. “You’ll find this one useful. The author talks about the importance of magical affiliations when choosing a basis for your mental shields. You should read through the first few chapters while I make some calls.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Who do you need to call?”

“Professor Alderton, who’ll need to be made aware of your indisposition,” he answered placidly. “And your godfather.”

He didn’t expand on what he’d be discussing with Sirius, but Hani wasn’t a fool.

She nodded and let him leave, wondering what he needed to say that would be too private for a Floo call in their shared space.

He was gone for over fifteen minutes, and Hani didn’t read a single word of the book he’d given her. She stared at the front cover listlessly, tracing the author’s name over and over until the letters sparkled red and gold, her fingertips covered in dust. Her mind stayed mostly quiet, only occasionally wavering and revealing the cracks Hani was determined to ignore.

If she could get her shields back up within the next few days, she wouldn’t have to worry about them at all. They were just a minor inconvenience, a reminder of something she would soon wipe from her memory.

When Severus reentered the room, Sirius was right behind him. They walked closer than they ever would have before, their heads bent closely together as they whispered something too softly for Hani to catch.

Her father carefully placed a platter of tea and biscuits in front of Hani before retreating to the sofa and taking a seat. Sirius stopped beside him, leaning against the arm of the couch after plucking a biscuit from the small assortment. They both met her eyes, but she didn’t know where to look.

Red and gold swirled around both of her guardians, and she wanted to whisper to it, to ask it to make them talk or move or do something.

She wanted Sirius to take her in his arms, too. She wanted him to tell her it was okay, and that her parents would understand, and that just because her thread magic hadn’t been able to help her the previous night, it didn’t mean it would never help her again.

Her braids suddenly felt too constricting, the memory of Erin’s fingers in her hair almost too overwhelming for Hani to take in. The cracks in her mind trembled, invisible but persistent. Before she could overthink it, she pulled at her hair, tugging out hair ties and pulling her braids free until she was breathing heavily, a sea of red curls floating around her.

“Hani,” her godfather said softly. His body was angled towards her, but he didn’t move closer. She wished she still had the energy to yell at him and ask him what he was waiting for. She wasn’t breakable. “If you need some time…”

“Time to do what?” She asked quietly.

She didn’t understand what they were doing. Didn’t know what they were waiting for. She’d assumed Sirius had come to offer her comfort, to pick up on the pieces of her story that her dad couldn’t quite relate to.

“What you went through last night–” Her godfather cut himself off with a shake of his head. Finally, he stepped towards her, kneeling down in front of the armchair as Severus had done just half an hour ago. Their faces overlapped in her mind, and she blinked to bring herself back to the present. “I’m sorry, Hani. Samhain rituals should never be disturbed like that. I’m sorry your Black Magic didn’t protect you from whatever caused the shift.”

“I just wanted to feel mum and dad,” she whispered underneath her breath, tears clinging to her eyelashes. “I didn’t want to…”

Her words trailed off. She fought back against her instincts; closing her eyes wouldn’t solve her problems. She didn’t want to see the green light again, didn’t want to think about the words her mouth had spoken.

“The universe has a way of coming around full-circle, Hani,” her godfather said, placing a hand over one of hers. She flinched and pulled away, refusing to feel bad for the sadness in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have witnessed the events that occurred last night, but you have to understand that some deaths are inevitable.”

“What does that even mean?” Hani pulled her lips tightly together. “When murder is involved, I’m pretty sure death is always avoidable.”

Something sparked in her godfather’s eyes, and suddenly he wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was somewhere far away, somewhere she couldn’t reach him. Somewhere he didn’t recognise her.

“Peter was granted thirteen Samhains too many,” he hissed. When he blinked, he was back. She was Hani again. “Vol– The Dark Lord did him a favour, Hani. His death was a merciful one.”

“And that makes it better?” Her voice trembled. She backed away from her godfather and watched as horror twisted his features. “He took their life from them, and now he took their death too. I already witnessed a ‘merciful’ death, and I promise you it’s no better than torture. Neither of them were.”

Tears streaking down Peter’s face. Her name slipping from her mother’s lips. And both times, Voldemort standing over them like an executioner, wielding green light as though it made their death less of a spectacle.

“I don’t want to think about it anymore,” she said firmly, turning away from her godfather’s apologetic gaze. “Are you going to help with my Occlumency as well?”

Sirius hesitated, his fingers extended towards her. A moment later, he stood and retreated, returning to the safety of the sofa and Severus’ presence and the table between them and her.

The warmth of her father’s arms felt like a lifetime away.

“I never learned Occlumency properly,” her godfather replied now that he was back at his full height. His arms were crossed over his chest. “Unfortunately, the Black family isn’t known for their mental fortitude. We’ve all tried to form mental barriers, at least to a certain extent, but our Magic has always been Dark. We were born with too many disadvantages on that front. I have a few basic shields and a rudimentary understanding of meditation through Thread Magic, but that’s where my knowledge ends.”

“Right,” Hani nodded slowly. “Are you going to learn as well? So we can figure out how to use our magic to– to keep me in?”

She wasn’t sure how much of her was left to be kept in anymore, but she didn’t want to tell Sirius that. She didn’t even want to tell her father, whose gaze was steady but assessing. How could she possibly explain that coming back to her body had felt like she was losing a piece of herself?

“I’m not here to discuss your Occlumency, Prongslet,” her godfather forced a smile as he spoke; it was more of a wince than a grin. Hani felt her heart drop to her stomach. “There are other things we need to consider. Other decisions we need to make.”

There was nothing else. Not to Hani, at least. There was just the understanding that her mind was connected to Voldemort’s, and the immediate need to isolate it until it was nothing more than a nuisance they would have to destroy.

Occlumency, meditation, Blood Magic: she would work on whatever she needed to in order to never leave her own mind again.

That was all they had to do.

Except Sirius’ jaw was clenched, and Severus was looking intently at the cup of tea in his hands, and they looked more united than Hani had ever seen them.

She’d never felt so far from them.

“What kind of decisions?” She asked, her fingernails digging into the palms of her hands. She would find small crescents there later, but the pain was worth the momentary distraction from the hollowness of her mind.

“The Order will need to be made aware of the situation.” 

Her father was the one to break the news. Sirius stood still and ramrod straight; he should have been a picture of confidence, but Hani could only see cowardice painted all over his face.

They’d discussed it without her, and he had been the one to bring up the subject. Her dad was the one talking to her now, but Sirius had spoken first. It was written in the furrow of his brows and the guilt in his eyes.

“Why?”

She met both of their gazes this time, holding them until they were the ones to look away.

“Any link to the Dark Lord is dangerous considering the current political climate,” her dad answered calmly. He was staring at his tea again.

Cowards.

“I don’t see how this is any of the Order’s business.” She was losing her mind again, leaving her body, floating next to herself until her mouth was a being of its own. The words it was letting out were ones she’d buried so carefully in her mind before– before. 

It was like the hidden version of Harini Potter was finally making an appearance, tongue loosened by terror and body ready for a fight.

She watched her guardians’ faces shutter with guilt, but she didn’t want to make it stop.

“Harini, we understand that–”

“No. This is my mind,” she spoke firmly, and perhaps this was her. Perhaps she was still there, her mind trying to create a new mosaic out of the pieces that Voldemort had broken. “This is my mind. I’ll build my barriers back up, and the link will be of no consequence.”

“Hani, we have no idea how dangerous this could be,” Sirius’ voice was pleading. “The others need to be made aware of the things that could affect them in such a significant way. You have to realise that, if you can access the Dark Lord’s mind, there’s no telling– There’s no telling what else could happen, Hani.”

Her guardians blinked at her as laughter bubbled in her throat. It spilled out in loud waves, the sound disproportionally loud compared to the rest of the room. She laughed until there were tears in her eyes and matching frowns on her guardians’ faces.

“Hari–”

“The others? ” She cried out. She stood. Fury threatened to burst from her. She balled her hands into fists. Anger boiled her blood. “The others need to be made aware? And what about me? What about my mind? What about the prophecy with my name on it?”

“We aren’t discussing the prophecy,” Sirius said shortly.

“No, we’re just discussing something that belongs to me, that impacts me, and that everybody else needs to know about. Because everyone should be made aware of significant things, except when ‘everyone’ is the daughter you claim to love.”

“We want you to be safe,” Severus reminded her, his tone soft.

He’d already made up his mind.

They’d already made up their minds.

“I want to keep myself safe,” she said hotly. “And I thought I could trust you to give me the tools to do that. I came here so we could protect my mind, and now you want to share it with an Order I don’t belong to, all because you trust them more than you’ll ever trust me. Who the fuck am I supposed to go to, if not you?”

“Hani–”

“Harini. Calm yourself.”

She didn’t want to calm herself. She wanted to scream and laugh and cry. She was already crying, tears streaming down her cheeks, hot and furious and more sincere than anything her guardians had told her in the past ten minutes.

“You want me to keep my secrets,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “And you want to keep secrets from me. But as soon as I tell you something of value, despite how little reason you’ve given me to share things with you, you throw it back in my face? You want to tell Dumbledore and your army of do-gooders that the Girl-Who-Lived has Voldemort in her mind. Is it because you’re scared for them, or because you’re scared of me?”

“We don’t keep secrets when it matter–”

But even Sirius could taste hypocrisy when it soured in his mouth. He pressed his lips shut and looked away from Hani, regret shining in his eyes. Severus shook his head slowly beside him; Hani could see him struggling to keep his composure and, for once, she wanted to see it break.

She wanted to know that her dad cared, even just a little bit, about her thoughts and her opinions and her wants when it came to this stupid war they were fighting.

“A link to the Dark Lord is not something we can ignore,” her father finally said. “And Occlumency alone won’t do anything to stop the worst from happening. We need as many hands on deck as we can get, Harini.”

“My friends will help,” she argued, and dug deeper into the palms of her hand when her father sighed. “You dismiss them so easily, you know? Why on earth should I trust your ragtag Order over a group of girls that I love more than the world?”

“We can’t send children out to war, Hani,” Sirius huffed. “Is that what you want us to do?”

“You’re not listening!” She yelled, listening to her heavy breathing in the silence that followed. “You’re not listening. I just want to be able to share things with my family and friends without being worried that it’ll get out to an entire portion of the magical community I don’t even care about.”

“The Order cares about the well-being of all wixen, Hani,” Sirius tried to reassure her. Severus winced next to him, and Hani smirked despite herself.

It lasted only a second, her smile falling as soon as she noticed his wince turn back into careful stoicism. His eyes met hers, and she let her mind go blissfully, beautifully blank.

They’d made up their minds, at the cost of her own.

The dust left her alone when she flew. So did the thoughts, and the fear, and the feeling that she was holding onto her mind by a thread.

She wasn’t sure if it was the wind or the clouds or the speed of her broom, but something about the air acted like a mental shield of sorts. It kept the dread out long enough for Hani to smile and laugh and share quips with her teammates. She felt more like herself than she had all week.

She dove now, her braids whipping behind her as she chased after the glimpse of gold hovering over the portion of the stands usually occupied by Ravenclaw students. It was empty now, and it made her more reckless. Beth and Hikari were most likely chasing after her, but she didn’t let herself worry about them.

Instead, she sunk further into the air, letting her body become one with the flow of energy that carried winds and controlled the erratic nature of the Snitch. Sometimes, if she fell deep enough into this feeling, she could almost predict the movements of the golden ball. She would sense the wind shifting and would move with it, and she would have the Snitch in her hand seconds later.

The wind wasn’t temperamental today. When she melded with the air, she felt nothing but glorious speed and beautiful emptiness. She leaned closer to her broom and spun around once as she grew nearer to the stands. A bubble of laughter burst out of her throat, and she let it carry her closer to the golden blur racing ahead of her.

When it dodged sharply to the left, she was ready for the change. She shifted her body weight instantly and let out another whoop as she went charging in the correct direction. The Snitch was hovering now, hesitant, and she grasped the opportunity. She barrelled up towards it, gave one final spin, and carefully closed her fingers around her prize.

It fluttered between her fingers for another second before relenting to her touch, its energy fading now that it had been captured. Hikari came to a grinding halt next to her seconds later, and Hani beamed at her.

“You’re getting better!” She exclaimed, raising her voice to cover the sounds of the Chasers below them. They were technically running through a practice game, though Hani insisted on letting both Beth and Hikari act as Seekers for the opposing team. The two girls deserved an equal chance to prove their worth, and they didn’t bother the other players anyway.

“I’ve been working on the turns you showed me,” Hikari blushed, gesturing at Hani’s broom. “You do it so smoothly. It’s like you’re the air itself when you’re flying. Ginny’s the same way, I’ve noticed.”

“It’s because we genuinely love it,” Hani grinned. “Beyond the competition and the game and the teamwork, we honestly adore flying. As soon as you manage to keep that passion while playing, you’ll find everything comes a lot more naturally.”

Beth had joined them while Hani talked, and she gave the girl an approving nod. There was very little chance Beth would join the Junior team, but Hani respected the hell out of the younger girl’s dedication. Even when she’d realised Hikari was a better Seeker than her, she hadn’t stopped training and working and doing everything she could to improve her technique.

“Ugh,” Hikari groaned. “It’s easier said than done! Every time the Snitch gets let out, it’s like I forget what it’s like to fly for fun. My brain goes into overdrive, and then all I can focus on is the goal and the game.”

“She’s about to tell us it’ll come with time,” Beth fake-whispered to the second-year girl. Hikari snickered.

“It does come with time,” Hani smirked. “But it also depends on the person. If you can’t sink into the usual freedom of flying while you’re focusing on the Snitch, then you need to find another way to beat the other Seekers. Impeccable technique will take you far, as will an ability to mislead. That’s what feints are for, you know? Some people can’t separate the flying from the game, so they use other strengths to make up for the lack of air-based intuition.”

“But you use feints,” Hikari frowned.

“I use feints because they’re fun,” Hani retorted, laughing at the disgruntled look on both wannabe-Seekers’ faces. “Look, everyone comes at this a different way. I fly because it lets me escape everything else going on, and Quidditch helps me do that while still working on a team and improving my skills. You don’t need to have the same reason for playing; in fact, I hope the two of you don’t have nearly as much going on in your personal lives.”

“Probably not,” Beth snorted. “No one’s quite as busy as Prefect Potter.”

Hani rolled her eyes at the comment, though she couldn’t deny it filled her with a certain amount of warmth to know how much the younger students cared about her time. She’d spent the past three days struggling to stay afloat, and at least ten different students had approached her to ask if there was anything they could do to ease her mind. 

Hikari had been first in line, arms crossed over her chest while her little friends – Julie and Zoya – stood behind her. The second-year had been careful not to mention Samhain, which many magically-raised students had correctly identified as the source of her exhaustion. Instead, she had urged Hani not to worry about the second years that week, and promised they wouldn’t get into any trouble.

At the time, Hani had struggled to say anything, her mind and body still at odds with each other, but she smiled now. Hikari and Beth both brightened under her attention, and she felt her heart clench happily.

Everything was easier up in the air.

“You did good out there today, girls,” she said softly. “You should be proud. It’s a relief to know that if anything happens to me once the season starts, we’ll have two strong reserves there to take my place.”

“Ginny might murder you if something happens,” Beth pointed out, Hikari nodded emphatically next to her. Hani only chuckled. “Seriously, Harini! Angelina might be your captain, but it’s pretty clear Ginny’s her Junior equivalent. She’s been telling us all about how we need to analyse your games this year so we can do a good job once the positions open up. She’s relying on you to ‘show us the ropes’.”

“I can do that from the sidelines too,” Hani pointed out with an amused smile. The two girls were a handful, but she was growing to care for them even more than the other younger students – not that she would ever tell them that. “Besides, I promise you are getting more than enough coaching as it is. I know only one of you will join the Junior team, but I hope you both know how well you’ve been doing. It’s incredible how much you’ve improved already.”

“Thanks,” Hikari’s cheeks darkened a little even as she smiled proudly.

“You know, I’ve already given up on the position,” Beth answered, smirking a little when Hikari gaped at her. “Oh, come on, we both know you’re better than I am. I just want the chance to train. I was going to ask Angelina if there’s a way I could continue practising even if I’m not on the house team. Seems a shame to give up on Quidditch entirely, especially since it’s the only club I’m actually interested in.”

“You don’t want to join the chess club?” Hikari asked sweetly, fully recovered from her initial shock. A pleased smile had found its way onto her lips instead.

“You can take your chess club and shove it–” She cut herself off abruptly when Hani let out a small cough, smirking at the girl’s bright blush. “I mean, no, I don’t think I’d enjoy the chess club.”

“How surprising,” Hani laughed. “Come on, the others are wrapping up below us. Beth, you should bring your idea up to Angelina today. I’m sure she’d be happy to discuss some options with you. Hikari, you should start thinking about reading Quidditch books. If you can’t get fully at ease up in the air, you need to make sure your technique is flawless. Ginny should have some recommendations if you’re not sure where to start.”

“I’ll ask her,” Hikari nodded. Her eyes were shining with excitement, and it occurred to Hani that the younger girl truly hadn’t realised the spot on the team had been hers for over a month already.

When Beth flew down to join the gathering team, Hani put a hand on Hikari’s shoulder. The other witch paused and looked back at her with a questioning look, and Hani smiled at her kindly.

“You’re an excellent flyer, Hikari,” she said genuinely. “And I was being honest earlier. If I do happen to injure myself or am unable to make it to a game, you won’t be put out there out of necessity. You’ll be put out there because you’re the second best Seeker our house has, even compared to Ginny.”

“Oh.” Hikari’s lips parted. Her entire demeanour softened; Hani didn’t think she’d ever seen her look so genuine. “Really?”

“Really,” Hani grinned. “Now, let’s go. I’m sure Ron and Cormac are getting into it again, and I know you love watching them get riled up.”

Hikari flew ahead of her, and Hani paused for a moment. She breathed in and out, feeling the light breeze curling around her hair and the solid broom beneath her.

The second she’d taken off at the beginning of practice, the world had paused. For the first time since the start of the school year, she’d remembered just how much Quidditch mattered to her – just how good it was for her. There was no Voldemort up here, no worried parents, no disapproving Headmaster who kept shooting her long looks, no friends fretting around her.

There was no green light or splinters in her mind. Her mind and her body made sense up in the air.

She sighed as she began her descent, feeling the weight of everything else slowly start the wrap around her the closer she got to the ground. The voices below her faded to a dull din as she stepped off her broom and joined the group of Gryffindors laughing and smiling over something Angelina had just said.

Hani smiled along with them, pretending not to notice the concerned looks Fred and George were shooting her. Trying not to falter under the pressure of the younger students’ penetrative stares. She focused on Angelina instead, conjuring clouds into her mind and attempting to cover the cracks with white fluff.

It muted the hollowness a little, but did nothing to distract the red and gold sparks hovering in front of her. Nor did it ease the pain that lanced through her heart every time she let herself think properly.

She’d never been a particularly avoidant person – at least she didn’t believe so – but it was so much simpler now. Everything else was too complicated.

“What do you think, Harini?”

She blinked and turned towards the sound of her name. Demelza Robbins’ curious eyes were pinned to her face, and she forced a bland smile as she tried to recall the conversation that had been floating around her for the past few minutes.

“Demi thought it would be a good idea to lead a proper final trial at some point in November,” Ginny filled in for her. Hani hoped her gratitude was obvious through the haze of her mind. “Beth is willing to give Hikari the Junior Seeker spot, but there’s still the matter of Keepers to resolve.”

“Hm,” Hani nodded slowly. “A fair match, then. A mix of Junior and Senior members on each side.”

“Will you work on the teams with me?” Ginny asked, eyes bright. Sometimes, Hani forgot that Ginny truly did admire her; the youngest Weasley saw her as a role model in so many different realms, it was almost overwhelming if she let herself consider it. “We can make sure the boys are being treated fairly.”

“Of course,” she answered, adding the task to her mental list of things to do. Things to keep her busy. Responsibilities that had felt like so much just a few days ago, but felt like so little now. “You know where to find me. Most of the time, at least.”

That got a giggle out of Ginny, and it was enough to drag the attention off Hani once she slid away from the group. She’d done her part, told a joke, been a part of the team, and now she could quietly get away from the pitch before it turned into something she wasn’t ready for. It wasn’t quite a party, but there was a constant energy that lived when the team was gathered on Quidditch grounds, and Hani didn’t trust her mind enough to participate.

“Hani!”

She winced, and immediately hated herself for it.

She loved Lavender and Parvati. She loved that her best friends knew her better than she knew herself, and she loved how wonderful they were. But being wonderful didn’t spare them from the chaos of Hani’s mind. It didn’t make it any easier for Hani to look at them and not be drawn into their pitying gazes until the only thing she could see was green light and a snivelling man and long fingers clasped around a wand that didn’t belong to her.

She forced herself back to the present, startling when she noticed how close her best friends had gotten already. They wore clothes she’d made what felt like a lifetime ago, and their smiles were careful when they reached her side.

Lavender’s eyes roamed over her face, looking for a shadow of something she wouldn’t find. Parvati’s hands fluttered over her body, itching to heal something that hadn’t been broken to begin with.

“You were amazing out there!” Lavender’s grin widened as she infused artificial joy into her tone. “You really did great with that… move.”

“Thanks, Lav,” Hani snorted dispassionately. “Nothing better to do this afternoon? I thought the two of you had study groups to attend.”

“Blaise’s study group was in the library already,” Parvati huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. The worry vanished from her gaze, replaced by a familiar kind of frustration that Hani and Lavender had yet to find a solution to. “I don’t want to be in there when he’s with the girls. Besides, Malfoy and Goldstein don’t like the study groups any more than I do. When I suggested we push it back to some other day, they jumped on the opportunity to get out of there.”

“And we weren’t doing any studying at my table,” Lavender smirked, the tilt of her lips softening as she looked at Hani seriously. “I thought I’d come check on you. I know you hate it, but it makes me feel better.”

With the clouds still lingering in her mind from her time flying, Hani could appreciate her friend’s honesty. Even if it felt like it was aimed at the part of her she couldn’t reach right now, she understood what Lavender was trying to do.

Perhaps she was right, and time with her friends would eventually make her feel a little less like she was floating and a little more like she was… living.

“Also, I wanted to talk to you about Hogsmeade tomorrow,” Lavender added with a wink. “It’s the big day for the Gazette, and I would love for you to be there. Professor Cresswell is going to chaperone all the interviews, but she said she doesn’t see any harm in having my friends there to support me. Your opinions would mean the world to me; I don’t want to be working with people you two don’t vibe with.”

“Shouldn’t you be more focused on their journalism skills?” Parvati teased, though she sounded pleased to have been invited. 

“I think vibes are important too,” Hani heard herself saying. She smiled – a small, fragile thing – when Lavender beamed at her. “You’ll want to work with someone whose company you enjoy, Lav. I can make sure you don’t get yourself fooled by any pretty faces.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Lavender asked quietly, her eyes wide. “If you don’t want to come to Hogsmeade, I’m sure we would all–”

“Of course I’m coming,” Hani cut her off with a scoff. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

More importantly, she refused to be left alone in the castle with nothing but her mind to entertain her. No one there to drive off the insanity she felt grip at the edge of her consciousness every time red and gold flashed behind her eyelids. Not a soul there to pull her back if the thing they all feared were to happen again.

Anything would be better than that.

Hani was standing in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, staring at a painting she knew like the back of her hand, wondering if she should give her the password or disappear to the North Wing for the night.

Her hands tingled with Magic, and she sighed at the sparks that danced around her enticingly.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” she whispered. She knew if she closed her eyes now, her mind would be bursting with red and gold, abundant and glorious and a mystery she simply didn’t know how to solve. “I don’t know what you’re telling me.”

The Magic didn’t react to her words. It continued floating around her body, leaping from the portrait to her hair to her hands to the portrait again. She stopped trying to keep up with the movement.

She opened her mouth and murmured the password to the Lady and the darkness, and felt herself walk into the warmth of the common room. She shivered a little at the sudden change in temperature and wrapped her arms around her body, digging her fingers into her hips until it hurt.

Feeling wasn’t much better than floating, but she hated how disconnected she felt when she let her mind drift for too long.

“Hani.”

Dean was less than a foot away from her, his brows drawn together in worry. She had to force herself to untangle her arms from her middle, her eyes slowly rising to meet her friend’s gaze. He looked relaxed if a little tired, and a pang of envy ripped through her body as she watched his lips move, lines of joy painting his face even when nervousness tugged at his features.

She hadn’t smiled much that week, and she couldn’t help but feel that the happiness would disappear quicker from her than it did from everyone else.

“Hey,” Dean said softly. Her gaze snapped back to his face, and her shoulders relaxed when she noticed the absence of pity in his eyes. All she found there was kindness and the slightest hint of concern. “How did it go? Was Theo his usual prickly self?”

Dean and Lisa had taken over hers and Theodore’s patrol the night before, as well as their Wednesday patrol. Hani had only agreed because they had allowed them to take both weekend patrols in exchange – and because Severus wouldn’t have let her roam the corridors the night after Samhain. She didn’t like the thought of her friends having to make up for her inability to function properly, but she understood she would have been a useless Prefect the night after– after.

“Theodore was fine,” Hani answered honestly, blinking and frowning when Theodore and Dean overlapped in her mind. She blinked again, dispelling the vision of her patrol partner asking her if everything was alright. “He didn’t pry much. We caught a few stray Ravenclaws. He was happy to take points away.”

“Of course he was,” Dean snorted, then sobered again when Hani failed to laugh along. She wished she’d faked it, but Dean’s eyes were more sad than upset; she didn’t think he’d appreciate her attempts at mirroring a joy she didn’t feel. “You should get some sleep, Hani.”

“Yeah,” she breathed out. 

When she went to move past him, a gentle hand caught her around the wrist, the touch light enough that she didn’t even flinch.

Dean was so close to her, she forgot how to breathe for a second. The red and gold sparks disappeared, the clouds in her mind covered the cracks she’d been trying to fix, and her restless thoughts vanished. When Dean let out a shaky breath, she matched his hesitant exhale.

“Will you be alright?”

She swallowed thickly, observing Dean’s warm brown eyes while he stared into hers. She wondered what he saw beyond the vivid green that she couldn’t stand to look at in the mirror anymore. 

All she saw in his was soft curiosity, kind consideration, and a fondness that made her heart clench painfully.

She slowly extricated herself from his grip and smiled up at him.

“I’ll be alright,” she replied. 

She wouldn’t be the next day, and perhaps not even the week after, but for a moment, standing next to Dean, she thought her mind wouldn’t break after all.

Hani held Lavender’s hand tight, pretending not to notice her friend’s death grip nor the pained expression on her face. 

“Lav–”

“It’s fine,” Lavender interrupted her, turning her frown into a smile that felt so forced, Hani wished she could physically wipe it off her best friend’s features. “I’m sure she got caught up with something important. Besides, two is more than enough! I’m sure Professor Cresswell will be happy to deal with one less teenager. We would have just crowded the space if all three of us had been there.”

They wouldn’t have, of course, but Hani didn’t say that. She didn’t mention how eager Professor Cresswell had been to learn that Lavender had the support of her best friends even if said best friends knew very little about journalism. Apparently, she’d been worried that Lavender was working too hard on the Gazette, running herself into the ground just to make the newspaper happen, and she’d been satisfied to hear that Lavender had friends and hobbies outside of her newly-approved club. 

She’d promised them they would be more than welcome in the Three Broomsticks’ private room which she’d reserved for the occasion.

Parvati had raved about the free drinks they’d be able to get on account of being there for ‘business purposes’.

She was nowhere to be found now. She hadn’t shown up in front of the pub at the designated time, and she hadn’t been at any of the indoor tables either. Hani had desperately looked around for a sign of her and Blaise, but it had very quickly become clear their best friend wouldn’t be making it on time. 

The only students lingering in the pub now that lunch had passed were a handful of older students, some eager third years, and – most surprisingly – Theodore, one of his hands lightly clasped in one of Sally-Anne’s. 

Hani nudged Lavender and smirked a little as she nodded towards the Slytherin-Hufflepuff duo.

“I don’t suppose you need some light relationship gossip for your first issue?” She teased, and felt her smirk turn into a smile when Lavender let out a genuine huff of laughter.

“I doubt those two would want me writing about them,” she snorted. “Though, I suppose there are ways to write about people without mentioning their identities… Something to discuss with the rest of the team when I find them.”

They had to find a minimum of six students to help Lavender with the Gazette. Those were the requirements Professors Alderton and Cresswell had set for her when she’d discussed starting the Hogwarts newspaper in January. They were on board with all of her ideas, her meticulous printing plans, the authorisations she’d written up to make sure there would be no issues with privacy… All she needed was a solid group of students to help the Gazette run smoothly and qualify as an actual Hogwarts club.

Hani didn’t know anything about the topics Lavender wanted to discuss, and she wasn’t sure what her friend was looking for in terms of teammates, but she was delighted by the distraction and opportunity to be useful.

Their morning at Hogsmeade had been calm but uneventful, which should have been nice but instead had been borderline harrowing – red and gold sparks everywhere, flashes of green light every time a Slytherin student rushed past them, echoes of laughter overlapping with the younger children’s giggles. 

Perhaps Lavender knew this was something she needed. Or perhaps she truly did need someone to support her. Either way, Hani couldn’t have been happier to be that person for her best friend.

“We should head up,” Lavender smiled crookedly as the clock struck the hour. “Professor Cresswell will be waiting for us, and we have a tight schedule going for these interviews. Over twenty people signed up for this. It’ll be nice to have options before I narrow it down.”

“And the professor’s letting you pick and choose?” Hani raised her eyebrows. She’d assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that Lavender was selecting a team but would still welcome everyone else in their Gazette club, perhaps to complete some more menial tasks.

“Think of it like Quidditch,” Lavender shrugged. “Writing and reporting isn’t something everyone has the talent and passion for. If we want the Gazette to be successful, we need to be selective with the people who join the project.”

“I’ll trust you on that one,” Hani chuckled, taking the steps two at a time ahead of her best friend. “Any requirements I should be aware of?”

“There’s an age requirement, but Professor Cresswell should have taken care of that already,” Lavender explained. “No one under Third Year, of course. And no one above Sixth Year either. We want a team that’ll last beyond this year since it’s such a new endeavour. Other than that, I need everyone to give me proof of either their writing, reporting, or editing skills. I want each member to have a purpose when it comes to the Gazette. No dilly-dallying.”

“Not even an assistant?” Hani asked with a small smile. Lavender wasn’t always high-maintenance, but she did like things to be done a certain way. She also liked working in an organised environment but could never actually keep her space tidy by herself.

Lavender paused, tilted her head, and considered Hani’s suggestion as they paused on the landing.

“Maybe an assistant,” she sighed. “But only if I find someone with potential!”

“Of course,” Hani snickered. “Whatever you say.”

Professor Cresswell was already waiting for them in the private room, an excited look on her face and a stack of papers in front of her. She was quick to direct them to their seats and to run through the students they’d be meeting with that day, reminding them that she was there to act as a fair judge in case their house loyalties got in the way of their decisions.

Hani sat quietly through it all, while Lavender bounced with energy, her own loose pieces of parchment spread out in front of her with numbers and questions and all sorts of details she wanted to iron out with her potential ‘colleagues’.

The first few meetings were, unfortunately, forgettable. Three younger students came in and out of the room with mild enthusiasm, sharing stories and anecdotes and sharing their ideas while answering Lavender’s questions to the best of their ability, but Hani could tell her friend wasn’t feeling the spark with any of them.

When the fourth student came in, Hani’s vision was already starting to blur with red and gold dust, and she had to refrain from physically waving them out of her face when she noticed Pansy Parkinson taking the seat across from them. 

Lavender’s eyebrows flew up, and it took everything in Hani to keep a straight face. Professor Cresswell watched them out of the corner of her eye; Hani wondered if she would hold it against them if they decided not to pick Parkinson for the Gazette. She was, after all, a known Death Eater’s child, a friend of Malfoy’s, and only somewhat friendly with the Slytherins that Hani and Lavender did like.

“So, Park– Pansy,” Lavender recovered quickly, smoothing her features over into a polite smile. “What made you want to interview for a position at the Gazette?”

“I’m an excellent reporter,” Parkinson answered without delay. Her face was closed off but determined, and Hani suddenly realised how much this must have meant to the Slytherin girl if she’d been willing to attend a meeting with the Girl-Who-Lived and her best friend. “I enjoy a good bit of gossip, of course, but I also think there’s value to information being spread in a… healthier way. I want a chance to make a difference at Hogwarts, and it won’t be with my grades. I can’t write, but I can work as part of a team with a writer if needed.”

Lavender relaxed a little the more Parkinson spoke, and Hani mirrored her posture. If her friend thought this could be her first pick, then Hani would do everything she could to stay objective despite anything she might have heard about Parkinson.

As it turned out, though, she didn’t have to try at all.

Parkinson was softer during the interview, willing to share pieces of herself so Lavender could understand her motivations and the events in her life that had led her to a project like the Gazette. Her jokes were dry but her demeanour friendly, and she didn’t once stumble, not even when Lavender asked her how she intended to keep up with both her classes and the Gazette.

“I don’t exactly intend to graduate with top grades,” she’d snorted self-deprecatingly, and that had been that.

There had been no hesitation on Lavender’s face when she’d invited her to join the Gazette on the spot. Parkinson’s face had lit up with excitement, and Hani had watched something pass between the two girls. 

After that, the interviews got easier – for Lavender, at least. 

Hani stayed dutifully by her side as she dealt with some hesitant third-years who stuttered and blushed every time Lavender asked them a question. She nodded encouragingly when Lavender decided to accept three fourth-years in a row, and rolled her eyes when her friend started to stress about ‘how fair she was being’ to the little ones.

Most of the students Lavender liked were ones Hani liked as well. They were polite but excited, eager to answer questions while also being respectful of the space Lavender took up in their interviews. Hani was glad Lavender was the one making decisions, however, since she didn’t think she would have had the heart to turn down the nervous third-years clearly wanting to make an impression.

Instead, she gave them kind smiles when Lavender gently let them down, and she noted their names for the future. There was always a chance Lavender would want to work with more people once the Gazette was well-established, and she knew there had to be potential amongst the students she hadn’t chosen that day.

Eventually, the questions and answers started to become repetitive. Hani appreciated the older students and their wider views, but she found herself blinking away boredom and red sparks every time one of her schoolmates mentioned the inspiration behind their works – it was always a curiosity for the wider world, the desire to prove their worth, or a natural talent for either writing or reporting. 

Entertainment came in the form of one small Hudson Yarrow, who came in with ideas grander than him and ambitions that could have easily made him a Slytherin if he hadn’t had the obvious academic drive of a Ravenclaw.

“Writing should involve all sorts of topics,” he explained when Lavender asked what he would like to feature in his articles if they selected him as a writer. “I want to tell everyone what’s going on at school, but I also think this would be a good place to talk about bigger things, you know? Politics, Magic, events going on internationally… I mean, not to judge any of my yearmates, but they don’t know anything . Maybe the Gazette could be a place for us to learn, not just inform.”

Hani convinced Lavender to let him join the team, if only to push the rest of the students to do more. He’d be a great presence, she argued, especially if they ever had a low-energy day. She had a feeling the third-year boy would manage to inspire the small Gazette forces if they weren’t sure what to write about.

There were another seven students after him, and then they were done.

Lavender had found seven true Gazetters – a name she was workshopping – and one assistant in Emily Slater, who was eager to learn more about the workings of journalism without committing herself to anything specific yet.

“You did good today, Miss Brown,” Professor Cresswell said once they were done, a proud smile tugging at her lips. “You’ll make a fine leader for this Gazette. I’m sure the school will be fighting for copies when your first edition comes out.”

The compliment flowed from Lavender to Hani and back again, the two of them thanking the professor profusely for her time before leaving the room, excitement buzzing as they spoke about Lavender’s choices.

Lavender stepped out into Hogsmeade with a bright smile on her face, and Hani let it make up for the pesky red and gold dust shimmering around her best friend’s silhouette. Perhaps if she pretended they were no longer there, they would eventually become unnoticeable.

They didn’t have to matter in moments like these, when her best friend was celebrating a huge step in what would hopefully be her future career. They didn’t have to matter at all.

“We did it!” Lavender spun around and rushed back over to hug Hani, her arms familiar and warm and so welcoming, Hani felt tears rise in her eyes. 

Lavender pulled away before any of them could fall, and she discreetly wiped them away when her friend turned to look at the setting sun. When she sidled up to Lavender, her grin had turned into a quiet, satisfied smile. She looked so at peace, Hani wished she had a camera with her to capture the moment.

Instead, she stood quietly as her friend’s honey-blond hair melded with the golden rays of sun and the sparks of Hani’s Magic. It was a pretty picture to keep in her mind, at the very least.

“Parvati would have hated Hudson,” Lavender finally broke the silence, laughing softly to herself. “She probably would have dismissed him the second he opened his mouth and started speaking about the political ideas he wants to bring to the Gazette.”

“Maybe,” Hani shrugged. “But I think he’ll make a brilliant addition to your team.”

Lavender hummed, and Hani knew she could feel Parvati’s absence like a physical thing. She’d naturally angled herself towards Hani, even though she should have been the centre of attention for the evening. It was as though both of their bodies knew there should have been a third shadow behind them, next to Hani’s, rounding out their trio.

Even Hani’s Magic seemed to agree, fluttering to her right and hovering uncertainly in the air before curling around her fingers again.

“I thought it would be nice,” Lavender whispered, her voice barely louder than the gentle wind ruffling her hair, “to do something just the three of us, considering what happened on Tuesday. I know you say you’re fine, Hani, but even during the interviews, even now, you’re not–”

Not fully there. Not fully her.

She nodded, not wanting to acknowledge the words or the feelings out loud. Lavender’s eyes were sad but understanding.

“If you want to talk about it, Hani, if there’s anything we– I can do at all..” Lavender looked at her pleadingly. Hani knew her best friends wanted her to talk about Samhain, to tell them exactly how it had felt to be inside Voldemort’s mind, but after Padma and Severus and Sirius, she couldn’t imagine doing it again.

The clouds in her mind were doing everything they could to patch up her cracks, and she saw no reason to stop their progress. No reason to mention why the cracks had been there in the first place.

If she fixed them, why did it matter what had caused them?

“I wonder if Parvati got her hands on my Ancient Runes project,” she said, ignoring the way Lavender’s face shuttered, her lips tugging downwards. It was hard enough trying to make herself feel better; she had no idea how to make it easier for her friends, too.

How could she make her favourite people believe her when she told them she was alright?

“I doubt she’s going around looking for your project,” Lavender rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know,” Hani shrugged, nudging Lavender playfully in an attempt to coax a laugh out of her. “She’s doing a pretty job of being invisible, if you ask me. Maybe I should ask her for tips; she’s done more in a week than I have in a month.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Lavender scoffed, but there was something soft and gentle in the smile that touched her mouth. “Though I think you’ll be disappointed by her findings. I’m almost certain her strategy rhymes with Craze Bambini.”

Hani burst into laughter, and the sparks of red and gold exploded into nothingness in tandem with her delight.

She didn’t think she’d need a photograph to remember Lavender’s beaming face or the radiant sun behind her.

Twenty-three gold specks, and about a hundred red ones. At least amongst the ones Hani had already counted, frustrated at her Magic’s inability to stay quiet for longer than half a day.

She’d been certain that they would calm down once her mind had started to recover from after– after. They’d been dancing around her even before Samhain, but she’d been certain the ritual should have made them settle. And then, after her run-in with Voldemort, she’d been positive that they would disappear as soon as she fixed her mind.

Instead, it felt like every crack she covered in delicate clouds and fragile barriers brought with it a new wave of red and gold dust, ready to infiltrate her mind and body again.

It would have been alright, she thought, if she felt more like the Harini Potter she’d been before the– before. She would have scowled at the Magic, begged it to leave when she was meditating, and would have eventually found a solution. 

Now, all she could do was count the sparks that flooded her mind, then count again when she opened her eyes to a sea of red and gold.

She was going crazy, possibly.

Thirty-one gold specks, and too many red ones to even think about.

She stood suddenly, her skin clammy and her mind buzzing with discomfort. Padma and Lisa glanced at her for a moment before turning back to each other, whispering something Hani couldn’t overhear while peeking at her worriedly. Hannah frowned at her curiously, her eyes full of questions. Hani only shook her head. Leo slept next to Hannah peacefully, unaware of the tension humming around them, and Hani was still staring at him enviously when she felt a presence behind her, startling her out of her daze.

“You’re stressing me out,” Tracey huffed. She was already grabbing Hani’s hand, dragging her out of the Sisters’ room without bothering to acknowledge the rest of their friends. “Also, you’re driving them crazy. Hannah’s been asking me what she should say to you all week. She thinks you’re shutting us all out because it’s easier than letting us in. Because it means you don’t have to relive the pain anymore.”

Hani stayed quiet.

If she opened her mouth, she thought she might cry or scream or burst into a million pieces made up of rage and desperation and dust.

“I know I’m not who you want to speak to,” Tracey added quietly.

Tears burned in Hani’s eyes. Her legs led her towards the room she’d chosen for herself – the room she hadn’t entered since the morning after Samhain. Tracey kept up with her pace, and she wished she had a door to slam in her face.

They’d had a silent agreement, she thought. No one would bring up how broken Hani had felt since the disastrous ritual. No one would mention how many times they’d found her curled up in an armchair she had never touched before that day. No one would comment when she spent hours pouring over a piece of light-blue fabric, embroidering flowers and snowflakes and runes until her fingers ached.

Tracey was breaking the agreement.

“Your guardians didn’t do the right thing,” Tracey continued, unphased by Hani’s stony silence.

She clenched her jaw. “You don’t even know what they did.”

“Maybe not,” Tracey shrugged, stopping next to Hani when she brought them to a halt in front of her room’s door. The basic ward she’d placed for her ritual still shimmered, faint but there. “But it doesn’t take a genius to know they messed it up. The Headmaster was looking at you all weekend.”

“They thought it was for the best,” Hani murmured, bitter and cold and distracted by the sparks that lingered in Tracey’s hair.

“Right,” Tracey laughed humorlessly. Hani looked at her, surprised. When Lavender and Parvati had found out that she’d told Severus about Samhain, they’d been glad. They’d told her the adults would handle everything, that they would figure out how best to help her.

Tracey just stared at her, her gaze understanding and ever-so-sad.

“The best would have been listening to you,” Tracey whispered. “It would have been taking you out of school for the rest of the week, finding a therapist for you to talk to, and putting your privacy above anything else.”

Hani pushed the door open. She didn’t protest when Tracey entered after her, sealing the room with a gentle push of her hand. One wave of her wand later, the sound of a lock clicked.

“So,” Tracey crossed her arms over her chest. The clouds in Hani’s mind shifted, and the cracks were in full focus again, covered in nothing but red and gold dust. “They didn’t find you a therapist. They didn’t give you the space to talk to them. And the person you want to talk to most of all isn’t here.”

“I’m fine.”

“Did you send her a letter, at least?”

“Tracey, I’m fine.”

“And this room, have you used it to yell out your frustrations? To scream at the world a little? To do something other than stare at the air next to us while you pretend to hear what we’re saying?”

“I don’t need to–”

“If Daphne was here, she would have already gone to Professor Snape by now. She would have torn him to shreds, even if it meant getting three months of detention. Do you need me to do that? I’m not afraid of a few hours spent chopping potion ingredients.”

“Daphne…”

Hani stopped herself there, the gaping hole in her chest and mind more obvious now than it had been all week. There was no Magic when she looked down at her hands, nothing to see but her trembling fingers. There were no clouds when she closed her eyes, nothing to think about but the terror that screamed at her every time she let herself breathe.

Tracey stared at her, determined and unafraid and devoid of any pity.

And Hani

broke down.

Ugly sobs racked through her body, through the splinters of her mind, through the wreck of her heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks, onto her hands, her arms, staining her robes as she desperately gasped for air.

Green light echoed like cruel laughter in her mind. Green eyes pleaded and screamed her name until all that was left was Peter, begging on his knees for a life he’d forfeited years ago.

A scream yanked her back to the present, her nerves instantly on edge. But it was just Tracey.

Her friend stared at her, encouraging and utterly unashamed. 

When she screamed again, Hani followed her.

She screamed, and screamed, and screamed until her voice was nothing more than a frayed thread of noise, sobs silent and painful and awful. Until her mind was empty of all clouds, so empty she could almost stand there and see–

Herself.

She told Tracey everything.

The prophecy, her guardians’ unwillingness to tell her anything, her friends and their insistence that the adults would solve everything, the stress of being a Prefect, the Blood Magic, the red and gold sparks, the feeling that her mind didn’t belong to her anymore.

She whispered it hoarsely, her voice still sore but her thoughts clearer than they had been all week. And Tracey listened.

She wasn’t Daphne. She couldn’t be. But she sat next to Hani and let her braid her hair when Hani begged her to keep her hands occupied, and she didn’t interrupt her, not even when she mentioned how much she’d been hiding from everyone in her life.

It wasn’t until she was done speaking, panting and exhausted, that she suddenly realised how much power she’d just given Tracey.

But Tracey only nodded slowly.

“That’s a lot of secrets,” she murmured. “And your Magic…”

“I think I’m going insane,” Hani admitted softly. “There’s red and gold everywhere, all the time, like my brain is stuck in a constant hallucination.”

“Is it red and gold now?” Tracey frowned. 

“Well– No,” Hani admitted. “But the moments without are a lot rarer than the moments with.”

“It makes sense,” Tracey hummed.

If Hani hadn’t dried all of her tears up for the day, she thought she might have cried. None of it made sense.

“Hani,” Tracey sighed, seeing the distress and disbelief painted all over her features. “You completed a ritual to bind yourself to your knife and vessel. You reached into your Magic to find the part that your mother gave you. You used your blood as an anchor.”

“I know,” Hani said softly, waiting for a reproach that never came.

“You told your Magic that you’re ready,” Tracey chuckled, a gentle smile tugging at her lips. Hani blinked. “And now, your Magic is telling you that it’s ready too.”

It couldn’t have been that simple.

But, as soon as Tracey stopped speaking, Hani’s mind lit up with red and gold, bursting with Magic and delight and–

Eagerness.

She saw it now, the way it danced around her, lighting her fingers up with power, awakening something within her every time she thought she could finally rest.

She looked back up at Tracey, lips parted and eyes wide. Her fellow Sister smiled wider, her gaze shining with excitement. Red and gold flew around her, matching her exhilaration. Sparks ran up and down her arms before curling up on Hani’s shoulder, tangling themselves in her hair, feeling like the Magic Hani had been calling to ever since she’d laid eyes on the Evans Grimoire.

She closed her eyes and gasped at the sight of her mind, illuminated by the dust she’d been so desperate to get rid of.

I’m ready, it sang to her. We’re ready.

Chapter Text

It should be noted that blood wards do not work as normal ones would. A notable difference is the inclusion of several individuals to a singular ward. The use of blood runes can help ease the pressure on a blood witch’s Magic, but there is always the matter of sharing that Magic beyond yourself to consider.

Protection, I have always thought, is something to be shared. Unfortunately, blood wards are selfish by nature, only wishing to protect those who have sacrificed energy in return. We must therefore deal in trust. Trust those who help you, and they will trust you in return. If it cannot be a dealing of friendship, then let it be a dealing of favours.

Knowledge, in return for understanding. Protection, in return for blood.

~ ToB ~

A stack of books rattled Hani’s desk, and she shot Tracey a withering look before glancing back down at her sewing machine. She’d managed to keep her hands steady despite Tracey’s sudden arrival, and she smiled a little at how her vision was starting to take shape. Light blue – almost silvery – fabric flowed between her fingers, the top of Daphne’s ball gown starting to look like an actual dress rather than the swathes of chiffon she’d been handling so far.

“That’s pretty,” Tracey said appreciatively, hovering over Hani’s shoulder with an impressed smile. “I bet you’re grateful you don’t need to have it ready by the end of today.”

Hani laughed at that, imagining how much more harried she would have been the past few weeks if Daphne had expected to receive a gift on her birthday itself. Instead, Hani had another month ahead of her before she needed the gown to be ready for presentation. It would give her all the time she desired to work on the skirt and sleeves she’d already started embroidering for the occasion.

“It certainly makes my life easier,” she agreed, carefully releasing the fabric from the sewing machine and placing it to the side, where she kept all of her thread supplies. She gestured towards Tracey’s pile of books. “Any particular reason you’re here?”

They hadn’t talked the day before. After Hani’s breakdown on Sunday, she’d been certain Tracey would approach her on Monday morning and take back the statements she’d made regarding her guardians. She would ask Hani to tell Severus about her Blood Magic and the discoveries she’d been making in secret.

Instead, Tracey had stayed away. She’d given Hani space. She hadn’t told any of the Sisters about the red and gold dust, or the other Magics she’d been experimenting with. She hadn’t told them that Hani’s newly-found stability was the result of screaming until she could no longer hear herself.

She hadn’t known what to do with her Slytherin friend’s silence. Hadn’t been sure whether Tracey had decided she’d done enough for Hani already and didn’t want to get involved in the millions of messes Hani had created.

And now, there she stood, grinning devilishly as she slapped a hand onto the topmost book of her pile.

“Before I say anything, you have to swear you won’t tell anyone about what you learn today,” Tracey said seriously, wagging her finger in Hani’s direction.

Hani raised her eyebrows, amused. “I don’t think you’re the one who needs to worry about her secrets getting out, Tracey.”

“Swear it,” Tracey repeated, mock-glaring in her direction. “I can’t have this information getting out anywhere. It’s a matter of life or death.”

“Well then,” Hani giggled, shaking her head at her friend. “I swear nothing you tell me will leave this room. In fact, I’m willing to make that a permanent rule, if you want to keep coming in and out of here. I’ll key you into whatever wards I manage to set up, and we won’t divulge any information in return.”

“Sweet deal,” Tracey beamed. “I’ll take it. Now, we’ll need to separate these books into three piles. Maybe four, depending on how many of them you’ve already read. There are a few volumes about prophecies and Divination and all the good stuff, but I figured you might have already scoured the library. If we want more, we might need to break into the older students’ collection. It’s the other two piles that’ll be more useful. I’ve gathered quite a few books on Family Magics, and though none of them are specifically about Blood Magic, I figured it might still be of use to you.”

“And the last one?” Hani asked, her mouth agape. Tracey was already working on dividing the tomes she’d brought with her, her method efficient and organised.

“Politics,” Tracey said apologetically, noting the grimace on Hani’s face. “You might not like this, Hani, but you’re going to have to get involved eventually. You’ll be the first of your House, which means the rules are going to be completely different than whatever Lord Black has taught you already.”

When Hani stared at her blankly, she sighed and pressed her fingers to her temples.

“He hasn’t taught you anything, has he?” She huffed.

“Not really,” Hani smiled impishly. “I mean, I have the Grimoires which have helped me understand the basics of what’ll be expected of me, but Sirius didn’t get into any specifics with me. I think he’s waiting until I’m sixteen.”

“Terrible decision,” Tracey groaned lightly. “Well, then you’ll appreciate these books even more. You have no idea how much bullshit goes into heirships and family politics and alliances and all of that side of things. It’s like entering a whole new world.”

“Right,” Hani frowned. “So, like entering the magical world all over again?”

“But with even more laws and rules and passive aggressive men!” Tracey fake-cheered, laughing at Hani when she shuddered dramatically. “You’re going to hate it. Or maybe you’ll love it. I know some people find the whole thing fascinating. I mean, it’s not easy to grasp at first, but there’s a lot more to it than Muggle politics. The addition of Family Magics, for example.”

“Wait a second,” Hani lit up a little, a smirk involuntarily gracing her lips. “Tracey, Tracey, are you one of those people who find the whole thing fascinating? You’d have to be, to come up with a whole list of books in less than two days. And Family Magics too? Are you secretly as much of a Magic nerd as Padma is?”

“This is why I swore you to secrecy,” Tracey muttered, stepping closer to Hani until she was forced to raise her gaze to meet Tracey’s. “I love Magic, alright? And I also love research, as long as I’m not being asked to complete it by our homework-obsessed professors and grade-obsessed classmates.”

“So you did all of this–”

“In the past two days, yes,” Tracey shrugged. “You clearly needed help, I’ve been bored out of mind ever since Leo started hanging out with the boys in our year, and I happen to think your problems are worthy of being solved.”

“Lucky me,” Hani rolled her eyes.

Inside, though, she was alight with warmth. Tracey was covering her intentions in sarcasm and dry wit, but Hani could see the eagerness to help in her friend’s eyes. It was the same way she’d looked at Hani when she’d told her that her guardians hadn’t handled things properly after Samhain.

“I thought I’d let you deal with the Blood Magic side of things alone for a little while,” Tracey continued, ignoring Hani’s eyeroll. “But perhaps… If you want to try anything else, maybe you could let me know in advance? Just so I know where to find you if anything goes wrong while you’re working on a spell.”

“I–” Hani snapped her mouth shut, resisting the instinctual urge to tell Tracey she could manage alone.

She could, of course, do things without anyone’s support. She’d been exploring her Magic by herself for the past two months, and she’d been fine. Paranoid, stressed, and exhausted, but fine.

But what was the harm in letting Tracey see her practise her Magic if she already knew it existed?

“We can give it a try,” she finally said, slowly enough that she visibly saw the excitement overtake Tracey’s features. “There’s no guarantee that my Magic won’t go haywire at first, though. I’ve never really done anything with it, especially not with anyone else around.”

“I don’t think your Magic minds, if the sparks are any indication,” Tracey teased. “Speaking of, how have they been behaving today?”

“Same as always,” Hani replied. “Though now that you’ve brought up your theory, it kind of… makes sense. They haven’t bothered me since I started sewing, so there’s merit to what you suggested.”

“Some would call me a modern genius,” Tracey winked. “What are you going to start with?”

For a second, Hani considered lying and telling Tracey she hadn’t thought about her Blood Magic at all since they’d spoken about what the dust might mean. She had other things to do with her time, other problems to solve, and her Blood Magic should have been nothing more than a niggling at the back of her mind.

But it was the only thing she’d been thinking about. Even while she’d been working on Daphne’s gown, part of her brain had been focused on all the possibilities, everything that could be done with this Magic she’d never been given the chance to explore before. 

I’m ready, it whispered to her when the red and gold sparks came to her now. It would dance even more enticingly, and Hani felt like a fool for not having seen it until then. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed how desperate her body was to finally do something with all the energy she’d unlocked.

She wanted to learn more. She wanted to do more.

And she wanted someone else to know she was doing it too. She wanted Tracey to understand Hani wasn’t complacent or ungrateful for her power; she was simply a little foolish and perhaps greatly uninformed.

“Blood wards are the first logical step,” she said, her voice bright and dripping with anticipation. She was already reaching into her bag for the Grimoire, her left hand wrapped around the hilt of her knife. 

When she pulled it out of her satchel, Tracey let out an appreciative noise.

“Damn,” she whispered, awed. “That is one fancy knife. Does it not feel… I don’t know, wrong? I know we never had an explicit lesson that stated ‘no blood magic allowed’, but it’s still– Ah, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just feeding into the prejudice.”

“Maybe it would feel wrong for you,” Hani said quietly, nicking the tip of her finger and letting a drop fall onto the Grimoire before carefully wiping her index with the piece of cloth she carried everywhere she went. “But my Magic was made for this, right? So whenever I spill blood, the only thing I feel is a deep sense that I’m doing what I was always supposed to be doing. Even when everything goes red and gold, it’s not… It’s never wrong.”

Tracey hummed. “I’ll have to take your word for it. So, blood wards? Why exactly are they the ‘first logical step’?”

It was precisely what Hani had wanted her to ask.

She eagerly flipped to the appropriate chapter in her mother’s Grimoire, pointing out the paragraphs that she intended on using for her first set of blood wards. There were plenty that she could attempt, but she needed to start with something quick and simple to learn. She’d also need to figure out how to add Tracey to her wards, which apparently required another component to the spell and runes she’d have to cast. 

When she tapped on the paragraph detailing blood wards and their reaction to other people, Tracey chuckled.

“Blood Magic sounds like a Slytherin,” she snickered. “Selfish and distrustful and turning everything into a deal.”

Hani could imagine it. Her red and gold Magic begging for attention the same way Daphne did whenever Hani forgot to spend enough time with her. The sparks dancing around incessantly exactly like Tracey did as soon as her mind quieted and her body relaxed. Glittering dust that would only reveal itself to an individual if they shared something in return, a little like Theodore.

Thankfully, she knew how to deal with Slytherins.

“So, I’ll appease it,” she said easily. “Every night, if that’s what it takes. I’m sure I’ll figure out how much I need to practise in order for my Magic to be satisfied.”

“That’s a lot of Blood Magic,” Tracey frowned. Hani stared at her, undeterred. “I’m only stating facts!”

“I use Magic every single day,” Hani pointed out. “This isn’t any different. The only thing that separates it from the rest of the Magic I practise is the fact that no one else in this school will be able to replicate what I’m doing. And the small detail about it being illegal.”

“Don’t be so sure about that last point,” Tracey tutted, tapping the pile of books dedicated to Family Magics. “A lot of exceptions can be made when Magic is freely given. Otherwise, the Wizarding World would run into a huge issue of imbalance.”

“I’ll look into it,” Hani huffed, not wanting to delve into the topic of laws and regulations when she could instead be reading through the advice her mother had given regarding blood wards.

Before she could lose herself in her Grimoire again, however, a hand came to rest on her right shoulder. Tracey looked down at her, face suddenly serious.

“I’m glad your Blood Magic is giving you something to focus on,” she said gently. “But how are you, really?”

Hani thought about screaming in this room, tears streaking down her face. She thought about the way her hands had shaken when she and Tracey had dragged furniture into the room afterwards, her mind more vulnerable than ever. She recalled how she’d woken up this morning – and the morning before – with green light in her green eyes, a name at the tip of her tongue. She pictured the way her fingers struggled to find purchase on her wand.

“I’ll be okay,” she finally replied, her voice small. Her mind was no longer full of clouds, and though she was thankful for the clarity it provided her, she sometimes wished she could be up high again, far away from the cracks that splintered from her head to her heart. “This– This is helping.”

“The Blood Magic?”

“Talking to you,” Hani corrected instantly, feeling blood rush to her cheeks. “And the Magic, too. The Grimoire, and Daphne’s dress, and Prefect patrols.”

“You’re distracting yourself again,” Tracey’s brows furrowed as she spoke.

“I’m not– I’m not letting myself drift too much,” Hani wrapped her arms around her stomach, as though they would protect her from crumbling. “I know you want me to talk about everything more, but I don’t know what to say. Doing things helps. The idea of using Blood Magic helps.”

Tracey paused, stared at her as though she was reaching into her very soul.

Finally, she sighed.

“Okay. Blood Magic, then. And research. If I’m going to all this trouble to find you relevant books, you bet your ass you’ll be reading them as soon as I deliver them to you.”

Hani didn’t protest.

Whatever it took to keep Tracey on her side.

Theodore was silent by her side. 

It had become a habit during their patrols, both of them walking silently until the quiet became unbearable. Most of the time, Theodore would break the tension with a comment about a younger student, and Hani would answer half-heartedly just to keep herself from falling asleep on her feet.

Not a single one of their conversations had been scintillating enough to stop her Magic from making an appearance. Every patrol night, without fail, sparks would come to life around her and keep her company while Theodore acted as a moving statue next to her.

Tonight was no exception, though it was the first time she truly welcomed the red and gold dust when it flickered behind her eyelids and in front of her eyes. 

She resisted the urge to play with the sparks the way she’d done the day before. Long after classes had ended, when it was late enough that the Invisibility Cloak had been a necessity, she’d snuck back to her private room and had let herself truly feel her Magic while she studied the careful runic ward schematics her mother had drawn in their Grimoire.

She’d longed to do the same that night, but patrol duties had called her name, and now she found herself trudging awkwardly beside a boy she tolerated only for the sake of their partnership. 

If she’d been paired with Lily instead, they could have talked about their days and shared tips about their lessons, and perhaps even gossiped about whatever information Lily had managed to extract from Emma – who was well-connected to the Hufflepuff side of their year. If she’d been with Michael, the two of them could have engaged in some entertaining conversations about their classes. If it had been Justin or Hannah instead, the walks through the halls would have been delightful, full of laughter and lighthearted banter. If it could have been Dean…

“So,” Theodore interrupted the silence. Red and gold lit his face up despite the darkness of the corridor they found themselves in. They’d have to move onto the library soon, which always meant more wandering students.

“So?” Hani repeated slowly, her brows knit tightly together.

“Electricity,” Theodore blurted out.

His cheeks flamed red, and Hani blinked rapidly to stop herself from gaping at the Slytherin boy. 

“Yes?” She asked, shooting him a look that she hoped conveyed how concerned she was for his sanity. “Electricity?”

“It’s… a thing,” Theodore continued, the flush spreading to his ears and down his neck. “A Muggle thing.”

She took all of her earlier misgivings back. She would gladly give up on a few hours of Blood Magic practice if it meant she got to witness… Whatever the hell Theodore was trying to say or do. Laughter bubbled deep in her throat, and she coughed it back down loudly, gesturing for Theodore to keep going.

“We’re– studying electricity in our Muggle Studies class right now,” he finally elaborated. “And you grew up in the Muggle world, right? So you know about electricity?”

“Theodore,” she drawled. “Beauxbatons’ buildings – other than the castle, of course – use electricity. I’m not sure you should think the existence of Muggle light and energy is surprising. How did you think they operated all those newer buildings without the support of Magic?”

“I–” Theodore hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. His gaze was still embarrassed, but Hani detected irritation beneath the more obvious emotion. “Look. I want all of my grades to be excellent, and Muggle Studies happens to be the one subject I don’t naturally excel at. Everything else comes to me easily, but Muggle Studies isn’t exactly something my father taught me when I was a kid. I thought maybe you’d know more.”

“You want my help?” Hani tilted her head curiously. “I mean, I can try my best, but it’s not like I understand the intricacies of electricity either. This may surprise you, but ten-year-olds aren’t taught what goes on within the wires and the circuits.”

“Well, I didn’t even really know what electricity was before Third Year,” Theodore pointed out, something within him relaxing now that Hani was no longer visibly holding back laughter.

“How much does Professor Sikander want you guys to know?” She asked now, struggling to imagine her classmates needing to give a comprehensive explanation of electric lights and systems. “You’ve been doing fine in his class so far, right?”

“Like I said, it’s my weakest subject,” Theodore repeated. Hani wanted to poke and prod him further, but she also knew how awful it felt to have her flaws stated so plainly. Theodore cared more about academics than she did, so she could imagine why he might want to perfect his skills.

“And what would I get in return?” She hummed thoughtfully.

Truthfully, she didn’t mind if she got nothing at all. Having something to fill the silence with would be reward enough. Still, she was very aware that Theodore knew more about the magical world than she ever would, and it wouldn’t hurt to see if there was anything he’d be willing to give her in exchange for her measly help.

“I mean, I’m always happy to answer questions if you have any,” Theodore replied carefully, looking at Hani as though that should have been an obvious statement.

Right. Because Theodore was so open and helpful.

Silly her.

“Okay,” she shrugged. “What did you want to know?”

“You’re really going to–” He snapped his mouth shut when she shot him an exasperated look. “Of course. I thought you could start by telling me a little more about the benefits of using electricity rather than trying to develop a method using natural resources. It would be easier to use wood or water or something of the sort, would it not?”

“Not quite where I thought you were going with this,” Hani snorted. “But non-magicals actually did start by using natural resources. Lots of them. So many of them, in fact, that the problem of where those resources were coming from became an issue. Electricity is the sort of energy we can generate without actively burning our resources, whereas wood is something we have to constantly use . Eventually, there would be no more trees to cut down, even if we tried to plant more and more to make up for the loss.”

“So, Muggles created electricity to save their resources?” Theodore frowned. “That’s not quite in line with the other things I’ve heard about them.”

“The barbarism? One can engage in wars and bigotry and foolishness while still trying to save the planet,” Hani chuckled. “But that’s probably not why they discovered it in the first place. The discovery of electricity exists for the same reason most of our spells do: humans are curious beings. They like testing the limits of the world as they know it.”

“Okay,” Theodore murmured consideringly. “So, they discovered it purely for scientific curiosity purposes, but then realised it could be a useful way to operate their machines without using up precious resources like wood?”

“Pretty much,” Hani nodded. “Don’t quote me on it, though. I only know the basics, and theories of environmentalism are still relatively new. A lot of non-magicals like to believe that their actions don’t have an impact on the planet. Kind of like magicals, actually. Though at least with Magic, the consequences tend to be less catastrophic than what Muggles attempt with their machines and technology.”

“That makes sense,” Theodore hummed. “So, how did they then find out all the things electricity could be used for? That is to say, how do non-magicals even conceptualise everything that can be done once they have an endless source of energy at their disposal?”

“The same way we do, I suppose,” Hani laughed. “Imagination, experiments, the natural desire to go against what we’ve been told can be done. Have you never tried something for the sake of trying it, Theodore?”

“There’s already so much to explore within the boundaries we’ve established,” he argued, though his skin had darkened again, as though he knew how ridiculous Hani would think he was for sticking to the rules.

He wasn’t wrong; she thought it was a waste not to push Magic to its limits. 

“You’re clearly willing to expand your mind for the sake of your Muggle Studies,” she countered, her voice trailing off as her thoughts snagged on a particular detail of Theodore’s earlier explanation.

I thought maybe you’d know more, he’d said, as though he couldn’t think of a single other person who would know more than Hani. As though he didn’t have Tracey in his house, or the myriad of Ravenclaws who obsessed over obscure subjects exactly like electricity.

“You’re not telling me something,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “I mean, don’t you have other people who could teach you about this? Are you really that scared of your housemates’ judgement? Surely, since they have to complete the same assignments you do, they’d be happy to share the burden with you when it comes to studying.”

“I run with a very specific crowd, Harini,” he said, rolling his eyes. She would have bought his act, perhaps, if his shoulders hadn’t tensed again. If she hadn’t spent an entire year watching him fluctuate between his uncomfortable posture and the way he relaxed when he put his problems aside.

“Yes, but even your specific crowd has–”

She stopped herself. A small, diabolical smile made its way onto her face, and she almost cackled when Theodore paled.

“What?” He asked, sounding genuinely panicked. “Do you not believe I actually want to learn about Muggles? Is that really so crazy? I mean, just because I’m not a Muggle sympathiser doesn’t mean I don’t want to know more about them! There are fascinating aspects of every culture, you know.”

“Theodore Nott,” she grinned sharply. “I should have made the connection instantly. One day, you’re holding hands with a half-blood who probably feels overwhelmed by the purebloods in your circle, and four days later you’re asking about Muggle concepts? How adorable.”

His face had to be burning, the crimson of his cheeks so intense, it made tiny freckles stand out where Hani had never seen them before.

“That has nothing to– I don’t know what you mean,” he stuttered over his words, and Hani burst into delighted laughter.

Definitely worth the break she’d had to take from Blood Magic to attend their patrol session.

“Tell me, does Sally-Anne know what electricity is? Does she care deeply about the use of natural resources?” She teased him, choking on a laugh when Theodore buried his face in his hands. “Ooh, someone wants to have interesting conversations with his crush but doesn’t know enough about the Muggle world to entertain her. How the pureblood bigotry comes to bite you in the ass.”

Theodore mumbled something through his hands, too quietly for Hani to hear. When she asked him to repeat himself, he finally lowered his fingers and met her gaze again. His cheeks were still red and his eyes embarrassed, but there was the hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Girlfriend, actually,” he said softly, and Hani had to bite back an excited noise.

Theodore and Sally-Anne weren’t the kind of people she was supposed to spend time with – according to her father, at least – but she was still a romantic at heart. It had been months since Blaise and Parvati had gotten together, and though some of her friends gushed about their classmates, none of the Sisters had scored a date since then.

If Theodore was all she would get, then she would have to make the best of it.

“Okay, okay,” she smiled, ignoring Theodore’s bemused look. “You should have led with that! Good grades are boring, Theodore. We all have them, we’re all worried about them, we all want to make sure we’re ready for our OWLs… It’s old news. But you and Sally-Anne? Now that’s something I’ll gladly support.”

“Living vicariously through me because Thomas won’t get his act together?” Theodore smirked.

Hani gaped at him for a millisecond before recovering and snapping her gaze away from his.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she huffed. “Dean has been a wonderful partner in Gryffindor. Let’s go back to your questions about electricity. What else does Sally-Anne like to discuss? Has she got any opinions on phones? Has she heard about the discoveries non-magicals are making regarding interconnected computer networks?”

She had no idea what she was talking about, only regurgitating some of the words she’d spotted when she’d browsed through a Muggle newspaper the previous summer, but Theodore didn’t need to know that.

He didn’t answer her questions.

When she turned back towards him, his hand was over his mouth, repressed laughter spilling from between his fingers.

Hani slapped his shoulder with the report form she’d all but forgotten about as they walked.

“No, no, please,” Theodore gasped between his bouts of hysterics. “Tell me all about– about interconnected committed nets. Oh please, I’d love to hear more.”

“You’re a prick, Theodore.”

But she was laughing too.

Hani had stopped listening to the main conversation happening amongst the Sisters as soon as Muggle Studies had been brought up. She’d answered enough of Theodore’s questions the night before to be done with it for a lifetime, and she had a feeling he wouldn’t run out of further enquiries anytime soon. If she had to listen to her friends talking about electricity as well, she might actually go crazy.

She’d turned to the Evans Grimoire instead, or at least the copies she’d made of the pages on blood wards. 

It was easier to focus on her studies than on the way her mind flickered whenever she accidentally let it wander. The red and gold sparks were starting to feel more like motivation than hallucinations, but they didn’t make up for the way her thoughts stuttered sporadically.

Taking her wand out when she wasn’t in class still felt like a herculean task.

The Grimoire pages were simple now, the words familiar. She focused on her mother’s beautiful handwriting as she tried to dissect a paragraph on the use of another person’s blood. It wasn’t clear whether anything untoward would happen to the other individual if Hani failed to erect the blood wards correctly. 

She glared at the paragraph and at the red and gold dust that settled over it whenever she looked away. Her Magic was begging to be used, but the rules and spells and sequences her mother described weren’t anything she’d handled before.

How on earth had her mother done it? How had she come up with her own book of spells without any guidance, without another blood witch to hold her hand through it all?

Hani thought about the few meagre books Tracey had been able to find on the topic of family magics. Not a single one had mentioned specifics; nothing about what lines should be drawn or how one might start their magical journey if they were the last of their family. It was all vague nonsense about core power and amplification.

“I want to help you,” she muttered to her dancing Magic, smiling a little as it curled approvingly around her fingers. “But I don’t know where to begin.”

She folded her pages of notes and shoved them back into her satchel. There was no use reading the same words over and over again, hoping for something new to suddenly jump out at her. She’d have to ask Tracey if she had any thoughts on the matter.

Perhaps their trip to the older students’ library could be planned sooner rather than later. 

With that idea taking up her mind and graciously distracting her from the lingering unpleasantness that niggled between the cracks in her barriers, she turned back to the rest of the Sisters.

She’d chosen a chair at a secluded desk for her studies, but she purposefully strode over to the main table now. It was the space the Sisters used most frequently when engaging in conversations. The couches and armchairs were perfect for movie nights and relaxing afternoons, but most of their discussions felt too important to have while lounging about.

Tracey and Lisa smiled at her as she took the seat between them, frowning a little as she tried to catch up with the current topic.

Leo was the one speaking.

“I mean, the laws are different there, right? So they could have gotten up to anything. For all we know, they went running naked into the sea and screamed to the sky at midnight on the dot.”

Hani’s eyebrows shot up, and she smiled bashfully when Lisa and Tracey snickered at her.

“We’re talking about Daphne’s birthday,” Tracey whispered conspiratorially. “None of us have received a letter about what she did on Tuesday, so we’re wondering what she could be hiding from us.”

Hani shook her head, amused.

“Ooh, Leo, I think Hani has something to say,” Lisa proclaimed loudly, smirking when Hani shot her a betrayed look.

“Snitch,” she grumbled before meeting Leo’s gaze and raising her voice. “Sorry Leo, but we need to consider that this is Daphne we’re talking about. There’s no way she did anything that would have rendered her vulnerable to a group of people she barely knows. I’m sure that when we hear about her big day, we’ll learn that she had an intimate party in the Programme’s common room. Maybe they went out for lunch in the village, as a treat.”

“Boring! No imagination!” Leo exclaimed, wagging his finger at Hani. “Daphne’s a creative person; I refuse to believe she would settle for something as uninteresting as a private party. How utterly plain.”

“Besides, didn’t you two tell us you forged a special bond with your Exchange partners? She could be best friends with them already,” Parvati interjected with a grin. Her presence today marked the first time all the Hogwarts-bound Sisters had been together in weeks. 

Hani and Lavender had been genuinely surprised when she hadn’t disappeared with Blaise right after their classes.

“Her letters don’t exactly scream ‘these people have become my life partners’,” Hannah pointed out sceptically. “The only people she seems to spend extended periods of time with are Hermione and Amandine. And Sue, of course, though she hardly counts as a new acquaintance.”

“I’m with Hannah on this,” Tracey said, raising her hands in surrender when Leo and Parvati opened their mouths in reprimand. “Hey! I’m all for whimsy, but there’s something to be said about an individual’s intrinsic personality. She may be on the Programme, but she’s still Daphne. Did you guys not pick up on her home–”

She cut herself off, but Hani mentally finished her sentence.

Did you guys not pick up on her homesickness?

Truthfully, she wasn’t sure how much of her worries Daphne had shared with anyone other than Hani, Tracey, and probably Blaise. She wouldn’t be surprised to hear that her letters to the other Sisters failed to mention the anxieties she’d brought up to Hani.

She missed the Sisters. She missed Hogwarts. She missed Astoria even more. She wanted to know how Thomas was doing. She loved France, but she didn’t understand some of their customs and strange habits. She didn’t like her PMLS teacher. She didn’t know how to dress herself without a uniform to pick out every morning. She missed crafting with Hani. She was worried her art wouldn’t be as good because of how preoccupied she was with the Programme.

“Pick up on what?” Lavender frowned. Her eyes flicked to Hani, curiosity and frustration warring within them.

“I think what Tracey’s saying is that the Programme isn’t all sunshine and rainbows,” Lisa cut in, smiling dryly. “We have no idea what the other students are actually like. Maybe she’s getting along with all of them, but maybe there’s one thorn in their sides who would have ruined the day for her if they’d made a big deal out of it.”

“Daphne Greengrass, always playing the political game,” Padma added, laughing lightly. “She wouldn’t want to offend anyone by keeping them out of a big event, but I think we all know she’d sooner abandon her birthday plans than invite people she doesn’t actually like. I think a small gathering makes sense.”

“I can’t believe we haven’t received a single letter about it,” Leo sighed. “So much speculation, so few answers. Not even a thank you note about the gifts we sent! That is to say– We did all send gifts, right?”

“I didn’t,” Hani answered, biting back a smile when Leo glared at her. They all knew Hani wouldn’t be giving Daphne her gift until just before the Yule Ball. “Hey, you asked.”

“Insufferable,” Leo huffed. “I sent her some Muggle art books.”

“I’m sure she loved them,” Hannah reassured her best friend. “Most of us did send presents, and none of us have heard back. She’s probably busy at Beauxbatons, or perhaps there’s been a delay in the magical mail system.”

Daphne didn’t have an owl of her own, and she’d refused to put all of their owls under stress when they still had missives to send to friends and family closer to Hogwarts. Instead, she’d insisted they use the slower – but less strenuous, at least for the owls – mail system. Hani quite liked it, especially since it meant their letters never got caught in the elements, but she knew some of the Sisters were getting impatient.

Thankfully, Hannah swiftly managed to redirect the conversation to the items they’d bought for Daphne. Most of them had stuck to the art theme, though there were also books on Arithmancy and Runes, along with some knick-knacks from Tracey, who refused to reveal their ‘inside jokes’. 

“They stop being funny once we share them with other people,” their Slytherin friend insisted. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Lavender rolled her eyes. “Moving on before Tracey decides to hold her best friend status over our heads: do you guys think we should do something for Daphne when she comes back? If she didn’t get a proper celebration in Beauxbatons, maybe we should make sure she gets it here instead.”

“What, a birthday bash like the one The Prophet reported on Lord Black’s birthday?” Padma snorted.

Hani stiffened, her eyes widening. Padma’s gaze locked with hers and her lips parted slightly, an apology written all over her face.

“I’m sure he didn’t actually have a birthday bash, Hani,” Lisa said gently, raising her hand to pat Hani’s shoulder before seemingly thinking better of it. 

Hani had never been more glad for her friend’s astuteness.

“I–” She grit her teeth and shook her head. “I forgot his birthday. When I saw him on Wednesday, I didn’t even– I honestly forgot it was coming up, and he didn’t say anything. I know my mind’s been foggy, but how did I not see the headlines in The Prophet?”

“To be fair, it wasn’t exactly on the first page,” Padma reassured her. It wasn’t enough to completely squash the guilt warring in Hani’s mind, but it was something. She sent Padma a grateful smile.

“I’m sure he understands,” Hannah added, her eyes gentle. “You haven’t exactly been yourself this past week. If Lord Black doesn’t understand that, then he’s a bigger fool than I thought he was.”

“And we already think he’s a pretty damn big fool,” Tracey muttered next to Hani.

That was enough to get a genuine laugh out of her. Tracey grinned proudly, shooting her a wink.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Leo shrugged. “We all forget birthdays, and you’ve only known your godfather for a handful of years. Give yourself some time to add his date to your mental calendar, or whatever you do to remember everyone else’s birthdays.”

“You have a mental calendar?” Parvati asked, looking at Leo as though she’d never met him before. “Who are you and what have you done with the Leo I know? The one who doesn’t even know when he last changed his uniform? The one who wakes up after noon every other weekend and somehow expects to still be on time for lunch?”

“Lateness doesn’t have anything to do with memory, Parvati dearest,” Leo smiled at her sharply. “Though, in your case…”

“Oh, you absolute twat!” Parvati exclaimed, her mouth parted in shock. “Say that one more time, I dare you!”

When Leo only smirked at her, she got up from her seat next to Lavender and rushed to Leo’s side of the table, almost knocking him over successfully. He managed to launch himself out of his seat with seconds to spare, and was quick to take cover behind Tracey, who stared at him, utterly unimpressed.

“Trace, protect me!” He pleaded.

“Boy, you’re on your own,” Tracey laughed, and expertly spun herself out of the way the second Parvati took out her wand and waved it menacingly at Leo, who squealed and hurried away from her, trying his luck with Hannah.

“Now could be a good time for you to go back to your studies,” Lisa chuckled, leaning back in her chair to enjoy the show. 

Hani looked at her curiously.

“Why would I want to go back to my studies?”

“Beats me,” Lisa huffed, amused. “You’re the one buried in books this year. I thought you’d be too busy with everything else to focus on your research, but you’ve obviously found something that’s keeping your attention. If Theo’s to be believed, you even bring some of your notes along when you patrol.”

“Theodore is a snitch and a liar,” Hani rolled her eyes. “I occasionally have notes out when I join him, but I put them away as soon as our patrol starts. Besides, what’s wrong with a bit of research?”

“Oh, I’m not complaining,” Lisa laughed. “I was just hoping you’d finally tell me what it is you’re working on.”

Absent-mindedly, Hani’s eyes flicked to Tracey, who was busy helping Hannah escape Leo’s relentless grip. The Slytherin girl had already made Hani’s research ten times easier simply by listening to her and offering her point of view – as well as her book recommendations. If Lisa was brought into the fold, Hani didn’t doubt their dive into prophecies and Blood Magic would be a walk in the park.

But the words felt heavy in her throat, the knowledge retreating in her mind. It didn’t want to be found again. Not so soon. Not when the last time she’d told someone about everything, it had been in a fit of sobs and screams.

“I’ll have to tell you all about the discoveries I’ve made regarding Invisibility runes,” Hani said instead. “Professor Babbling thinks I’m really onto something, at least when it comes to my initial project theory.”

Lisa pressed her lips together tightly. She nodded as Hani spoke, but her disbelief was splashed all over her face.

One day, Hani thought.

She’d tell all the Sisters about her Blood Magic, she’d let them see the Grimoire, she’d share the whole story with them.

One day.

Tracey was silent, bent over the copies of the Grimoire Hani had lent her for the evening.

They’d both agreed it would be better for Hani to attempt her first protection ward without the use of Tracey’s blood. As much as Hani wanted to believe she could successfully cast a ward on her first try, she wasn’t quite arrogant to risk using Tracey’s blood in a botched spell.

So, she stood in front of her secret room’s door with nothing but her knife in hand, wand tucked safely into its holster.

She examined the doorway for what felt like the hundredth time. She’d already decided to limit her ward to a small space, focusing on the entrance of her room rather than the area as a whole. She had no idea how much energy the spell would take from her, and she didn’t want to put Tracey in a precarious position if anything went wrong.

Red and gold danced around her in anticipation. She wasn’t sure how sentient the sparks of her Magic truly were, but they buzzed now until all Hani could focus on was the feeling of her power flowing through her blood.

She breathed in deeply as she dragged her blade across the palm of her hand.

She’d worried the sight would bring back memories of Samhain, but was instead overwhelmed by the same feeling of rightness she’d felt every time she’d called upon her Blood Magic. Her vision turned the same shade of hazy red she’d grown used to picturing in her mind, and her lips quirked into a satisfied smile.

She was really doing this.

She took her wand out for a moment, casting a minor spell her mother had noted at the beginning of the Grimoire; it would keep her blood flowing to the surface of her skin until she was done raising her ward.

Using her fingers to draw runes wasn’t something she was used to, but she knew the patterns well enough that she trusted they would come out perfectly.

Sanguinis Praesidium required only a single runic sequence made up of four repeated runes: Othila, Thurisaz, Algiz and Wunjo . Othila and Wunjo were used in most blood wards and rituals, from what Hani could tell; they were meant to solidify the rune’s connection to the blood and its user. Othila would harness the Blood Magic Hani had inherited from her mother and refuse to let individuals in unless they shared the same ability. Wunjo provided a positive connection to her heritage, which would work in harmony with Thurisaz and Algiz’s protective properties.

A second runic sequence would need to be added to include Tracey within her protections, but Hani focused on the first four for the time being – she would repeat Othila and Wunjo in a multiple of six, while Thurisaz and Algiz would need to appear in a multiple of eight.

Dipping her finger into her blood wasn’t an experience she was particularly fond of, but she didn’t let it distract her.

Wards were more ritual magic than spell magic, which meant her mindset and commitment to her task were more crucial than any of her petty concerns.

She carried the same intent as she did when she practised her thread magic. She let the runes overtake her mind, imbuing their meaning into every line she drew. The more red lines appeared in front of her, the clearer Hani could see beyond the haze and the sparks and the Magic she’d grown rather used to.

She worked quickly and efficiently. Her runes formed a neat line from one side of the door to the other. When she was done with this initial line, she started another, going up around the frame of the door, stretching her arms out to reach above the door.

One of the main challenges of blood wards, it turned out, was the ease with which one could smear blood. Three times over, Hani had to readjust her hand just in time to avoid smudging the runes she’d just traced.

Her right hand’s fingers were caked with a mix of dried and fresh blood by the time she brought her sequence full circle. She’d managed eighteen iterations of both Othila and Wunjo, and had brought the protection runes up to the perfect number of sixty-four.

She stepped back and resisted the urge to wipe her face with her bloody hands. It wasn’t the cleanest runic sequence she’d ever created, but it was far better than anything she could have imagined accomplishing on her first try.

Beneath her skin, her blood sang. Her Magic danced. There were no red and gold sparks in her vision; it seemed they were all flowing through her body ecstatically. She felt more alive than she had in months, as though she was breathing in time with the world around her, with the very Magic that made up their universe.

Everything within her lit up, her mind soaring and her blood thrumming. It was like taking a breath of fresh air after holding it for too long. Like feeling the sun on your skin after a cold winter. Like the first drops of rain on a hot summer day.

It was like Magic, letting her know there was so much more she could do if she only looked beyond the rules she’d been told to follow.

She wanted to do more.

“Woah,” Tracey whispered behind her. Hani startled but turned to her with a wide smile. “Look at your hands, Hani.”

She looked down and suddenly understood why the red and gold dust was nowhere in sight.

It flickered between her fingers, in every nook and cranny that she’d covered in blood. It was warm and delightful and magical.

“You can see it?” She asked Tracey, who nodded. Her eyes were full of awe.

“I’m not usually one to bet on experimental Magic, but I’m going to make a wild guess here and say you’ve definitely succeeded,” Tracey laughed incredulously. “I can test it out; see if I can leave the room. But if I’m right, I think we can move straight to the second runic sequence you mentioned.”

“And you’d be okay with your blood being used?” Hani asked for the tenth time that day, watching eagerly as Tracey tried to make it past her barrier of wards only to bump into an invisible wall. 

Hani beamed.

When Tracey whirled around to look back at her, she was rolling her eyes.

“As if I’d pass up on the chance to be a part of something as amazing as this,” she scoffed. “You’re welcome to have as much blood as you need, so long as you don’t draw it out in any weird way. No offence, but seeing you sketch runes with your own blood was definitely a little disturbing.”

“None taken,” she laughed, then tilted her head at her ward and thought about the best positioning for the second sequence.

She’d have to consider how she was going to link the two sequences coherently, and how she would solidify the ward in order to make it permanent once all the runes had been placed.

But she’d done it.

She took a moment to grin at the sight of her hard work and the Magic that ran within her blood, combined to form something extraordinary.

And then she got back to work.

“Again, Harini.”

Hani grit her teeth as she closed her eyes and pictured the inside of her mind. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to imagine what her barriers had looked like before the Samhain ritual had torn them to shreds.

The problem was, she couldn’t remember what she’d done to form them in the first place. She was almost certain they had only appeared thanks to long, repeated sessions of meditation. She’d spent hours pleading with her brain to keep itself safe and, eventually, barriers had formed where there had been nothing before.

Where there was nothing now except for the cracks that she was still trying to repair. The cracks she was almost certain weren’t the product of a lack of barriers, but rather the result of her body being incapable of processing what she’d witnessed within Voldemort’s head.

There would be barriers, eventually, but she wasn’t sure the cracks would leave.

“You aren’t focusing.” Her father’s voice startled her out of her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.

She sat on her armchair, a blanket she’d embroidered draped over her lap. 

When she met her father’s gaze, her eyes were full of hurt. She saw it register in the way her father’s lips tightened, his brows furrowing ever-so-slightly as he considered her withdrawn features.

“I’m trying,” she said quietly but firmly. “My barriers took a while to form the first time around, and my mind was a lot better then than it is now.”

Her Magic had also been less present, less possessive over her body. She’d already been a Dark witch, but she hadn’t yet tapped into the part of her being that would reject neutral forms of Magic on principle.

Now, the awareness of red and gold sparks prickled underneath her skin. She could almost feel them protest the use of Occlumency. Her Magic grated where it had sung two nights ago. The reminder of the protective wards she’d placed on her room lit something up within her, the dust seemingly eager to push her back down the ‘correct’ path.

These past few weeks had made Hani crave her mother’s presence more than ever before. She was certain the one and only Lily Evans would have known what to do with Hani’s current predicament.

She would have held her hand and talked her through the blood rituals Hani had spied on inner protections and mental fortitude. She would have braided Hani’s hair carefully, most likely trying to replicate thread patterns that would never come naturally to her.

Tears burned in Hani’s eyes. She blinked rapidly, dispersing the treacherous water before it could slip down her cheeks.

“I understand, Harini,” her father said softly. He was all gentle edges now, as though painfully forced to remember that Hani’s demeanour towards him had shifted ever since the first of November. “I know Occlumency won’t come easy to you, but was there anything that helped fortify your barriers the first time around?”

It had taken patience, and time, and relentless meditation until her mind had stopped being an open book for anyone to browse as they pleased.

And it had taken months of careful rearranging of her thoughts, until the Dursleys and Voldemort and all the bad things in her life had been pushed to the corners of her consciousness. 

She no longer had that safety net. Memories of Voldemort superimposed with the looks on Sirius and Severus’ faces when they had announced they wouldn’t respect her wishes. Daphne’s absence overlapped with the grief she felt for parents she had never known. Flashes of green haunted her at random intervals, startling her both day and night.

“I was better back then,” she admitted, not meeting her father’s eyes but feeling the question in his gaze regardless. “My mind was healthier. Now there are– Cracks.”

“Cracks?”

But Hani didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Not with her father, who apparently felt the need to share information about Hani as soon as he suspected it could be connected to the man who had murdered her family. If she told him about the cracks and the deep sense of loss she felt every time she tried to fix them, who was to say he wouldn’t report back to Dumbledore again?

Unbidden, Tracey’s words came back to her.

They didn’t give you the space to talk to them.

She felt it now, gaping between her father and her. Where before there had been trust, all she could see now was a rift she didn’t know how to fix. Every time she looked at her father, she felt herself mentally stepping further away from him.

He’d taken her agency away from her and, in doing so, had done exactly what Hani had expected of a father. The opposite of what she’d anticipated from the man who had been raising her for the past two years.

“I want a Mind Healer,” she blurted out.

Her father stared at her, jaw clenched.

“We aren’t in disagreement here, Harini,” he said carefully. “I have been pushing for you to see someone this past year, and I was under the impression it was something you had discussed with your godfather. I assumed the two of you were working to find someone suitable who would treat your delicate situation with care.”

“I don’t know what to say to Sirius,” Hani answered genuinely. “You already know everything, but Sirius– It isn’t something I want to talk to him about, not when there’s so much he’s still dealing with, and especially not when he’s behaving as he has been these past few months.”

“Your godfather has been acting in your best interests,” Severus frowned. 

As have I went unsaid, but Hani heard it loud and clear.

“I don’t want to talk to Sirius,” she said again, firmer this time. “I need to talk to an adult I can trust.”

She saw her words slice through her father’s impassive mask, his features twisting in pain, hurt flashing in his eyes.

She didn’t react to any of it, resisting the urge to reach out to her father and promise him she still trusted him. She didn’t want to lie to him any more than she had to. She knew he wouldn’t believe her anyway, not when she could barely look at him head-on.

“Maybe we could arrange for me to see someone before my Occlumency sessions,” she added quietly instead of acknowledging her father’s complicated feelings. “I’m aware that… other students are given permission to leave the school, and I imagine it would be quite the same for me. If I meet with someone before our private lessons, perhaps my barriers would be easier to erect.”

There was no telling how easy the cracks in her mind would be to fix, but Hani wanted to try it now before it was too late. 

“You’ve thought about this?” her father asked, his composed mask back in place.

She hadn’t thought about it much, but she knew now it was the right thing to do. It was what her guardians should have suggested from the start, if Tracey was to be trusted – and truthfully, it was easier for Hani to put her faith in her rather than the men who supposedly only wished the best for her. 

She needed her barriers to reappear, to solidify the fragile grasp she had on her mind. And to keep her guardians happy, knowing she was doing everything she could to protect herself from Voldemort. More than that, though, she needed her days to stop being plagued by visions of green light and fingers that weren’t hers, casting the Killing Curse on loop. 

“I think it would help,” she finally replied, forcing herself to meet her father’s gaze. He looked back at her unflinchingly, and she desperately wished she had the power to read his mind, to understand what he was thinking. “If I wait until I’m ready to tell Sirius everything, I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to see a Mind Healer.”

Her father pursed his lips, but Hani knew that on this – at least this one point – he agreed with her. 

“We’ll have to find someone who is willing to take further measures to ensure your privacy and identity are kept under wraps,” he said slowly. Hani nodded, not willing to disagree or argue with him further about the respect of her privacy. “It may take a week or two for your godfather and I to find someone suitable.”

“That’s alright,” Hani shrugged. 

She’d waited long enough already.

“And you’re sure about this?” Her father asked once more, concern etched into the tight pull of his lips. “If Occlumency is the only reason you are willing to participate in therapy, I’m afraid you might not get what you’re searching for out of it. There is, after all, a chance that your mind will still refuse to protect itself, regardless of your mental well-being.”

“It’s worth a try,” Hani retorted, struggling to keep her voice even. 

She understood why her father was confused about her sudden interest in a Mind Healer, but surely he should have been taking advantage of her eagerness. Not everyone was as enthusiastic as her at the thought of having to see a specialist – Susan, she knew from Hannah, had been reluctant to engage with her chosen Mind Healer.

“We’ll be continuing our Occlumency sessions even while you do not have a Mind Healer,” he insisted. “You understand that, yes? The protection of your mind is of the utmost importance, and we can’t delay it for any reason.”

“Of course,” Hani answered easily. She’d expected this, and did appreciate her father’s efforts regarding the rebuilding of her barriers in a more formal way than what she’d built up the first time around.

“As for your focus…”

“I’ll try harder,” Hani interrupted him, already closing her eyes again.

She startled when, instead of his voice, it was the feeling of his hand on her shoulder that pulled her out of her thoughts. Dark eyes considered her carefully, roving over her face in search of something.

Before Hani could ask him what it was, he pulled his hand away and let out a sigh.

“I apologise for implying you were not focused enough for this exercise,” he finally said, his voice soft. “It was perhaps harsh of me to expect you to be as clear-minded as I was when I started my Occlumency training. You are younger than I was at the time, and you’ve been through a lot of recent hardships.”

Hani stayed quiet, not knowing how to accept this apology when it was the one she needed the least. There was so much still left unspoken between them, the lack of accountability on his end almost as irritating as the unnatural pull of Occlumency against her Blood Magic.

“Thank you for trying, Harini,” her father continued, undeterred by her silence. “I promise we will find a method that works for you, even if it has to take months and the help of a Mind Healer to get you there.”

She hummed noncommittally, picking at her embroidery in order to keep her hands busy.

“We should try again,” she said after a moment of quiet had passed between them. “Should I focus on a happy memory? The same way I usually do for my Patronus?”

Severus acquiesced, and Hani wasted no time closing her eyes, determined to put their conversation to an end before it devolved into something far less pretty than the apology her father had presented her with. 

Her Blood Magic bristled as she attempted to use the Black meditation techniques she’d used when first building her barriers, and Hani sighed internally.

This was going to take a long time.

By the time she left her father’s quarters and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, exhaustion had taken over Hani’s body, slowing her movements and clogging her mind with a sluggish sort of blissful emptiness.

She had to take a deep breath in front of the Fat Lady, reminding herself that she had appearances to keep up within the common room. Younger students relied on her to be a strong Prefect they could look up to and, though the responsibility was tiring, Hani refused to let them down.

She cleared her mind somewhat successfully thanks to the hour and a half of Occlumency training she’d just gone through. She pushed her confidence and desire to do good by her house to the front of her thoughts, feeling her emotions bolster her spirits.

She could do this.

“Aela iacta,” she smiled at the Fat Lady, who returned it with a bright grin as the opening to the Gryffindor common room revealed itself.

The tension was obvious the second Hani stepped into the room. She paused in the doorway while the portrait rotated behind her, sealing them in once more.

The common room was always emptier on the weekends than it was on weeknights, since a fair share of students spent their time in the main common room or outside, when the weather permitted. It was a gloomy November day today, but their numbers were still lower than other afternoons.

It made the tension all the more palpable, and Hani found herself scanning the room subconsciously, wondering what might have caused such a plummet in the Gryffindors’ usually chipper moods. 

A group of first-years were playing chess near the fireplace, their body language relaxed. Hani dismissed them, similarly eliminating the few second and third-year trios scattered around the room. When her eyes landed on a peculiar gathering of girls, however, her eyes narrowed and her mind buzzed with annoyance.

She’d been ready to head back to her dormitory, grab the Grimoire, and hopefully make a smooth exit either to her private room or to the Sisters’ space.

Instead, she steeled herself for whatever conversation was about to occur.

Sophie, Anna Mirfield, Lucy Hurst, Lydia Watson, and Samira Fanaei sat in a conspicuous circle of chairs at one of the few study tables the room provided. They were notably the only older girls present in the room – the other third-years were all boys, and the younger students were often unbothered by the comings and goings of the older cohorts. Hani was instantly on edge, her jaw clenching and unclenching as she approached the peculiar group.

Anna noticed her first, her face paling a little when she spotted Hani getting closer to them. The other girls followed suit with the exception of Sophie, whose lips were downturned but lacking any sort of apprehension.

A good sign, even if it was only a small reassurance in the face of the other girls’ anxiety.

“Quite a gathering we’ve got here, girls,” Hani said with a smile when she reached them. She settled into her usual calm, polite, but friendly persona she wore around most of her housemates. They all knew she could be stern and fierce when she needed to be, but it was easier to get along with them if this was the Harini Potter they knew best. “Did I miss something?”

Lucy and Lydia visibly gulped, but Hani didn’t let it unsettle her, instead turning to her roommate, who greeted her with a smile-turned-grimace.

“There was a bit of a scene earlier,” Sophie admitted, biting down on her bottom lip. “Dean was nowhere to be found and you told us you wouldn’t be available in the early afternoon, so I took it upon myself to relocate the offending parties to their dorm to sort things out.”

“They haven’t come back down since,” Samira murmured conspiratorially, shrugging when the other girls glared at her. “It’s true. Besides, we’ve all known there’s been drama between them for a while. I think we were all wondering when it would finally come to a head.”

“It could have been worse,” Anna added quickly. “The little ones didn’t really get a chance to notice what was going on before Sophie asked them to go back to your dormitory. I’m pretty sure they just thought it was a petty squabble.”

“Which is what it is, really,” Lucy pointed out, lips pursed disapprovingly.

When Hani continued to stare at the girls blankly, the mention of your dormitory making her head ache preemptively, Sophie sighed and spoke up again.

“Erin and Parvati. Apparently it’s Zabini’s birthday today, and some unkind words were exchanged between the two of them when Parvati came back from an outing she organised with him. It seemed like a private affair, which is why I asked them to go back to the dorm, but I caught some pretty nasty insults being thrown around before that.”

She resisted the urge to groan out loud, keeping her face blank as she nodded and urged the other girls to add to Sophie’s assessment of the situation.

“I don’t know if we should repeat any of the things they said,” Lydia winced. “I mean, obviously you need to know–”

“I believe Erin called Parvati a ‘vapid fool’ who is too obsessed with a boy out of her league to see things clearly. To which Parvati responded that Erin is a ‘spoiled bitch’ who wouldn’t know friendship if it hit her in the face,” Anna stated matter-of-factly, her brows furrowed. “There were then a few insults I won’t repeat, since they were targeted at other people who aren’t involved in the conflict.”

This time, Hani did let out an audible sigh, shaking her head disappointedly.

When Hermione had left for the Programme, Hani had been so sure that the time apart would give their dormitory a chance to heal and realise how peaceful things could be when they all got along. Even with Erin there, she’d been hopeful that they would finally have something resembling harmony in their room.

Now, she rubbed at the furrow between her brows and rested a palm on her forehead as she felt her lingering Occlumency headache rise to the surface. 

Erin and Parvati would provide the distraction she’d secretly been hoping for after her difficult conversation with Severus, but she wasn’t sure the cost would be worth it.

It would have been so much easier for her to burrow deep into her bed, take out one of her fiction books, and lose herself in an imaginary world for the rest of the afternoon. That had been the plan. That should have been the distraction.

“Are you going to stop them?” Lucy asked, her voice small. Hani turned to look at her, forcing her reassuring smile back into place. 

“Of course,” she answered. “Though, there’s no way I’m going in there as a Prefect.”

It was a line she’d started to draw with her roommates, though she wasn’t sure how successful she’d been so far. 

The rule was simple: since they were the same age as Hani, there was no reason for her to parent them or assist them the same way she did the younger students. If they had issues, they could resolve them amongst themselves or ask an older student or professor to mediate. Hani wanted to be there for her classmates as a friend but, outside of patrols, she didn’t want to be the one laying down the law.

It was why she took off her school robes now. She still wore them on the weekends when she was in public spaces, mostly to make sure the younger students could find her easily, but she refused to wear them in the safety of her own dorm.

All it did was cause irritation for everyone involved – especially Parvati, who would end up caught between treating Hani as a friend and treating her as a school Prefect.

“Wish me luck,” she told the girls once she’d stripped her robes off, leaving her in her chosen outfit for the day – a knee-length skirt paired with a green jumper covered in embroidered orchids. 

“Hey, Hani!” Sophie called out to her before she could fully leave their sphere. She shot her roommate a curious look. “You don’t have to fix it for them, you know? If they want to have a go at each other, it’s their choice.”

Hani smiled half-heartedly.

“I need to go to the dorm anyway,” she explained. “Besides, Parvati is my best friend. I should make sure she’s alright.”

The five girls winced sympathetically, and Hani hurried away before she could second-guess her decision. If it was up to her brain, she would spend the rest of the afternoon downstairs with the girls, nothing to worry about except keeping up casual conversation. 

Instead, she took the stairs to the seventh floor two steps at a time, the exercise keeping her from overthinking what she would say when she reached their dorm. The voices drifted down to her as soon as she reached the fifth floor, and she closed her eyes, begging Magic for patience.

She took a second once she reached the door to their dorm, the voices filtering more clearly now that she was standing just a few feet away from the argument. 

“– just one day, Erin, where I don’t have to worry about you going behind my back to flirt with my boyfriend!” Parvati was shouting, hot and furious. Hani already knew her face would be flushed when she entered the room.

“You don’t own him!” Erin retorted, her voice quieter but no less angry.

Hani opened the door before either of them could say anything else, stopping them both in their tracks as their gazes flitted over to her. Parvati’s shoulders relaxed a little at the sight of her best friend, but Erin only narrowed her eyes.

“Oh, look at that, another person here to fight your battles,” Erin snorted. “You really do know how to pick your friends, Parvati.”

“What does that mean?” Parvati hissed, her eyes pinning Erin down again, Hani forgotten for the time being.

She closed the door softly behind her, leaning against it nonchalantly.

“It means, Parvati, that you surround yourself with people you know will never be the perfect fit for you, just to have their support if you ever need someone to rescue you,” Erin’s voice was cruel, but it was clear she believed every word she was saying. “And if they disappoint you, who cares? You still have plenty of people to shower you with attention.”

“This again?” Parvati snapped, and Hani’s eyebrows shot up.

She hadn’t known this was something Erin had brought up before. Parvati hadn’t mentioned it, only complaining to Hani about their roommate in vague terms.

“You and Blaise are good friends, but you’re only dating him because it’s easy,” Erin sneered. “You and Harini are good friends too, but you only confide in her because it’s simpler than dealing with Lavender. Because her opinion would matter too much to you.”

It was a mean-spirited comment, and Hani knew Erin had only said it to hurt Parvati, but she still felt it tear painfully through her heart. She glanced at Parvati for a second and grit her teeth when her best friend met her gaze only for a moment before glaring at Erin again. 

“I don’t care why you think Blaise and I are dating,” she hissed. “We’re still together, and that means he’s not available to you. Even if you think you’re a better match for him, even if you don’t believe I actually love him as he should be loved. I’m his girlfriend, and I will be for a damn long time if I have anything to say about it. So, I’ll tell you one last time: back. off.”

Erin opened her mouth, but Hani beat her to the chase.

“Don’t, Erin,” Hani said firmly. “Parvati’s right. I don’t know why you think it’s fine to go running after someone else’s partner, but it isn’t. You two don’t get along, I get it, but stop putting Blaise in the middle of your argument. He’s dating Parvati, and that’s the end of that.”

“So what? Are you going to take points every time I look at him?” Erin rolled her eyes. “Very professional.”

“Even if I thought it was appropriate to take points for something so stupid, I know you don’t give a damn about our house points,” Hani replied dryly. “However, if you keep trying to get in the middle of a relationship that has nothing to do with you, then I’ll do what anyone would do to support their best friend. You can say goodbye to any kind of support from me.”

“You’re a Prefect, you’re supposed to–”

“I’m not a Prefect in here,” Hani said sharply. “And I’m never a Prefect when it comes to Parvati’s personal life. Or any of my friends’ lives. So go ahead, try your luck. But before you do that, try to picture what it’ll be like to live in a dorm with absolutely no one to support you.”

That shut Erin up. 

She stared at Hani, her face tight, but Hani knew her point had been made. 

Erin didn’t have anyone else in their dorm. Hani felt like she was the only one still giving her a chance, still waking her up when she slept in, still helping her with homework when she left it to the last second, still listening to her endless stories when she needed to get something off her chest. 

“You’re lucky your friends are more loyal than you are,” she finally snapped at Parvati, pushing past Hani to leave the room. 

As soon as she was gone, Parvati’s anger melted into a smile.

“Good one, Hani,” she laughed breathlessly.

“Next time, have your boyfriend put her in her place,” Hani said, no trace of humour in her voice. Parvati’s smile froze in place. “If Blaise isn’t interested, he should tell her and report her to a professor if she keeps harassing him. Lavender and I shouldn’t have to deal with this bullshit when you spend all your time with him anyway.”

“She needed to hear it from someone,” Parvati argued.

“Sure,” Hani nodded. “But she didn’t need to hear it in the common room with other people around. The girls said you even started insulting other people, as if they have anything to do with your spat.”

“She brought up Padma!” Parvati’s face twisted with rage.

“Yeah Parvati, Erin isn’t nice,” Hani said slowly. “That’s not exactly news to anyone. She’s mean and selfish and too self-centred to even realise she’s in the wrong. Which is why you or Blaise should have put her in her place privately. ”

“We moved to the dorm,” Parvati said, her jaw clenched. “We didn’t make a scene when Sophie told us it was time to leave, and we were trying to settle our differences before you arrived.”

Hani stared at her, unimpressed. 

“This may come as a surprise to you, Parvati, but Lavender and I don’t actually want to be involved in this drama,” Hani murmured. “We like spending time with you because you’re our best friend, but lately Erin and Blaise are the only things we talk about when you’re around. I’ll absolutely stand by your side if she keeps flirting with Blaise, but Lav and I want our friend back.”

“You know, Blaise did try turning her down,” Parvati said hotly. Hani blinked, caught off-guard by her response. “It’s not like we haven’t been trying to get her to leave him alone. But she’s relentless, and Blaise is stuck with her in all our shared classes, and it’s like–”

Her words blurred in Hani’s mind. Blaise’s name played on a loop in her head, and her eyes glazed over, red and gold flickering to life in front of Parvati. Her best friend’s voice washed over her, but Hani was momentarily lost, her mind unsure how to process everything being thrown its way.

When she blinked back to the present, Parvati was done speaking, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You weren’t even listening,” she scoffed.

“I’m tired, Parvati,” Hani murmured. “I’ve had a busy day.”

A busy weekend, even, but it wasn’t as though Parvati was keeping up with the dozens of things Hani had to do every Saturday and Sunday. 

“I–” Her best friend hesitated, a flicker of guilt flashing in her eyes. “I’m sorry we took up the dorm with our argument. But it’s Blaise’s birthday today, and she’s been so… She’s just been such a bitch to me, even though she’s the one causing problems.”

“I know,” Hani said softly. “She’s not easy to live with.”

Parvati laughed at that, and Hani took it as her cue to close the space between them and wrap her best friend into a hug, holding her for a few seconds before stepping away again. Parvati melted into her arms, the remaining tension draining from her shoulders.

“I was serious though, Parvati,” she added, meeting her friend’s gaze seriously. “This whole thing is getting tiring, and I’m not the only one feeling it. Lavender heard about your fight with Blaise and Erin in Hogsmeade, and she put the pieces together. It was beyond shitty of you to blow her off for your petty drama.”

Parvati’s lips parted.

“Maybe you should rethink your priorities,” Hani whispered, squeezing Parvati’s shoulder one last time before slinking away to her bed and throwing herself onto the covers, head buried into her pillow.

Her earlier exhaustion came back tenfold.

The book she’d been looking forward to would have to wait another day.

She woke later that evening. Dinner had come and gone without her notice, and the other girls were fast asleep.

Hani tip-toed out of her bed and glanced briefly at Parvati and Lavender’s hidden forms. Snores emanated from Lavender’s section of the room, but Parvati’s was completely silent – she must have only just fallen asleep.

She knew she was being a hypocrite, telling Parvati to reconsider her priorities when Hani was sneaking out late at night, hiding in a room her best friends knew nothing about.

She also knew that if she so much as breathed a word to either of them about her Blood Magic, her time experimenting would be over. There would be no more testing of Grimoire spells, no more casting of wards or meditating with her knife and vessel. 

Hani would always stand next to Parvati and Lavender, but they would prioritise her so-called well-being over her secrecy.

So, when she reached her private room, hidden by the Invisibility Cloak and a silencing charm she’d cast on her feet, it wasn’t a vial of their blood she found waiting for her there. It was Tracey’s, drawn earlier that day and carefully stored for Hani’s usage.

It was Tracey’s blood that she painted around the frame of the door, mixing it with her blood when she traced over the heritage runes. It was Tracey’s face she pictured in her mind as she thought about protection, about keeping her secrets safe. It was Tracey’s Arithmancy sequence she used to strengthen the connection between her blood and her friend’s Magic.

It was Tracey who had given her trust to Hani, who would receive protection in return.

And the next day, it would be Tracey who would step through the doorway without resistance.

The tension at Gryffindor table was palpable that Monday morning. Erin and Parvati sat as far from each other as possible within their small group, but even the distance wasn’t enough to erase the words everyone now knew about – word travelled fast in Gryffindor.

Hani sat between Lavender and Parvati, and she knew anyone who had interacted with them before would notice the strain and stiffness in the way they spoke to each other. 

As though their professors had sensed the need for a distraction, Professor McGonagall stood at the Head Table, drawing everyone’s attention to her. She had never taken over the Headmaster’s seat but, as it stayed empty at almost every meal, there was no question in anyone’s mind who truly led their school.

“My apologies for cutting into your precious breakfast time,” the professor smiled genially. “November marks two months since the beginning of the school year, and the halfway point in our first term. As such, Fifth and Seventh year students can now find the schedule for their orientation meetings pinned in the Entrance Hall as well as your individual common rooms. Meetings start this evening, and no absences will be excused unless one of you suddenly becomes too sick to function. Even then, I’m sure Madam Pomfrey and Healer Meadowes can work a miracle.”

The tension in their group turned to buzzing anticipation and anxiety. Hani looked from Lavender to Parvati and back again, feeling something like understanding pass between the three of them. 

No matter what was going on between them, there was no one they trusted more than each other to face the dreaded orientation meetings.

“I wish you all the best day,” Professor McGonagall finished her speech, then sighed as a stampede of students rushed out of the hall. “And please try not to trample each other on the way out!”

“Oh, we’re trampling,” Lavender instantly said, standing up and dragging Hani with her, grabbing Parvati on her way to the Great Hall doors. “If I get screwed over by my alphabetical order again, I’m going to sue someone.”

Parvati and Hani exchanged an amused glance as they rushed to keep up with their best friend.

“She’s getting screwed over for sure,” Hani whispered loudly, dodging Lavender’s hand when it came up to slap her shoulder. “Don’t shoot the messenger!”

“Don’t jinx me!” Lavender retorted, pushing her way through a large group of Seventh and Fifth years alike, desperate to get to the announcement board. 

Hani issued apologies as she followed behind her, ignoring the older students’ scathing looks and using her slightness to her advantage.

Finally, they made it to the front of the group, and Hani was quick to scan the two pieces of parchment that had been pinned to the cork. The lists had been organised by year group, from Monday to Friday, each student matched to a day, time and professor. 

It took her less than ten seconds to find Lavender’s name, written neatly next to Professor Alderton’s name, her time scheduled for that very evening.

When her best friend’s hand came up again, she didn’t bother dodging it.

“You jinxed it!” Lavender cried out, not bothering to wait for Hani and Parvati to find their names before storming away from the group, dramatic despair radiating off her in waves.

As Hani glanced through the rest of the list to find her name – Wednesday – as well as Parvati’s – Tuesday – she felt the energy of the group overtake her.

The air was thick with anxiety.

Orientation week was here.

Chapter Text

Occasionally, I find myself thinking so much of the future that I forget the present is already here. I could create a thousand spells in my lifetime, but only if I manage to live my life as it is. Always remember, my dear Evans daughters, that there is beauty to be found in the now. Keep yourself safe in the present, so you may have a future.

Healing is a Magic full of beauty and presence. Many will say blood witches have no business dealing with healing spells, but I argue that we have the most right. We know our bodies better than anyone else, and the power of our blood is perfectly suited to cure and mend what has been harmed.

So, before you look to the future, heal what already exists. That is how we will maintain our legacy.

~ ToB ~ 

The letter from Daphne had come at lunchtime, handed to her by one of the school owls that handled messages from the international postal service. 

Hani had tucked it away safely, sensing the heft of the envelope and not wanting to risk bursting into tears in the Great Hall if her friend dug as deeply as Hani thought she would. It was the first letter she’d received since Samhain – Daphne’s last letter had come on the morning of the 1st of November, and it had taken Hani five days to get back to her.

She opened the letter after classes that day, while Lavender was ensconced in Alderton’s office. Parvati had disappeared right after classes, so Hani had snuck up to their dorm with her envelope in hand and had buried herself under her covers to read Daphne’s words. 

She traced over her friend’s beautiful handwriting for a few seconds before unfolding the loose pieces of parchment with shaking fingers.

The first few paragraphs were even more difficult to read than Hani had anticipated. Tears slid down her face as Daphne expressed her regrets at not having been there for Hani the day after. Her sentences were longer than usual, questions poorly hidden behind her elaborate writing style. She could feel Daphne’s concern as though her friend was standing right in front of her, arms clasped tightly around Hani’s shoulders as she tried to dissect the emotions in Hani’s eyes.

There was an underlying current in the way she wrote that made it clear she’d heard from the other girls first. None of them had told her about the unexpected connection to Voldemort, that much was obvious from her genuine panic as she asked Hani about the experience, but they had shared the smaller things – the hollowness, the distraction, the lack of desire to talk about anything meaningful.

Hani didn’t mind, really. Daphne’s words were softer because of their warnings, careful not to push Hani too far.

Halfway through the letter, she shifted the topic back to Beauxbatons and their fast approaching departure date. Daphne spoke of her classes and teachers highly, and Hani was glad her friend’s time in France was proving to be more pleasant than her own.

By the time she got to the last two paragraphs of the letter, she was smiling, her tears dry and her eyes wrinkled with laughter. When Daphne put her mind to it, she could be wittier than most of their year group, and it was particularly visible now that she was away from Slytherin’s suffocating atmosphere.

There’s one last thing I have to tell you , she wrote to start the end of her correspondence. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Hermione appears in a fair share of my letters. This time at Beauxbatons has been good for her, I think. She’s made friends outside of our classes, and she seems to thrive in all of her lessons. She’s also been a lot more at ease with us, and perhaps with herself? There’s been a notable shift in the way she behaves herself. It’s hard to explain; you’ll have to see it in person.

I haven’t acted upon it yet, and I suppose in a way, this is me asking for permission, but I’d like to see if Hermione and I could be something more. There have been obvious signals – which I would be very happy to share with you as long as you wouldn’t find it too awkward – and to be honest, I find her wonderful. I haven’t brought it up to any of the other Sisters, because it’s all so new and uncertain and fragile, but I want to ask her out. She’s smart and patient and an incredible conversationalist, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s one of the most stunning girls I’ve ever laid eyes upon. 

I really like her, Hani, and I hope it won’t make things uncomfortable between us. I know I don’t need your blessing, but your opinion matters to me. You matter to me, and I would hate to compromise our friendship for a chance at romance.

She signed off after that, the words Love, Daphne a sharp contrast to the formality of the letters she’d sent to Hani during her own Programme.

France was making Daphne gentle, more aware of the emotions that she usually shoved behind a myriad of masks and walls. Hani found herself eager to see her friend again, to notice the differences a few months could make.

As for Hermione…

She smiled at the way Daphne spoke of her, the affection and excitement palpable even on paper. Wonderful, she called her, and Hani could easily believe it. Hermione had always been wonderful, even when the two of them struggled to see eye to eye. If the Programme had done as much for her as it was doing for Daphne – as it had done for Hani – then she couldn’t wait to see her housemate again.

She would have to get back to Daphne quickly so her friend wasn’t left to wonder if Hani disapproved of her connection to Hermione. Truthfully, Hani was glad for it. Daphne had never been particularly romantic, but Hani could tell she craved the sort of easy relationship Blaise and Parvati had found with each other.

Hermione would be good for her. They would be good together.

She smiled as she left the confines of her bed, her mind already drifting to the many things she wanted to tell Daphne in her letter.

She only took two steps before realising the dorm wasn’t empty anymore.

Lavender sat on Sophie’s bed, Fay and Sophie on either side of her, the three of them laughing loudly at something Fay had just said.

A quick tempus reassured Hani that she hadn’t completely lost track of time; Lavender’s meeting with Alderton must have only just ended, their allotted half-hour slot having run out less than five minutes ago.

“Hey,” she smiled as she approached the trio of girls. All three of them waved as she neared them, giggles still slipping past their lips every few seconds. “How’d the meeting go?”

“Oh, good,” Lavender grinned. “Turns out you were right and I was worrying about nothing. Alderton told me I’d have to work hard in Arithmancy, but then basically implied I could give up on some of our core subjects so long as I was ready for my OWL results to be lower than what I’m used to.”

“Huh.” Hani’s eyebrows shot up, not sure what she’d expected Alderton to say about Lavender’s peculiar situation. “But he doesn’t see any issues with your career plan?”

“None at all,” Lavender replied, delighted. “As long as I keep it up with Charms and Arithmancy, and with the condition that I take the Hogwarts Gazette seriously, he fully supports my ambitions. He was apparently quite happy to hear I didn’t have illusions of grandeur.”

“Makes me less nervous for my meeting,” Fay chuckled. “Though, it’s not exactly surprising. Alderton has always been eager to hear about how we’re doing. It’s very ‘follow your dreams’ when it comes to him, you know?”

“He’s a good professor,” Hani agreed. “Though, I wonder if he’ll keep that same spirit when he realises some of us have no clue what we want to do with our lives.”

“I’m sure he’ll give us suggestions,” Sophie replied, unconcerned. “I mean, that’s partly what these meetings are for, right? I’m almost certain Lavender’s case is the minority and most of us are just trying to figure out what we could do with our futures. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Hani.”

“Good point,” Hani smiled, then let her gaze slide over to Lavender. “Did you want to go find Parvati? I’m sure she’d love to hear about your meeting.”

Next to Lavender, Fay’s lips thinned, a furrow appearing in the space between her eyebrows. Sophie’s grin didn’t slip off her face, but Hani could feel the way it strained now, her eyes flickering nervously in Lavender’s direction.

“If Parvati wants to hear about my meeting, she can do the same thing the three of you did,” Lavender’s smile was sharp, her voice dry. “No offence Hani, but you don’t have to fight her battles for her. Besides, Soph and I were going to find our study group before dinner. Han, Terry and Millie all had their meetings today as well, and I’d rather chat to them about it than go chasing after Parvati.”

Hani winced, but she knew Lavender had a point.

As far as she knew, Parvati still hadn’t properly apologised for missing out on the Gazette interviews. In fact, if Hani wasn’t mistaken, she hadn’t even asked Lavender who she’d picked to join her team. While Hani secretly investigated Lavender’s future colleagues, Parvati seemed oblivious to the shifting dynamics of their friend group.

It left Hani in a strange position. When Parvati was around, the two of them would skirt around the bigger topics of their lives, instead using Hani as a buffer to talk about meaningless things. When she wasn’t around, Lavender would wander off to find her other friends, usually leaving Hani behind. 

Not that she could hold it against her best friend, especially not considering how often she vanished to spend time with Tracey or her fellow prefects or even her study partners. They had separate lives going on.

It was fine.

“Sounds like a good time,” she finally told Lavender, softening her smile into something genuine when Lavender looked at her curiously. “Do you mind if I stop by just before you guys head off to the Great Hall? I’ve been wanting to talk to Hannah, but she’s always busy in Hufflepuff.”

“Of course,” Lavender smiled back at her. “We’ll be in the library. You gonna go hang out with your study partners in the meantime?”

“Not today,” Hani shook her head. “I’ll head down to the common room, see what’s going on there. Maybe Neville will be around; I’m sure he’ll want to chat about his orientation meeting as well. And the little ones always love having company.”

“I’ll come with,” Fay volunteered eagerly, pressing a kiss to Lavender’s cheek and leaning over to ruffle Sophie’s hair. “Love you guys. I’ll see you later!”

She was already leaving the room when Hani opened her mouth to say goodbye to the other two girls, and she found herself staring after her in confusion. She hurried behind her, catching up in the stairs after hastily promising Sophie and Lavender she would see them in the library later.

“In a rush?” She asked, amused.

“Okay, look,” Fay said, glancing back at the seventh floor as though half-expecting Sophie and Lavender to come running out of their dorm. “Don’t tell Soph and Lav, but I’ve been trying to be better about Erin. I know she’s hard to live with, but it’s not like she asked to be here. I don’t want the dorm to be a minefield forever, and I reckon I have a better chance of befriending her than the rest of our lovely roommates. They’re not exactly friendly when it comes to Erin.”

“It’s–” Hani paused, gathering her thoughts. 

Erin had grown into a strange paradox these past few weeks: she had stopped actively antagonising the girls in their dorm, but she’d doubled down on the trouble she was causing outside of Gryffindor Tower. 

“It’s a good idea,” she said eventually. “Any success so far? I was under the impression Erin didn’t actually want to spend time with any of us.”

“I’m working on it,” Fay shrugged. “It keeps me busy when Lav and Soph are busy with their study partners. Same thing you do with your other friends, except I prefer to keep it inside Gryffindor. Not that I mind the other houses, but I like having our dorm close at hand.”

Hani snorted. It was no secret that Fay enjoyed the safety of their room more than anyone else in Gryffindor. Most social gatherings ended with Fay long-gone, wrapped in her blankets and fast asleep in her bed.

“Well, I’m glad it’s keeping you busy. And Erin too, I suppose,” Hani laughed. “Maybe she’ll finally learn to stay out of trouble.”

“Doubt it,” Fay snorted as they reached the ground floor.

She winked at Hani, her smile mischievous, and then disappeared into the throng of students lazing about the room. Hani stared at the space she’d vacated for a few seconds before entering the room. Everyone’s attention immediately flicked towards her as she strode towards a group of armchairs in which her male yearmates were lounging. 

By the time she joined Seamus, Dean, Ron and Neville, a smattering of first and second-years had approached the quartet, eagerly waiting for Hani to sit down.

Before she could say anything, Seamus spoke up.

“Nope, sorry kids, but Hani’s all ours for now,” he announced, smirking conspiratorially at Hani when she took her seat between Ron and Dean. “Office hours are closed, problems will have to wait. Unless they’re urgent. Are they urgent?”

The younger students shook their heads, pleading eyes turned on Hani.

“Sorry, but Seamus is right,” Hani chuckled. “I’ll be around after dinner, okay?”

“Damn,” Ron said quietly as the students shuffled away from them. “Didn’t think you had it in you to break their hearts, Hani.”

“Oh, shut it, you,” she said, slapping the redhead’s arm. “Are you going to complain about getting time with me? I feel like it’s been months since I was last able to properly hang out around here. Besides, it’s orientation week. We should be… reflecting. Or something.”

“Or something,” Seamus cackled.

“I think we should ban all talk of orientation until it’s over,” Dean groaned from his seat. “Neville agrees, right?”

“My orientation’s done,” Neville said dryly, shooting Dean an innocent smile when he shot a glare in his direction. “Unless you’re making an official declaration, Prefect Thomas? Then of course, I’ll bow down to you and respect your orders.”

“Twat,” Dean sniffed. “Maybe Hani and I can make an official declaration together? I’d need the support of my partner, since we all know she’s the one people actually respect in this house.”

Hani ignored him – and the subsequent teasing he received from Neville and Seamus – and turned to Ron instead. While she’d come down mostly with the intention of asking Neville about his orientation meeting, it had been a few weeks since she’d had a chance to properly talk with the other boys as well.

Besides, Daphne’s letter lingered in her mind, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Have you heard from Hermione since she left?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Ron replied slowly, his eyes narrowed. For all that people teased him for his lack of emotional intelligence, Hani knew even he understood the tension that had existed between Hermione and her for the past two years. “She’s doing good. Really good. Why?”

“I–” She stopped herself, aware of their audience – Dean, the other boys, the younger students hovering nearby. “Just wondering. I’m looking forward to seeing her again.”

Ron’s eyes widened, the suspicion on his face melting into something like hope.

“Me too,” he said hesitantly. “Maybe… Maybe the three of us could hang out when she’s back. Talk about orientation and the Programme and whatnot. I know the two of you have more in common when it comes to all that stuff, but I could be a– buffet?”

“A buffer,” Hani held back her snickers, but Dean had no such restraint. He cackled next to her, his laughter doubling when Ron’s cheeks reddened. “I’d like that, Ron.”

“Cool, cool,” Ron nodded, gaze mutinous as it slid towards Dean. “Sorry, I have something to deal with.”

And then he was pouncing onto Dean, wand in hand as he threatened their friend with a lot more than a Laughing Hex if he didn’t get himself under control within the next few seconds.

Hani watched them, her lips curled into a warm smile.

Hermione would like this, she thought, especially if Daphne was right about how much better she was doing thanks to the Programme. The two of them would laugh about the boys’ antics together, and Hani wouldn’t have to worry about being the only girl around when Lavender and Parvati were nowhere to be found. 

It was nice to imagine the future that way, with Hermione back in her life and Daphne waiting to hear about their evening just outside the door to Gryffindor Tower.

She’d write to Daphne that night.

And maybe she’d include a few tips on asking someone out too, just to make sure Daphne didn’t ruin their chances.

“You look happy.”

Hani smiled at Hannah, who was watching her fondly out of the corner of her eye. She hadn’t spoken to Hannah much since Samhain and the consequent weeks, but she knew the other girl had been worried. She’d slipped Hani sweet treats as often as possible and, to her credit, it had been exactly the kind of support Hani had needed from her.

“Yeah,” Hani said softly. “Orientation week… It’s all about change, isn’t it? The future and what we’ll have to do to get to where we want to be. I guess it’s made me realise we’re already changing, and it doesn’t have to be all bad.”

Hannah hummed, her brows drawn together as she absently flipped through the book set in front of her. 

“Do you disagree?” Hani asked, her smile dimming a little. She hadn’t kept up with Hannah as much as she’d wanted to, the two of them often running in opposite circles within the Sisters’ group.

“Not fundamentally,” Hannah shrugged. She snapped the book shut. “I just– Well, I kind of hate it. This year was already going to be different enough as it was, with the triplets at school and Prefect duties and our OWLs coming up. I think I was hoping at least the Sisters would stay the same. But now Leo is spending half of his time with the boys in our year, and Tracey isn’t particularly fond of hanging out with Susan, so it’s all very… divided.”

“I get it,” Hani said, sympathetic to Hannah’s plight. “You know, I barely get any time with Lavender and Parvati these days. They’re so busy with their own lives, and me with mine, that I feel like the only time we see each other is when we’re in the dorm. But it’s… I don’t know. It’s alright, isn’t it?”

“Probably,” Hannah sighed. “I still hate it, though.”

Hani didn’t disagree. She wasn’t lying when she said she thought change didn’t have to be all bad – not if it meant time with Dean and Ron and Hermione, with Tracey and Daphne and Lisa – but she missed her easy friendship with Lavender and Parvati. She missed Severus too, even if her father was being a complete adult about everything.

“How did your orientation meeting go?” She asked instead. “Professor Pyrites is pretty chill, isn’t he?”

“Hardly,” Hannah snorted. “He’s kind, yes, but he also takes his duties very seriously. He had a list of things for us to discuss, and I could tell it stressed him out when I took too long to explain my plans for the future.”

“He’s probably anxious to make sure everyone gets the information and support they need,” Hani laughed along with her friend. “But what did he think of your plans?”

“Oh, you know,” Hannah said, waving her hands around vaguely.

“No,” Hani responded wryly. “I don’t know. I’m not sure you’ve ever actually shared what your plans are. Did you want to go into dancing? I’m sure there are groups in the magical world that would be delighted to have you join them, especially if you get into choreography. And we could all come to your shows!”

“Hardly,” Hannah shook her head, amused. “No, dancing was never something I wanted to do professionally. I told him I’d probably go into the Ministry, find a department I don’t mind, and focus on my hobbies outside of work.”

“That’s–” Hani started, then considered her words. “That’s a very sensible plan. And Pyrites approved?”

“Sort of,” Hannah answered.

Again, with the purposeful vagueness. If it had been anyone else, Hani might have pushed and asked for details, but she had a feeling Hannah had enough on her plate already.

If she wanted to keep the details of her meeting to herself, then so be it. Hani would have to learn to live with her burning curiosity.

“I, um, I have some news about Charlie, if you haven’t heard it already,” she said, changing the topic to the matter she’d been meaning to bring up in the first place. “You told me you’d appreciate it if I could keep an eye on him, so…”

“Yes,” Hannah cut her off, cheeks bright at her outburst. “Yes, absolutely. Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, Han,” Hani smiled. “Theo and I caught him in an unused classroom during our day patrols, and it looks like he’s been trying to form an unofficial debate club with some of his fellow first-years. He has a good group already, and I told him to talk to Susan. She’s trying to set something up, isn’t she?”

“She is,” Hannah replied, and Hani didn’t think she was imagining the surprise in her friend’s eyes.

She wasn’t so petty that she would deny Charlie a chance to join a debate club just because she didn’t like the person in charge.

“Anyway, I asked him if he’d try to get his sisters on board, and there was a bit of tension there,” Hani continued. “I don’t know what’s going on, exactly, but he completely shut down when I brought Grace up.”

Hannah winced. “It’s the same with Abby. She won’t tell me what’s happened, and part of me is worried that if I dig too deep, I’ll find out the two of them are holding Grace’s Sorting against her. Now that they’re at Hogwarts, maybe the House prejudices finally got to them, and I have no idea how I’d even begin to handle that.”

“Charlie has Slytherin friends, though,” Hani pointed out. “Lachlan, I think? And a girl, as well. Those two are thick as thieves; Theodore quite likes them.”

“Right,” Hannah frowned. “Merlin, I wish Daphne was here. I love Tracey, but she hates the Slytherin common room, so it’s impossible for me to gather information about Grace through her. Also, Abby thinks what I’m doing counts as stalking. She doesn’t particularly mind me keeping tabs on her, but I’m worried Grace won’t be as kind in her assessment if I try to ask around about her well-being.”

“I could ask Theodore about it, if you really want to know,” Hani suggested, even though the thought of digging into Grace’s life felt like dangerous waters to tread. She wasn’t a forgiving girl.

“Maybe later,” Hannah murmured. “Hani…”

She hesitated for a second, glancing around them at the mostly empty library. Dinner was about to start, and the only remaining students were older Ravenclaws who weren’t paying even the slightest attention to the pair of fifth years conversing quietly.

“They’ve set a date for a hearing,” Hannah continued once she was sure no one was eavesdropping. Hani stared at her, lips parted. “My father is trying to fight for guardianship on account of holding a title, but my mother wants full custody. The hearing is set for next Saturday. They want me to testify.”

“And what outcome are you hoping for?” Hani asked gently.

“Kate has been sending me letters,” Hannah whispered. “They’re with a foster family right now, and she’s happy. She doesn’t have to take care of Jamie, she’s getting private tutoring, and their foster parents have a daughter close to her in age. She misses our parents, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to say about that. Dad can’t claim custody anymore, and it’s not like mum knew what was going on.”

Hani stayed quiet. She knew, from her own experience, that asking questions would make the conversation feel like an interrogation instead. It was easier to talk about things without pressure than to be questioned relentlessly.

“I want Katie and Jamie to be happy,” Hannah admitted. “If that means staying with their foster family until mum is actually capable of taking care of them, then that’s what should be done. Even if it takes years. I don’t want them going back to a house where they’re left to fend for themselves.”

A pause and a hitch in Hannah’s breath.

“They’ll get to be kids. That’s what matters the most.”

“Of course,” Hani nodded. “But what about you and the triplets? Where will you go?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah breathed out. “Wherever they tell us to go, I guess. Wherever they think we’ll be the happiest and safest. Maybe with another family member. That’s what happened to y–”

She cut herself off, shooting Hani an apologetic look.

“I mean, what happened with me wasn’t precisely legal,” Hani said jokingly, though she sometimes still thought about how much worse her summer could have turned out if she hadn’t been lucky enough to end up with Severus. “They won’t do anything that would cause you harm, Han. And you can always argue for a specific family member, if you have someone in mind.” 

Hannah hummed noncommittally. Hani knew that was the best she would get for now.

“I’m sorry about your guardians,” she told Hani, not lingering on her own situation now that she’d gotten her initial worries out of the way. “Have they apologised for telling Professor Dumbledore?”

“I don’t think they feel the need to apologise,” Hani huffed. “In their eyes, they’re doing what they have to to keep me safe, healthy, and uninvolved in matters of the war.”

“That’s stupid,” Hannah scoffed. “As if we don’t see the reports in the Daily Prophet, Muggle areas being ‘mysteriously attacked’ by what they ‘suspect’ are magical means. It’s not like you’re asking them to participate in the war efforts. Besides, isn’t telling Dumbledore about your weird connection the opposite of keeping you uninvolved?”

“I don’t claim to understand how their brains operate,” Hani laughed dryly. “They’ve got their own justifications. Adults always do.”

“They do, don’t they?” Hannah smiled, her eyes sad. “I’m sorry they won’t give you the information you’re looking for.”

“It’s okay,” Hani said. “I’ve got my own research going on.”

“Oh,” Hannah lit up. “Good. Hani, that’s great! I should have known you’d have something else up your sleeve.”

“Well, it’s nothing concrete,” Hani grinned sheepishly. “But I was never going to give up on a prophecy that could potentially change my entire life.”

“It’s your future,” Hannah said understandingly.

Hani nodded.

“It’s yours too,” she told her friend, and watched as resolution painted itself over Hannah’s features.

“I still hate change,” Hannah muttered.

Hani laughed at her put-upon tone, but when they headed out to the Great Hall, she held Hannah’s hand tightly in one of hers.

She quite liked change, she thought, if it meant more moments like these, hand in hand with her friend as they talked about Hani’s uncertain future and the many things she could do with her life.

The desk in Professor Alderton’s office was covered in pamphlets that boasted the merits of a hundred different careers. Each of them seemed to assure the reader that a life couldn’t be spent doing anything other than what they offered.

Hani looked away from them and focused instead on Alderton. The professor was currently shifting through a stack of papers, lips twisted apologetically. Hani waited patiently, her features smoothed out into a confident smile despite the trepidation she felt at the thought of delving into her nebulous future.

Finally, Alderton let out a victorious sound and drew out a smaller pile of parchment. Hani’s name and picture stood out starkly on the top sheet, and she suddenly wished she’d been aware that her professors were keeping track of her in a detailed folder.

“Thank you for your patience, Miss Potter,” her professor said kindly. “I had anticipated having some time to prepare for our meeting, but some of your younger housemates had other plans for me.”

“They don’t like sticking to our schedules,” Hani joked, beaming when Alderton laughed at her poor attempt at humour. “I hope this won’t make you late for your next meeting?”

“I don’t think it will,” Alderton reassured her. “However, I’m afraid we can’t waste much time with idle chatter. I’m sure you’re aware, Miss Potter, that your student file is one of the most promising ones in your year group. Your grades are exemplary, your behaviour over these past three years has been impeccable, and your extracurricular involvement shows a true dedication for the things you love. Quidditch, the Exchange Programme, Prefect duties, interhouse connections… All of these are elements that will make you stand out to potential employers. Unless you tell me you wish to become a historian or an astronomer, I don’t think you’ll face any obstacles as you build your future.”

It was strange to hear all her accomplishments laid out so plainly. 

Hani knew, theoretically, that she was an above-average student who was more involved in the school than the vast majority of her yearmates. For some reason, however, it hadn’t truly hit her until then that this would be an incredible advantage for her future.

She simply loved Magic and Hogwarts and Quidditch and her friends enough for the effort to be worth it.

“I definitely don’t want to be a historian or an astronomer,” she told Alderton when she realised she’d been staring at him listlessly for a tad too long. “To be honest, though, I’m not quite sure what I want to do. It all seems so far away in the grand scheme of things.”

A lot farther than the war brewing within the magical community, and certainly farther than the control she was trying to exercise over her Blood Magic.

She didn’t think ‘Blood Witch’ was a viable profession, no matter how tempting it would be to use her natural Magic as a means of survival and fulfilment.

“That’s quite alright,” Professor Alderton said, gesturing to the pamphlets Hani had dismissed when she’d first taken a seat. “There’s plenty of information here to help guide your decision, and you don’t need to make a choice before the end of the year. We only need to narrow down your options until we can imagine what your timetable might look like next year. Most NEWT classes have an entry requirement, and we’ll work together to ensure you meet all your goals. Again, Miss Potter, this isn’t something I’m particularly worried about when it comes to you.”

“Right,” Hani said slowly. “Well, I’ll definitely be dropping History of Magic. I love learning about our world, but I do better when I’m not limited by the parameters of the class.”

“Good,” Professor Alderton nodded. “Anything else you’d like to immediately dismiss?”

There were a lot of subjects she didn’t think she’d need in her future career. Even if she didn’t know precisely what she wanted to do after Hogwarts – if she made it that far, prophecy and all – she knew she would always want to craft. It was written in her blood the same way her Evans Magic was. 

Defence and Transfiguration wouldn’t be of much use to her if she could master Charms and Runes. They would, however, be a necessity if she ever had to face Voldemort or his Death Eaters again. 

The possibility of a blissful future against the threat of the present. According to her mother, the present came first.

“I’ll keep Defence, Transfiguration, Charms, Runes and Potions,” Hani counted the subjects off on one hand. “I won’t need Herbology.”

“Perfect,” Alderton nodded. He waited a few seconds for her to add something before speaking again. “We can reevaluate Arithmancy and Astronomy at a later date, if you’d like? Though I will let you know that Arithmancy is restricted to students who achieve an Outstanding on their OWL exams.”

“That’s… not impossible for me,” Hani sighed. It wouldn’t be easy, but she knew Lavender wanted to organise weekly intensive Arithmancy sessions. She doubted her best friend would turn down her help. “I’ll have to think about Astronomy.”

“Noted,” Alderton hummed. “So, it seems you do have some idea about your future. I understand this doesn’t mean you have any concrete plans, but might I ask what general field you’re thinking of joining? I may know who to refer you to for additional information and advice.”

“I already have a few contacts,” Hani grinned excitedly. She didn’t exchange regular letters with Marybel, but she’d sent the older witch a few updates after she’d started sewing in earnest. “I want to craft. I’ve already got my Thread Magic, and my knowledge of Runes could be useful if I cultivate it properly. I could get a Mastery first, I guess. It depends.”

“On what?” Professor Alderton pushed.

“The job offers I receive, the ideas I get for my craft, the state of the world,” she shrugged. “Or maybe I’ll suddenly decide I want to be a professional Quidditch player far away from Britain, and then all my plans will have been for nothing.”

“Right,” Professor Alderton said slowly, his eyes wide and his face pale. His quill hovered over the piece of parchment in front of him, as though he wasn’t sure how to summarise Hani’s thoughts on paper.

Hani took pity on him. 

“I’m kidding, professor,” she laughed. She wasn’t entirely joking, but Alderton seemed stressed enough already.

She hadn’t seen Parvati after her meeting the night before, but she knew it hadn’t gone well. Her friend had been in a foul mood all day, ignoring all of Lavender and Hani’s attempts at asking her about her one-on-one with Alderton. And, paired with Fay’s retelling of her meeting, it was clear Alderton hadn’t had a particularly good Tuesday evening. 

“I love Quidditch, but I care about my other passions a little bit more,” she added for his benefit, smiling when he relaxed minutely. “Is there anything else I need to be doing this year? I know I’ll have to start thinking about apprenticeships with the NEWT-level professors at some point. The offers are sent along with our Hogwarts letters in the summer, right?”

“They are,” Alderton nodded, flicking to another page in his stack of papers, seemingly satisfied that they were back on track. “Students in the top ten can usually expect several offers, especially since each professor is now encouraged to take on multiple apprentices to help with the subject across all year groups. You’ve ranked highest in Ancient Runes and Defence for two years in a row, so I’d start thinking about your options now. It would be an added responsibility, Miss Potter, and you already have quite a few duties to juggle.”

“I mean, Prefect duties will be a lot easier next year,” Hani pointed out. “Since I won’t have to take care of all the younger students and handle the dormitory situations.”

“Ah, yes,” Alderton winced. “Truthfully, you shouldn’t have to be handling those things now, either. I’ve been discussing the matter with Professor Prewett and the rest of the leadership team, and we’re trying to come up with a more viable solution.”

“Really?” Hani brightened at the thought. “What kinds of solutions?”

“It’s complicated,” Alderton responded, and Hani opened her mouth to protest his vagueness when Alderton held up his hand to stop her. “There are a lot of matters being brought to our attention, Miss Potter. The distribution of Prefect duties is one of them, but it isn’t nearly the most urgent one. However, I have started to organise a schedule for our Gryffindor professors. I’m hoping we can make it so there is always at least one of them in the common room at all times.”

Hani resisted the urge to ask for more details on what was going on behind the scenes. She wished she was hearing about this from Severus instead, but her father hadn’t exactly been forthcoming these past few weeks.

“Well, thanks for looking into it, professor,” she said gratefully. “Was there anything else we needed to discuss today?”

Alderton hesitated for a moment. Hani watched as he pinched his lips together and considered her carefully. She stared back evenly, silently pleading with him to share whatever was on his mind.

“Miss Potter, there are concerns amongst certain members of staff that you may attempt to do something foolish if certain attacks persist in the Muggle world.”

Hani blinked at him, anger and disbelief and shock warring within her as she wondered who could have possibly been bringing up these ‘concerns’. Wondering if her father was one of the professors who’s mentioned her recklessness, even though it had been years since the Chamber of Secrets and her foolhardy actions at the time.

“Professor, surely you don’t think–”

“I’ve learned from my mistakes,” Professor Alderton cut her off placatingly. “You are a responsible student, a trustworthy Prefect, and a good friend to those around you. I assured my colleagues that you have given no sign of wanting to ‘go on an adventure’, as they like to call it. However, I understand that your guardians are also worried about your status in the Wizarding World and how it may affect the decisions you make.”

“I’m sorry professor, but how is this relevant to today’s meeting? I’m well aware that my guardians think I care too much about the state of our world.” Hani asked.

“I only wished to say, Miss Potter, that I’m delighted with the options you’ve presented for your future. You seem to have a good grasp of what you want to do with your life, even if the specifics are still blurry,” Alderton said gently. “I thought perhaps I could tell your guardians that you’ve shown no desire to engage in current political events.”

“Oh,” Hani said softly. “Sure. I doubt they’ll stop believing whatever they want to believe, but I guess it can’t hurt. Besides, they aren’t wrong about me wanting to be more involved in political matters. Sometimes, I feel as though I don’t know nearly enough about the magical world.”

“An interest in politics is perfectly normal at your age,” Alderton chuckled. “I’d be surprised if you weren’t at least a little concerned about the things happening beyond our school. Before he left for the Programme, Professor Picquery had been arguing for the inclusion of World Events in the History curriculum, and I think he was motivated largely by students like you.”

“It’d be a lot better than the current Histor– I mean, it’d be nice to study the present on top of the past.”

“Noted,” Alderton laughed. “I’ll make sure your words of support get back to him. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, but Mister Finnigan will be expecting me soon, and I believe we’ve covered everything that needs to be discussed at this stage. If you have any further questions about your career options or your NEWT classes, feel free to request a meeting with me at any point in time. You are always welcome here.”

“Thanks, Professor Alderton,” Hani smiled genuinely, smiling and grabbing two pamphlets – one on Masteries along with a comprehensive guide of NEWTs – before following Alderton back to the door. “I look forward to our Gryffindor Prefects get-together next week. You’ll be attending?”

“Unless something urgent comes up, I won’t be missing it for the world,” her professor replied. “Thank you for your time, Miss Potter.”

She waved awkwardly as she left the office, crossing Seamus on her way out and whispering a few words of encouragement to him. Her poor housemate looked almost sick with worry. She couldn’t quite relate to the stress about her grades and her future, but she knew what it felt like to be completely out of her depth.

“You’ll do great,” she told Seamus, who grimaced unconvincingly as she patted his arm. “Just be honest, and be open about whatever options Professor Alderton suggests. He wants what’s best for you, I promise.”

“No offence Hani, but it’s easy for you to say,” Seamus groaned, though he shot her a grateful look nevertheless. “Thanks, though. Dean is off grabbing some snacks to cheer me up after this. You can be hopeful if you want, but I know damn well this is going to be the shittiest meeting of my life so far.”

“Lucky you,” Hani teased. 

She grinned, satisfied, when Seamus let out a genuine huff of laughter. He shook his head, still chuckling, as he shooed her away. She had friends to find, he pointed out, and Hani couldn’t deny it when Lavender and Parvati were sitting on a sofa next to the fireplace, the silence stifling even from afar.

She swiftly crossed the room and sat between the two of them, letting some of the positivity from her conversation with Seamus carry over. Not that either of her best friends appreciated it, if the tense lines of their jaws and shoulders were anything to go by. 

“In the mood for a quiet evening?” She asked jokingly, though she knew neither of her friends would miss the warning in her voice.

It had been over a week since the three of them had had a proper conversation, and she refused to let it go to waste because her two favourite people were arguing over a boy. Blaise was nice enough, but he wasn’t worth the loss of a friendship.

“How’d your meeting go?” Lavender asked, wisely letting Hani’s rhetorical question go unanswered. “I’m sure it was torture , given your grades and standing within the house.”

“Prat,” Hani laughed, nudging her friend in the ribs. “It was good. We talked a little about crafting and the subjects I’ll want to take next year. I’m pretty sure he trusts me to do what’s best for me, so there wasn’t too much guidance involved. Although, he did volunteer to talk to my father about my interest in… politics.”

‘The war’ was what she wanted to say, but she hadn’t spoken about the Muggle attacks that way with Lavender and Parvati. They all knew who was behind the attacks and what had happened after Hani had been kidnapped last year, but they hadn’t quite acknowledged what it meant for the larger Wizarding World.

It was easier for everyone to believe the attacks were an isolated issue rather than the symptom of a bigger issue.

“Can he even do that?” Lavender frowned. Hani mirrored her expression, not sure what her best friend meant. “Aren’t politics a weird thing to be discussing with your student?”

“Not when the professors are apparently bringing it up in the staff room,” Hani shrugged. “I’ll take whatever support I can get right now. I thought I could bring up the prophecy to Sev– my dad soon, but after Samhain… I don’t know, I don’t think he’ll listen to anything I have to say.”

“Huh, I thought you’d talked to him about the prophecy already,” Parvati said, curious. “We stopped our research more than a month ago, and you still haven’t approached him?”

“It really isn’t as simple as the two of you seem to believe it is,” Hani sighed. “I’m trying to find the right moment.”

The right moment to find the prophecy, even if it meant having to go behind her father’s back and acquiring whatever information he might have hidden about the prophecy orb she’d so dutifully fetched for them. 

“Anyway, we’re not here to talk about all that,” she added, dismissing the topic with a wave of her hand. “Parvati, you didn’t tell us what happened at your meeting. I looked for you afterwards, but you were nowhere to be found.”

“She was probably with Blaise,” Lavender muttered, rolling her eyes.

Hani ignored her and, thankfully, so did Parvati.

“I was nowhere to be found because there was nothing to talk about,” Parvati said, her smile so forced it was bordering on painful. “Everything’s fine.”

“Wait, what happened?” Lavender’s brows drew close together, her irritation melting into concern at Parvati’s frustrated tone. “Did Professor Alderton say something about your plans? Did he dismiss you because your grades aren’t as stellar as he wants them to be? I swear, if he said anything at all about you, I’m going to–”

“Lav,” Parvati interrupted her. She didn’t meet their eyes, her gaze fixed on the curled hands in her lap. “Professor Alderton didn’t do anything. I just– I might have gotten a tad upset during the meeting, so he dismissed me. I’m having my meeting tomorrow with Professor Prewett and Professor Hornby instead. It’ll have to be late, since Professor Prewett has to take care of his NEWT students.”

“He dismissed you?” Hani gaped. “Parvati, what…”

She trailed off, not wanting to sound accusatory when it was clear their friend was going through something.

Still, she couldn’t imagine Professor Alderton kicking anyone out of his office. What on earth had Parvati said and done to anger their Deputy Head who spent most of his time hovering around the younger students and avoiding rumours of his relationship with Professor Cresswell?

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Parvati crossed her arms over her chest, glaring when Lavender opened her mouth. “I’m serious. I’m glad the two of you had a jolly good time with Alderton, but I don’t have anything to say. What’s done is done. I’m getting enough bullshit from Padma already, I don’t need it from you two as well.”

Hani didn’t look in Lavender’s direction, knowing Parvati wouldn’t take it well if they communicated silently right in front of her eyes, but she was strongly tempted. Surely, she couldn’t be the only one completely caught off-guard by their friend’s behaviour? Had any of the other Sisters noticed? Had Blaise?

“Oh, don’t act so dejected,” Parvati rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m banning the subject entirely. You can still chat about your meetings and your futures with the other Sisters. You’ll survive.”

As if that was their greatest concern.

This time, Hani gave into the urge to look at Lavender. The corners of her mouth dipped down when she spotted the anxiety in her best friend’s eyes.

Damn it.

These days, it felt like a new problem appeared every time Hani looked away for a single second.

“Drama, drama, drama,” Tracey sighed loudly. “Blaise is lucky Daphne isn’t here, because she wouldn’t be nearly as understanding as we’ve been about his and Parvati’s constant disappearances.”

“Where do they even go?” Hani asked distractedly.

She’d made plans with Tracey earlier that week when they’d realised their orientation meetings were on the same day. Hani had been looking for an excuse to go to their private room anyway, and the opportunity had been too perfect to pass up on.

Now, she sat at her desk with the Grimoire and a few other textbooks open in front of her while Tracey lounged on the sofa they’d recovered from the Come-and-Go room.

“They have spots outside,” Tracey replied. “Apparently, Parvati prefers it that way. Fewer people around.”

“Smart,” Hani hummed. “Frustrating, but smart. I’m surprised she didn’t have some of her roaming privileges revoked after she yelled at a teacher.”

“The professors know they can’t stop us from wandering places we shouldn’t be at times we shouldn’t be out,” Tracey winked at Hani when she shot her a playful glare. “Oh, come on, it was too tempting! I wouldn’t be this annoying if you’d just take me out under the cloak sometime. I’m dying to know what it’s like.”

“Someday,” Hani rolled her eyes. “You can go on an adventure alone with it, if you want.”

“Seriously?” Tracey’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide and pleading as she stared at Hani. “I would literally pay you to do that.”

“Sure,” Hani shrugged. “I only use it in the evenings anyway, or when I need to go down to Severus’ quarters. If you want to sneak out somewhere, feel free to borrow it. As long as it gets back to me when I need it, I don’t particularly care what you do with it. Think of it as a thank you for keeping my secret.”

“I thought the thank you was letting me participate in all of this,” Tracey said, gesturing at the room around them. “I mean, prophecy investigations and Blood Magic experiments? Hani, you’ve given me more than enough already.”

“Then you can think of it as a gift from one friend to another,” Hani said dryly. “Unless you want me to rescind my offer?”

“Nope,” Tracey grinned. “Thanks, Hani.”

“Don’t even mention it,” Hani waved her off. “Besides, you shouldn’t thank me yet. We haven’t talked about your orientation. I’m guessing it wasn’t as disastrous as Parvati’s, but I know you were anxious about it.”

“It turned out a lot better than I expected, actually,” Tracey answered, her grin turning into a softer, satisfied smile. “Professor Cresswell is really good at taking our ideas and making them make sense. I mean, she looked completely overwhelmed when I first told her about my plans, but she eventually managed to transform them into a half-decent plan.”

“Oh? And what’s this plan?” Hani asked curiously. “I didn’t think you knew what you wanted to do with your life.”

“I don’t,” Tracey chuckled. “Which is why the plan is to get me up to par on as many subjects as possible so I can keep my options open while I consider what I actually want to get up to in the future. According to Professor Cresswell, I can’t be a Quidditch-playing, travelling, researching, business-savvy entrepreneur who also dabbles in curse breaking, coaching and wildlife discoveries. Something about narrowing my interests until they’re a little more compatible.”

Hani shook her head, amused.

“She’s not letting you live out your dream,” she laughed. “Alderton would have given you a hundred pamphlets and told you to come up with a comprehensive three-year plan that would help you achieve everything at once. Though, thinking about it now, it would have probably driven you insane. You realise you’ll have to take NEWT-level classes before you can get to those endeavours, right?”

“Don’t remind me,” Tracey groaned, throwing herself down onto the sofa so Hani could no longer see her from her spot. Her voice came out muffled when she spoke again. “Professor Cresswell wants me to take Muggle Studies, Hani. Muggle Studies!”

Hani stifled her laughter. Tracey had always argued that it was ridiculous to make muggleborns and Muggle-raised halfbloods take Muggle Studies as an elective. Tracey hadn’t gone to primary school in the Muggle world, but her parents had made sure she had non-magical friends as a child, and she’d always known more about the Muggle world than Hani had. 

“Does that mean you’ll have to take the OWL exams as well?” Hani asked, biting down on her bottom lip hard when Tracey let out a wounded sound. “Hey, at least it’ll be an easy O for you.”

Tracey answered with another grumble, and Hani finally laughed out loud, swatting the throw pillow that came flying her way with a lazy wave of her wand. Tracey sat up and narrowed her eyes at her, but Hani had quelled her giggles, relaxing her face into the perfect picture of innocence.

“Merlin, you’re insufferable,” Tracey huffed. “Can’t wait to be stuck in ten classes with you. It’s going to be so much fun.”

“You can joke all you want, but we both know you’ll be jumping at a chance to be paired with me if you get into the Ancient Runes class.”

“Insufferable,” Tracey repeated, rolling her eyes. “Get back to your books, why don’t you? Have you decided what you want to try out next? Your wards are pretty much impeccable, to the point where I’m kind of convinced you’d be able to include me in wards even if you didn’t have access to my fresh blood.”

It was an exaggeration, since Hani hadn’t figured out how to get past the barrier of fresh blood yet, but she accepted the praise anyway.

They’d – Hani had, at least – modified the runic sequence around the secret room’s doorway so it would warn Hani if anyone tried to cross the threshold. They’d also tested the ward out multiple times to make sure no one could link it to Blood Magic on sight. To her relief, however, the ward didn’t flash red and gold or start leaking blood if someone approached it without consent. All it did was act as an invisible wall, impossible to penetrate without the proper knowledge or required knowledge to break a blood ward.

There were more protective wards for Hani to explore, but Tracey had been satisfied that Hani wouldn’t kill herself trying them out and had agreed that it would be fine for her to practise them on her own time.

Hence the need for a new experimental focus.

“I’d already started working on my healing before I told you about all this,” Hani finally said, flicking to the chapter of the Grimoire that pertained to healing as a blood witch. “The foreword talks about the future and the present and whatnot, so I thought it was quite fitting given what we’re currently dealing with in our school lives. Besides, if my mum’s right, healing myself should be one of my top priorities.”

“Obviously,” Tracey scoffed. Despite her wry tone, however, Hani could tell she was curious about the process.

“Blood healing is part-wand magic, part-wandless,” Hani explained.

Over the past week and a half, Tracey had forced her to go over the basic principles of Blood Magic with her, to make sure she hadn’t missed anything essential. She hadn’t, but it had given Tracey the time to catch up on all the theory behind what Hani was doing.

The biggest part of it was the separation of Blood Magic into four branches: potions, ritual magic, wand magic, and wandless magic. There was no hierarchy between the branches, only an understanding that each needed to be used for the correct purposes.

Ritual magic was closest to what she was familiar with thanks to her thread magic. Most of it required the use of runes, latent magic, and strong intentions linked to a particular motion or incantation. Wand magic and potions, from what she gathered, were rather like her everyday casting, except the spells and brews were directly linked to blood. These were the spells Tracey could theoretically cast, if to an extremely weaker degree than what Hani could achieve.

Wandless magic was what made her, at her very core, a blood witch. It gave her the power to cast with her blood rather than her wand, opening up an array of spells directly connected to her Magic – and Magic as a whole.

It was also the kind of Magic she’d been avoiding because she knew it was what Severus had been thinking of when he’d forbidden her from attempting any of the spells in the Grimoire.

“How is it both at once?” Tracey asked, standing up and approaching the desk, her eyes as eager as they always were when she was given an opportunity to read the Grimoire. “Do you use your wand and your blood at the same time?”

“No,” Hani responded, though she frowned a little at the thought. “I mean, I suppose in theory, I could use both at once. But that’s not what healing is about. It’s just that there are some spells that should be performed wandlessly while others require a wand. I haven’t really looked at the wand spells yet, since my mum mentioned the wandless ones first.”

“Interesting,” Tracey hummed. Her eyes left the Grimoire and roved over Hani’s face instead. Hani met her gaze evenly. “How are you feeling about that?”

“I was going to move onto wandless Magic eventually,” she said quietly, trying not to let any of her doubts seep through her tone. “Besides, I’m doing what needs to be done. Did you know some normal healing spells have a lower chance of success on blood witches? And that sometimes, if cast improperly, they can do more harm than good? There aren’t any risks when the spells relate to bones, for example, but as soon as they could affect my bloodstream… I don’t know, it’s kind of scary, thinking about what happened to me last year and how much worse it could have turned out.”

“And during the Duelling Tournament,” Tracey murmured. Her gaze was steely when she looked at Hani again, grabbing her shoulders and forcing Hani to stare right at her. “I’m going to say this once and I’m going to need you to listen to me, Hani. You deserve to learn about your Magic. When your mother was your age, she was doing the exact same thing, except she didn’t have a guide holding her hand every step of the way. You are exploring your Magic as safely as you possibly can considering the restrictions your guardians have imposed upon you.”

“If they find out–”

“Hani. This is your life we’re talking about,” Tracey interrupted her, voice serious. “And I don’t just want you to teach yourself these spells. I want to see the ones I can cast with wand magic. This isn’t something to mess around with. Your mother had people to support her and give her the healing she needed, so we’re going to make sure you have that too.”

Hani ignored the prickle of tears fighting to make itself known, instead nodding to let Tracey know she’d heard her. She’d listened, and she understood.

“You know,” she said, clearing her throat to get rid of the lingering thickness. “If none of your other ventures work out, you’d make a great personal coach. Tracey Davis, Advice Extraordinaire.”

“Oh, shut it,” Tracey laughed, letting go of her shoulders only to slap her left one lightly. “Now, what are we starting with?”

“You can flip further into the chapter to find the wand-based spells,” Hani smiled. She got up from her seat, leaving the desk open for Tracey. “Meanwhile, I’m going to try out Sui Sana. It’s surface-wound healing, but it should be better than the healing spells I’ve been using so far. I’ve been nervous someone would catch me out on it, so it’ll be nice not to worry about it anymore.”

“Palm of your hand, right?” Tracey checked with her, and Hani nodded. “Good. You cleaned your knife after last time?”

“I clean it every time, Trace, who do you take me for?” Hani said with a huff. “You focus on your reading and leave the blood-magicking to the blood witch.”

“Fine, fine,” Tracey sing-songed. “You won’t need to use Sanguis Gratis to keep your blood flowing, right? Or do you need your blood to be fresh for it to work?”

“I should be good with dry blood,” Hani assured her. “It wouldn’t be very useful otherwise. I’d have to heal my wounds as soon as they appeared, which is only practical if the wound in question is a papercut. Don’t think it would be of great use on the battlefield, or to heal yourself after a duel.”

“You make good points sometimes, Potter,” Tracey winked at her, laughing when Hani rolled her eyes and left her to her research, taking her place on the floor close to the room’s largest window. There were two others to either side of it, but Hani preferred to be bathed in as much light as possible.

The floor was cleaner now, and Hani felt something within her settle as she crossed her legs and took her knife out of her pocket. She’d need to create a holster for it eventually, but she didn’t want her father to catch onto what she was doing with her free time just yet.

For the time being, she kept the knife in a secret pocket inside her satchel during classes, and only took it out in the room with Tracey – or without, when her friend couldn’t make it after dinner.

Holding it centred her, and she breathed out when she sliced it across the palm of her hand. A small stream of blood immediately welled up, and Hani smiled.

Red and gold danced around the blood, lighting her hand up with pure Magic. She grinned at her Magic’s eagerness to help.

Then she spoke the words her mother had carefully written out in the Grimoire, and got to work understanding how to control the ever-present red and gold sparks she’d so hated just a few weeks ago.

Hani was walking through the corridors alone, resisting the urge to hum to herself after having successfully healed the cut on her hand, when she was suddenly dragged into an alcove.

She turned around in an instant, her hand coming into contact with the first thing it could reach – a shoulder, or a cheek, or maybe even a chest. Her heart pounded, her mind whirling dangerously out of the careful boundaries she’d created for it during her first Occlumency session with her father.

“Woah, Hanikins! It’s only me.” 

Hani looked up into familiar blue eyes. George stood in front of her, hands held up in surrender, guilt painted over his face. His satchel hung awkwardly from his shoulder, which was most likely what Hani had managed to hit in her panic. Useless, she thought. How was she supposed to make it out of another kidnapping if she couldn’t even defend herself against George Weasley?

“Perhaps not the best way to get your attention,” George winced. “I’m sorry, little lion. I just meant to get to you while I could; it seems the two of us are so busy these days, we keep missing each other.”

“It’s fine,” Hani smiled. The movement felt stiff, her face not able to fully hide her mind’s anxious agitation. “What’re you doing in these parts of the castle?”

“Taking the long way back to the dorms,” George laughed. Hani let it settle some of her nerves. “If I take the short way, I always get accosted by someone. It doesn’t help that three quarters of the time, they’re looking for Fred. It doesn’t make for a particularly pleasant walk, and I needed some time to think after my meeting with Professor Snape.”

“Apprentice stuff?” Hani asked, curious despite herself. Even if she was currently frustrated by her father’s unwillingness to hear her out, a part of her still wanted to hear other students tell her about how wonderful he could be.

Because he could be, despite his determination to make Hani believe the opposite was true.

“Kind of,” George shrugged. “Orientation meeting. Apprentices are automatically assigned to their mentors for the orientation process, no matter who they are or how busy they may be. Thankfully, Professor Snape’s got a pretty small class this year, so he had plenty of time to talk me through the process.”

“There’s a process?” Hani grimaced. She did not want to think about the ‘processes’ she would have to go through once she started her NEWT-level classes.

“I mean, he’s helping me get an offer for a Mastery,” George chuckled at the expression on her face. “I wouldn’t worry about it, little lion. I promise the process is a lot smoother than everyone else makes it out to be. You’ve got good grades and a stellar file, so I doubt you’ll have any issues.”

“That’s what Professor Alderton said,” Hani admitted sheepishly. “Although, I’m still not sure the future is as simple as everyone seems to imply. It’s not like the decisions I make will have an impact on the rest of my life or anything.”

“Hanikins,” George snorted. “If even I can make it through this year with minimal drama, I’m quite certain you’ll be fine. You’ll come up with a brilliant idea soon enough, and it’ll be smooth sailing from there.”

“Maybe,” Hani hummed, unconvinced. “How are yours and Fred’s plans coming along? Last I checked with him, he was hoping to start something while the two of you are still here to get a head start on your future business. I’ve yet to see any of your special products make the rounds in Gryffindor Tower.”

“Ah yes, the tragedy,” George said dramatically, putting a hand around Hani’s shoulders and leading them out of the alcove, in the opposite direction Hani had been aiming for. “You see, Hani, there’s this thing that happens when you get older and earn privileges most people would die to have. It’s called responsibility. The horror.”

She laughed and shook her head. George’s lips were downturned into an exaggerated pout, his eyes full of fake misery.

“Turns out, running an illegal business isn’t the best business model,” he sighed after a perfectly-timed pause. “We have to come up with experimentation plans, a financial project, and a distribution system. I’m afraid the Weasley shop is going to be a lot more straightforward than the other pranks we’ve pulled during our time here.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive,” Hani giggled.

They turned into another corridor and, soon enough, Hani realised they were heading towards the improvised office George shared with Fred. Older students walked through the corridors now, chatting quietly and exchanging greetings with George when they passed by them. Hani stayed silent at his side when he stopped to talk to an acquaintance of his.

As soon as the boy was out of their sight, George rolled his eyes.

“Spratt is convinced that Fred and I need his help with the shop,” he told Hani when she shot him a curious glance. “His dad runs a convenience store in their local village, which is admirable, but also means Spratt believes he’s the second coming of Merlin when it comes to business.”

“I bet Fred loves that,” Hani grinned.

“Oh, I’m quite certain he’s told Spratt to go fu– screw himself in no uncertain terms,” George smirked, ignoring Hani’s amusement at his attempt to censor himself. “But our year’s too small for us to cause issues. Other than that time his clothes mysteriously shrunk one size. Or that time the door to his dorm locked him out, even though it let everyone else through.”

“Good to hear the pranks haven’t stopped entirely,” Hani laughed. She missed the twins’ presence in Gryffindor. “And I’m hoping once you open up shop, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for the younger students to get their hands on your products.”

“The Board of Governors will have them banned within the first year of our venture,” George cackled, his tone proud. “It’s a shame we won’t get to see it happen. Even you’ll barely get to enjoy it, according to Fred’s business plan.”

“That damned responsibility again?” Hani teased.

“Right you are, little lion,” George shook his head ruefully. “If it was up to me, we’d start the shop a week after our graduation. We have the funds for it, the ideas for it, the drive to keep it going…”

“But?”

“But Fred wants to get an actual business qualification before we start anything, and I see the merit in his decision. We’ll be able to get a nicer storefront for a better price if we can prove we’re not just starting a shop on a whim,” George answered, slowing down as they approached the door to their office. “And it’ll give me the time to get my Mastery in Potions, which will open up even more avenues for us. I’ll have less restrictions, more options… It’s win-win, if we forget about the extra studies and waiting around.”

“Worth it in the end, though,” Hani smiled at him. He smiled back, nodding. “And at least you’ll get a taste of it this year!”

“It’s the only thing keeping me going, little lion,” George huffed a laugh. “Professor Snape is a harsh taskmaster, especially since I never actually expected to take my NEWTs. I half-thought Fred and I would go out with a bang, cause some chaos, and never claim our diplomas. Two free spirits out in the world.”

“It would have been epic,” Hani said. “But I think this’ll be even bigger. And if you ever get bored, you can always send me some prototypes. I’ll make sure to continue spreading your name once you’re gone. The Weasley twins shall not be forgotten, I promise you that.”

“Knew I could count on you,” George beamed at her. “You want to come in and chat with Fred? Tell us about your orientation? Spend some time with old friends before you go back to your endless duties and classmates?” 

Hani hesitated. She’d been meaning to join the Sisters in the main common room before dinner. Her Blood Magic session had been shorter than planned thanks to her success, and she knew Lisa had been wanting to talk to her about an art project she’d recently started. Besides, Tracey would want to look at her in the flesh to make sure Hani hadn’t ‘done anything silly’ with her Magic.

But George was looking at her hopefully, and she hadn’t properly spoken to Fred since before– before Samhain.

“Let’s go,” she smiled, pushing the door open while George cheered loud enough to attract the attention of several groups of older students.

It was all made worth it, however, when she was greeted by an exclamation of “Little Snake!” and a warm hug that smelled like paper and ink.

She’d talk to the Sisters at dinner and grab Lisa before curfew. For now, she had a set of twins to please with the story of her own orientation and a retelling of everything that had happened to her since they’d last spoken – she’d have to take liberties with the tale, but she thought Fred and George wouldn’t mind a bit of drama.

They might mind the lying more, but she didn’t let herself dwell on that.

She’d deal with the consequences of her half-truths in the future. For now, she had the present to enjoy.

“And that’s a wrap on our first Orientation week!” Wren clapped her hands together loudly, grinning when the room around her erupted into cheers. “We made it! You guys have been absolutely phenomenal this week, especially all the seventh and fifth years who were dealing with their own meetings. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Sixth years, you guys can relax your patrols again. We appreciated your efforts around the common rooms, but we can go back to the regular schedule,” Cedric added with a smile. “As far as we can tell, most of the meetings went well, and the younger students were respectful of the time that was being taken away from their Deputy Heads and other members of staff.”

“We’ll all remember the third-year Ravenclaws fondly for their vigorous attempt to infiltrate one of the fifth-year meetings. A worthy effort on their part,” Wren laughed, everyone joining in when the Ravenclaw prefects as a whole let out a groan.

The attempt had occurred the day before, when Lisa had gone in for her meeting. The underclassmen had taken her absence as encouragement, and had later argued that they wanted to ‘speak on behalf of their favourite Prefect’. Lisa had been torn between flattery and disappointment, and the Sisters had been thoroughly entertained later that evening.

It had also served as a perfect distraction for Leo and Parvati, both of whom were still sulking about their respective orientation meetings.

Though Wren was right that most of the one-on-ones had – in theory – gone rather well, the tensions in Fifth Year had been higher than ever. Parvati’s meeting had been the most explosive, but she was far from the only student who had come out feeling worse than when they’d gone in.

“Of course, we can’t forget there will be two more Orientation weeks later this year,” Cedric called out when the room had quietened, the Ravenclaw Prefects accepting sympathetic pats and whispers from the rest of their group. “They will most likely be easier than this one, since the first one tends to be the hardest, but we wanted to give you a chance to speak up and tell us if there are any things that would help in the future.”

A few hands shot up, though Hani was content to sit back in her seat and listen to the other students speak. Dean was equally silent, his chair leaning back every few seconds, legs crossed in front of him. He was very clearly ready to call it a day. Hani could relate.

“Is there any way we can rearrange the location for the meetings?” Susanna Hesleden, the sixth-year Ravenclaw Prefect, asked. “We can joke about the third-years again if you’d like, but I’m actually thinking that it might be easier for the more reluctant students to speak about their futures if we had a dedicated space meant for teacher-student interactions.”

“Isn’t that what the in-house offices are for?” Joshua frowned. “I mean, I don’t know about you guys, but Professor Alderton’s office is damn cosy.”

“I think Susanna has a point,” Hannah said, her cheeks reddening when everyone’s attention turned to her. There was something about the older students that terrified her, even though they all adored her. “I– Well, I know some students have gotten less-than-positive news from their professors in those offices, so being in there again might bring up memories they’d rather avoid.”

“I agree,” Hani nodded, winking at her friend when Hannah let out a sigh of relief. “I think Alderton’s a great teacher, but his and Prewett’s offices are well-known for being the places we go to when we’re in trouble, or struggling, or dealing with personal issues. In the Muggle world, there’s even a special staff member who takes care of orientation. That way, there’s never any bias from the professors or apprehension from the students.”

“I don’t think the school is quite ready to hire someone specifically for this,” Wren replied. “But I see the merit in what you’re suggesting. We can try bringing it up to the professors to see if they can create a homier, safe space that can serve as a meeting point for future orientation one-on-ones. In the meantime, perhaps we can use an abandoned room near the Great Hall as a temporary location.”

“Sounds good to me,” Susanna smiled.

A few more questions were answered, but Hani felt herself drift from the conversation. Her eyes closed of their own volition, her thoughts settling as she fell into a passive state of meditation. Words floated over her inconsequentially. Someone had brought up the idea of releasing the schedule earlier, and arguments were being thrown around for both sides of the debate. 

Hani let it wash over her until a gentle tap on the arm brought her back to the room. 

Dean smiled at her when she looked over at him.

“Wren was starting to shoot daggers in our direction,” he whispered. When Hani glanced up at their Head Girl, she was met with raised eyebrows and a discreet shake of her head. 

Definitely no drifting off during Prefect meetings, then. 

“Thanks,” she grinned at Dean. “I’m sure I missed something vital.”

“Oh, yes,” Dean laughed lightly. “I believe someone was saying that if we post the schedules for the meetings too early, people will try to argue their way out of it. They’re worried that the professors will be flooded with demands to push the meetings back until it’s unmanageable.”

It wasn’t a terrible point, but Hani’s lips ticked up at the uselessness of the argument. Wren and Cedric wouldn’t be able to change anyone’s minds about the schedule; she was almost certain the Heads of Houses had come up with the idea as a team, and she couldn’t imagine Severus going back on his decision.

If they thought releasing the schedules on the first day of Orientation was the best plan, that was what would keep happening.

“Anything else?” Cedric sighed when he and Wren finally managed to calm the debate down. A few grumbles still emanated from the seventh years, but Cedric seemed determined to ignore his yearmates. 

Hattie’s hand was the only one still up in the air, but Hani noted all the sixth-years straightened when Wren called on her. 

“It’s not exactly related to Orientation,” Hattie said hesitantly, clearing her throat when Wren urged her to go on regardless. “Well, we obviously spent a bit more time in the common rooms than usual this past week, and we’ve noticed something that we never experienced when we still lived there.”

“The younger students are hyper-reliant on the fifth year prefects,” Joshua continued. “Since there are only two prefects in the common rooms most of the time, it seems like they’ve attached themselves to them as the best figures of authority. Now, I don’t want to speak for the fifth-years, since you guys are more than capable of saying things for yourselves, but we were wondering if perhaps there’s something a bit… worrisome about that. I mean, how much time do you have to spend looking after younger students?”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as all the older prefects turned to look at them. Dean and Hani glanced at each other, but they weren’t the only ones; Lisa and Michael were the only exception, keeping their gazes even as they stared at Wren and Cedric.

It hadn’t escaped Hani’s notice that they had all silently agreed not to tell the rest of the prefects about their increasing duties within their houses. They didn’t want to complain, especially since the others had been Prefects for much longer than them and had never brought up these sorts of issues. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing more than what you guys did,” Justin said after a while, his voice uncertain. “We answer questions, keep an eye on curfew, help around with homework, take care of interpersonal problems, resolve any arguments…”

“Whatever we need to do to keep the common room orderly,” Theo supplemented, outwardly unbothered. Hani knew it was a front; Lily had commented on how stressed the two of them were about the state of Slytherin, especially with the approaching war and antagonistic behaviours towards muggleborns. 

“The little ones know not to bother us if we’re busy with other things,” Hani continued, which was as far from the truth as she could get without telling a lie. “And it’s good for them to have people they can come to.”

“Right,” Wren frowned. “We’ve heard similar thoughts being echoed amongst staff members. There are some concerns that you’re all being overworked and asked to do too much. Of course you should be there for your peers, but there’s always a limit. When there were six prefects to each common room, it was never a constant responsibility.”

“It’s not… constant,” Michael said hesitantly. “We can trade on and off depending on our patrols.”

“And we usually have a few days off between Tuesdays and Thursdays, at least on a normal week,” Dean piped in. “It’s like a midweek lull when they’re all too busy worrying about their classes to cause issues in the common room.”

“What about your yearmates?” Cedric asked, his brows furrowed and arms crossed over his chest. “How are those issues resolved?”

“We usually ask them to take it somewhere else,” Hannah said haltingly.

They’d never said it out loud, but Hani could see what it sounded like from the outside. It was easy to excuse the constant complaints and demands when it was her dealing with them, but suddenly all she could think about was Hannah dealing with all the underclassmen while also stressing out about the trial and her siblings and home and everything. 

“Professor Alderton said they were going to try and find a solution,” Hani spoke up. Wren and Cedric’s eyes were curious when they landed on her. “He said there’s too much going on right now, so the staff can’t worry about the common rooms, but he’s trying to push for a new system. They want to make it so there’s always a professor in the common room, so the students go to them rather than us.”

Except it was probably too late for that, Hani thought, at least for their year. Sarah would always come to her for advice, and Edith wouldn’t tell anyone else about her nightmares, and the troublesome trio wouldn’t listen to anyone else who tried to firmly remind them of the school rules.

Still, it would be something.

“We’ll talk to them about it,” Wren finally said, her tone serious. “I didn’t realise– None of us realised how much you were doing. It’s no wonder you have no time to spend in the main common room. We were all wondering what you got up to outside of classes.”

“The work never stops,” Lily joked, earning herself a few laughs and ridding the room of any lingering tension. 

At least any palpable tension, because Hani knew there was no way the older students would be letting it go as easily as they were making out. 

“But the work does stop for now,” Cedric grinned, chuckling as the seventh-year students hurried out of their seats to grab snacks from their small kitchen area. “Leave something for everyone else, you absolute gluttons!”

Laughter and chatter followed the group as they mingled around the room, leaving their stacks of reports and bags at their seats while they talked to other prefects and asked each other about the biggest scandals of the week.

Hani didn’t move at first. Neither did Dean.

“Want to get out of here?” He asked her, his eyes sliding to her.

She looked back at him, then turned to the chaos of the room. Lisa and Hannah were standing with Lily, laughing loudly about something the Slytherin girl had said. The older students were fighting over the last piece of lemon pie. Wren and Cedric sat at their appointed desks, heads bent closely together.

“Yeah,” she breathed out, smiling at Dean. “Let’s get out of here.”

He grinned and, when he held out his hand for her to take, she interlaced her fingers with his and let him drag her out of the room.

Chapter Text

Once you have mastered the art of healing your surface wounds, you must consider that there is more to healing than what we can see. Every time you expose your blood to the outside world, you risk contamination. I say this not to panic you, but to explain the importance of Pura Sanguine. 

Many wixen obsess over the purity of their blood, but in our case, there is much to consider in that respect. Pura Sanguine is a healing, cleansing spell meant to purify one’s blood flow. It can be used on blood wixen and normal wixen alike, though only our kind will truly need it. Every time your blood interacts with something new, every time you try a new ritual or spell, I urge you to cast Pura Sanguine once all is said and done.

Your blood must always be as clear as possible; your Magic will do everything it can to burn any anomaly it detects, and I assure you the process is not a pleasant one.

~ ToB ~

The buzz of Orientation week left a hollowness in its wake.

Fifth years and seventh years alike deserted the common rooms, rushing to the library in a restless attempt to make up for whatever shortcomings were exposed during their meetings. The classrooms had grown more silent, every student more aware now than ever before that their future wasn’t nearly as distant as they’d made themselves believe. Even the Great Hall emptied out quicker than usual, the younger years following the older students’ lead, unwilling to stay behind with their professors when the other cohorts were gone.

Hani’s mind was equally hollow. The distraction of orientation week had come and gone, as had another Occlumency session spent exchanging painfully stilted words with her father. Thoughts of Samhain were rarer now but, when they came to her at night, she woke up panting and reaching out for her parents and Peter, green light flashing behind her eyes.

And then, there was the Sister room. 

Parvati’s absence was glaring. Every day she spent away from them let the wound in Lavender’s heart fester further and, every day, Hani watched as her best friends sat further and further away from each other during meals. She looked on as Parvati slipped out, Blaise hot on her heels, neither of them lingering when their classmates finally took a break from their endless work.

The atmosphere in their dormitory was poisonous, Fay and Sophie more alarmed than ever. It was a far cry from the tension they’d felt with Hermione. This tension seeped into every interaction the girls tried to have with either Lavender or Parvati. Erin had stopped nagging at them, too afraid of what the other might do in retaliation. Even Crookshanks seemed to avoid the two girls, only asking for attention when he needed food.

In comparison, the Sister room was gloriously calm but, still, the hole Parvati had left behind was flagrant.

All they needed was a conversation, a few words spoken to clear the air, but Parvati stubbornly stayed away from the Sisters whenever Lavender was around. She stayed away from the Sisters altogether, too busy spending time with Blaise to realise how much her absence was hurting the girl who’d been her best friend since childhood.

Lavender invested her free time into the Gazette instead. She met with the other students she’d chosen to help her, she devised plan after plan, she started writing the first issue of their paper… She kept herself so entertained, Hani found it hard to keep up with her or to find a moment where they could simply sit and talk. 

The Sister room was the only space in which Lavender relaxed, joining conversations and engaging in the gossip she so adored. Every day, she leaned in close as the other girls regaled her with tales of their houses, couples who had gotten together or split up, rumours that were circulating in circles she couldn’t reach.

Every day, except today.

“We all got the letter, right?” Padma was saying, her gaze amused and knowing.

Lavender sank deeper into her chair, and Hani sent her a concerned look. She hadn’t brought up the letter during the school day because she knew the Sisters would want to discuss it as a group, but she’d assumed Lavender would be jumping at a chance to share her opinion on the matter.

“I mean, I knew Daphne liked Gryffindors, but Hermione?” Leo whistled, sounding impressed. “I didn’t think she had it in her to make it happen. Genuinely thought she’d be in denial for so long, Hermione would move onto someone else. I’m sure there are plenty of clever, attractive girls in France who would love to date a girl as stunning as her.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Hannah smiled. “Daphne could benefit from someone who won’t be scared to challenge her or her views. Besides, she seemed a little down in her last few letters, and this appears to have cheered her right up.”

“It sure has,” Lisa said softly. She was handling the news better than Hani had thought she would but, then again, Hani could never really tell what was going on in Lisa’s mind. “I actually heard the news from Sue first. I think she’s having a bit of a crisis because Daphne and Hermione are dating while a certain someone has yet to make a move.”

“Henrik is taking so long!” Padma exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Sue’s been talking about him since the very first day of the Programme, yet they haven’t even gone on any sort of romantic outing. This boy needs to get it together! Sue deserves someone who will give her the whole world and who isn’t too scared to step out of the– what do they call it in that show you love, Lee?”

“The friendzone,” Leo snorted. “I doubt this Henrik boy is actually worried about Sue not having feelings for him. More likely, the two of them are so alike that they’re waiting for the other to make the first move. He might be afraid of pushing her too far, too quick. You said it yourself: Sue is a romantic. Henrik sounds like a respectful guy. Maybe he wants to get to know her better so his declaration can be sincere and epic.”

“If he doesn’t ask her out before the Yule Ball, I’m sure the nine of us can figure something out,” Tracey grinned. “Give him a proper Sister introduction.”

“Sue would hate that,” Lavender finally spoke up. Despite her words, there was a calculating look in her eyes. “If we’re subtle enough, though…”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Hani cut in. Hannah nodded in agreement, but the others’ faces were far too conspicuous. Henrik needed to get it together sooner rather than later, because she had a feeling none of their friends would hesitate to approach him if they thought it would make him confess.

“Anyway, Daphne and Hermione. Hani, thoughts?” Leo said, bringing them back to their initial topic. “She was so vague in the letter she sent to us, but surely you got more. Right?”

“Why would Hani get something different?” Lavender rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t Tracey be the one gathering all the gossip and information from Daphne? Or even Parvati, if she deigned to show up, since Blaise probably shared everything with her.” 

“Actually,” Hani said slowly, watching Lavender’s features grow pinched. “I did receive a longer letter from Daphne. She sent one ahead for me a few days before the two of them got together, to make sure I was okay with the relationship. I don’t know what she would have done if I’d told her it would make me uncomfortable but, as it is, I’m delighted for them.”

“Of course you’d get the details before me,” Tracey pouted, though Hani knew she didn’t hold it against her in the slightest. They had different relationships with Daphne, and it was good to know their friend had several people she could turn to when she needed advice or reassurance – or, in this case, permission. 

“It’s only because it’s about Hermione,” Hani rolled her eyes, flicking a spark of Magic in Tracey’s direction. She couldn’t see it when Hani wasn’t actively using her Blood Magic, but Hani had gotten her used to the sensation of having it prickle over her skin. When it sent a jolt up her hand, she shot Hani a pleased smile. “You’d have heard about it first if it was anyone else.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Tracey shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter. I got the details in this letter, and that’s enough for me. You know, the Granger she describes is nothing like the Granger I know from our classes. She sounds so… soft.”

“The Programme works in mysterious ways,” Lisa interjected, winking at Hani. “It makes sense. Being out of the country for the first time, interacting with new people after years of the same class group, being given a taste of freedom, it all makes you realise there’s more to yourself than what you thought.”

“What did you discover on the Programme?” Padma asked, frowning at her housemate before paling dramatically. “Well, except for– I didn’t mean–”

“Do you think I would have had the courage to properly join the Sisters before the Programme?” Lisa chuckled, ignoring Padma’s clumsy comment. Maybe she really had moved on from Antero. “It was easy enough interacting with Hani, Theo and Susan, but I would have never thought to actually befriend everyone else here if not for our group of exchange partners.”

“And I learned that I’m the best duellist in our year group,” Hani said, tossing her braids over her shoulder with a smirk. “It’s not an easy burden to bear, but it’s one I’ll have to live with.”

“Oh please, when’s the last time you practised?” Leo laughed. “Maybe it was true last year, but I doubt you’d beat Hermione and Daphne now. Don’t they get weekly duelling sessions? And they’re probably being taught even more techniques than you were because they’re older and wiser or whatever.”

“I–” Hani resisted the urge to pout. Leo wasn’t wrong – it had been months since she’d last duelled. “It’s not as though I have anyone to train with.”

“Lisa could–”

“Don’t you dare bring me into this, Padma,” Lisa cut her off. “I’ve duelled enough for a lifetime; I don’t intend to use those skills again unless it’s a life or death situation. Sorry, Hani, but if you want to practise you’ll either have to wait for Daphne to be back, or suck it up and ask your usual duelling partner.”

“Pass,” Hani grimaced. “I’d rather wait until I’m with Sirius. I know he’s always wanted to show me some of his favourite duelling moves, and maybe it’ll get him to let his guard down for a little while. He used to duel with my mum, so if I can make him forget it’s me he’s duelling with…”

“Boring!” Leo proclaimed. “We aren’t here to talk about duelling and guardians and whatnot. We need to figure out if Hermione is good for Daphne, or if we’re going to need to stage an intervention over the Yule break.”

“I didn’t realise you were so concerned for Daphne, Lee,” Hannah giggled. “Of all of us, I’m quite sure she’s the least likely to get herself into an unhealthy relationship. She’s far too sensible for that.”

Hani didn’t think anyone was ‘too sensible for that’ but, in this case, she thought Hannah had a point. Even if she hadn’t received Daphne’s heartfelt letter – which made it clear her feelings for Hermione were genuine – she refused to believe their friend would jeopardise her time in the Programme for a toxic fling. 

“What if Hermione’s tricking her?” Lavender asked. It was a subtle thing, but her tone was cold, and Hani suddenly wondered if Daphne had sought permission from the wrong Sister.

After all, Hani wasn’t the one she’d insulted the most of their group.

“Hermione’s not exactly known for her conspicuousness,” she told Lavender, her voice light and teasing. A reminder that Hermione was many things, but a master manipulator was not one of them.

If she’d wanted to hurt or disparage Daphne, she would have done so already.

“Maybe that’s why they work so well together,” Padma said, smiling a little. “Daphne, ice princess extraordinaire to most of the public, dating Granger, top student who never knows when to stop talking. It would make a good book.”

“Ooh,” Tracey lit up. “Do you think Daphne would kill us if we wrote a book about her? A column in the Gazette? It would hook people instantly! Lav, you could modify their names and turn it into a bit of fiction, and everyone would have to wait for the next issue to hear the rest of the story. I know a bunch of Muggle newspapers do that sort of thing.”

“The Gazette is for actual information, Tracey,” Lavender rolled her eyes.

This time, Hani wasn’t the only one who picked up on her tone. Tracey frowned at her while the other Sisters exchanged curious glances. Hannah’s inquiring gaze flicked from Hani to Lavender and back again, a question in her eyes, but Hani only shrugged.

She’d never been able to get a good read on the relation between Hermione and Lavender, let alone the one between Lavender and Daphne, who spent half their time bickering and the other half peacefully talking about their favourite things.

“Right,” Tracey said slowly. “Well, it was just a suggestion anyway. I’m personally more invested in the actual updates we’ll be getting from Daphne. They might not be weekly, but I’m going to let her know she owes me big time for warning Hani before she told the rest of us.”

“Slytherins,” Hannah and Leo said in unison, high-fiving each other while Tracey glared in their direction. 

“If Daphne was here, she would have started a betting pool,” Hani pointed out. “I think Tracey asking for details is quite possibly the tamest thing she could have come up with. Where are the odds on what will happen first: Hermione and Daphne’s first kiss or Sue and Henrik getting together?”

“That’s because those odds are shit,” Padma snorted. “Daphne and Granger are probably– doing stuff right now.”

“Doing stuff?” Lisa teased her housemate, laughing when Padma stuttered, embarrassed. “Not that you’re wrong, Pads.”

“There’s 100% a make-out session going on right now,” Leo nodded seriously.

As the Sisters broke into snickers at the thought of Daphne and Hermione – two of the most no-nonsense girls in their year – sneaking around, Lavender’s chair scraped against the floor. She stood so suddenly, Hani could only gape up at her, briefly taking in the tension in her shoulders and storminess in her eyes.

She was out of the door before any of them could call after her.

“Wha–” Hani frowned. “What was that?”

Hannah bit down on her bottom lip. “Maybe we should have toned down the Daphne and Hermione talk. She’s obviously not comfortable with the relationship, and given everything that’s going on between Parvati and Zabini… Well, I can’t say I blame her. Dating’s bound to be a sore topic for her right now, especially with Hermione involved.”

“At least Sue and Henrik should be easier to handle once they get it together,” Lisa said gently. “I’m happy for Daphne, but Sue certainly picked the safer partner of the two of them.”

They all laughed at that, the tension fading as they chatted about their favourite passages from Sue and Daphne’s latest letters. 

But the only thing Hani could think about was the emptiness on either side of her, vacant chairs in place of her best friends. Parvati, so in love she couldn’t remember the friends waiting for her. Lavender, so sick of love she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as her friends when they talked about relationships.

The hollowness in her mind dug deeper, and her Magic flared up in response.

She’d have to schedule another evening with Tracey soon. Maybe two evenings. Maybe every evening that week, if her friend had time to spare.

It wasn’t like Lavender and Parvati would notice she’d left the dorm.

“Woah Harini, you don’t look so great.”

Hani looked up from her Ancient Runes textbook. Louise stared down at her, worry lines tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Professor Prewett’s office had been rearranged for their meeting again, and Louise took a seat at the round table to Hani’s left. There were still ten minutes to go before the beginning of their casual session, but Hani hadn’t wanted Dean to comment on her tardiness again. Once was excusable, but twice was the beginning of a pattern. The last thing she needed in her life was Dean questioning what she did with her free time.

Their Head of House’s office had also acted as a perfect retreat from the common room, which was currently far from Hani’s favourite place at school.

“Thanks for the compliment, Louise,” she said dryly, smiling a little when Louise swatted the back of her head, ever the big sister. “Gryffindor’s been a bit of a mess these past few weeks, and my best friends are determined to make it even tenser by any means necessary. I don’t think they realise that they’re making it harder on everyone else; they’re setting a horrible example for the younger students.”

“Damn,” Louise grimaced. “Infighting, then?”

“We were struggling enough with the second and third-years before this,” Hani sighed. “There are these two third-years who used to be close friends when they were younger, and the situation is eerily similar to what Lavender and Parvati are going through. So, obviously, they’ve been even harder to control lately.”

“Did Professor Alderton have a talk with them?” Louise frowned. They’d taken the previous week’s Prefect meeting seriously; Louise had checked in with her three times since then, asking Hani if there was anything she could do to lighten their load.

“He took them aside,” Hani said, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Then Professor Jenkins talked to them. Then Healer Meadowes. Then Professor Forrester. The problem is, they’ll act innocent in front of them only to start bull– stupid stuff in the evenings, once the professors have either gone home or retreated to their quarters.”

“Screw that,” Louise wrinkled her nose. “Same dorm?” 

“The third-years still share a single dorm,” Hani winced. “It’s a sore subject, so I haven’t found the courage to bring it up to anyone. I almost wish we could organise our rooms the same way you do yours; our lives would be so much easier if we could mix year groups.”

“I feel for you,” Louise said softly. “If you need me to stay in here late a couple of nights in a row to send a message, I’m your girl. Everything’s pretty calm on our side of the castle, what with Wren and Cedric leading a tight ship.”

“I might take you up on that,” Hani said, genuinely grateful for the offer.

“What about this thing with your best friends? You gonna be able to handle that?” Louise asked her. “I know friend drama is about a thousand times worse than boy drama, especially when you all have to share a room. And given you also room with the older Hargreaves girl, I can’t imagine it makes for a pleasant experience.”

“They’re nowhere near as bad as Erin,” Hani answered defensively – reflexively.

If she was being honest with herself, Lavender and Parvati’s prolonged silence was a thousand times worse than Erin’s petty drama and need for discipline. With her, it was simple: reprimand her, check in with the younger students, contact Alderton when needed so he could issue a detention and remind her of the rules. With her best friends… There was nothing easy she could do to fix the situation.

“It’s just– I get it. We all have a lot on our plates this year. Lavender is starting the Hogwarts Gazette, Parvati has a boyfriend, and I’m… doing a lot of extracurricular stuff,” Hani explained lamely. “I understand that we weren’t going to be the same forever, but they’re being utterly ridiculous right now. Parvati is being utterly ridiculous, holding a grudge against Lavender because Lav is pissed at her for reasons that make a perfect amount of sense.”

“Well,” Louise huffed out a laugh. “If it makes you feel any better, friendship problems aren’t exclusive to your year group. I assure you there is just as much drama going on in the older students’ dorms, if not more. The only difference is we don’t have to worry about impressionable ears picking up on our conversations.”

“Here’s to next year!” Hani snorted, holding up a fake cup only for Louise to conjure one into existence, handing it to Hani with a wink. “Always forget that’s a thing we can do.”

“Once Professor McGonagall starts drilling the principles of conjuration into you every single day, I promise you’ll never forget again,” Louise grinned. “Also, cups are the only thing I can conjure for now. Thought it’d be a useful first step.”

“Very useful,” Hani said, grinning back at her.

“Seriously though, Hani, you know you don’t have to take on every problem that happens in Gryffindor, right?” Louise asked her, meeting her gaze seriously. “I haven’t wanted to pry because, frankly, it’s none of my business, but I can tell you’ve been a bit out of it these past few weeks. The last thing you should have to do is solve your friends’ issues for them.”

“It’s fine,” Hani assured her. “I’m… meditating. Taking time for myself.”

Occlumency wasn’t quite as relaxing as the meditation she’d preferred in the past, but it was getting the job done. She’d yet to rebuild any sort of significant barrier, but the sessions were helping her organise the thoughts and memories that had been thrown around carelessly when she’d been dragged into Voldemort’s head. 

She wasn’t waking up in terror every night anymore. She wasn’t distracting herself with mindless activities. She was seeing a Mind Healer for the first time that week. She was getting somewhere.

“If you’re sure,” Louise said.

She left it at that, and Hani was grateful for the silence that followed. Louise could have pushed further, could have pried and asked for details, but she only sat quietly for a few moments before asking Hani about the textbook she was reading.

It was a welcome change in topic, and Hani embraced it wholeheartedly, telling Louise all about the research she’d been doing for her project. The other girl had never taken Ancient Runes, so Hani patiently explained how she was intending to combine different runes in order to achieve the highest level of invisibility possible.

She was in the middle of showing Louise the difference in two of her latest sequence attempts when someone sat on the seat to her right, an instant source of warmth. Hani startled a little at the presence, feeling rather than seeing the smile Dean was aiming her way.

“And, I– What was I saying?” She frowned, looking down at the sequences she’d been analysing. “Right, yes, you see that one uses primarily parseltongue as a base, whereas this was an attempt with anglo saxon runes. I’m going to scratch it completely, because the basic Futhark runes have no affinity for the kind of Magic I’m trying to accomplish. I thought using the rune for ‘air’ might provide enough stability to the sequence, but it’s too fragile.”

“It’s moments like these that make me so happy I didn’t pick Runes as an elective.”

Dean’s teasing was met with a chuckle from Louise, but Hani turned to pin him down with an unimpressed stare.

“I’m sorry, did you not just hear me say that if my progress continues as it has been doing so far, I’ll have achieved invisibility without the use of a common spell or an invisibility cloak? Something that can’t be cancelled by a counterspell or accidentally slip off my shoulders?” Hani asked him dryly, watching in satisfaction as his smirk grew bashful.

“I only meant that it’s far too complex for me,” Dean pouted. “Obviously, I understand its uses and why some people might be fascinated by it, but I think I’d be utterly lost after the first session. I’ve never been good at languages.”

“Ancient Runes isn’t really about the language,” Hani argued. It wasn’t entirely true, since people with a good grasp on the language would have an easier time creating runic sequences, but it wasn’t a lie either. “It’s about intentions. Think about it like a spell; you don’t need to know what the incantation means to cast it, so long as you know what you want to achieve.”

“I don’t know, Harini,” Louise cracked up, giggles slipping past her lips. “I don’t think Deany-boy actually understands what he’s trying to do when he casts a spell. He just says words, does movement, hopes for best.”

“I mean, yeah, that’s– hey! Are you calling me dumb?” Dean gaped at Louise, who gazed back at him, unashamed and unbothered. “I do things with intention when I feel like it. I just don’t understand why I need to be intentional about every last thing. Sometimes, a spell is simply a spell. Nothing more to it.”

“Such a man's way of viewing it,” Louise snorted. Dean looked to Hani for support, but she avoided his gaze, an amused smile playing at her lips. “Ooh, sorry Deany-o, but it seems your girlfriend isn’t going to support every single one of your foolish statements. You might have to back that one yourself.”

Hani gaped at Louise, betrayed, her cheeks flaming when her mentor cackled. Dean was studiously not meeting Hani’s eyes anymore, so she sent an extra glare in Louise’s direction. Had that truly been necessary?

“Oh, worry not, there are much more interesting love affairs going on at the moment,” Louise scoffed, her eyes lighting up as they landed on the last few Prefects approaching the table. They were followed closely by Prewett and Alderton, who appeared in good spirits. “Isn’t that right, Josh!”

“Isn’t what right?” Joshua raised his eyebrows as he took his seat next to Louise, crossing his arms on the table in front of him. He stared at his partner inquisitively, and Hani could see Louise faltering. Joshua was just so nice. “The fact that Gryffindor is currently doing better than we have in two years in terms of overall rankings at this point in the year? It is pretty amazing. Cedric and Wren would hate to hear it, but they’ve made it easier for us to manage our little ones, which means more points for us.”

“That is the nerdiest thing you’ve said all week, weirdo,” Louise huffed, flicking the tip of his nose gently. “No, you dumbass, I’m talking about you and Hattie finally making things official! A little birdie told me you were trying to convince Li to invite Hattie to the Yule Ball so you guys could dance together. It’s very sweet.”

“Lou,” Joshua groaned. “You promised you wouldn’t make a big deal out of this. It’s not as though we’re having some secret relationship that would cause the castle to crumble if it came out. The only controversial part of us dating is that we’re both prefects, and it’s quite obvious no one cares about that.”

“The professors might,” Hani piped in, immediately regretting her choice when Dean whipped his head towards her. If there had been a way for her to bury herself in her poor decisions, she would have taken it in the blink of an eye. “They might not appreciate us using our powers for romantic reasons, right?”

“We’re already abusing our powers for far worse reasons than romance,” Louise smirked deviously. “Believe me, Harini, if the professors were worried about what we were doing with our powers, they would have stopped us a long time ago. Besides, it would be a bit hypocritical of the professors to forbid relationships amongst Prefects when we all know what’s going on in the staff room.”

Hani snorted loudly at that, covering her mouth with her hands when everyone’s attention landed on her – including Alderton’s, who was really sitting a lot closer than Hani had initially noticed. 

“Something entertaining you’d like to share, Miss Potter?” Professor Prewett asked, sounding so genuinely curious, Hani was starting to think the evening had been organised purely to torment her.

She usually let Dean be the one to embarrass himself with his clumsy conversational skills. It wasn’t supposed to be her putting her foot in her mouth. 

“Harini was only wondering if interactions between professors were the same in the staff room as they are in your offices,” Louise answered innocently, her gaze fixed on Alderton. “Kind of like the difference between the Prefect room and our common rooms. It’s definitely not the same atmosphere.”

Next to Hani, Dean was either dying of laughter or having a panic attack. She was worried if she turned around and it was the former, the two of them would ruin Louise’s guileless act. Instead, she softly poked his side and relaxed when he poked her right back.

Not a panic attack, then.

“–not nearly as easy to talk in there. You underestimate how busy the room can get with a group as large as ours. There’s always someone marking their papers out loud, or having a conversation about their weekend whilst everyone else tries to focus on work.”

Professor Alderton’s speech had clearly caught Louise off-guard. She glanced at Hani with wide eyes, gesturing underneath the table to indicate she had no idea how they’d gotten there.

Hani held back her laughter. She didn’t know what Louise had been expecting: Alderton and Cresswell were so good at hiding their relationship, Hani was half-convinced the rumours were unfounded. Alderton never slipped up when he was around them, not even during these more casual meetings.

She wasn’t even sure the professors had received confirmation of their relationship. Severus had always known, of course, but Hani was almost certain that was more due to his spying habits than anything else.

As Prewett took over for Alderton, expertly redirecting their discussion to the subjects they needed to discuss that evening, Hani finally turned to look at Dean.

He didn’t take notice of her shift, his eyes still riveted on Prewett, who spoke loudly and with wide gestures, the perfect orator for situations like these. Regardless, Hani couldn’t look away from Dean. He was nodding along to something Prewett was saying, his face serious, as though he hadn’t just been making ridiculous claims that spellwork could be done without intentions. 

As though he hadn’t been flustered by Louise’s comments, unable to look at Hani when, seconds earlier, he’d been fully engaged in their conversation.

She sighed quietly, blinking until red and gold framed Dean’s head, a halo of Magic that lit him up in a way only she could see. Prewett’s voice droned on in the background – something about the fourth-years – but she was too busy thinking about Dean’s earlier reaction and the Magic around him to pay attention or respond in any significant way.

She blinked some more, urging her red and gold sparks to properly illuminate Dean, and almost reared back when the dust obeyed her silent wish. He looked as bright as she’d imagined he would, but all she could think about was her Magic, dancing peacefully exactly where she’d thought it should.

Dean’s beauty was expected, but this–

This was new.

“So, you can control it sometimes? But mostly it has a mind of its own?”

Hani nodded, hiding a smile behind her fist as Tracey took frantic notes on one of the many pieces of parchment she kept in their secret room. Her handwriting was illegible when she got too invested, but Hani didn’t mind. She didn’t think the notes were necessarily for her; Tracey was simply fascinated by the idea of her Blood Magic and everything they had yet to discover about it.

“Can you control the Magic now?” She asked Hani once she was done scribbling a few sentences. “Are there any sparks around that you could use for research purposes?”

There were, of course, plenty of sparks. It had been almost a month now since she’d started properly experimenting with her Blood Magic, and a small layer of her Magic seemed to constantly blanket the room. As soon as she entered, red and gold would sparkle in the corners of her vision. 

It was more discreet now, less desperate to get her attention, and Hani was slowly falling in love with her Magic. It was so eager to act, and more attuned to her emotions than even her own mind. She didn’t quite have enough of a grasp on it to control the appearance of the reddish haze whenever she used her Blood Magic, but she didn’t overly care. If anything, it made her feel safe, knowing her Magic was always lingering in the background, ready to be used as soon as she called upon it.

The sparks, however, were a notable exception. When she’d wished for them to gather around Dean, they had followed her unspoken command, but it had been a fluke. She’d tried controlling them again since the previous afternoon, to no avail.

Still, she decided to indulge Tracey.

She blinked rapidly, letting the dust take over more of her vision until she spotted a particularly large patch resting around her wand holster. She breathed in and pictured it floating towards Tracey, circling her arms and jolting her with the harmless and now-familiar sting of Blood Magic.

Nothing.

She shook her head.

“Well, damn,” Tracey sighed. “Shame. It might be a matter of power and experience, you know? You’re not seventeen yet, so you’ve not had your last burst of magical inheritance. And you’re still learning how to handle all of this. Maybe once you’ve practised a little more, it’ll start coming to you even without having access to your blood.”

“Maybe,” Hani shrugged. “But it’s different with the blood, isn’t it? It’s a medium, so the Magic flows to it without a second thought. I’m controlling it, but only because I know what spells to cast, what words to say. If I didn’t have that, I doubt the sparks would obey me, bleeding wound or not.”

“We’ll have you take small steps,” Tracey replied, ever the optimist. “I know you’re working on your healing spells but, after you cut yourself and before you heal the wound, why don’t you try moving the Magic? If it truly is a manifestation of your power, being able to manipulate it would be absolutely insane. The things you could do… Spellcrafting would be a non-issue.”

“Small steps,” Hani reminded her, snorting at her overenthusiasm. “I’ll see if I can get them to move today. I’m not going to spend too much energy on it, though. I’m aiming for ten iterations of the spell and I can’t do that if I’m exhausted before I even get started.”

“Fine,” Tracey pouted. “Do you mind if I watch? I’m hoping if I see you in action, I’ll have a better grasp of what I need to do for Pura Sanguine. You’re going to try it soon, right?”

“If my energy allows, we could try it today,” Hani answered. “We can have dinner and come back straight after. I’ll go first to make sure we’re not missing anything essential and then, if you’re feeling up to it, you can have a go as well.”

“If I’m feeling up to it,” Tracey mimicked her, laughing. “Hani, I’ve been waiting for this all week. The past two weeks, even! I’ve been practising the incantation and wand movement in my spare time. If this doesn’t work, I might genuinely lose faith in my own abilities. I have never been more prepared for a spell in my life.”

“Okay, okay,” Hani chuckled. “After dinner then, alright? And only if you still feel up to it.”

Tracey shook her head exasperatedly, but Hani stared her down until her friend reluctantly acquiesced. She knew Tracey was more than capable, but Blood Magic wasn’t exactly the sort of Magic they were taught in Charms and Defence. It was taking a step in a direction that Tracey’s own powers wouldn’t necessarily agree with.

She had no idea what reaction Tracey’s neutral-light core would have to this type of Magic. Tracey insisted it would simply make the spell harder, not harmful, but Hani was wary. She had a feeling that her father would rather have her cast Pura Sanguine a hundred times than have Tracey attempt it even once.

However, it wasn’t Hani’s call to make. Tracey had done her due research, and Hani wasn’t going to condescend her by acting as though she knew everything about her mother’s inheritance.

“Come on Hani, dinner’s in an hour and I want to actually see you do something before then,” Tracey urged her.

Hani rolled her eyes at her enthusiasm but didn’t waste any more time worrying about Tracey’s abilities. She trusted her friend to know her limits.

Getting ready to cast Sui Sana was second nature by now. She took her seat in front of the window, which Tracey had kindly adorned with a few pillows for Hani to rest on. The first step was a quick cleansing of her knife; she purified it after every session too, but caution was better than regret. Once that was done, she would mentally stretch her Magic out to reach her vessel, which acted as an invisible connection between Hani and the magical dust that floated around her, ready to be used. 

A quick slice of her hand later, the red and gold sparks danced in front of her, gathered in thick clumps around her blood. She breathed in and out as she watched them, frowning as she considered the way they’d stirred for her the day before.

No amount of glaring moved them now. They stayed in the palm of her hand and, eventually, Hani sighed and cast the spell.

Sui Sana was a simple spell, if one compared it to other charms and hexes that Hani had gotten to cast in class. The tricky part of it was treating her blood as both a medium and a target. Her goal was to close her wound without completely losing control of her Magic source. She needed to be able to handle something like this even without fresh blood before she moved onto something else.

Thankfully, Blood Magic had come to Hani the same way as Thread Magic had. It felt like a warm embrace most of the time and like a dance of sparks on particularly good days, when her mind was clear and her heart rate steady.

She focused on the clean cut across her hand. The blood had started drying already, but Hani was used to it by now. She reached out and felt her Magic react to her intentions even before she spoke the incantation out loud.

“Sui Sana,” she whispered and watched, delighted, as her skin knit itself back together, blood weaving in and out of her palm like a stitch until there was nothing left but the slightest stain of red.

“Epic,” Tracey grinned at her when Hani looked up. “Only nine times to go!”

Hani laughed.

The first time wasn’t taxing anymore. It felt like casting any other spell, nothing more and nothing less.

The second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth times were equally insignificant. Her Magic responded to the call of her blood without hesitation, and Hani smiled brighter every time she successfully cast Sui Sana without issue.

The seventh time, she felt a familiar pull at her heart.

She wasn’t sure how to tell exactly when she’d pushed her Blood Magic too far but, like an untrained muscle, her blood eventually started to wince and resist her efforts. According to her mother, it was a reaction her body had when it thought too much blood had been lost that day.

Unfortunately, stitching her wounds back together over and over again didn’t make up for the loss of magical energy, at least if her body was to be believed. Given the exhaustion she felt every time she pushed herself too far, she thought her body was onto something.

Still, she kept going.

She reached for her vessel once more, strengthening her link to her Magic twice before casting Sui Sana for the seventh and eighth times.

The ninth time, Hani took a second to look at the sparks again. Her energy was waning, but she was suddenly certain that controlling the visible Magic was the answer to gaining greater control over her Blood Magic as a whole. After all, it was the tangible proof that her Blood Magic existed even when she didn’t physically have access to any of it.

The sparks could help her more than what they’d been doing so far. She refused to believe they were solely an amplification tool, whirling around her like an impatient child at the most inconvenient times.

Despite her conviction, the sparks didn’t move, and Hani cast Sui Sana with a sigh. The spell was slower this time, as though her blood had grown tired of being pulled forth repeatedly.

“You can stop here–” Tracey started, but Hani shook her head.

Her body was tired, yes, but it wasn’t a magical kind of exhaustion. Her Magic was fine, the sparks still active and buzzing around her – albeit patiently, as they always did when she was actively using her Blood Magic. It was only her heart and her blood, reminding her that they weren’t just Magic; they were also the thing that kept her alive.

If Hani pushed, she might faint, but she wouldn’t truly hurt herself.

So, she cleaned her knife and cut her palm one last time. She placed her bleeding hand on top of her wand holster, feeling her needle tucked next to her wand. Two vessels of her Magic, in a way.

She reached for her blood with her Magic and focused on the lone thing that mattered right now: healing herself. Knitting her skin back together. Getting rid of the evidence that there had ever been a cut to begin with. Pushing her blood back to safety.

She spoke the incantation louder this time, hoping her voice would make up for what the rest of her body couldn’t provide. 

To her relief, the cut swiftly disappeared, replaced by unmarred skin and the barest hints of blood.

She took her wand out of its holster for the first time that night and cast a basic cleaning spell. Tracey winced, but Hani didn’t have the time or energy to find the correct blood spell she should have used in its stead. 

“You know, it’s weird,” Tracey frowned consideringly while Hani cleansed her knife one last time. “In theory, I know the spells you’re casting are relatively low-level and that there’s so much more to be done with Magic, but the fact that you’re doing it with nothing in your hands except your own blood? The fact that someday, you might be able to do all this without anything at all? It’s definitely enough to make a girl jealous, Hani.”

Hani didn’t fake humbleness. On this, at least, she agreed with Tracey. While she didn’t think her Magic was anything to brag about yet , there was a thrill in knowing that someday – soon, if she had a say in the matter – she would be able to cast proper magic with a wave of her hand.

“You’ll be doing blood spells of your own after dinner, Trace,” she said instead, watching as happiness brightened Tracey’s features. “And don’t worry, you’ll always be part of my blood coven or whatever you want to call it, even once I don’t need fresh blood to cast properly. My mum certainly didn’t mind getting help, and she seems like a pretty good example to follow.”

“Yeah,” Tracey replied, reverently tracing over the words from her copy of the Sui Sana Grimoire page. She’d been studying it while Hani worked on her endurance; Tracey thought Hani’s mum was a genius, and it filled Hani with pride for the woman who had given her life and been clever enough to gather all her information into a single book. 

It also filled her with affection for Tracey, who cared enough about her to do this behind the other Sisters’ backs. Who cared enough about Hani to sit through hours of silent experimenting.

“Hey, do you want to sit for a second and tell me about your thoughts on the political side of things? I know you’ve been looking through the Grimoire to see what my mum might have been thinking when she made the Evans name official,” Hani looked at Tracey hopefully though, really, she knew her friend had been dying to share her theories with Hani.

They simply hadn’t had any time to think about it between orientation, training, and the other more personal things they were trying to ignore that afternoon – like the glaring absence of one of Tracey’s best friends in the Great Hall at lunchtime. They’d finally retreated to their secret room when it had become obvious Tracey was driving herself insane thinking about Hannah’s trial, and Hani figured she owed it to her friend to keep her busy a while longer.

Even if it meant talking about politics.

“Sit, sit,” Tracey pushed her towards their shared sofa, tucking her feet underneath her thighs and waiting for Hani to get comfortable. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

“I know,” Hani laughed.

“Oh, shush,” Tracey huffed. “We both know you don’t hate politics; you just hate that you don’t know much about them. And I’m here to change that!”

“My saviour,” Hani said drolly, biting on her bottom lip to stifle her laughter when Tracey glared at her.

She was taking her duties as Hani’s secret partner seriously.

“Here’s the thing,” Tracey started once Hani had settled. “There are many reasons why someone might want to claim a proper pureblood title. Most people claim it for recognition, fame, benefits within society… You’ve got to think of it this way: being a pureblood means you’ve officially made it in the eyes of the older families. Suddenly, you find yourself getting invited to private events, receiving offers of alliance, being offered favours, the whole deal. It’s why most families claim the title as soon as they give birth to a child with no Muggle grandparents.”

“Right,” Hani nodded slowly. “But that’s obviously not the case for my mum. For one, she was a muggleborn, so I doubt she would have been welcomed to the same extent as all these other first-generation purebloods. Secondly, there’s no way she cared about all this popularity stuff. She was loved by all the people that mattered to her.”

“Which is why I think your mum was actually doing it for the politics,” Tracey replied, conviction seeping into her voice. “She was a dark witch in a country that hates dark witches. Not only that, but her Blood Magic would have seen her hunted down by the side of the war she supported, simply because it isn’t the norm. And then, she gave birth to an amazing daughter who would inherit not only her powerful Magic, but also the Black family magics and the potent Potter genes. A dark witch, just like her.”

“But she already had political power, didn’t she? She had my dad and Sirius,” Hani pointed out.

“Your dad and Lord Black were still young, and their parents were still alive,” Tracey countered. “Their political power was limited to their friends and the alliances they could forge. However, by declaring her status as a pureblood, your mother instantly gained a title that she could actually use. She could run for a seat on the Wizengamot. She could join the Greater Parliament. She would have had access to every part of the political world your father and godfather were being kept out of.”

If she hadn’t died went unsaid. If her mother hadn’t died, she could have done something to lessen the stigma against the Dark. She could have shown everyone that even a muggleborn woman, someone with no prejudices against the non-magical world, a capable duellist fighting for the light could be Dark.

“She claimed her title for you, Hani,” Tracey smiled softly. “And for all the future daughters in your house. I doubt she was ever properly introduced, but that doesn’t matter much. It just means you’ll have to do it yourself when you’re of age. It’s all very traditional, less about Magic and more about posturing. You’ll hate it.”

“Perfect,” Hani grimaced. “Not that I’m– I’m not complaining. I understand it’s the right thing to do, even though the idea of becoming any sort of politician is… slightly nauseating.”

“It won’t be that bad,” Tracey teased, then winked at her. “You’ll have me.”

“How could I forget?” Hani laughed lightly, knocking her shoulder into Tracey’s. “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that,” Tracey rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ll always be there for you. It’ll be my privilege to be your first official ally, even if I don’t fit all the pureblood regulations and whatnot.”

“I’m saying thank you for helping me with all this research, you twat,” Hani replied just as dryly. “And for reminding me that the Grimoire isn’t all about Magic, even if that’s clearly the best part.”

“I live to serve,” Tracey beamed. “So, you’ll let me help out more on the political side? I know you’ve read some of the books I gave you, but I’m also pretty sure they went in one ear and out the other.”

“Hey!” Hani gasped, faking outrage. “I understood some of it. It’s simply… not my cup of tea. I’m sure you can change that.”

“Of course I can,” Tracey scoffed. “Trust me, by the time you turn seventeen, you’ll be the most politically savvy blood witch in all of England.”

“Thank– Wait.”

Tracey was still cackling by the time they left for the Great Hall, thoughts about Hannah’s trial replaced by an easy camaraderie that made Hani feel like she could do anything as long as she had Tracey by her side.

Prophecies, Blood Magic, and – even if it pained her to admit it – politics.

Hani sat stiffly on the armchair she usually adored. Tension radiated from every part of her body. Her Magic was nowhere in sight, stifled by the panic and anxiety currently wreaking havoc on her mind.

Healer Branstone was a soft-looking woman. Her hair hung loose around her face, haloing her in honey-gold. Her eyes were kind, her expression gentled by her round cheeks and easy smile. She sat in Severus’ usual seat, her legs crossed at the ankles, a piece of parchment floating next to her left hand. She’d already asked Hani if she was comfortable with the meeting being recorded. After checking their secrecy agreement one last time – complete with a vow of silence – Hani had hesitantly nodded.

Now, she watched as the quill hovered over the parchment uncertainly. She hadn’t said anything since Healer Branstone had started their session. The healer had introduced herself and asked Hani what she was hoping to get out of their sessions – not a clue, she’d said honestly – but aside from the first few questions, she’d stayed surprisingly quiet. The healer was apparently giving her space to think, which Hani had no idea what to do with.

Her fingers itched to do something, but she had no threads with her. Hers and Daphne’s Yule dresses were tucked away in the secret room, ready to be taken back to the Sister room to be worked on later. Her smaller projects were scattered in the dormitory, on the table where the other Sisters did their homework, in the satchel she’d left behind…

Everywhere but here. 

“I used to craft here a lot,” she frowned. “I’d always have a jumper or a scarf or an embroidery project on hand. That way, if Seve– if my dad wasn’t around, I’d have something to do. Something to keep me busy.”

“Do you like keeping yourself busy?” Healer Branstone asked, her tone neutral but encouraging.

Hani didn’t know how much she wanted to tell this woman she barely knew, who was surely judging the famous Harini Potter and every word that was coming out of her mouth. Even if she couldn’t tell anyone about their sessions, Hani would leave an impression. She would forever be the Girl-Who-Lived to be absolutely fucked up. 

She wished she’d stayed in the secret room that afternoon. She should have never asked Severus to get her a therapist.

“I like doing things,” she finally answered, shrugging. 

The healer’s brows furrowed slightly, but she didn’t push. Not yet, at least. Hani waited impatiently, fingers tapping a rhythmic pattern on her knee. Eventually, the healer would have to say something, and Hani would have a question to think about. It wouldn’t have to be this painfully uncomfortable silence.

She just needed a simple, straightforward question.

But Healer Branstone remained quiet, sipping on the cup of tea Hani had poured for her at the beginning of their session. Her dad had volunteered to stay behind and help them set the room up, but Hani hadn’t wanted the healer to sense the tension between them.

It was strange, she thought. When she’d brought the idea up to Severus, she’d been desperate to talk to someone about her dad and godfather and the restrictions they kept imposing upon her. She’d wanted to vent and rage and scream at the world until finally, someone heard her. Until an adult listened to her and acknowledged what she was going through.

Now, she just felt like crying. Or fleeing the room. Or both. 

“Did you make the cardigan you’re wearing?”

Hani startled at the sound of Healer Branstone’s voice. Deep down, she’d half-expected the healer to stay as quiet as Hani until the end of their meeting. 

Thankfully, she’d gotten what she’d been looking for. An easy question.

She was wearing a long, green cardigan that she’d embroidered with white threads. Tiny orchids had been weaved around the pockets, the cuffs, and even the collar of the cardigan. It matched perfectly with the ankle-length lavender dress she’d picked for the occasion. The dress was embroidered with white sprigs of lavender, and Hani felt better wearing items that reminded her of the people she loved.

“I make most of my clothes now,” she replied. “I didn’t sew the dress, but I did everything else. The embroidering, the adjusting, the crochet for the cardigan. I’m a thread witch, so it makes sense.”

There was no reaction to her comment. Either the healer had already processed the information when it had been shared in the papers, or she was truly unbothered by the situation.

Or perhaps being a good actor was part of the job description. 

Then again, she doubted Sirius and Severus would have picked someone who openly claimed anti-dark sentiments.

“Does crafting make you happy?”

“Well, yes,” Hani huffed out a laugh. “It’s the best thing. Sometimes, I get caught up in other nonsense and forget to craft for a while, and I always regret it. My friend Daphne is good at reminding me to pick up my needle and thread, but she’s not here right now. She’s on the Programme, you know?”

“She must be pleased,” Healer Branstone smiled. Hani smiled back, though she wasn’t sure if that’s what the healer had been looking for. “Do you miss her?”

“Of course,” Hani sighed. “But I was in her place last year. I know the Programme is an opportunity no one can pass up on. Though, I guess some people did pass up on it for a chance to be Prefect, so maybe it’s subjective. Regardless, Daphne decided she wanted to leave, and she’s discovering new things out there. Finding herself.”

“That’s good,” Healer Branstone nodded. “What about you? What did you get from the Programme, Miss Potter?”

“The Programme was– You can call me Harini, by the way. It’s weird to have someone other than my professors call me Miss Potter, especially since you’re supposed to help me fix my brain.” The words rushed out of Hani in a stuttering mess, but Healer Branstone smiled and repeated her question, using Hani’s given name this time. 

Hani relaxed a little. She could do this. 

“The Programme was amazing,” she answered honestly. There was no need to filter this part of her life; there wasn’t a single part of the Programme she was ashamed or afraid of. “It was only my second time leaving the country, so that was exciting, but the people were the best part. Freja, Basile, even Clément and the other girls… There’s nothing that compares to the experience we shared. We still send each other regular letters. And then, I guess the Programme also helped us better understand our own Magic. Duelling makes it easier to be in tune with your power, so that was good.”

She sounded so awkward. It wasn’t as though she’d never talked to an adult before; she had plenty of experience with new people older than her. Now here she was, talking as though she’d never held a proper conversation before.

“It sounds like you found some wonderful friends, if you’re still in touch with them.”

Despite her discomfort, Hani smiled. Clément was terrible at sending letters and half of Basile’s messages were about his problems, but she loved them regardless. And at least Freja sent her consistently high-quality letters at the end of each month to tell Hani all about what she’d gotten up to over the past four weeks. 

“Yeah. After the Programme, being at Hogwarts without them felt beyond weird. I was used to having the same two people with me in every class, and suddenly those two people turned into three, none of them Basile or Ingrid,” Hani snorted. “I guess I’m saying that even though I miss Daphne, I wouldn’t want her to miss out on those kinds of friendships.”

“Well then,” Healer Branstone said with a pleased smile. “It seems to me that you have a very strong understanding of friendship, Miss Potter.”

“I try,” she grinned. “There have been some ups and downs, obviously, but my friends are pretty amazing, and I know we’ll always figure it out. And if we can’t… I guess I’ve accepted that you can’t be friends with everyone, even if it would be a lot simpler if we could.”

Healer Branstone nodded sagely and, when she asked Hani about the struggles she’d experienced with friendship, she realised she was no longer quite as reluctant to open up about the things she’d gone through.

The healer wasn’t pushing her to spill her deepest, darkest secrets. She wasn’t asking about Sirius or Severus or the trauma she might have gone through that would have led her to seek out a therapist. Instead, she let Hani lead the conversation in muddled waves, jumping from one topic to the next until she found herself telling Healer Branstone about Susan and the complicated feelings she still held for her exchange partner.

It wasn’t quite what she’d been imagining, and it didn’t suddenly fix the cracks in her mind and the worries that plagued her at every turn, but it was… good. It was nice, having someone who didn’t know everything about her and who wouldn’t judge her for the choices she’d made, no matter how foolish they might have been.

By the time their hour ran out, Hani was more relaxed than she’d been all month – except perhaps for the moments she’d shared with Tracey in their secret room, but that wasn’t something she could tell Healer Branstone.

When Severus reentered the room, apprehension dripping from his soul, Hani sent a shaky smile his way and watched as his face lightened. He ruffled her braids as he passed her to greet Healer Branstone again, and Hani let it soothe the part of her that was still impossibly angry at her father.

She’d expected him to jump straight into their Occlumency training after her session with Healer Branstone but, to her surprise, he paused and joined her for a cup of tea, asking about her day instead.

It wasn’t perfect. Hani hadn’t suddenly stopped simmering with resentment over everything that went unsaid between them, all the secrets he was keeping and all the ones she was forced to hide because of him. But he was still her dad, and she still wanted a home with him.

So she sipped at her hot chocolate and told him about her day and, for a moment, they were at the Cottage again.

She was almost out of the dungeons when she bumped into a bright spot of red in a sea of greys and greens.

Hannah leaned against a wall in a nondescript corridor near the Quad, her arms curled around her stomach and her eyes closed. Her foot tapped a nervous rhythm on the stone beneath her. When Hani approached her, her eyes flew open, panic flashing in her eyes for a moment before she realised who had come up to her.

“Strange place for a badger,” Hani remarked, drawing a small huff of laughter out of Hannah.

“Stranger for a lion,” Hannah shrugged, knocking her shoulder into Hani’s before lacing their arms together. “I thought you were supposed to keep your trips down here a secret.”

“The Occlumency training isn’t a secret,” Hani replied. “Apparently, Dumbledore and his little group don’t mind if the– if their enemy finds out about this particular aspect of my relationship with… Well, you catch my drift.”

“I do,” Hannah nodded.

They fell silent as they walked the rest of the way to the Quad, walking into the open air instead of heading back to their common rooms or the Sisters’ room. Hannah breathed in deeply when they stepped outside, her eyes falling shut once more. Even now, her face was pinched, her eyebrows drawn closely together.

“Were you waiting for me in the dungeons?” Hani asked. The Sisters all knew she had training with her father every Sunday, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for Hannah to have come looking for her.

“Sort of,” Hannah sighed. She led them over to a bench under a tree, crossing and uncrossing her legs several times after she sat. Hani let her think through her response, trying to emulate Healer Branstone’s demeanour during their therapy session. “I was accompanying Grace back to her common room, but she doesn’t trust me with the exact location, and then I thought… Might as well wait for you. I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

“You did?”

Hannah hummed affirmatively, and Hani waited some more. Her Magic hovered nearby, red and gold sparks glinting in the fading autumn sunlight. It wasn’t quite poking her or asking her to do anything, just… enjoying the afternoon, she supposed. Truthfully, she still wasn’t quite sure if her Magic was an extension of herself or a separate entity. 

She didn’t mind anymore. She liked the sparks, and she liked the way they left Hannah alone, giving Hani a chance to look at her friend without worrying about her Magic.

“Leo and Tracey have asked me about everything, you know?” Hannah said, blurting the words out as though she knew she would never be able to let them out calmly. Hani could relate. “But it doesn’t feel like my story to share. Charlie and Abby don’t talk about it with anyone other than each other – and me, I guess. And Grace… Grace doesn’t talk about it at all. It feels wrong for me to spread information to my friends when the triplets are being so careful with what they reveal.”

“You don’t have to tell them anything you don’t want to,” Hani pointed out softly.

“It’s selfish,” Hannah shook her head, laughing wryly. “They tell me everything, Hani. Last year, Leo kept us up to date on everything that was going on with him, even when he couldn’t articulate it yet. And Tracey has never been afraid to share the parts of herself no one else knows about.”

“This may come as a shock to you, Han, but you’re nothing like Leo and Tracey,” Hani smiled as she spoke. “It’s why the three of you make such a formidable trio. You keep them contained when they would otherwise explode. And if you don’t want to tell them about your family or the trial, then don’t. I promise they won’t hold it against you.”

“Yeah,” Hannah breathed out. “I know. But it’s selfish of me to come to you instead, when you already have so much on your plate. When I have two best friends – three, really – who would happily listen to me and give me the reassurance I need.”

“I’d rather you speak to me than let it build up until there’s too much for you to handle,” Hani said quietly. “It’s nice to see you smile and laugh, Hannah, but what’s the point of it if you’re hiding all your pain on the inside? I can’t say I have a spell that’ll cleanse your worries, but talking… helps.”

“Does it?” 

“I–” Hani hesitated. “Yes, actually. I had a therapy session today. It was good, I think.”

“Oh,” Hannah said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “They want me to see a therapist too.”

“Your parents?” Hani asked. She couldn’t quite imagine Hannah’s father advocating for therapy, considering how he’d raised them.

Hannah shook her head. “The social worker that was assigned to our case. She’s the one who found a foster family for Kate and James, and she’ll be handling the rest of us when school lets out for the summer. Though, I guess she’s already handling us, now that a decision has been made regarding our custody.”

Hani wanted to know what was happening to Hannah and the triplets, but she knew better than to ask point blank. She stared evenly at Hannah, whose features were taut with tension.

“We can’t all go to the same foster family,” she finally said. She wiped furiously at her eyes and Hani looked away, giving her a moment to collect herself. When she glanced at Hannah again, she’d hidden her sadness behind a careful wall of indifference. It was so unlike her, Hani felt her heart break a little for her friend. “Katie and Jamie are happy where they are, so it was an easy decision. They’ll be staying there until they can be reunified with mum. She’ll spend every other weekend with them and have visitation, but she has to prove that she can be better for them. She’ll have to go to parenting sessions too, to make sure she understands there’s more to being a parent than showing up at the end of the day.”

It was a good thing, Hani knew, but she felt Hannah’s pain. Kate and James were still young, and there was no telling what the process would be like for them. What would they remember? What would they want by the time their mother was ready to live with them again? How hard would it be for them to exist in a bubble so far from the rest of their family?

“Grace–” Hannah’s voice broke. This time, she didn’t bother wiping her tears. “The triplets didn’t testify, but they were there at the end. Grace and Charlie insisted, and Abby didn’t want to be left out. They wanted their voices to be heard. Grace asked to be separated from Abby. I don’t– Hani, what did I do wrong?”

Hani blinked back tears of her own.

“Han,” she whispered. “You didn’t do anything wrong. There was nothing for you to do wrong in the first place. Grace and Abby– Their relationship has nothing to do with you, no matter how much it might feel like it. Maybe… Maybe it would be good for them to be apart outside of Hogwarts for a little while. Until your mum can gain full custody again, right?”

“Right,” Hannah replied, her voice thick. “But what do we do? How are they going to split us? Where am I going to go?”

No matter where she ended up, it would seem like she was picking a sibling. Did she let Grace have her space, or did she trust that Charlie and Abby could take care of themselves?

“You’ll go wherever your social worker thinks is best,” Hani answered, trying to sound more confident than she felt. “This isn’t a decision you have to make, Hannah. You can give your opinion, but you don’t have to be the one making the final choice. And whatever happens with Grace, Charlie, and Abby, that isn’t your responsibility either. It’s why–”

It’s why they’d been taken away from their parents in the first place. Because they were kids being made to take care of each other when they should have only had to think about themselves. Because Hannah didn’t know how to be a big sister to her siblings anymore, and it was killing her on the inside. Because Grace had been caged into a role she didn’t want until she’d pushed it all away. Because Jamie’s favourite person in the world was a big brother who couldn’t look after him from Scotland.

Hani knew she hadn’t been a lucky child, but she couldn’t imagine going through what the Abbotts had dealt with their whole lives. How quickly would her Magic have rebelled against the responsibilities Hannah had been forced into?

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” Hannah cried. Hani leaned into her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and lending Hannah her support. Tears dampened her clothes and braids, but she stayed still and steady. “I want– I want mum to have custody of us, but she’ll never be cleared before July.”

There was nothing to say to that, so Hani held Hannah while she sobbed, taking her wand out to cast a privacy spell when she noticed a few more groups of students coming out to enjoy the pleasant weather.

When Hannah’s tears finally dried, Hani looked at her friend’s dishevelled appearance and gave her the brightest smile she could muster.

“Come on,” she said, standing and holding a hand out for Hannah to take. “Let’s go dancing.”

Hannah’s responding smile wasn’t quite as dazzling as usual, but it was a start.

The week flew by.

Final projects were being assessed at every turn, professors trying to ensure their students were on the right track. Letters from Daphne came and went, news of her relationship with Hermione brightening the Sisters’ mood – and darkening Lavender’s, who made herself sparser than ever. Prefect duties had picked back up, students getting more brazen with their mischief as November turned to December, bringing with it a distinct chill. 

And every evening after dinner, Hani and Tracey entered the secret room with determined looks on their faces. 

It was Friday by the time Hani managed to make the sparks move of her own accord again.

“Tracey!” She yelled, startling her friend from her relaxed position on the sofa.

She didn’t look away from her Magic. Red and gold hovered in a small, delicate thread above her hands. Her blood glistened in the moonlight, but the sparks weren’t attached to it any longer. She could feel them between her hands, a tangible thing rather than the ever-fluctuating presence she was used to.

It was like holding Magic between her fingers. Her control on it was weak; she was certain if she looked away even for a moment, her grasp on it would falter. But still, it was more than she’d done all week. 

“Are you doing it?” Tracey asked frantically. “How are you doing it?”

Hani didn’t answer, too focused on trying to get the sparks to do something else. There was no mention of the visible Magic in her mother’s Grimoire, but Hani had to believe there was more she could do with the sparks than simply move them around. Surely, if she weaved her intentions into them the same way she did to her threads, she could turn them into–

Her concentration wavered as she attempted to think of an appropriate spell, and the sparks flew back to her blood, dancing around the red liquid in a lazy pattern, waiting for her to cast Sui Sana .

“Damn it,” Hani hissed. “I had them! It was… I think weaving them into a thread is the solution. My brain doesn’t know how to handle pure Blood Magic yet, at least not on a theoretical level, but I understand threads. It’s a bit like Occlumency; I’m trying to find the perfect way to shape a barrier except, instead of a barrier, the goal is to wield my sparks so I can turn them into something else.”

“Right,” Tracey said, then nodded slowly. “Right. Wandless magic isn’t exactly a known form of spellcasting, so it would make sense for your brain to gravitate towards something it’s familiar with. That’s– that’s brilliant!”

“Do you think… I mean, in theory, if I get used to moving my sparks around like a thread, I could–”

“Eventually do it without the crutch of thread-weaving,” Tracey clapped her hands together, her mouth spread in a wide grin. “And then, it’ll simply be a matter of casting a spell the same way you would with a wand. Although, we’ll have to consider how the hand movement might change. Would you need a new movement entirely? Would you need any movement at all?”

“One step at a time,” Hani laughed, still slightly delirious from her successful attempt.

For now, she focused on her hand and easily cast Sui Sana . It was coming more naturally to her now, no longer draining her energy as it had at first. Her body was growing used to giving up a little of her blood in exchange for healing. Now that her mind and heart understood the trade-off, Blood Magic had lost its initially exhausting edge.

“Alright,” Hani sighed once her skin had knit itself back together. “Why don’t you do the honours of Pure Sanguina today? I think your Magic might crawl out of your skin from pure excitement if you don’t spend some of that energy.” 

Tracey rolled her eyes at Hani’s sarcasm, but she was already taking her wand out of its holster.

The first evening they’d tried Pura Sanguine after dinner, they’d determined it was better to cast it a single time per session, regardless of how eager they were to push themselves further. Hani’s blood didn’t need repeated cleansing, and they didn’t want to cause any adverse secondary effects that her mother may not have discovered during her own experimentations.

They’d tried it on Tracey too, but she’d admitted the spell had felt strange, as though someone had covered her in a too-hot blanket. They hadn’t attempted it since then, though they had both agreed they would love to attempt it on Daphne, whose core would be better suited to Hani’s Blood Magic.

Despite her neutral-light core, however, Tracey was making fast progress with Pure Sanguine. She’d been serious about her theoretical research, and it had paid off when she’d started her practical training. Even though Hani could tell her spell was weaker than the ones she cast herself, there was nothing technically wrong with them.

So long as Hani didn’t come in contact with any serious contaminating agents, she was certain Tracey’s casting would be good enough to purify her blood of any minor anomalies. And it was good to know that, if anything happened to her, if anything entered her bloodstream against her will, she wasn’t the only person capable of casting Pura Sanguine.

“All done!” Tracey grinned after a steady flick and twirl of her wand, the movement as controlled as ever.

Hani nodded at her, feeling the brief wave of cold flow harmlessly through her body, and Tracey beamed even brighter. It didn’t matter how many times she successfully cast the spell, Tracey was always delighted by her small victories. 

It was one of the best things about her, especially in contrast with Hani’s own frustration about her painfully slow progress. She tried not to think about the fact that it had been a month since Samhain, and all she had managed were a few protective wards and healing spells.

It didn’t feel like nearly enough, not compared to the pain she’d felt that night and in the days that followed.

“No moping, Harini Potter,” Tracey tutted, flicking Hani’s arm. “You just made your sparks move! If we’re right about our theories, this is going to be a huge step for your Magic. So, instead of thinking about all the things you haven’t done yet, why don’t you focus on this one, impressive win?”

“But–”

“You’re making progress, you dunderhead. It’s a good thing.”

And really, Tracey had a point – she usually had a point. Hani had been hoping for this all week, and she’d finally done it.

“Fine,” she drawled. “Progress! Wonderful! How should we celebrate?”

“Maybe by making sure you aren’t late to your patrol again? Theo is going to have a field day if you don’t show up on time,” Tracey grinned, and Hani cursed.

She rushed to gather her things – cursing the Grimoire’s heft as she shoved it into her satchel – and quickly stopped to hug Tracey on her way out, ignoring her friend’s wide-eyed expression at the unexpected show of affection.

“Don’t stay here writing and researching all night!” She called as she left the room, taking off running.

Despite her lateness, which was becoming a bad habit, there was a small smile on her face as she made her way to the Quad. Red and gold sparks ran along with her, creating clouds of dust beneath her feet, and Hani let out a huff of laughter.

Tonight did feel like a victory.

“Very good, Harini.”

Hani smiled absently at her father, standing up to stretch her legs out after an hour of sitting with her legs crossed and her back ramrod straight. 

She’d made better progress this week than ever before. Instead of forcing herself back into her Black family habits, she’d leaned into her now-familiar Evans Magic instead. The flimsy barrier she’d built up in her mind was a combination of sparks and sheer will and, though it was far from perfect, it was enough to keep her father out of her surface-level thoughts. 

He didn’t think it would be enough to keep Voldemort out were the events of Samhain to occur again, but then, even Hani’s initial barriers hadn’t been enough to stay out of his head. She rather thought they’d need a miracle to close the link that existed between them.

“How are you feeling?” Severus asked her as he brought her a cup of hot chocolate and a couple of biscuits, her usual fare after a draining Occlumency session. “Any side effects today?”

Sometimes, she came out of their training with a pounding headache and no way to soothe her pain. Today, there was only a dull ache behind her eyes which she was happy to ignore for the time being.

Occlumency had gone well, therapy had been another stilted but overall liberating experience, and she knew Lavender would be waiting for her in the Sisters’ room when she got back. It was a good day.

There were more good days than bad ones now. The trauma from Samhain hadn’t disappeared, but it was mostly restricted to her nightmares, where flashes of green and pleading screams could finally reach her.

“I’m alright,” she told her father. “I think I’ve found a technique that works better for me. Maybe next week I’ll even be able to block you out completely for a few minutes.”

“Perhaps a few seconds,” her dad chuckled, but Hani shrugged and accepted the challenge regardless.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes, but Hani could tell something was weighing on her father’s mind. He wasn’t speaking yet, so she was careful not to stare him down – just in case she scared him off. Instead, she focused on her cup of hot chocolate and on the sparks of red and gold that hovered above it.

She’d managed to replicate her control over her Magic a few times since Friday evening, each time holding the sparks in place for a handful of seconds before letting them go. Tracey thought it would be better for her to dictate the dispersal rather than to wait for the sparks to wrench themselves out of her grip, and Hani had a feeling her friend was right.

Every time she grasped for the sparks, they behaved a little less wildly, a little more docilely. Now, she only had to blink to gather the Magic and lift it higher above her cup, the Magic obeying her silent orders until she let it go. It lingered where she had left it for a little longer before falling back to the rim of her cup, and Hani smiled. 

Progress. 

“The Dark Lord has issued fewer orders this past week,” her dad finally said. Hani looked up at him curiously. He stared back, eyes serious, and Hani matched his demeanour. “The Order believes this is a good thing, but I have heard whispers from his side that he has other plans in place.”

“Okay,” Hani said slowly. She wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden information, if there even was something for her to do. Maybe this was just her dad finally realising that she could be trusted with some smaller things. “Is it anything you’ll have to be involved with?”

“Likely not,” Severus answered. “The Dark Lord likes to delegate specific duties to specific people, and mine are usually limited to potion-making and information-gathering. I doubt I’ll be participating in any of his new plans for the time being. He has… trusted advisors who select the best Death Eaters for these events.”

“Oh,” Hani said dumbly.

“I only–” Her dad started, then sighed. “Sirius and I are aware that we haven’t been quite as forthcoming about certain matters as we should have been. Although I would like for the Dark Lord to be none of your concern, we can’t quite ignore the connections that exist between the two of you. I have reason to believe his current plans involve the prophecy, and Sirius agreed it would be wise for you to be aware of it.”

Unease roiled through Hani. Despite hers and Tracey’s best efforts, along with Professor Hornby’s advice on technical matters, they’d made very little progress on the prophecy front. Everywhere they looked, the answer was the same: before they could delve into interpretation and matters of self-fulfilment, they needed to know what the prophecy said.

And they didn’t.

“I still think it would be smarter for me to know what–”

“Harini, we’ve been over–”

“I just mean that all the research I’ve done on the matter makes it clear that, at this point, we’re far past self-fulfilment,” Hani spoke over him. If she got this out now, if she shared everything she’d learned when the two of them weren’t arguing, maybe… “You and Sirius, Dumbledore, and who knows how many more people from the Order have heard the prophecy. It’s been spread too much. At this point, whatever it says is inevitable.”

“Nothing is ever inevitable, Harini,” her father said, his jaw set. “So long as Sirius and I are on your side, this is not inevitable.”

“But, surely if I was aware of it, I could prepare better for whatever it foresees. It’s not as though I ever plan on seeking Vo– the Dark Lord out myself. But if he comes to me, shouldn't I know what I’m supposed to do?” She pleaded, her eyes wide. Her dad had always been weak to her eyes.

“Hani,” he said softly. “The prophecy already cost me my best friend. I won’t let it cost me my daughter, too.”

Her heart lurched, caught between disappointment and gratitude.

She knew he thought he was doing the right thing, but every day she spent worrying about the prophecy was a day she could have spent preparing instead. It was time she could have been dedicating to her Blood and Thread Magic, to everything she could use to her advantage.

“That Voldemort knows it exists is bad enough,” he continued. “Whatever Peter shared with him, it was enough for him to attack your family as soon as the opportunity presented itself. He may not know the exact phrasing yet, and we hope to keep it that way, but it’s already too dangerous. The last thing we need is for you to believe you have to be– some sort of hero.”

“I don’t want to be a hero,” Hani said quietly, but her mind was elsewhere.

Her father spoke again, voice warm and reassuring, but Hani wasn’t listening anymore. She could only nod, her voice stolen from her by a realisation she knew her father hadn’t meant to facilitate.

He may not know the exact phrasing yet.

But he knew enough.

Chapter Text

Blood Magic may seem devoid of any levity, but I promise there is entertainment to be found even in our darkest Magic. The spell I mention here is one I created on a whim after time spent with friends, and it is perhaps one of the most useful ones I could have ever imagined. I say this to assure you there is joy in everything, but also to remind you that inspiration can come from others as much as it can come from yourself.

Invenire Sanguinem comes in two forms, both of them spellcraft. Invenio meum sanguinem allows you to locate any amount of blood that has been separated from you. This may not seem useful, until you realise your blood can be freely given. Anyone in possession of your blood may then be found. It is a delight for those close to you, and also indispensable if you are ever lost.

With enough practice, anything can be found.

~ ToB ~

“I’m sorry, you want to do what?”

Hani stared at Tracey, biting down on her bottom lip and fidgeting with the hems of her sleeves.

“I know it’s a long shot, but–”

“Hani,” Tracey interrupted her. Her eyes were wide, her voice bordering on disbelief. “You’ve spent the past month working on your Occlumency barriers so the events of Samhain would never happen again. It took you weeks to get back to normal after being expelled from your mind. And now you want to recreate the very situation that caused all of it?”

“It wouldn’t be the same,” Hani answered, hoping she sounded sure of herself. She wasn’t, of course, but if Tracey believed her… There was a lot Tracey was willing to do based on pure faith. “For one, I would be willingly entering his mind, not being sucked into a link I didn’t know existed. And I would have a goal. I’d be looking for something. It wouldn’t be like Samhain. I doubt he has a hundred Death Eaters at his disposal when he feels like murdering someone.”

She regretted her last words as soon as she spoke them out loud. Tracey levelled her with an unimpressed look, and Hani winced. 

“Trace,” she pleaded. “I’ve tried everything else. I’ve begged, I’ve reasoned with them, I’ve been sad and angry and eager, and none of it matters. They’ll never tell me what the prophecy says. Who else am I supposed to get it from?”

“I don’t know!” Tracey exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “You’re supposed to– to wear your guardians down! Or to track down the prophet who first spoke the prophecy. Or– I don’t know, Hani, anything other than putting yourself in mental – and potentially physical – danger on the off-chance that you may finally find out what this damned prophecy divined.”

“But what is ‘anything else’ at this point?” Hani asked, her energy deflating in the face of Tracey’s logical arguments. “Because I’m pretty sure if I don’t get answers from the enemy, I won’t be getting any answers at all. So do I simply admit defeat? Live with the knowledge that there’s a prophecy out there about me, one that’s bad enough for my guardians to keep it from me?”

At first, it had been easy enough for Hani to believe the prophecy was harmless. Severus and Sirius had been keeping it from her out of principle, not wanting her to get involved in fickle matters of Divination. But the more time passed, the more obvious it became that whatever the prophecy had revealed, it wasn’t good for Hani. 

And by keeping the exact phrasing from Hani, her father and godfather were ensuring she would have no idea what was coming for her.

She would still end up dead, or grievously injured, or whatever else the prophecy implied, and they would be no better off for it.

“The prophecy–” She started, but cut herself off. She didn’t know how to make Tracey understand that this mattered to her almost as much as her Blood Magic. It felt like something that resonated with her very core, with the soul that had been compromised by this insidious link she hadn’t known existed within her. “Whatever it says, this prophecy is the reason my parents died, the reason I spent most of my childhood–”

Tracey stared at her unflinchingly.

“I didn’t have any control back then,” Hani murmured. “And when my father took me in, I didn’t mind the lack of control. I thought it was safer that way, nicer, to have someone take control in a caring way rather than an abusive one. But Tracey, this prophecy– There’s something buried in my head connecting me to the man who murdered my parents. I’m already damned. What’s control going to do for me now?”

“Don’t say that,” Tracey said harshly. Her jaw was set, upset radiating off her in waves. “You’re not damned. There isn’t a single prophecy in the world that could convince me you’re doomed. You’re Hani Potter! You live! You survive! You thrive and find solutions to your problems and make the world bow to your will.”

“I know,” Hani said carefully, watching as understanding slowly overtook Tracey’s features, accompanied by agony. 

“You’re bending the world to your will,” she whispered, and Hani nodded. “Hani… This isn’t like your Blood Magic. We have no precedent for the link in your mind. We don’t have your mother’s notes to guide us. There are no instructions for this kind of Magic.”

“Then we’ll make our own instructions,” Hani shrugged. “Step 1: find the anomaly in my head. Step 2: let myself get dragged into it again. Step 3: repeat the first two steps as often as it takes to overhear Voldemort’s thoughts on the prophecy.”

“That is psychotic,” Tracey huffed. “Genuinely psychotic, Hani. What do we do if something goes wrong? What do we do if it goes right? How do we make sure you’re safe, when there is absolutely no guarantee You-Know-Who won’t be able to sense your presence?”

“He didn’t feel it last time,” Hani argued.

“He was busy murdering someone last time!” Tracey yelled. Hani flinched away from her, watching as guilt darkened her friend’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I– This is insane.”

“Probably,” Hani agreed.

“There are a thousand ways this could go wrong,” Tracey continued.

“I doubt there are many ways for it to go right,” Hani concurred. “I’m almost certain two people are never supposed to share a mind outside of the delicate, contained boundaries of legilimency.”

“Most likely not,” Tracey hummed. Her gaze scanned Hani’s face. The two of them stared at each other, a silent communication, a question and a response. “We’ll have to think about every possible outcome first. Every one, Hani, even the outlandish options. And then, if for some reason the benefits seem to outweigh the risks, we can talk about it again. But Hani, if your father finds out about this…”

“He already doesn’t trust me,” Hani pointed out, her voice quiet. She pushed down the physical pain she felt at the thought of her dad and the careful way he looked at her now. “I know this is beyond stupid, Trace, but I don’t want to die.”

Tears stung behind her eyelids as she spoke.

She hadn’t let herself linger on the idea too much since she’d first found out about the prophecy, but it came to her in nightmares sometimes. She’d hear the muddled, faded words of a prophet, would see a flash of green light, and then she’d wake up drenched in sweat, frantically feeling for her heartbeat. 

All her nightmares were painted in sickly green. She just wanted some of them to be founded on something else, for once in her life. Something real. Words that actually told her something, rather than the unending fear that her guardians would prefer to let her die in ignorance than fight for the truth.

“What if the prophecy reveals nothing at all?” Tracey asked softly. “What if You-Know-Who doesn’t know enough?”

“Then at least I’ll have tried,” Hani replied just as quietly. “I’ll work even harder on my Blood and Thread Magic. My parselmagic, too. I’ll do everything I can to give myself an advantage. It’s all I can do anyway, right?”

“Fuck, Hani,” Tracey whispered, rubbing her hands over her face. “Fine. I’ll think about it. But until we’ve thought about it further, promise me you won’t do anything reckless. No digging into your mind on your own, no tugging at a link during your meditations, nothing at all.”

“Nothing,” Hani repeated dutifully.

“Good,” Tracey sighed. “In the meantime, you’ll have to keep up with your studies. If the prophecy is as doom-inducing as you assume, then you’ll need every advantage you can get. I’ll ask around and see if anyone’s heard of any Blood Magic books in our house library. And now that you’ve mentioned it, you really should get back to your parselmagic training. I know we talked about it briefly with the Sisters, but whatever you were doing in your duels last year was working, and we don’t want you to lose that edge.”

“Would you practise with me?” Hani asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

Tracey opened her mouth, words on the tip of her tongue, but Hani watched as she swallowed them and considered her carefully.

“I won’t be anywhere near your level,” Tracey said slowly.

“Then I’ll teach you,” Hani shrugged. “It’s unfair that you won’t get any Duelling classes simply because you haven’t quite surpassed your housemates. The other Slytherins are ridiculously ambitious.”

“I mean–” Tracey hummed. “I can see the appeal. With the attacks happening in the Muggle world and last year’s break-out and everything else, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to have a few duelling tactics. Though I doubt the version of duelling you were taught will be particularly helpful during an all-out fight.”

“I know,” Hani huffed frustratedly. “It was all far too formal. I wasn’t joking about practising with Sirius, though. I need to do something to break through this awful tension between us, and it’ll make him feel useful if I ask for advice. Once I’ve gotten some tips from him, maybe my methods will be less by-the-book and a little more ‘real-life-experience’.”

“One can hope,” Tracey snorted. “Why don’t we revisit the idea of duelling training after Yule? You’ll have had time to see your godfather, you’ll hopefully have progressed even more with your Blood Magic, and who knows what will have happened with You-Know-Who by then.” 

“And it’ll give you time to catch up on the basics of duelling,” Hani teased, laughing when Tracey’s cheeks reddened. “You can’t out-Slytherin me, Trace, I’ve been surrounded by snakes for years. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with practising before the two of us do anything together; you’re starting from nothing whereas I’ve been lucky enough to get training from some amazing professors.”

“Yes, yes, rub it in some more, why don’t you?” Tracey scoffed, though at least her face had turned back to its usual rosy hue.

Hani smiled, then looked down at the book resting on her knees. It was an old Occlumency tome Severus had lent her for the purpose of their lessons, and part of her felt guilty using it for the opposite effect now. The section on Legilimency was sparse, but Hani hoped it could serve as a starting point to reestablish the connection between Voldemort and herself.

“Thanks for considering it, Tracey,” she said softly. “Lavender and Parvati would have probably run off to Severus by now.”

“And what good would that have done us?” Tracey laughed dryly. “I may not be your best friend, Hani, but I know you well enough to understand you would have gone through with this ridiculous plan even if I’d disapproved. At least this way, I can keep an eye on you.”

“Gee, thanks,” Hani rolled her eyes.

“Every Gryffindor needs a little Slytherin on their shoulder to keep them in check,” Tracey grinned. “Now, come on, why don’t you show me the basics of this plan of yours so I can poke at it until it no longer feels like a suicide mission.”

“It wouldn’t be a suicide mission!” Hani argued, throwing her hands – and the Occlumency book – up. “I’d still be in my own body!”

“Whatever helps you feel better,” Tracey sing-songed.

Hani glared at her, but she knew not to resist Tracey when she was in the mood to do some research.

By the time they headed off to dinner, Tracey had managed to find about a dozen different issues with Hani’s original plan, but she’d also brought up some strong points in favour of her hairbrained mission.

Finding the prophecy wouldn’t be as easy as plucking it cleanly out of Voldemort’s mind, but it wasn’t an impossible task. 

Not impossible at all.

The girls’ seventh-floor dormitory was tense and quiet. Fay’s eyes were closed, her head bopping along to the beat of a song she’d saved to her magically-modified walkman – a birthday gift from her father that she’d put to great use since the beginning of the year. Sophie’s bed was empty, their housemate having gone to the library to wait for Isobel after Slughorn had let them out of class early. Erin was sitting on her bed cross-legged, quill held between her teeth and gaze focused on the essay in front of her.

Lavender stood next to Hani, lips pressed tightly together.

Hani shifted her satchel uncomfortably over her shoulder. She didn’t have to cast a Tempus to know lunchtime was about to begin. Even with the extra half hour they’d gained thanks to Slughorn’s dismissal, they would be cutting it close if they didn’t head out soon.

Fay and Erin didn’t care much for the tight schedule, but Hani, Lavender and Parvati had always stuck to their routine.

“Lav, we should–”

“She didn’t even bother coming up here to get her textbooks,” Lavender frowned. A quick glance at Parvati’s section of the room proved Lavender wasn’t lying; Parvati’s Charms and History books, along with her completed homework, lay forgotten on her dresser. “Professor Picquery won’t be pleased with her, especially not on his first day back.”

Picquery had assigned them a longer essay than usual to ‘celebrate’ his return to Hogwarts, which had been the bane of many fifth-years’ lives for the past week – Hani included. If Parvati didn’t turn it in on time, she doubted their professor would overlook her forgetfulness.

“I can take those down for her,” Hani said offhandedly, pausing when Lavender’s hand shot out to stop her in her tracks.

“Don’t,” Lavender said firmly. “Let her struggle, for once.”

Hani hesitated. On the one hand, she didn’t want Parvati to lose points or get sent to detention because of a silly mistake. On the other hand, it wasn’t just one silly mistake, and she knew Lavender was sick of Hani covering for Parvati at every turn.

It had been her Potions textbook the previous Friday and her Care of Magical Creatures homework the day before that, and earlier still it had been the notes for her Arithmancy project. Each time, Parvati had left them behind in their dormitory and, each time, Hani had come to her rescue. Anything for her best friend.

But Lavender was her best friend too, and there was a world of hurt in her eyes now.

“Will it make you feel better?” Hani asked quietly. Fay and Erin were too caught up in their own worlds to hear them, but talking about Parvati out loud in their shared space still felt vaguely like a betrayal. Not that Parvati was ever there outside of curfew.

Lavender shrugged. “Probably not, but it’ll make her feel worse. Besides, you’re setting a precedent, and you won’t always be there to save her butt. Let her learn, just this time. Picquery will make her do an extra essay but he won’t assign detention; he won’t want to waste time on discipline when he could be assessing what we’ve learned while he was gone.”

It was a fair guess. Picquery loved teaching almost as much as Remus did, and there was nothing he loved more than seeing his students grow passionate about his subject. He’d be too busy gauging their interest in the things their foreign professor had taught them to give out detentions and take away points.

Still, Hani glanced from Lavender to Parvati’s books and back again.

“Not like we’ll even see her before class starts,” Lavender rolled her eyes. “She’s never anywhere to be found. It’s as though she disappears as soon as she’s got Blaise’s hand in hers. Shame we don’t have the Marauders’ Map right now; it’d be hard for her to vanish if we always knew where she was.”

Hani didn’t know what to say to that. Didn’t know how to agree with Lavender without admitting that Parvati was being a terrible friend. Didn’t know how to admit that Parvati was being a horrible friend to them without feeling guilty for even thinking it in the first place.

“Hani, please,” Lavender whispered. “I’m pissed at Parvati, obviously, but I’m also worried. She’s never cared much about classes, but when have you ever known her to scream at her professors and leave her stuff behind before lessons? I like Blaise. I think he’s a decent guy who obviously cares about Parvati. However, I also think the two of them are caught up in something right now, and it’s not good.”

“They’re in love,” Hani retorted, keeping her voice low. She slowly angled them towards the door and started walking them out of the door.

Lavender had a point about Parvati’s books; Hani had done enough saving for the week. She didn’t owe her friends favours when they couldn’t even be bothered to show up for lunch.

“Are they in love?” Lavender asked as they made their way down the stairs. Both of them smiled at the younger students whose paths they crossed, their descent slowed by Hani’s gentle reminders that lunch was starting soon.

“What do you mean?” She inquired curiously once they reached the bottom of the stairs and spilled out into the busier common room. “I mean, I know they might have not told each other they felt that way yet, but why else would they be dating? It’s been almost six months at this point.”

“I’m pretty sure it has been six months,” Lavender said, biting at her bottom lip. “And yet they’re– I don’t know. We were caught up in each other at first, but it was never like this. Is it supposed to be like this?”

Hani opened her mouth to say she didn’t know, but she stopped herself before the words could slip out. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she did know what it felt like to be smitten with someone, to look at them and blush simply because they looked your way, to want to be near them if only to catch a glimpse of their smiles. But even if something came out of… whatever she was feeling, she couldn’t imagine behaving the way Parvati was with Blaise.

“Maybe it’s different for everyone,” she said carefully. “Love is tricky, isn’t it? That’s why everyone’s so obsessed with it. They want to find that perfect someone, or whatever.”

“Or whatever,” Lavender grinned, knocking her shoulder into Hani’s. “But I only mean that… I’ve had feelings for people too, you know? Other than you, obviously. I’ve felt like I was falling in love, but I don’t think I would throw everything else out of the window for a romantic relationship.”

“Yeah,” Hani murmured. “But I’ve also been feeling… guilty, I guess. For not realising how much Parvati was struggling with thoughts of the future. Maybe she’s found solace in Blaise because the two of us are so set in the things we love that she started feeling left out. What if between the Gazette, my crafting, and the prefect patrols, we didn’t leave any space for Parvati?”

Lavender considered her silently, frowning while Hani opened the Fat Lady’s portrait and stepped out of the common room, into the castle’s cool December air. They stayed quiet until they’d passed the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room and neared the Entrance Hall.

“I wasn’t busy with the Gazette at the beginning of the year,” Lavender finally said. “Even once it started picking up, I think I did a good job of leaving space for the two of you. And you might be busy, but you asked for our help with the prophecy, you spend time in the Sisters’ room pretty much every day, and you keep our entire house sane whilst the professors figure out something to lighten your load. We haven’t disappeared, Hani.”

Hani’s lips twisted, tears springing to her eyes unbidden.

The truth was, she missed Parvati. She missed Daphne. She missed feeling like the Sisters were a unit rather than a smattering of fractured groups. She even missed Basile and Freja, who had been a constant in her life for long enough that their absence left a physical hole in her heart.

She’d thought being back at Hogwarts full-time would make the distance easier, since she would at least have her friends here, but now–

Now she was lying to Lavender, Parvati was barely talking to her, and Daphne had her own struggles to worry about. 

“This sucks,” she breathed out, swallowing back a true wave of tears. “Friendship was a lot easier when we were thirteen.”

“True,” Lavender laughed dryly. “It’s almost as though the stress of exams, romance, and responsibilities will get in the way of the simpler things in life. Who could have guessed this would happen?” 

“Certainly not me,” Hani chuckled, the sound wavering a little as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Then again, Se– my father did make it sound like growing up was the sort of thing that got in the way of friendships. I think he was a fifth year when he and my mum had a falling out, so I suppose we’re following in their footsteps. Maybe it’s a mandatory step we have to complete before becoming adults.”

“If that’s the case, I would rather have passed,” Lavender huffed. “Especially if it means we have to watch Parvati act so damn disinterested in everything that isn’t Blaise. She hasn’t asked to do anything fun in weeks, Hani! You know I’ll never drag myself outside of my own volition, but she’s meant to be the one pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

“It’s a bit of a vicious cycle,” Hani grimaced. “She spends too much time with Blaise, which rightfully annoys the hell out of us, but then she wants to hang out with us even less. At this point, I think our best bet would be to ambush her when she’s in a good mood.”

“Sure,” Lavender said tightly. “I’d be happy to give it a try, at least once. Maybe shake some sense into her and remind her there are people other than Blaise. The cold shoulder hasn’t worked, and I don’t have the constitution for this kind of long-term fighting, so we might as well do something different. However, this does bring us back to our initial problem, which is that finding her is bordering on impossible.”

“Yeah,” Hani said slowly. “Though… Tracey and I have been researching some things in our spare time, and if I’m right– I can’t promise you anything, but I might have a way to make our search slightly less harrowing.”

“Oh?” Lavender asked, her eyebrows climbing up her forehead. “Care to share?”

“Magical theory, you know,” Hani said vaguely, internally breathing out a sigh of relief when Lavender scrunched her nose up and dropped the subject.

At least one of her best friends remained utterly predictable in her reactions.

“Until I can figure it out though, how about we do something with some of the other Sisters to get you out of the castle?” Hani suggested with a small smile, watching as delight brightened Lavender’s features. “I know Padma and Lisa have been itching for something to do as well, and I’m sure Tracey will tag along if she isn’t busy with… Well, I’m not actually sure what she gets up to when she’s not with us, but perhaps she could find some time for us in her mysterious schedule.”

“She’ll come if we make it creature-related,” Lavender pointed out. “Last year, she admitted that even though she didn’t choose Care as an elective, she would love to see more of what we get up to. I get the feeling she wasn’t really sure what she was picking when she made her choices.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve understood as well,” Hani snorted. “Are there any interesting creatures that would draw the whole group out? Padma doesn’t strike me as an animal person.”

“Well, I chose unicorns as my focus for my final project, so I get some more exclusive access to the herd as long as I treat them with respect,” Lavender answered with a self-satisfied grin. “Lisa hasn’t had many chances to see them since she’s been busy with her Griffins, and I’m sure even Padma would be happy to see why everyone loves unicorns so much. It’s a win-win situation.”

“And you won’t make us help you with your project at all?” Hani squinted at her dubiously. 

“Who knows what’ll happen once we’re there?” Lavender smiled, feigning innocence. 

Her smile dropped as soon as they entered the Great Hall and found their portion of the table devoid of their missing housemate. Hani nudged her gently, determination lighting up her eyes.

“I’ll make that spell work,” she promised her best friend. “Blaise can only keep her from us for so long.”

It wasn’t quite enough to bring Lavender’s smile back, but she made her way to their spots at Gryffindor table without disparaging Parvati’s boyfriend, which Hani counted as a victory.

Now she just had to make sure her promise hadn’t been entirely empty.

“Invenio meum sanguinem,” Hani whispered, breathing deeply to maintain a stronger connection to the red and gold sparks floating around her. She swished her wand in a large circle as she spoke before flicking it in one rapid move above the bleeding palm of her left hand.

There was a flicker, the dust moving in a lazy pattern for a few seconds, but she was still doing something wrong. She wasn’t sure if the problem was with the movement, the incantation, or the nature of the spell itself, but she was no closer to successfully casting it than she had been at the start of the evening.

Curfew would be coming up soon, Tracey would have to leave her hiding spot in order to get back to her dorm, and Hani would have to find Theodore before the beginning of their patrol.

She tapped a rapid beat on her knee with her wand hand, briefly casting Sanguis Gratis again to make sure the flow of her blood didn’t slow while she considered the Grimoire and her mother’s forever-vague instructions.

The problem with Lily Evans’ writing was that her mum had very obviously been a good author. The portions of the book describing traditions and lending advice to future Evans children were beautifully narrated, and Hani often lost herself in the tales her mother managed to spin from each spell she’d crafted. All in all, the Grimoire was the type of non-fiction that dreamers and novel-lovers would have enjoyed. 

It was the type of non-fiction that Hani enjoyed, except when she was trying to get something out of what she was reading.

The descriptions of wand movements and verbal incantations were hidden amongst longer paragraphs and messy diagrams and prose that Hani could never quite decipher when it came time to understand a new spell. 

In the case of Invenio meum sanguinem, the incantation was clear; it had to be spoken softly and slowly, to give the spell time to locate Hani’s blood beyond her body. The wand movement had been drawn out in a poorly-executed sketch, but Hani was almost certain she’d captured it as well as she could with the little she’d been given in the first place. 

If she was being honest with herself, Hani could guess with near certainty that neither of those elements were the issue with the spell. Her mother wasn’t the most proficient teacher, but she’d gotten the basics down into the Grimoire and had given Hani the tools she needed so long as she was patient enough to parse through the lengthy paragraphs of storytelling. 

The issue, not just with this spell but with every spell in the Grimoire, was that it seemed that for all their similarities, Hani and her mum simply didn’t experience Blood Magic in the same way.

There were no sparks when her mother spoke. There was no mention of physical Magic trailing after her eagerly. When her mum mentioned her Magic, it was as something she felt within her, but not as something she experienced around her.

And though Hani also felt her Blood Magic deep in her core, she couldn’t ignore the sparks.

“I don’t suppose you want to tell me your secret?” Hani asked, laughing softly when red and gold danced up her arms.

She had a feeling her Magic was eager for her to figure out how to best use it, but her progress had been slow. If she meditated deeply enough, she could imagine her Magic turning into ribbons she could control, but it was the sort of technique that left her feeling drained and gave her very little leeway with what she could do with the magical ribbons.

Hani doubted she was anywhere near a point where she could guide the sparks to respond to her instructions the same way her wand did. And yet, once she managed to make the pure Magic move in tandem with the mediums she favoured, surely everything would be easier. If her Magic wanted to be used so badly, why couldn’t it respond to her intentions even a touch more than it had been doing up until that point?

She flicked an invisible flicker of gold dust away from her hand and watched, fondly exasperated, as a bigger cloud of sparks swarmed to her flowing blood.

They made wandless Magic easier, but every blood spell she attempted with her wand felt all the harder for it.

Still, she took a long breath and steadied herself. She raised her wand in her right hand and murmured the incantation as she completed the circular motion needed for the tracking spell. At the same time, she fell deeper into the almost-meditative state she achieved when she cast Blood Magic. With a small tug, she latched onto a gathering of sparks in her mind and imagined them turning to threads.

Sweat dripped down the back of her neck, concentration stretching her to the limits of her magical and physical ability.

Her fingers were shaking and her eyes struggling to stay open when she finally completed the incantation and movement, the last swish of her wand bringing an end to the pressure pushing at Hani’s mind.

The relief was instantaneous, as was the small thread of purely red Magic darting past Hani, her awareness of it so strong, she almost felt for a tether between them. But there was nothing there, only air and a feeling that no matter where the thread went, Hani would know how to find it.

She followed without hesitation, shoving her Grimoire into her satchel and tucking her wand back into its holster as she raced out of the room, letting her instincts guide her.

She curled her left hand in a tight fist, hoping she didn’t cross paths with anyone curious enough to wonder why blood dripped from her palm. Part of her wanted to heal the cut, but she worried her awareness of the spell would disappear the second the blood flow came to a halt.

Instead, she stuck to the walls and the shadows. The thread of Magic was nowhere to be seen, but she felt it somewhere deep within her, where the rest of her Blood Magic lay in wait. It sang through her blood and bones, and Hani took turns into a part of the castle she never usually explored.

The feeling stopped suddenly. Her magical awareness vanished, leaving a gaping emptiness behind along with the whisper of a direction Hani had known seconds earlier.

She cursed underneath her breath but didn’t give up. The Magic had taken her this far before the spell faltered; surely Tracey had to be nearby.

Even if it hadn’t been an unequivocal success, Hani needed to find her friend to tell her about the progress and liberate her of her hiding duties for the evening. She’d already stayed out until just before curfew the night before to help Hani with her tracking, but there was no reason for them to cut it so close a second time.

Thankfully, the area of the castle she’d found herself in was relatively small, consisting of tight corridors and a multitude of empty rooms. She was on one of the lower floors, closer to the dungeons than the sweeping towers she was used to, and she had to stop herself from pausing to examine every new portrait and object of interest she ran across. 

Finally, she turned a corner and spotted light streaming from a partially-open door.

She knocked lightly before entering, her eyes widening as she took in the various cork boards hung up around the room. Sketches and messily-written notes had been pinned up around the room, which was crowded with a multitude of instruments. 

A ratty sofa had been pushed against the wall closest to the room’s single window. Tracey sat cross-legged on the only piece of furniture, surrounded by papers, a football, and a hefty stack of books. It wasn’t too different from the sight Hani was used to finding in their secret room, but something about this space felt cosier. She supposed anything would feel more comfortable than the room they used for Blood Magic experimentation, but there was a sense of home here that Hani hadn’t even experienced in her own dormitory for the past few months.

“Damn,” she said underneath her breath, smiling sheepishly when Tracey startled and glanced up at her with wide eyes. “Sorry. I did knock, I promise.”

“Hani!” Tracey lit up, rising from the sofa so suddenly, a stack of books wobbled precariously before the Slytherin girl stabilised them. “You did it!”

“Kind of,” Hani grinned, carefully moving towards Tracey all the while avoiding the expensive-looking instruments strewn across the floor. “The spell stopped working a little before I could actually find you, but it took me to the right area, so I think we can count this as our first win.”

“Absolutely!” Tracey beamed, reaching Hani and high-fiving her enthusiastically. “You’re killing this blood witch thing, you know? If there wasn’t a prophecy to worry about, I’d suggest you forget all about the Divination stuff in favour of working on this instead.”

“Sure,” Hani laughed lightly. “One can dream.”

“No optimism whatsoever,” Tracey huffed, flicking Hani’s arm lightly before skipping over to a corner of the room and gathering her belongings. “I’m just happy you made it here before curfew. Professor Cresswell almost caught me out of the common room last night, and she is not the type to let mistakes go unpunished.”

“Life of a Slytherin,” Hani teased her friend. “Professor Alderton is more concerned with what’s going on inside the common room. In his eyes, half an hour doesn’t make a huge difference as long as we don’t get caught by patrolling Prefects or professors.”

“And this is why I should’ve asked to be a Gryffindor,” Tracey sighed. “Though if I was a lion with you, who knows if we’d have ever gotten Daphne to join the Sisters.”

“Let’s call it destiny and not worry about what could’ve been,” Hani said, scrunching her nose up at the thought of a world in which she and Daphne weren’t friends. “I don’t suppose you’ve come up with a way for me to get Parvati to wear this necklace instead of the one Blaise gifted her over the summer?”

It wasn’t an easy thing to sell. The necklace Hani had given Tracey was a simple, golden, tear-shaped locket. Instead of a picture, she’d filled the empty space inside with the tiniest vial of her blood. 

Meanwhile, Blaise’s present to Parvati was a shiny piece. The necklace was pure gold, and the heart-shaped ruby pendant fit perfectly at the base of Parvati’s throat. Hani hadn’t seen her take it off since Blaise had given it to her.

“The necklace is off the table,” Tracey sighed, confirming Hani’s suspicions. “Hey, do you need to meet Theo after this?”

“Yeah,” Hani winced. Their patrol started in ten minutes, and she had no idea how close she was to their meeting spot.

“You’ll be fine,” Tracey assured her with a wave of her hand. “I’ll take you there before going back to the common room. Anyway, like I said, the necklace won’t work, but if we can get a vial of your blood into Parvati’s bag without her noticing…”

It was a shaky plan, but Hani listened anyway.

She didn’t have any better ideas yet.

The red and gold sparks were active that evening.

She’d made it to the Entrance Hall with a few minutes to spare, Tracey waving a quick goodbye to both her and Theodore before leaving them be. Still, Theodore’s eyes had been narrowed, his brows furrowed.

The expression hadn’t left his face all night, not even when the two of them had started their usual Muggle-related conversation. Hani had been certain that talking about movie theatres would lift Theodore’s spirits – if only because he loved finding the flaws in non-magical innovations and reimagining them in a magical context. But, while it had momentarily distracted him, the corners of his mouth were still tight.

He’d fallen silent after Hani had brought up the movies she’d watched with her friends, clearly incapable of bringing relevant experience to the table.

Her Magic had been present even before their conversation had waned, but it was dancing now, providing Hani with her own fireworks show while Theodore walked sullenly by her side. The sparks were eager to bring her joy after such a productive evening; they were clearly just as excited about their tracking success as Hani was.

Unfortunately, every smile seemed to put Theodore even more on edge.

By the time they found a pair of third-year Ravenclaws lingering near the library, he was so tense, he snapped at the poor boys. Hani issued them a quiet apology while Theodore noted their encounter in his nightly report, and Hani shot him a reproaching look as soon as they were out of sight.

“Was that necessary?” She said tersely. “You know Cedric and Wren prefer a firm but empathetic approach to this sort of thing. They’re obviously young and… discovering things. Snapping at them isn’t going to make them want to sneak out less. If anything, you might have just given them a new reason to hide.”

“They’re out after curfew,” Theodore answered, his voice sharp. “Rules are rules, no matter how old the transgressors are.”

“You usually have a tad more sympathy for the little ones,” Hani huffed. “So, would you like to share what’s got you in such a mood tonight, or would you rather keep going like this? I’m sure Wren will be delighted to hear how you’ve been interacting with the younger students.”

Theodore’s lips twisted further, his eyes sparkling with cold mistrust as he gazed at her.

There was something else there too.

Curiosity.

“Should I also tell her about the blood on your sleeves?” He asked cuttingly.

Suspicion.

Hani made sure to keep her jaw relaxed and her expression impassive. She could only hope she’d learned enough from her father to be convincing.

“I had a nosebleed earlier,” she rolled her eyes, her tone even. “That’s why Tracey was with me. She was helping me get cleaned up, though I suppose we didn’t think about my robes as much. Blood isn’t quite as visible on red robes as it is on skin.”

It was even less so on black robes, but Hani loved her Prefect robes too much to give them up, even if it would make her experiments all the safer.

Theodore stopped, bringing them to a halt near the tables at the back of the library. When he looked at her, some of the mistrust disappeared.

The suspicion remained.

“Do you suffer from many nosebleeds?” He asked slowly.

“And headaches,” Hani shrugged, glad for the cover of truth in the midst of her careful omission. “15 hasn’t treated me great so far. My fa– guardian says when your mind is troubled, your body tends to swiftly retaliate.”

“So your mind is troubled?”

“The world isn’t exactly a great place right now, Theodore,” Hani answered, and she watched as some of the suspicion finally melted off her partner’s face. “I think, in the grand scheme of things, getting a little bit of blood on my sleeves is far from the worst thing that could be happening to me. And certainly not the worst thing that could be happening to you.”

“What does that mean?” Theodore scoffed.

“It means,” Hani smiled sharply. “Mind your own sleeves, Theodore.”

There was curiosity in his gaze again, but his shoulders loosened and a smile curled at his lips.

It wasn’t long before he was asking her about the movies she’d mentioned earlier, wondering which ones would best suit him and his friends. Hani made sure to recommend movies she thought Sally-Anne would enjoy as well, hoping the girl would get a nice date out of hers and Theodore’s stilted conversation.

Hani wasn’t foolish enough to believe this would be the last of Theodore’s suspicions, but for now, she reckoned she had enough Muggle facts and half-truths in store to keep him off her scent.

Despite Hani’s doubts regarding Tracey’s plan to track Parvati, an opportunity presented itself two days later to slip a small vial of her blood into the front of her best friend’s satchel.

She felt bad for the deception, but not bad enough to take it back. If she could lead Lavender to their wayward friend and finally give the three of them a chance to properly talk about their strained friendship, it would be worth it. Hopefully, it would also distract both girls enough that they wouldn’t question Hani’s tracking method.

If there was one thing she and Tracey had agreed upon when they’d finalised their plan, it was that neither of them could find out about Hani’s Blood Magic experiments. As much as Hani wanted to believe in her best friends, she couldn’t trust that they wouldn’t run to the adults and tell them what she and Tracey had been up to in their free time. She also couldn’t guarantee that they would forgive her for using some dubious spellwork to track Parvati – when she so clearly didn’t want to be found.

The current issue with their plan was that Hani was almost certain she wouldn’t be able to hold the spell without having access to fresh blood. And, as comfortable as she was roaming around the castle after dark with a barely-noticeable cut on her hand, she didn’t like the idea of practising in broad daylight.

It left her in an awkward, anxious state all day long, to the point where she wondered if she wouldn’t be better off stealing the vial of blood back, if only to ensure Parvati wouldn’t find it until Hani was ready to cast the spell.

That, or until she learned Invenies tuum sanguinem and somehow managed to get blood off Parvati instead.

The uncertainty left her feeling jittery all morning. She spent the first two hours of her day pacing back and forth in the Sisters’ room until Padma told her to sit herself down. Eventually, she’d managed to pull out her dress for the Yule Ball and focus on the detailed embroidery she was still adding to the rich, red fabric.

Herbology hadn’t provided her with quite as satisfying of a distraction. Morag had noticed her mood and had been quick to offer silent stories as they worked, but her running commentary had stopped when Alice Runcorn – their temporary partner while Ernie was abroad – had started muttering insults about Sophie. Morag, ever the proficient lip-reader, had instantly rained hell upon her with jabs of her wand that caused both of the plants in front of them to teeter precariously.

Sophie had been too busy glaring at Alice to chat with Hani, and she’d been left to her worrying while she worked on maintaining the leaves they would need to harvest as potions ingredients the following week.

Every so often, she would glance at the table next to them and consider grabbing the blood out of Parvati’s satchel when she wasn’t looking, but the idea of getting caught sent cold shivers down her back. Instead, she spent the two hours in a torturous in-between space, her mind thinking about elaborate ways to get the vial back while her body worked overtime to complete the task Professor Beery had set for them.

By lunchtime, she was ready for a break from her own head. She hurried to Hannah’s side as soon as they left the greenhouses, sending a shaky smile in her friend’s direction and drooping with relief when Hannah politely excused herself from Leo and Lavender’s company.

Lavender sent Hani a worried look, but Hani smiled at her more convincingly this time, tilting her head in the direction of the Great Hall to indicate she’d be right behind her. She just needed a few minutes with someone who could calm her down without even trying.

“Lots on your mind?” Hannah asked, one corner of her lips tilting up in a wry smile.

“That does seem to be when our paths cross the most,” Hani laughed softly. “I suppose that’s what happens when you spend enough time in close company with someone.”

“We could go dancing right now, if you wanted to,” Hannah pointed out. “The room will be empty, and there should be enough time for us to make it back to the Great Hall before the end of lunch if we’re quick about it. Just a few minutes to go over the choreography I’ve been creating for Leo’s project, and then we can– Frick. I haven’t collected my afternoon textbooks yet.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Hani said, nudging her gently. “We can go dancing some other day. I really only came to you because I needed a distraction but am not in the mood to hear about the Gazette. I love Lavender, and I love how dedicated she is to her work, but it does tend to take over her mind a little bit.”

“Tell me about it,” Hannah snorted. “I feel like I know the team personally, even though I’m quite certain I’ve never met any of her colleagues who aren’t either in our year or in my house. She has far too much information gathered on them already, if you ask me.”

“It’s why she’ll be so good at running this whole thing,” Hani chuckled. “Even if it occasionally costs us our sanity. I guess it’s a fair trade?”

“For her, maybe,” Hannah teased. “She’s lucky we love her. I wouldn’t take this from anyone else, not even any of the famous reporters she reveres so much.”

“She’s lucky we still tolerate it for now,” Hani corrected. “I adore Lavender, but she’ll eventually have to start taking her gossip straight to the members of her club, because I refuse to spend the last two and a half years of my school life only talking about the Gazette when she’s around. Who else am I supposed to go to about my love and friendship problems?”

“Love?” Hannah grinned deviously. “Why, Harini Potter, I never–”

“Oh, shut it,” Hani slapped Hannah’s arm lightly, biting back a smile when her friend let out a cackle. “It was theoretical. For when I eventually have love-life problems. Someday. Not today.”

“You’re right,” Hannah said sagely. Her eyes were still alight with mischief. “I wouldn’t call what you currently have a problem. More like a very handsome, caring, funny guy who happens to think you are the most amazing–”

“And we’re done!” Hani slapped one hand over her right ear and the other over Hannah’s mouth, feeling her friend’s lips move against the palm of her hand. “I am decidedly not here to talk about De– love. Besides, Lavender isn’t quite so bad yet. I actually think Parvati’s absence has made her realise we haven’t been spending as much time together, and she’s been good at asking about my days in between rants about the Gazette.”

“Sure thing,” Hannah hummed, still looking entirely too pleased with herself. “But if not love, what did you want to talk about?”

“Nothing specific,” Hani shrugged, fiddling with her Prefect badge as she mentally went over the topics she could broach with Hannah. “Lavender and I have been trying to find a good time to talk to Parvati, but it’s been tough. Even now that Tracey’s helped me with a tentative plan, we’re struggling to catch her at the right moment.”

Hannah winced. “She was already gone by the time I gathered my stuff at the end of the class. She hasn’t been around much for our walks back to the Great Hall, has she?”

“No, she hasn’t,” Hani sighed. “Lavender made a good point the other day, saying it’s not normal for two people to be so caught up in each other. Several of us have been in relationships now, and it’s not been like that for any of us.”

“Ernie wanted it to be that way,” Hannah replied with a frown. “In his mind, it should have been just the two of us, always. If that’s what’s going on for Parvati and Zabini, then yeah, I can’t imagine it’s particularly good for them. Is that why you want to talk to her?”

“Yeah,” Hani murmured. “But not today. I need a break. Mentally and physically, honestly. Not that I’ll get it later, between Arithmancy, one-on-one Quidditch practice before dinner, and patrols with Theodore after curfew.”

“If I wasn’t a Prefect, I might be jealous at the amount of time you get to practise Quidditch,” Hannah grimaced. “But I know how heavy this badge feels sometimes and Merlin, I don’t think I could take even a minute more than what I have right now. Cedric’s already got us running drills every Monday and Tuesday evening on top of our Sunday practice.”

“It’s going to get worse when the matches begin,” Hani groaned. “January is going to be hard on our poor bodies.”

“Though, I guess we did sign up for this,” Hannah said dryly. “We can only hope that the New Year will knock some sense into the younger students. Less sneaking out, less infighting and, for the love of Merlin, less constant confusion about the workings of the school. I swear we weren’t this clueless when we were eleven.”

“Well, probably not,” Hani agreed. “But I’m also pretty sure it was only because we were thrown into the deep end and told to swim or drown.”

“Point,” Hannah snorted. “Here’s to being figures of light and guidance for all the kids who come through these hallowed–”

A commotion on the viaduct up ahead cut Hannah off before she could finish her sentence. Hani glared down at the badge she’d been playing with minutes earlier, cursing it for its terrible timing.

Problems had a way of cropping up on the days she was least ready to be a Prefect.

It took them longer than she’d have wanted to reach the source of noise. The viaduct was always busy when classes let out for lunch; students from all houses and year groups trying to make it to the Great Hall first in order to claim the best fares. Hani gently nudged younger students out of the way and not-so-gently pushed sixth and seventh years to the side when they refused to move.

Hannah had latched onto her hand as soon as they’d been interrupted, and she stood to Hani’s left as they finally broke past the final line of students.

Hani didn’t swear out loud, but it was a close thing.

There, standing with their wands out, stood Erin and Andrew Hurst, one of the kindest, most non-confrontational third-years she’d ever met. Now, his eyes burned with fire, his right hand splayed protectively behind him, where a familiar-looking girl stood, her arms curled around her backpack.

“Chie Shinohara,” Hannah whispered for Hani’s benefit. “You have her little sisters, I think.”

Hani nodded, her gaze never leaving the situation in front of them. A quick scan of the perimeter revealed they weren’t the only Prefects around. Justin lingered on the other side of the conflict, meeting Hani’s eyes with a small nod. To his left, Hattie Mitchell and Roland Abberley were slowly making their way through the crowd.

Justin, Hannah and Hani stepped in as a unit, and if the situation had been any less tense, Hani would have smiled at their synchronisation.

As it was, her lips thinned into a tight line, her back straightening. She wished she and Hannah had their Prefect robes on, if only so Erin didn’t mistake their intervention for anything else.

And also because the thought of intervening in such a public affair was a little bit daunting.

Just a tiny bit.

“If I were you, I would put those wands back in their holsters,” Hani hissed when she finally reached the pair of Gryffindors.

From his side of the duo, Justin tapped his throat with his wand and cleared it, effectively capturing the attention of everyone around them.

“You’re all blocking the viaduct, gaping at something you should have ignored,” he called out, his voice calm but firm. “It’s lunch time, and the Great Hall won’t wait forever. Nothing to see here.”

There was some grumbling as students started moving again, some more gawking when someone passed by the still tense Andrew and Erin, both of whom had yet to follow Hani’s instructions, but finally, the group began its slow trek to lunch.

Roland met with Justin and whispered something to Hattie, who nodded before making her way over to Hani, Hannah, Chie, and the offending duo – as well as a few of their friends who had stayed behind.

“Prefect Potter, she started it!” Andrew’s best friend, David, spoke up first, his voice venomous as he looked at Erin. “Chie was minding her own business when Hargreaves decided to–”

“We’ll stop you there, Mister…”

“Nolton,” Hani completed for Hattie, who smiled at her appreciatively.

“Mister Nolton,” Hattie continued. “Miss Hargreaves, if you could please fully put your wand away. I highly doubt we’ll manage to get a clear idea of what happened until the two of you have calmed down. Besides, it’s one thing for a group of Prefects to catch you breaking Hogwarts’ first rule, but it’s a whole other thing for the professors to find you in this same position when they get here.”

“Do we have to involve the professors?” Andrew cringed. Hani felt for him, but there was no way of getting around it.

The use of wands in corridors was prohibited for a reason.

If the smug look on Erin’s face was anything to go by, she was well aware of this.

“Justin and Roland have gone to find your Deputy Heads,” Hattie said sternly. “Though frankly, I have half a mind to involve your Heads and the Deputy Headmistress as well. Wands in the corridors, with so many others around? And on the viaduct, too? What on earth did you think would happen?”

Hannah peeled off from Hani while Hattie talked, approaching Chie and speaking to her in low tones while the others were too busy sulking to pay attention to them. Hani wished she could join her but, with three Gryffindors involved in the conflict, she could hardly step away.

“I wouldn’t have taken my wand out if Hargreaves hadn’t tossed a spell at Chie,” Andrew snapped. “I knew she spends her time ordering the firsties around and treating everyone like dirt, but I didn’t think she’d stoop so low as to attack a younger student.”

Hattie turned her hard gaze on Erin, who looked up at her, faking innocence.

“It slipped?” She said, not even bothering to temper her smirk. It grated on Hani, who had tried so hard to make sure Erin felt welcome and was given a fair chance to find her place at Hogwarts.

“You can laugh all you want now, Hargreaves, but you’d better rein it in by the time Professor Alderton gets here,” Hattie frowned. Hani wondered what the older Prefect was thinking, what she made of Erin and her irreverent ways. “Harini, if you and Hannah don’t mind keeping an eye on the third years for the time being, I’ll have a quick talk with Hargreaves and her friends.”

She gestured at Alice and Sally, who had remained behind while the rest of their housemates headed on to the Great Hall. Hani nodded easily, directing David and Andrew away from Erin.

“Prefect Potter, you have to believe us,” David insisted once they’d found a quieter place on the viaduct. Now that the initial adrenaline had passed, Hani could see both of them shivering. “We would never take our wands out without reason!”

“I’m aware,” Hani said wryly. “Professor Alderton will listen to your side of the story, and you know he’ll be fair when he settles on a punishment. And if it makes you feel better, I think the two of you have earned some well-deserved loyalty from Miss Shinohara. I might not fully agree with the way you handled things, but you’re good friends. I just hope that in the future, you can defend your friends without having to take your wands out. It never ends well, especially on the viaduct.”

“Hargreaves said it was alright,” Andrew said, brows furrowed. “Something about magical barriers? Not that it makes what she did fine, but if there weren’t any protections, I would never even dream–”

“The protections are inconsequential,” Hani interrupted him abruptly. Behind Andrew and David, Chie was making her way over to them, Hannah on her heels. “Now, I can’t speak for Professor Alderton, but I can speak for the other fifth years and Prefects. So listen to me when I say this: Erin is looking for trouble. She didn’t target Miss Shinohara because of any personal grudges, I can promise you that. You see how she is in the common room, don’t you? The best thing you can do for yourselves is ignoring her. Don’t give her what she’s looking for.”

“What?” David asked, confused.

“A reaction,” Hannah interjected, smiling gently at Hani as she took back the spot to her left. “For some reason, Erin wants to be seen more than anything else. So, ignore her.”

“She ripped up Chie’s backpack!” Andrew gaped. The girl in question shrugged awkwardly under her friends’ attention.

“Not like there was much in there to begin with,” she joked. “I left my textbooks in my dorm this morning, so it was mostly quills and parchment. Not a huge loss, especially since my ink survived the fall.”

“Still,” David huffed. “Hargreaves thinks she’s better than us, that the rules don’t apply to her or something.”

However, Hani didn’t think that was quite true anymore. As Professor Alderton and Professor Pyrites approached the fifth years gathered with Hattie, the look on Erin’s face didn’t shift at all.

She knew the rules applied to her. She simply didn’t care.

Her housemate said something too quietly for Hani to overhear, but she didn’t miss the flash of anger that darkened Professor Pyrites’ face as she spoke. Even Alderton clenched his jaw, his gaze flicking over to Hani, Hannah, and the third years before focusing on Erin again.

“Detention, Miss Hargreaves,” he thundered, shaking his head. “And your parents will be called. Prefects, thank you for your help. You’re free to head to lunch, though Professor Pyrites and I will most likely be approaching you later today to make sure all our accounts are in order.”

Hani nodded, grabbing Hannah’s hand and eagerly leaving the professors to deal with the situation.

“Well,” Hannah sighed as they quickened their pace. “So much for a calm lunch before your busy afternoon.”

“It’s what I get,” Hani groaned. “Shouldn’t have jinxed it.”

It was going to be a long day.

“So, I heard you were the third years’ saviour today?”

Hani blindly threw her notebook in Dean’s direction, huffing when her partner deftly avoided it, ducking under the closest couch for cover.

It was far too late. Her entire body ached, a mix of muscle strain from Quidditch and pure exhaustion from her Prefect duties. Theodore, who had heard about the run-in with Erin, had thankfully been more lenient with her during their patrol, but she’d still found herself drifting off by the time they’d made it back to the Entrance Hall.

“Not a good evening, then?” Dean asked, leaning over to pick up Hani’s notebook and casually flicking through the notes she took during her nights patrolling.

She preferred drafting her reports before writing them up in the forms Cedric and Wren handed them every week. It gave her the time to sit on her thoughts, but it also ensured her handwriting was more than the messy scrawl she produced when she tried to write and walk at the same time.

She had no idea how Theodore managed it. 

“Erin is my…” She paused, searching for the right word.

“Kryptonite?” Dean suggested. Hani snapped her fingers in recognition. Leo loved using the expression every time someone inconvenienced him. “She is certainly something. You know, Ron tried to befriend her a couple of times.”

“Ron?” Hani asked, trying not to sound too surprised. “I knew Fay was making some efforts, but I didn’t realise Ron was in on it as well.”

“Well, it was more of a Neville initiative,” Dean admitted, closing Hani’s notebook and stretching his arm out to hand it back to her. Hani accepted it as she rounded the sofa and sat on the armchair closest to Dean’s head. “He mentioned that she might simply feel a little lost and excluded here, the same way he did at first, the same way Hermione did. Considering he and Hermione are Ron’s closest friends, Ron obviously decided it should be his personal mission to give Erin a shot.”

“I see,” Hani snorted, closing her eyes for a moment. “How long did it last?”

“A week? Two days?” Dean laughed. “She may act like she’s as lonely as Neville and Hermione were at first, but she isn’t softened by anything. At least Hermione had you, and Neville had his plants. There was something they loved enough to give them a reason to try , you know? It doesn’t feel like Erin wants to try at all.”

“Tell me about it,” Hani winced. “Most of us in the dorm have decided to give her a wide berth. We’re cordial and as polite as we can be considering the circumstances, but we don’t go out of our way to talk to her. It’s helped that Parvati’s been too busy with Blaise to antagonise her. Sophie isn’t nearly as snarky when she’s alone in her efforts.”

“She likes being the back-up,” Dean concurred with a teasing smile. “I guess Parvati has been pretty absent, huh?”

There was a knowing look in his eyes. Dean might have been a boy, but Hani knew he wasn’t clueless when it came to feelings, not the way Ron and Seamus often were. Of all the boys in the group, she wasn’t surprised Dean had been the one to notice the tension lingering between their usually inseparable trio of best friends.

“She’s got love on her mind,” Hani sighed. “Lavender and I are hoping to ambush her soon and have a talk about her attitude. We’re wondering if she doesn’t realise quite how much we miss her.”

“Hmm,” Dean hummed. Hani opened her eyes and caught him watching her, a thoughtful look on his face.

Seconds later, she had red and gold sparks dancing around him again. She smiled tiredly at the sight and watched as he brightened, his considering gaze turning soft. The red sparks tangled through his hair while gold shone in front of his eyes.

“I think if I were to date someone, I’d do everything in my power to make sure they still had time for the other people and things in their life,” he finally said. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he spoke. “I don’t doubt that there’s something special about spending time with your partner, but friends and hobbies and school… It still matters, even if it’s not quite as overwhelming as romantic love.”

Hani’s heart skipped a beat. Her sparks radiated warmth even from a distance. It felt like an invitation, a whisper to come closer.

She stayed where she was, her hands clenched at her sides.

“It’s a good way to think about it,” she said quietly. Dean’s lips tilted up, amusement shining in his eyes. Hani felt like she was grasping at something that kept slipping away from her fingers. Her throat was tight, her palms clammy. “You deserve that too. Someone who’ll give you the space to love others as well as them. You’re very– You’ve got lots of love to share.”

“I do,” Dean laughed softly. “And so do you. It’s why you’re such a good friend, good Prefect, good teammate… I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone speak poorly of you.”

“I don’t think you’ve been looking in the right places, then,” Hani whispered. Her cheeks were hot, sparks yearning for something she didn’t know how to reach. “I’m definitely not perfect.”

“Maybe not,” Dean smiled, stretching as he stood. When he spoke next, he was closer to Hani, his legs leaning against the arm of Hani’s chair. “But Hani, you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met. The kind of person who’s ridiculously easy to love. And I think that counts for something.”

His fingers were inches away from her face, but he pulled them away with a short gesture and an awkward clearing of his throat.

“Anyway,” he muttered quickly. “Good night.”

Then he was gone, and Hani was left alone with her burning cheeks, her dancing Magic, and longing where there had been exhaustion just minutes earlier.

Tracey was quiet in a way that Hani wasn’t used to.

She spoke plenty, but she knew where to leave empty space. Unlike Lavender and Parvati, or even Daphne, she didn’t push or prod or dig when she was given crumbs to follow. She simply waited.

Hani was used to it, but it still threw her off as they entered their secret room in silence. They’d come straight from an afternoon with the Sisters, and there were plenty of things Tracey could have brought up – Erin, Parvati, Dean, even Theodore – but instead, she’d spent the journey to the room with her head buried in a book, trusting Hani to get them where they needed to go.

It was strange, but Hani found that she appreciated the quiet moments as much as she appreciated the loud ones. It was nice to have someone to talk to about Magic and research rather than the deeper things in life she didn’t know how to decipher.

It was especially nice to have a friend who didn’t immediately dismiss her ideas or go running to her guardians.

Tracey believed in Hani even more than Hani believed in herself, sometimes.

Which is why the two of them were now sitting at their desk, the Grimoire on Tracey’s side of the table and a book on the Mind Arts on hers.

“I want you to try Legilimency on me before you do anything in your own mind,” Tracey said calmly. She’d already told Hani that she thought they should go ahead with her plan, but there were a few extra steps she wanted to add to the process.

Of all the things Hani could have anticipated, this wasn’t one of them.

“You want me to read your mind?” She frowned.

“Sure,” Tracey shrugged. “I don’t have anything to hide. Besides, I’m not asking you to rifle through my thoughts until you find something incriminating. I just think it would be a good idea for you to experience Legilimency in an environment that you can control before you go throwing yourself at You-Know-Who.”

And there was nothing Hani could say to that, really.

She spent the next thirty minutes reading through the introductory chapter on Legilimency. Of the two major strands of the Mind Arts, Legilimency was the darker option. It was still more neutral than anything, but it wouldn’t be quite as inaccessible to Hani as Occlumency was.

In essence, where Occlumency used the Magic around her to build up her barriers, Legilimency would be drawing on her own Magic to push her into her target’s mind. In theory, since Hani had more Magic than most people, her chances of success would be higher. If she could figure out how to control it.

Focus was paramount to Legilimency, the same way it was to Occlumency. If she grew distracted or forgot her initial goal, the results would be unpleasant for both herself and Tracey. The book didn’t go into detail about the consequences, but it seemed she would be forcefully ejected from Tracey’s mind, which she wasn’t eager to experience.

“Just try a surface sweep,” Tracey suggested nonchalantly when Hani finally looked up from the tome. “A prod at my mind, if you will. It sounds like it’s quite instinctive, so you won’t know what it’s like until you try it.”

“For the record, I think this is equally as crazy as trying to break into Voldemort’s mind,” Hani muttered. 

Her words fell upon deaf ears. Tracey levelled her with a deadpan look and rolled her eyes when Hani pouted.

“Okay,” Hani breathed out. “When it comes to willing targets, the book says it’s better if they stay still and try to meditate in time with the caster. Do you have any Occlumency shields? If you do, it says you should ‘metaphorically invite the caster into your safe haven’. Which sounds equally as psychotic as everything else we’ve been doing thus far, so I guess it’s rather appropriate.”

Tracey snorted. “I don’t have Occlumency shields. Though, if you’re going to start learning the Mind Arts more seriously, I suppose I should at least give it a fair shot. In theory, it’ll come more naturally to me than it did you.”

“Lucky you,” Hani huffed. “Now, sit and meditate.”

“Yes boss,” Tracey drawled.

Despite her dry tone, she didn’t protest when Hani sat down cross-legged in her usual spot and gestured for Tracey to mimic her position. In fact, she was quick to sit and match her breathing to Hani’s.

They inhaled and exhaled in tandem until Hani was in her own mind, feeling the familiar tendrils of her Family Magics mingling with the flimsy barriers she was still rebuilding. It made for quite an unconventional set-up in her head, which had been relatively barren before her Blood Magic had made its appearance.

She loved it.

As usual, it took some effort to push her Evans’ Magic to the side. The red and gold sparks fought against her as she tried to contain them in a corner of her mind, as though they couldn’t stand the idea of Hani casting Magic that didn’t involve them.

She’d grown to love her sparks, but she did occasionally wish her Magic was as abstract as her mother’s, if only so she didn’t have to sense the way the dust faded when she started focusing on the act of Legilimency.

She shoved the sparks even further to the back of her mind and forced herself to focus on Tracey and the delicate spell she was trying to accomplish.

There was no wand movement to speak of for Legilimency. Even the incantation was more of a crutch than a necessity. But Hani needed as many crutches as she could get.

Once her mind was settled and her focus solely on her friend, she opened her eyes.

Across from her, Tracey did the same. Their breathing aligned, their gazes met, and Tracey gave Hani the tiniest nod before she flicked her wand, spoke the incantation clearly, and felt herself falling, falling, fal–

She really did love spending time with Hani. She loved the secret room. She wished she could do as much with her Magic as Hani and Daphne could. She’d have to be careful tonight; Theo and Blaise were starting to catch onto her nightly outings. She hoped Hani would figure the spell out quickly. She thought the plan to hear the prophecy was hare-brained, but she wanted it to succeed more than anything else.

Hani breathed in.

She was in Tracey’s mind.

These weren’t her thoughts. They weren’t her emotions. She was in someone else’s mind, feeling glimpses of feelings and memories rush past her haltingly, as though they didn’t know what to make of her.

She breathed out, and she imagined crawling out of the space she’d found herself in.

It was nowhere near as quick as the initial fall. It was a slow process, and she felt her own mind struggle as she tried to cut off the tether that linked her to Tracey. It didn’t help that her friend’s thoughts could still be heard in the background – Hani must have done something right. I miss Daphne. I wish we could have the other girls here.

Finally, after what felt like minutes but must have been mere seconds, Hani pulled herself out of Tracey’s mind.

Her head pounded. Her skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her fingers trembled, her wand having clattered to the floor at some point while she was lost in Tracey’s thoughts.

She smiled widely, and Tracey returned the gesture.

“Well!” Tracey chuckled. “Job well done. The fact that you managed to get back out of your own volition speaks well for any attempts you might make at breaking into You-Know-Who’s mind.”

“It’s not instantaneous,” Hani admitted, frowning slightly. “There was a moment where your thoughts felt like my own. Though, I guess it might be less of a problem with Voldemort, since he won’t be thinking about Blood Magic, Daphne, or the Slytherins in our year. If his thoughts are… murderous enough, I might be able to separate them from my own quicker than I did with yours?”

“Maybe,” Tracey hummed thoughtfully. “For now, I’d focus on improving your Legilimency and trying to find that spot of your mind where you felt him the first time.”

It didn’t take long for her to complete the second part of that task.

She sank into the meditative state she’d learned at the beginning of the year from the Sisters and easily found the portion of her mind linked to Divination. And, just like every other time she’d meditated this way, she instantly felt the wrongness within her mind.

Only now, she knew what that wrongness was.

And once she’d gotten what she needed from it, she’d do anything she needed to in order to get rid of it.

“Alright,” she said once she’d pulled herself out of her meditation, resisting the urge to complete a cleansing ritual on herself. The wrongness clung to her stubbornly, but she refused to give into it. “Let’s try Legilimency again. We’ve got a prophecy to find.”

Tracey nodded, determined.

She was quiet, yes, but her intentions spoke to Hani louder than anyone else’s.

They had work to do, and Tracey wasn’t going to let Hani go through it alone.

Chapter Text

Invenies tuum sanguinem is a form of tracking just as, if not more, valuable than its counterpart. If cast correctly, it will let you find the source of any blood. You will no longer be restricted to yourself or to those who have been trusted with your blood. So long as you acquire a drop of someone’s essence, you will be able to find them.

This is not something to take lightly. Blood is a finicky thing. You will notice your Magic tires quicker when asked to track someone who does not wish to be found, especially if their blood was not given to you willingly. 

It is tempting to use your power to uncover every secret, every drop of blood spilled in your vicinity. But I assure you, some things are better left hidden. 

~ ToB ~

There were some things even Hani couldn’t imagine doing when it came to her Blood Magic. There was a line to be drawn somewhere, no matter how much it irritated the part of her that wanted to do everything there was to do when it came to the Evans Grimoire.

Collecting her friends’ blood without their consent crossed that line. Collecting anyone’s blood without their consent surely crossed that line, though Hani couldn’t deny there was a small corner of her mind that nudged at her whenever she thought about it. How much easier would her life – the war – be if she could slash the palm of her hand, close her eyes, and let sparkling dust lead her to the people in charge of destroying Muggle lives?

How easy would it be to obtain a single drop of blood from a single person?

It was a moral dilemma that even Tracey seemed to struggle with, but the two of them had agreed that Hani couldn’t rely on Parvati’s blood if she wanted to track her. It was bad enough that Hani had slipped that damned vial in her bag. 

Besides, the Grimoire made it clear blood should always be given willingly for the best results, and Hani’s Blood Magic was still too new for her to do anything that would make her attempts worse.

Still, as she and Lavender walked around the castle on the last Sunday morning of the school term, her fingers itched to get her hands on Parvati’s blood so they could find their best friend without having to count on Hani’s shaky ability to cast Invenio meum sanguinem. The opposite spell was, according to the Grimoire, much simpler to master. Whilst meum would always battle with the blood it knew existed within Hani’s body, tuum wasn’t limited in the same way.

Sometimes, Hani wished she were a little less moral, a little more willing to push past the limits that some people seemed not to care about at all.

But she was moral and she loved Parvati, so she hadn’t even considered stealing her blood. She loved Lavender, so she lived with the singular guilt that resided in the vial of blood Parvati had yet to discover.

And when their departure for Hogsmeade loomed too close for comfort, she slipped her hand into her satchel, cut the tip of her finger on the blade of her trusty knife, and whispered the incantation for the tracking spell underneath her breath.

Red and gold flickered to attention in front of her, leading away from the library they’d been exploring. They hovered by a window.

“We should check outside,” Hani told Lavender, whose lips were turned down, her eyes devoid of light. She matched the weather, cloudy, grey and freezing.

“We’ll never find her on the grounds,” Lavender argued. “Besides, if she’s outside and not with the rest of the group, she clearly doesn’t intend on coming to Hogsmeade today. I want to talk to her, Hani, but I don’t want to go chasing after her when she’s canoodling with Blaise.”

“I can find her,” Hani said decisively. She took her best friend’s hand in her uninjured one and dragged her out of the library. “If we haven’t reached her in ten minutes, I promise we can join the rest of the group and head to Hogsmeade without her. But then it’ll be Monday again, she’ll evade us at every corner, and she’ll be back in Essex by the end of the week.”

“And we won’t have talked to her,” Lavender sighed.

She was tired, Hani knew. Not just because of Parvati, but because of the Gazette and their classes and this new, confusing feeling that lurked in her eyes whenever they spent time with the Sisters.

Talking to Parvati was the only thing they could control at the moment, and Hani refused to start the Yule holidays without having at least tried to reconcile with their best friend.

“Do you actually know where she is?” Lavender asked dubiously as they stepped out into the damp weather. A group of students was already gathered on the steps, the other half having found refuge in the Entrance Hall.

Another reminder that they were on a timer.

“I have an idea,” Hani said, her eyes flashing to the trail of red and gold sparks to their right.

“The map?” Lavender inquired as Hani marched them away from the Lake, past the Clock Tower and further than they’d ever thought to look for Parvati. “Or this mysterious magical theory you and Tracey have been working on?”

Hani didn’t answer.

Her gut was already churning at the thought of the vial of blood she would eventually have to retrieve from Parvati’s bag – if her friend didn’t find it first.

There were parts of her, the parts that yearned for Magic and knowledge, that didn’t mind the lying and the secrets and the rules she’d been breaking.

But when Lavender was by her side, her gaze curious, Hani’s tongue tied itself into knots. The more time passed, the tighter the knots got. The harder it became to define the boundaries of her Occlumency shields. What was she hiding? What was she saying?

She didn’t want to lie.

She didn’t want to tell the truth.

“The Quidditch pitch?” She murmured, mostly to herself. In her periphery, she saw Lavender’s gaze flick away from her and to the pitch. Confusion clouded her eyes. Hani could relate.

As the two of them walked closer to the pitch Hani loved so much, she took a second to smudge the blood at the tip of her finger and whisper Sui Sana , watching as her skin knit itself back together. 

“I don’t understand,” Lavender said as they entered the Slytherin side of the stands – the closest to them. “Parvati doesn’t care about Quidditch and, as far as I know, Blaise hasn’t shown much interest in the sport either. It would have never even occurred to me to look for th–”

She cut herself off, and Hani watched as understanding and sorrow passed over her features.

As quick as they’d come, the emotions melted into determination.

“Come on,” Lavender said firmly. Her eyes were fixed on a corner of the Hufflepuff stands across from them. Two shadows were huddled together. On the pitch itself, a group of second years tossed a Quaffle amongst themselves. The shadows didn’t pay the younger children any mind.

They didn’t pay Hani and Lavender any mind either, not even as they stumbled through the Ravenclaw seats, hastily shuffling past the teachers’ seats until they entered the section decorated in banners of yellow and black.

It was only then that Parvati raised her head, her eyes widening as they landed on her best friends.

She startled from her position halfway on Zabini’s lap, her hands letting go of the Slytherin boy’s shoulder and instead moving to fix her dishevelled hair. Zabini seemed entirely unconcerned by the exchange. He briefly dusted off his pristine robes but otherwise only stared at them with muted curiosity.

“I–” Parvati started before snapping her mouth shut.

“We’re leaving for Hogsmeade soon,” Lavender said simply. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to enjoy the village properly, just the three of us. We couldn’t catch you this morning, but we thought perhaps you’d like to join us.”

Something passed between the lovers, so quickly Hani almost missed it. A furrow of Zabini’s brows, a pursing of Parvati’s lips.

But, beyond it all, a flicker of hope in Parvati’s gaze when she glanced back at Lavender, whose face gave nothing away.

“I wasn’t sure what I was doing today,” Parvati finally said, slow and measured. “I hadn’t really planned on going to Hogsmeade. The weather doesn’t seem to be looking up.”

“You’re outside already,” Lavender argued. Next to her, Hani tilted her head to the side and met Zabini’s eyes.

She couldn’t read him. She had no idea what to think of the boy Daphne and Parvati loved so much, for no apparent reason other than his ‘charm’. 

He met her gaze evenly, giving nothing away.

“I don’t–” Parvati cut herself off when Lavender whirled around with a huff.

Hani saw tears shining in her eyes and, before she could think better of it, she levelled Parvati with a glare. The further Lavender got from them, the more Hani wanted to follow her and leave their wayward best friend behind.

“Have fun in the Quidditch stands, then,” she said sharply, and watched as the hope on Parvati’s face grew to something more tangible. “If you ever want a demonstration, you’ll know where to find me.”

As soon as she made to turn, fingers just a few shades lighter than hers wrapped around her wrist.

“I’m coming,” Parvati murmured, carefully untwining her remaining hand from Zabini’s. She met his gaze when she spoke again. “I’m going. I’ll see you when we get back? Or will you go to meet with some of the Slytherins?”

“I’ll be here,” Zabini shrugged, then shot a sardonic smile at Hani. “Good to see you, Potter.”

“Right,” Hani said slowly. “You too. Have a nice day.”

She left before he could say anything else, not sure what to do with this intense version of Zabini who didn’t seem to care for the attention of anyone other than Parvati. He and his girlfriend were two sides of the same coin, and Hani was glad she hadn’t left with Lavender.

Her best friend was right; love was different for everyone, but surely it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“Lavender’s angry, isn’t she?” Parvati asked quietly when they left the Quidditch Pitch and headed back towards the front of the castle where the other students would be waiting for them. “She seems angry.”

“I’m not the one you should be talking to about that,” Hani said, her jaw clenched.

Parvati didn’t speak again.

The other Sisters had left them to their own devices the moment they’d noticed the thick tension hanging between Lavender and Parvati, Hani caught in the middle of it all, frustration clawing at her mind. 

Hannah had been the last to step away. Her warm eyes had been filled with concern, her gaze fixed on Hani, questions hovering unsaid in the silence. Hani had forced her lips into a shadow of a smile and, eventually, Hannah had sighed and bid them goodbye. She’d hurried off to join Leo and Tracey, whose outing already seemed to be going better than Hani’s.

If she hadn’t loved Lavender and Parvati so much, she might have joined them.

As it was, she took a deep breath and forced her feet to move forward in an effort to jolt her best friends into doing the same. 

They were amongst the last students still lingering at the drop-off spot in Hogsmeade, and Hani wanted to get away from the remaining third and sixth-years chatting nearby.

The frustration clawed deeper at her thoughts, sinking sharp nails into Hani’s mind. Her teeth were clenched tightly, her Magic picking up on her agitation and swirling in the air around her restlessly. She was on edge, and it angered her to no end.

She’d wanted a peaceful day, a lazy stroll with her best friends, a tearful conversation where they all admitted their faults. She’d been looking for two hands to hold whilst they searched for appropriate Yule and birthday gifts. Two people to talk to and help drown out the reminder of what had happened the last time she’d been in this exact situation.

Instead, their carriage had been heavy with unspoken grudges, and the atmosphere between them felt closer to what Hani had come to expect of an evening spent with Erin and Sophie in an enclosed space.

“I suggest you follow,” she snapped when Lavender and Parvati stayed rooted to the spot behind her. Neither of them were looking at the other, so Hani made sure to meet both of their gazes individually as she urged them to join her. “I’d rather be done with the outdoors portion of our trip sooner rather than later, and I can’t do that if the two of you refuse to move.”

They caught up to her.

Parvati settled to her right, Lavender to her left. Their steps were synchronised, but neither of them spoke. They wore matching scarves, but they still refused to acknowledge each other.

Hani was of half a mind to rip the scarves away from them. She’d gifted them to her best friends as a show of her love, but she couldn’t feel any of it now. The sprigs of lavender on Lavender’s scarf were meant to be an extension of Parvati’s carnations. The peachy pink of Parvati’s scarf had been chosen to complement the soft lavenders and blues of Lavender’s.

Two halves of a whole.

Two thirds of their trio, and now Hani was left to stand between the two of them as though they hadn’t known each other since they were barely old enough to talk.

“I need to stop by the clothing store to grab some fabric,” she said when it became clear neither of her best friends would be the one to take the first step. “I’ve finally finished mine and Daphne’s Yule dresses, so I thought I could start working on some hair accessories for the rest of you. What colour did the two of you settle on for your dresses?”

“Pink.”

The answer came in unison, and Hani bit back a nervous laugh as Lavender and Parvati finally glanced at each other. Lavender’s brows were furrowed, but her lips were parted in a silent ‘oh’. Parvati’s lips twitched ever-so-slightly before she looked away from her best friend.

“Well then, I’ll have to stock up on some pink ribbons. Perhaps I can also see if there are any nice pearls or ornamental flowers I can add to the final product,” Hani hummed thoughtfully, deciding it was a safer bet to keep speaking for the time being. “White for Daph, yellow for Trace, purple for Sue, red for Han and I, green for Padma, something blue for Lisa, and a burgundy tie for Leo! I reckon it’ll be easy enough to find a sewing pattern for a tie, and Leo said he didn’t mind if it was a little wonky.”

“How do you even know what everyone is wearing?” Lavender asked, her voice caught between amusement and disbelief. “Have you been tracking them?”

“Unlike the two of you, most of our friends decided on their Yule outfits long ago,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Sue and Padma were the last to make up their minds, but they both told me as soon as they settled on their final colour. Our friends aren’t fools, you know? They’re well aware I’d been planning on embroidering something special for each of them.”

“Nothing as elaborate as what Daphne got, though,” Parvati said, and Hani didn’t think she imagined the hint of bitterness in her tone.

Nor did she make up the matching frustration on Lavender’s face.

“You know Daphne asked for this, right?” She spoke slowly, trying to keep her voice neutral. “She told me she’d be happy to give up on both her birthday and Yule presents if it meant I would make a dress for her. Besides, she’s the one who understands my craft the best out of all the Sisters, so I figured it was past time for me to make her a complete outfit. Something both of you have already gotten, in case that escaped your minds.”

Sure, they hadn’t been Yule dresses, but she’d given Lavender more articles of clothing than she ever had anyone else when they’d been dating, and Parvati had received customised robes over the summer to match Padma’s dress.

“That’s–” Parvati started, then cut herself off. “Okay, perhaps I’m being a tad unfair. I suppose I’m only jealous because Daphne’s dress looks stunning, and I know it’s going to be the most magical outfit in the room. I saw you slave over runic sequences the entire time, so it can’t just be a normal dress.” 

It wasn’t. Hani had weaved sequences for warmth, grace, elegance, charm, movement, and protection into the fabric, painstakingly selecting each thread placement so she could incorporate flowers into the dress without disturbing the runes. It was even more detailed than her own lehenga, which she wouldn’t have to duel in – as opposed to Daphne, who would need enough freedom to perform her demonstration unencumbered.

“I think I’ll always be a little jealous when someone else gets to wear one of your designs,” Lavender added when they reached the clothing shop and started browsing through the materials Hani would need in the upcoming months. She’d already selected some ribbons she wanted Hani to weave into her hair for the ball. “I know you still have a long way to go when it comes to your technique and the intricacy of the clothes you make, but Hani… The dresses and jumpers and scarves you make for us breathe Magic. Nothing else compares.”

Parvati nodded in agreement and Hani hummed, pleased both at the compliment and at her friends’ temporary truce.

She didn’t push them any further as they browsed through the shop’s offerings. She let them go their separate ways, fluttering from one to the other as she gathered a basket full of ribbons, threads and loose pieces of interesting materials she wanted to try incorporating into upcoming designs.

She also looked out for black silk, which she wanted to obtain for her Ancient Runes project as quickly as possible – she’d finally settled on the first runic sequence she wanted to try, but silk was the only fabric she thought would have a chance of leading to success.

Despite the lack of black silk, she felt satisfied by the time they left the shop. The seamstress and shopkeeper were both aware of her identity but, more than that, word had spread of Hani’s Thread Magic, so every purchase she ended up making was highly discounted. She would have felt bad about it if she didn’t know that they took advantage of Hogsmeade’s remote location to rack up their prices in the first place.

“I can’t believe they fold so easily for you,” Lavender scoffed. 

They were making their way to the Three Broomsticks, hoping to find a relatively private table to settle at. At least, that was what Hani was hoping for; Lavender and Parvati seemed content to follow her lead for the day.

“I buy tons of stuff from them,” Hani shrugged. “It’s a good strategy on their part. They must know I’m smart enough to owl-order fabrics if their prices no longer suit me.”

“Do they realise you’ll put them out of business once you open your own shop?” Parvati laughed, and Hani blushed at the praise, revelling in the way Lavender echoed Parvati with chuckles of her own.

The moment of camaraderie, unfortunately, was only temporary.

Stepping into the Three Broomsticks seemed to bring both of her best friends back to reality. The chatter around them felt loud in comparison to Lavender and Parvati’s sudden silence. The Sisters’ inquisitive stares burned into the side of Hani’s head as she led her best friends away from their usual table, their usual group, their usual easy conversations.

Hani caught Hannah’s gaze seconds before she slid into her seat across from Parvati, Lavender to her side. The Hufflepuff girl’s eyes were worried, her lips twisted in a frown, and Hani sent an equally uncertain grimace at her before pushing every thought of the Sisters to the back of her mind, hidden behind layers of clouds she’d carefully crafted over the past month and a half.

“Well,” Parvati broke the silence. Her eyes were dark and impossible to read. She didn’t say anything else, choosing instead to untie the scarf from around her neck and slide out of her jacket.

She was wearing another of Hani’s creations under it all, a soft, hot pink jumper that sported tiny carnations along the hems of the sleeves and a larger carnation on the back of the ensemble.

She looked exactly like the best friend Hani had loved from her very first year at Hogwarts, and yet Hani had no idea where they stood.

“We’ve missed you,” she said honestly, calming her trembling fingers by busying herself with the buttons of her coat and revealing the long-sleeved dress she wore underneath it.

Lavender didn’t move an inch.

“So you stalked me?” Parvati asked, an edge finally appearing in her voice. “Blaise and I have been going to the Quidditch pitch for two months, but you find me now. Was it all part of a plan? Had you already decided I’d be coming to Hogsmeade with you whether I wanted to or not?”

“We didn’t realise there was another option,” Lavender said, harsh and louder than Hani had expected from her.

A quick flick of her wand erected a low-level noise cancelling ward she’d learned on the Programme. Lavender rolled her eyes at the gesture, but Parvati relaxed a little.

“I don’t owe you visits to Hogsmeade,” Parvati huffed, and Hani watched as Lavender’s hackles raised higher and sharper than ever. She placed a steadying hand on her best friend’s arm whilst Parvati kept speaking. “Blaise asked me to spend time with him and, since neither of you had approached me about any particular plans, I said yes.”

“You said you didn’t have any plans,” Lavender frowned, her tone dripping with condescension.

“I didn’t,” Parvati snapped. “Not anything concrete, at least.”

Lavender grit her teeth, and Hani bit down on her bottom lip.

Should they have invited Parvati? They’d never needed to say these things out loud in the past, but considering how fraught things had been between them over the past month, perhaps Hani should have known their best friend would expect a gesture of goodwill.

Not that Lavender would have phrased it that way. No amount of concern for Parvati could make up for the fury that still burned through Lavender every time she thought about Parvati standing them up, no explanation given.

She would have called it an olive branch, or perhaps an intervention. Never goodwill.

“You didn’t answer my question. Did you stalk me this morning?” Parvati asked tensely. Her eyes travelled from Hani to Lavender and back again, as though she wasn’t sure who was to blame for the revelation of her private spot with Blaise.

When Lavender’s gaze flicked to Hani, Parvati followed it, her brows lowering.

Not what she’d been expecting, then.

“Tracey and I have been working on a way to find people around the school without having to use the Map,” Hani shrugged. Her mind worked in overdrive, desperately trying to formulate an answer that wouldn’t reveal everything she’d been doing without her friends’ knowledge. “We’re still polishing the technique, but Tracey was rather certain that you and Blaise would be outside, and it was easy enough to pinpoint you from there.”

“With a spell?” Parvati’s voice was doubtful, and Hani withheld a wince.

There was no known spell that could track a person without having access to government resources.

“More to do with my special interests,” Hani replied.

Not a lie. Not the truth.

“I always forget how much runes can do,” Parvati mumbled underneath her breath, taking Hani’s answer at face value. 

Relief and guilt played tug of war with her heart.

“We’ve been trying to find you for weeks,” Lavender interjected, finally dragging the conversation away from Hani’s Magic and the many things she had yet to tell her best friends. “If you didn’t want to be tracked, perhaps you should have considered actually showing up in places where you’re expected.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Parvati hissed, her eyes narrowed on Lavender.

“You’re not there at breakfast,” Lavender replied instantly, her voice icy. “You show up late to class. The Sisters’ room was lucky enough to see you twice in the whole month of November. Erin spends more time in our dormitory than you do. You aren’t in the common room, you aren’t in the Great Hall, you aren’t anywhere at all.”

Hesitation flickered in Parvati’s gaze. Hani saw her eyes dart over to her for less than a second before settling on Lavender once more.

Hani recognised the emotion on her face, the same that she’d learned to conceal for the sake of her secrets: remorse.

“Blaise and I have been busy,” she argued, but her conviction had wavered. “Besides, the two of you have been busy as well.”

“Not that busy,” Lavender countered. “We’re still in the dormitory and the Sisters’ room most of the time. I have obligations on certain days and Hani has her responsibilities to take care of, but we aren’t absent. We weren’t the ones who suddenly started ignoring our best friends because of a damn boy.”

“Blaise–”

“Isn’t the only person in your life,” Hani cut her off, her throat thick with feelings she couldn’t even begin to name – though she was sure Healer Branstone would have a field trip sifting through them later that day. “We’re happy you’ve found love, Parvati, but we’re worried. No one else– That’s to say, we don’t think–”

“Is it possible that you and Blaise have approached your relationship a little too… intensely?” Lavender suggested, saving Hani from her stumbling words. “I know this year has been stressful for you so far, so I wondered if perhaps you were using Blaise as a way to ignore everything else. Because it shouldn’t be that way, you know?”

“Why not?” Parvati shrugged. Despite the nonchalant gesture, she was clenching and unclenching her jaw rhythmically, her eyes darting to her left in a telltale gesture that she was waiting for Padma’s opinion. She quickly glanced back when she realised her twin hadn’t made a sudden appearance and her question remained unanswered.

“Because you should still be spending time with us,” Hani said softly. “You should still be working, going on silly adventures, gossiping with the Sisters, stealing Padma away for your twin secrets.”

It was a low blow, but Hani saw the moment it hit Parvati, her features crumbling in front of their very eyes.

“Damn you,” Parvati sniffled, fighting back tears. She tipped her head towards the ceiling, her lashes glistening wetly. “I hate it when the three of you agree. It makes it harder to ignore what you’re saying.”

“I mean, you’re free to ignore us if you want to,” Lavender said, her voice not giving anything away.

Hani didn’t have to look over at her best friend to know her gaze was hard, her hands clenched in her lap.

“I don’t know,” Parvati whispered. “I don’t know why we even started doing this. He just– He kept asking to spend time with me, and I love his company, and then it was… easier, I guess. I like him so much, maybe even a bit more than that, but he’s not the two of you. He doesn’t ask the hard questions, he doesn’t put me in my place when I’m being a brat, and he doesn’t mind if I do slightly insane things when we’re together. You two– You know me too well.”

“What a curse,” Hani said dryly, her lips curling into a teasing smirk.

Parvati rolled her eyes, and Hani’s smirk turned into a genuine smile.

“I’m not like you guys,” Parvati muttered. “Your first relationship was basically the perfect scenario. You got to explore romance with your favourite person in the world and, at the end of it all, you knew you’d be okay no matter what. You already loved each other, already trusted the other to keep you safe and happy. It’s not like that with Blaise.”

“Well, you’re the one who picked him,” Lavender pointed out, though her voice was calmer now.

Hani was almost certain her best friends were no longer about to jump at each other. She counted it as a win.

“It’s not as though I did it on purpose,” Parvati huffed. “Gryffindors don’t really do it for me, and the Sisters definitely don’t do it for me. My options are a little limited compared to the two of you.”

“I don’t think there are necessarily more girls than boys at Hogwarts,” Lavender retorted. “And there are certainly less queer girls than there are boys with an inclination for girls.”

“Well yes, but– I suppose you have a point,” Parvati pouted. “But Blaise is great. He really is. He hasn’t been keeping me from you guys on purpose, he’s just– Daphne isn’t here right now, and I thought with you busy with your other responsibilities, it would be alright if I took a step away to get to know him better. Make him less lonely, you know?”

“See, that’s mostly fair,” Lavender said, leaning back in her seat. When Hani snuck a glance at her, her eyes were dancing with fire. “But I’m not sure how any of that explains the move you pulled the last time we had a Hogsmeade visit.”

Parvati opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“I’m going to let you have this conversation in private,” Hani interjected before Lavender could say anything else. She pointedly ignored the betrayed looks she received from both of her best friends. “Parvati, I love you, but I can’t be friends with someone who disappears for weeks at a time. I understand why we got to this point, but please don’t be a stranger, alright? We still want to go to Hogsmeade with you, we want to have breakfast with you, do homework together… Zabini can’t be your whole world.”

“Of course, but Hani–”

“I’ll be with the other Sisters,” Hani interrupted her, smiling apologetically as she tilted her head towards the rest of their friends. “To be clear, I think you deserve everything Lavender has to say about the situation, but I’d rather not get in the middle of this anymore than I already have.”

“I can’t believe–” Lavender started, shutting up when Hani kissed her cheek.

“Love you, Lav,” she told her best friend. “Behave, the two of you.”

And then she scampered away, eager to get away from the rising tension that had managed to weave its way back into their conversation.

Tracey spotted her first, and Hani let out a sigh of relief as the Slytherin girl patted the empty seat next to her. She slid into the open chair and felt her shoulders lighten as she took in the relaxed atmosphere hanging over the Sisters.

“You’re a strong woman, Harini Potter,” Leo said from across the table, nudging Hani’s foot with his own. “I’m pretty sure the discussion you just had is my worst nightmare. I love Lavender, but she actually terrifies me.”

“Eh, Parvati deserves whatever she’s got coming for her,” Padma sniffed. “Been avoiding us for far too long, especially after the stunt she pulled with Professor Alderton. Abba and Amma were furious when they found out, and even angrier when they realised I didn’t have any details. ‘Two halves of a whole’, that’s what we’re supposed to be, and I’m pretty sure they’re blaming me for not having pushed her harder. Ridiculous.”

“I’m sure she’ll come to her senses,” Hannah said diplomatically. Leo, Tracey and Hani rolled their eyes in unison, bursting out laughing when Hannah scoffed and threw pieces of bread at all three of them. “Shut it! Parvati’s still our friend, even when she doesn’t quite remember it.”

“Of course she is,” Lisa placated Hannah, reaching across the table to pat her hand gently. “We’ll welcome Parvati back with all the love she deserves when she and Zabini learn how to live apart again.”

“Let’s hope she learns something from the healthier couples amongst us,” Tracey grinned. “Daphne and Granger are bound to be an interesting pair, and I doubt Sue and her sweet Henrik will cause as many issues as Parvati and Blaise have. Neither will Hani and–”

Hani stomped on Tracey’s foot hard, flashing teeth at her friend when she looked up at her balefully.

“I’m glad Sue finally got her prince charming,” she announced instead of acknowledging Tracey’s apparent pain. “She told me he’s even going to match her dress for the Yule Ball. They’ll be a sight for sore eyes.”

“Speaking of the Yule Ball, you guys don’t happen to know who the last invitations are going to, do you? Daphne’s been so vague, bringing one person up then immediately moving onto someone else,” Tracey sighed, still rubbing her foot. “I know Lavender and I are on her list along with Blaise, but I’m not sure who else made the cut.”

“I thought I was on Daphne’s list,” Hani frowned.

“Did she tell you that?” Leo asked. “I’m sure you remember how careful you guys had to be to make sure we all got an invitation last year. Maybe it worked out better for you to be on Sue’s list.”

“Ugh, logistics,” Padma grumbled. “Let’s move on swiftly. We’ll all get invitations, and we can talk about distribution then, alright? I’m more curious about the gifts you’ve managed to get for Yule and Christmas. I can’t for the life of me figure out what to get for Daphne and Sue. It’s as though the second they left my sight, my brain forgot everything about their hobbies and passions. Useless thing.”

Hani snorted and let herself get pulled into a conversation about presents. She’d secured all her Yule gifts already, but she quietly promised Tracey that the two of them could go out in London when she was at Sirius’ house to find birthday presents for Lisa, Parvati and Padma. In the meantime, she drafted a small list of Daphne’s favourite things for Padma and brainstormed with Lisa, who was struggling to come up with ideas for Parvati and Lavender.

It was the perfect way to spend her lunch. It wasn’t quite enough to make her forget about her best friends and their ongoing argument, but by the time one of the chaperones came to collect her for her therapy session, she was almost certain they would be alright.

She’d make sure of it, if it meant having both her best friends by her side whilst the Sisters debated which gifts Daphne had received and which ones she had yet to add to her extensive collection.

Perhaps Healer Branstone could help her develop some mediation tactics.

“Little lion.”

“George.”

Hani stared up at the younger Weasley twin, leaning against the dungeon wall with the air of someone who belonged there. George stared back at her with narrowed eyes, his satchel tucked under his arm, a crate of potions balanced precariously in his hands.

“Is this an ambush?” George asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

He looked just like Severus, and Hani couldn’t quite bite back the smile that played at the corner of her lips.

“I feel like I’ve been neglecting our friendship, Georgie,” she said, batting her eyelashes at the older boy. He rolled his eyes at her expression and started moving again, the quick tilt of his head an invitation for her to follow him. “I’m serious! Fred’s easier to find these days, but I don’t want you to think I have a favourite twin. The two of you are equally – if differently – entertaining.”

“I certainly hope so,” George snorted. “If anything, Fred’s the one who’s gotten more boring this year. Did you know, Hanikins, that I caught him spending an entire night writing letters to business contacts? Four hours of his time, dedicated to nothing but paperwork! I checked him for Polyjuice, of course.”

“Of course,” Hani chuckled. It was all too easy to picture Fred getting absorbed in his work, ink staining his fingers and excitement for their future brightening his eyes. “I don’t think he minds it. The same way you don’t seem to be minding your apprenticeship with the great bat of the dunge–”

George’s hand covered Hani’s mouth, cutting her off mid-sentence. She watched, amused, as George checked both sides of the corridor, his gaze horrified and his posture tense. The crate in his arms wobbled but stayed put, though he seemed less concerned about the vials than the privacy of their conversation.

“Merlin, Hani,” he huffed, finally letting her go. “You can’t go around saying things like that here! You have no idea when Professor Snape might appear, swoop down, and decide you’ve pushed him too far for the day. It’s taken me this long to get on his good side, you know?”

Hani doubted it. She rather thought Severus had grown fond of George from the very beginning, but she also thought her father would prefer for his tolerance of the Weasley twins to remain a secret.

“Well then,” she grinned. “I’ll endeavour not to make things any harder for you. Are those for him?”

“They usually are,” George sighed. “I think this batch is for the infirmary, though. The professor doesn’t use us for menial labour often, but the winter season seems to bring with it far more work for us potioneers. And since Sylvia’s younger, Professor Snape gives me a heavier workload.”

“He does some as well?”

“We all do,” George shrugged, guiding Hani into a room she vaguely recognised as one of the spare labs they’d had to use in their second year, when a group of older students had caused a mess in the main laboratory, rendering it unsuitable for their classes. She hadn’t realised it served as anything more than a backup. “Professor Snape takes care of the more complex potions, Professor Pyrites handles the brews that have shorter preparation times, and I fill in where I can. Sylvie tags along with whoever needs the most support.”

“And Professor Sl–”

“His name’s banned down here,” George whispered conspiratorially, smirking as he carefully placed his crate of potions onto one of the lab tables. A quick wave of his wand later, the crate had been topped with a neatly-written note.

George led her away before Hani could bend her nosy face over the label and identify what her father had George working on.

“Now, little snake,” George said, his voice shrewd, stopping them just outside of the laboratory. “Why find me here, when you know exactly where I prefer to spend my evenings? So soon after the end of your classes, as well. Unless you need…”

“A favour,” Hani pouted. “Alright, so perhaps my intentions weren’t entirely pure. But, in my defence, I do also want to spend time with you! It’s just that you’re so busy these days, I never know when would be a good time and when I’d simply be a bother. It doesn’t help that I’ve got to deal with the younger students, and the Prefect duties, and the Quidditch training, and OWL classes, and–”

“Fifth year is hell on earth,” George interjected, winking at her when Hani’s face heated. “Don’t worry, little lion, I know very well how you feel. Fred and I considered dropping out back then, did you know? I can’t imagine how I would have felt if I’d had even half as much as you do on my plate.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Hani frowned. “Drop out, I mean. You’re far too good at all this to let it go to waste.”

“Uncle Gideon agreed,” George smiled, pride shining in his eyes. “Now, enough distractions. What do you need from me, Harini dearest?”

“Some empty vials?” She asked, concealing her trepidation behind a layer of carefully-constructed enthusiasm. Tracey had asked her to come up with a cover story, and if there was one thing Hani had never struggled with, it was twisting truths to work in her favour. “Tracey and I are conducting research on the effect of different plants during meditation, but we keep misplacing the specimens after the fact. We thought vials would do the trick, especially since we could add a little bit of water at the bottom to help the plants stay alive for as long as possible.”

She paused after that, willing herself not to carry on with her nervous rambling. Instead, she looked up at George and calmly met his gaze. His brows were drawn tightly together, but Hani didn’t mind the scrutiny. 

If he couldn’t get the vials for her, she’d resort to using the spares Tracey had offered up. But, they’d both agreed it was worth a shot – any vials George would get them would be of higher quality.

“You need vials for plant specimens?” George repeated, enunciating the words carefully as though doubting he’d heard Hani correctly the first time around. When she nodded, the furrow of his brows turned to curious fascination. “You’re a strange one, little lion. What will I get in return?”

It took Hani a second to process his words. Her mouth fell open.

“Ah, you forget, Hanikins, that I’ve spent the past few months in close proximity with two Slytherins,” George laughed, gently tugging at one of her braids. She scowled up at him, knowing her glare wouldn’t have nearly the same effect as Severus’ would. “Tell you what. I’ll give you the vials if you tell me why you took the cloak back from Fred. He refuses to share the information, and it’s been driving me crazy for months. I’d been counting on using it to sneak down here and get some extra work in after curfew, you know?”

“Lies,” Hani snorted. George winked at her. “Fine. Some of the things Tracey and I are researching are a little sensitive, and I was getting paranoid about being caught.”

“How vague. Perhaps I should give you the impression of vials? The memory of them? I wonder what vague vials would look like. A bowl, maybe?” George drawled. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one picking up habits from Severus. “Fred wouldn’t have given you the cloak for research.”

“Fred assumed I would be using it to get up to mischief,” Hani shrugged. “Hardly my fault he came to the wrong conclusion.”

George hummed but didn’t move from his spot, clearly still waiting for Hani to give him more than the blurry explanation she’d hoped to get away with. Part of her wanted to turn around and go forth with Tracey’s backup plan, and yet–

Lavender and Parvati were no longer an option when it came to prophecy-talk. Daphne wouldn’t be a viable one either, at least not until she was back at Hogwarts for good. Fred and George knew more about Voldemort’s return than most people, and she’d learned from whispered conversations with Ron that they’d been furious when they’d been kept out of Order meetings over the summer.

She slipped her wand out of her holster and flicked it as she murmured an incantation, weak privacy wards springing to life around them. They wouldn’t hold for long, but they’d never failed her for short conversations before.

“Look, we both know the Order would love nothing more than to keep us ‘children’ out of the war,” she said quickly, ignoring George’s widening eyes. “But it doesn’t feel like an option for me, not when there’s very clearly more going on between Voldemort and I than people want to let on. So Tracey’s helping me figure it out.”

“Figure what out, exactly?” George asked, his face serious once more.

Hani hesitated, not wanting to say the words out loud. Something must have given her away, though, because George’s stern expression melted into soft understanding.

“Alright,” he whispered. “Let’s get those vials for you.”

Hani followed after him silently, the quiet a welcome friend as they returned to the room George had recently vacated. His apprentice lab was small and sparsely decorated, but Hani could see bits and pieces of her friend in some of the books stacked on the desk, some of the messiness that permeated the space despite its overall cleanliness.

When he handed her a box of empty vials, he gently caught her wrist between his fingers.

“Be careful, little lion,” he said gently. “I know you want answers, but remember the question will have been pointless if you die before you get them.”

Hani nodded, slipping the vials into her school bag.

“Now, off you go,” George said loudly, clapping his hands together. “I have a dinner to get to, and a twin to outprank! Safe travels, Hanikins!”

He left her in the corridor outside of his laboratory, and Hani could do nothing but stare after him for a few seconds, the box of vials suddenly heavier than any of the guilt and uncertainty she’d been carrying for the past week.

Breaking into Voldemort’s mind wouldn’t kill her.

She sighed, closed her eyes, and chased the thought to the back of her mind, behind a thick layer of clouds that was starting to resemble the Occlumency shields she was so desperately trying to build.

The shields she was desperately trying to break.

She cursed underneath her breath, shoved that thought equally as deep as the previous one, and forced herself to start moving again.

Tracey would be waiting for her.

The steady sound of blood dripping from Hani’s hand into the half-full vial at her side was the only interruption to hers and Tracey’s silent meditation.

It helped her, she thought, the drops providing a rhythmic background as she attempted to simultaneously strengthen and weaken the barriers in her mind.

Her clouds were starting to look like a true defence. She had no way of testing them outside of her lessons with Severus, of course, but there was a weight to them now that hadn’t existed just a month earlier. Her emotions were easier to sort through, her mind clearer, her plans faster to conceptualise in her brain. Her migraines had lessened, her head only aching as much as she supposed anyone else’s did.

Bringing the clouds down was also becoming more instinctual. Anytime she performed Legilimency on Tracey, she would start by carefully trying to deconstruct the shields within her own mind, hoping her body would eventually recognise the pattern as a familiar, welcome one, rather than the assault it currently believed it to be. She was still struggling to keep her Blood Magic in check whenever she tried to dig deeper into the place that – theoretically – connected her to Voldemort.

The results of those sessions always led to pain and chaos inside her mind; rebuilding her shields was harder in those moments, as though Hani wasn’t struggling enough as it was.

Thankfully, Tracey’s patience was greater than Hani’s. When they’d run into the problem of her Blood Magic, Tracey had agreed to meditate alongside Hani, hoping the company would settle her.

So, whilst Hani tried to get a grip of the Blood Magic seared into her thoughts and her body, Tracey worked on the first steps of Occlumency.

Afterwards, Tracey would let Hani poke at her shields with her rudimentary Legilimency skills before observing Hani as she tried to reach for her connection to Voldemort.

They were making decent progress although, as the holidays approached, Hani felt herself grow more restless. They had less than a week left before Tracey returned home for the holidays, and Hani doubted they’d have any time to meditate during the Yule Ball.

Any further progress would have to wait until January, which was a depressing thought. Especially since, the more time passed, the less Hani knew what she was doing. Every Sunday she spent in her father’s company made her doubt the methods she’d chosen to secure the prophecy.

Hence their intensified sessions, combining their search for the prophecy with Hani’s Blood Magic training. The blood she was collecting now would be used in the Blood potions she was hoping to start on before classes broke for Yule. 

“All done?”

Tracey snapped her out of her thoughts, raising an eyebrow at Hani’s open eyes and tense demeanour.

“Sorry,” she grimaced. “Not much luck with keeping my mind calm today. I hope you were more successful?”

“I’m getting… somewhere,” Tracey shrugged. “Though I’d rather we skipped the Legilimency attempts today. You’re too distracted for it to be any good.”

Hani didn’t deny it. Jumping into another person’s mind was a disturbing experience, and one that was only successful if the caster could stay focused, relaxed, and reliably remind themself of the separation between their mind and the mind of their target. Hani was in no state to do such a thing.

“How are your mental Blood shields coming along?” Tracey asked, standing and stretching her arms out. She paced as she waited for Hani to answer; Hani had noticed that staying still for long periods of time was counterintuitive to Tracey, who preferred to remain in constant movement.

She shook herself out of her observation, forcing it to the back of her mind, where she kept all her distractions and questions and queries that couldn’t yet be answered.

“Better,” she replied honestly. 

“Good enough to protect you from possession if it comes to that?” Tracey questioned her bluntly. Hani no longer flinched at the brutal inquiries her friend subjected her to.

Possession was the worst case scenario, at least from what Tracey could tell. There was a chance – ever so slim, but still a chance – that the connection that linked her to Voldemort implied reciprocity. That if she could reach into his mind, he could do the same in return. Severus and Sirius had mentioned it after Samhain, but Tracey had been the one to turn their words into reality, to pick at the flaws in Hani’s plan until there were no cracks through which Voldemort could slip.

“My Magic is pretty forceful when it comes to mental invasions,” Hani said calmly. “And I’ve managed to organise it into a semblance of a shield on multiple occasions. It doesn’t make up for my Occlumency shields, but it’s the best assurance we have. I don’t think it would let foreign Magic enter my system.”

Tracey stared at her consideringly, and Hani let herself relax under her scrutiny.

“You should close the cut,” her friend finally said. Hani obliged, murmuring a gentle Sui Sana and watching as the wound vanished, leaving behind only a few splotches of dried blood.

The vial next to her was full.

“You’ll be leaving that here, right?”

“No, Trace, I’m going to carry it around with me everywhere I go. If someone stumbles upon it, I’ll simply claim I’m a vampire,” Hani said dryly.

“Berk,” Tracey huffed. “Just wanted to make sure that Gryffindor brain of yours wasn’t coming up with another hare-brained plan behind my back. I never know with you. Though, speaking of blood, did you manage to get the vial back from Parvati?”

Hani hummed affirmatively. Lavender and Parvati were finally spending time together again, which meant Hani had had plenty of opportunities to sift through Parvati’s bag and reclaim the blood she’d left there weeks earlier. Parvati had been none the wiser, and it seemed the tracking spell had solved the problem of their fractured friendship.

For now, at least.

“Right. Well, I see no reason for you not to start poking a little more insistently at your connection to His Evilness.”

Tracey’s words caught up to her seconds after they’d been spoken, as though her brain was operating on a delay. She blinked up at Tracey and found her staring right back, her gaze entirely serious.

Hani breathed in and out slowly.

She’d gathered her barrier of clouds again. What had once been unbearable, a poor cover for her raging thoughts and splintering mind, was now a haven. The clouds were clear but impenetrable, and Hani knew she could have led Tracey on a wild Quidditch chase for hours if her friend had been the one attempting Legilimency.

Two days earlier, her father had complimented her for her clever use of an element she was so familiar with. He’d praised her shields. He’d told her, honesty shining in his eyes, that he didn’t think she would have another episode if she remembered to keep her barriers up at all times.

She’d already dropped them five times since then.

But poking at her connection felt like another step. It felt just as big as the day she’d bonded with her knife and vessel. It felt as significant as her first clumsy attempts at wielding her Blood Magic.

There was a line in the sand.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered.

Tracey didn’t speak. They both knew Hani was talking to herself. Her words needed no response, no acknowledgement.

There was no question in either of their minds. Hani shouldn’t be doing this. And yet she needed to. And yet she would.

“If I feel something–”

“I’ll bring you back here instantly.” Tracey’s voice brimmed with conviction, and Hani nodded. “But it won’t happen. You’re testing the waters, not throwing yourself headfirst into a link without prior practice.”

“You’ll be here.”

“Every evening, for as long as you need me.”

It was the most she would get.

She let herself have one more moment of regret. One second to wish she was sitting with her father instead, to imagine a world in which she didn’t have to dig for answers. She breathed it in, pictured it, and let it go.

Then, she let the clouds disperse in her mind and immediately grit her teeth, forcing her Magic into a semblance of control. Twice, she almost slipped out of her meditation but, before she could be fully pulled out, she managed to weave the sparks of her Magic into a clumsy wall, a barrier made of unwilling threads.

It would hold, she knew.

And so, she centred herself, thought about the path she had to take to find the connection in her mind, and reached out for the echoes of Divination, a bright light against her Dark Magic. She followed the light, imagining herself walking within her own mind, a shadow of red and gold against a hazy red landscape, her destination the only spot of white.

She knew the instant she’d found the link, her mind brushing against it and immediately recoiling.

Black, shrivelled, wrong.

Close enough to touch.

When she made to poke it, she was met with resistance.

She opened her eyes and let her Blood Magic go, snapping her Occlumency barriers back in place before the red haze could turn into a panicked frenzy.

“I can do it,” she said. “But not on command. He has barriers too.”

Tracey didn’t doubt her.

“But you can do it.”

She could. She could wait for Voldemort’s defences to be at their weakest, could tap into their link, and could start collecting answers to the questions she’d been denied for so long.

She would get to know the link in her mind until she could picture it in her sleep, until the defences and resistance were as familiar to her as her own Magic. And when Voldemort dropped them, when he faltered, she would be ready.

She would never be caught off guard again.

“The filing system is often similar to what we have here, except non-magicals obviously can’t use Magic to make the process quicker. They have to browse through each shelf individually, although I’ve heard computers are slowly being introduced so librarians have a more practical tool at their disposal.”

“Have you ever used one of those?”

Hani frowned, confused, at Theodore’s question.

“A library?” She asked.

“Why yes, Harini, have you ever stepped foot inside a library? I’ve been wondering for years now, but I still haven’t been able to figure it out,” Theodore drawled. Hani rolled her eyes at him. He mimicked her. “A computer, Harini. Have you ever used a computer?”

“Oh, no,” she snorted. “My relatives would have never let– they’d never have been able to afford it. My uncle had one, but he didn’t like us playing around with it.”

She didn’t wince at her slip-up, but it was a near thing. Theodore, thankfully, took her words at face value, nodding as though he understood the complexities of financial struggle. Hani didn’t call him out on it, preferring to let his privilege slide instead of getting into a conversation about the intricacies of poverty in the Muggle world. And explaining why, exactly, her relatives hadn’t wanted her touching their belongings.

She knew Dudley had spent plenty of evenings playing games on Vernon’s computer.

“But I’ve seen some,” she added to placate the boy. “They’re rather like small televisions, except they don’t do anything like what TVs do. However, they’re pretty good at commands and stuff like that, you know? From what the librarian at my local library told me, they were supposed to help them with inventory, or something.”

“Right,” Theodore nodded, his tone making it clear he’d stopped following somewhere along the way. “Anything else about libraries? And please, no more computers.”

“As you wish, your Highness,” Hani chuckled. “I don’t really know what else there is to say. There are systems in place so we can borrow books, but that’s the same as what we have in the magical world. I suppose the biggest difference is the books. None of them can hurt, for one, and they’re rather more subdued in content.”

“I’d gathered as much,” Theodore sighed. “No moving pictures, no hidden text…  It certainly makes for a calmer environment, I’d imagine.”

“The local kids make up for the silence with walkmans and radios and all other sorts of nonsense,” Hani explained. “But yes, libraries are meant to be a place of relative calm. The same way Madam Pince likes to keep her environment, though I know your study group tends to struggle with that concept.”

Theodore had the decency to blush a little, but Hani knew he wasn’t quite ashamed of his study group. He was sometimes short with them, especially Sophie, but Hani had a feeling those moments said more about his father than they did about him. After all, in their entire year on the Programme, he hadn’t once shown any prejudice towards any of them because of their blood status.

So, he wasn’t ashamed of them, but she also knew he struggled with the perception everyone else had of their study group.

If they were closer, perhaps she would have asked him about his feelings on the matter. But he was just Theodore, her surly Prefect partner who needed her help in order to better woo his lovely girlfriend.

“Now, if you want to know what kinds of topics are explored in non-magical books, that’s an entirely different topic. Fiction is strange for me now, since so much of what they consider fantastical turned out to be true. It makes me wonder how much of the stories they tell are based on a morsel of truth, perhaps the result of exposure to the magical world.”

“Quite a bit, I’d imagine,” Theodore agreed. “And what of non-fiction?”

“It’s less developed than what we have in the magical world,” Hani answered, thinking back on the books she’d had to use for her schooling in the Muggle world compared to the ones she got to explore now that she was at Hogwarts. “Don’t get me wrong, some of our texts are equally as dry as Muggle texts, but I think the existence of Magic has made wixen a little more whimsical with their prose. Take our Defence book, for example. The author could have simply given us a description of the different creatures and spells we’d need to learn about. But instead, she created scenarios, included moving pictures and schematics and made it more approachable. Plenty of non-magical authors have tried to do something similar, but they don’t have the luxury of Magic.”

“Can they not use pictures anyway? Can they not think of interesting situations that would add to their writing?” Theodore frowned. “Surely, there are ways for them to use words in a creative way even without the use of Magic.”

“I mean, yeah,” Hani admitted. “But have you considered that the lack of Magic means the topic of their non-fiction also changes? They don’t get to learn about magical creatures and the creative use of spells in combat. Even if their prose is magnificent, the fact remains that getting teenagers interested in non-fiction is an uphill battle when your book covers maths and economics rather than Arithmancy and Charms.”

It was one of the reasons Hani had never truly thrived in Muggle schools. She’d been an exemplary student to the degree that the Dursleys allowed her to be, but she’d never cared . It wasn’t until Hogwarts that she’d realised how interesting learning could be.

Theodore looked at her now, and she thought perhaps he understood. His gaze was considering, and the lack of follow-up questions meant he was truly turning Hani’s words over in his head.

“Do you think there’s a way to solve a problem like that?” He finally asked.

Hani snorted. “I don’t know, Theodore. I’m not some kind of wise sage with the answers to every problem in the world. Besides, unless Sally-Anne is trying to slog through some non-magical information books and dragging you into her studies, I’m not sure how much the solution would impact you.”

“Sally-Anne doesn’t care much for reading,” Theodore said primly, though Hani could see a shadow of a smile in the way his eyes softened. She didn’t fully understand what Sally-Anne saw in the boy, but she couldn’t deny he seemed to like her a great deal.

“Then why all the questions?”

“I’m trying not to fail Muggle Studies, Harini,” Theodore huffed. “I’m doing my final project on libraries and books in the Mug– non-magical world.”

Hani’s jaw dropped for a moment before she regained control over her body and slapped Theodore’s shoulder, ignoring his outraged gasp.

“You’re using me for homework!” She exclaimed. “Of all the things I could have expected from you, Theodore Nott, it would have never been this! Do you have no shame?”

“None whatsoever, Harini,” Theodore smirked. “Besides, I didn’t think you’d be particularly surprised. You’ve made it extremely clear this year that you believe me to be the epitome of everything Slytherin House stands for. Do cunning, ambition, and underhanded tactics not strike you as values of our house?”

She slapped his arm again.

“I don’t– That’s not–” She took a deep breath, halting her stammering. “I thought perhaps we were… friendly enough now that you wouldn’t use those tactics with me.”

“I thought we were friendly too,” Theodore replied sharply. Hani forced herself to meet his dark eyes, cringing a little at the reproach she found there. “We spent an entire year together, did we not? And yet, September comes around, and here you are, acting as though–”

“You made your point, Theodore,” Hani interrupted him. His eyes continued to analyse her every move, but returning his gaze would mean letting him see the conflict within her that she didn’t know how to resolve. “I’ll answer your questions on books and libraries if that’s what you want.”

“The questions don’t have to be one-sided, you know?” Theodore sighed. Hani ignored him. “You can pretend you don’t need my help if you want, but I know Arithmancy has become decidedly less pleasant for you now that Daphne’s no longer here to support you. And though Lisa managed to steal the top spot this year by sheer force of will, I was under the impression Arithmancy was an area she didn’t quite excel in.” 

He was right, of course. Hani had become the source of Arithmancy support in their group, and it was weighing on her. She knew more than any of the other Sisters about the subject, but she still found herself staring at the numbers in front of her with utter confusion every time Professor Vector assigned homework.

“Meditation rituals,” she said quickly. “That’s what I’m working on.”

Something flickered to life in the depth of Theodore’s eyes. His gaze snapped down to her hands and back up again. There was a trap there.

“You’re interested in rituals, then?”

She tensed. Remembered the last ritual she’d properly executed. Narrowed her eyes at Theodore.

“Of course I am,” she said cautiously. “You know this about me, Theodore. Most people know this about me. At least those who claim to be my friends or who spent an entire year trying to uncover my secrets.”

“It’s been more than a year now, Harini,” Theodore chuckled. “It seems that no matter how many of your secrets I figure out, you always have more to hide. Besides, knowing you participate in rituals is one thing. But blood rituals…”

She froze. Her heart stuttered, panicked. Red and gold Magic flared up around her, basking Theodore in an eerie light that she hadn’t seen in weeks. For a second, control eluded her, the sparks refusing to back down even as she glared at them.

By the time she calmed them – and herself – down, Theodore’s gaze had turned from curious to downright hungry.

“You should be careful, Harini,” he murmured, gesturing to her hands. “You’ve clearly gotten good at healing spells, but blood leaves traces.”

She cursed underneath her breath, remembering the dried blood she’d meant to clean after her session with Tracey. They’d gotten caught up in prophecy-related conversations after Hani had come back from her exploration of their connection, and she’d forgotten about the blood they’d harvested earlier in the evening.

“Using blood in Dark rituals can hardly be news to you, Theodore.” She forced her voice into nonchalance, looked on as Theodore’s mind replayed her words once, twice, three times. She didn’t need to cast Legilimency to see the thoughts lurking in his expressive eyes. “There are circumstances that make blood a necessity.”

He was shrewd enough to read between the lines, and wise enough not to push any further.

It wouldn’t do them any good, she knew, to discuss the master his father had chosen and the ways Hani’s life had changed since his return.

“Do you think blood would be useful in a meditation ritual?” She asked him innocently, and watched as he fell into a trap of her own.

It was a trick question, of course. But she could tell by the way his shoulders relaxed and his eyes brightened that he’d been genuine when he’d said he didn’t wish for their interactions to be one-sided.

He let her guide the conversation away from blood and back to meditation, and she thought perhaps they both knew exactly what she was doing. He didn’t stop it from happening, however, and Hani found herself grateful for the small mercy.

It wasn’t until the end of their patrol, as they stopped in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait, that Theodore took hold of the hand she’d forgotten to clean. A flick of his wand and a whisper of an incantation got rid of the evidence, but Theodore didn’t let go of her immediately.

“Listen to me, or don’t listen to me, I don’t particularly care,” he said softly. “You should be more careful. If I’ve noticed something’s amiss, others could do the same. And though you have my word that I won’t tell anyone about the kinds of rituals you’ve been completing in your spare time, they may not feel the same way.”

“That sounds an awful lot like a threat, Theodore,” Hani glared at him, wrenching her hand out of his grasp.

“Of course it does, Harini,” Theodore rolled his eyes. “I hear Gryffindors are particularly bad at recognising warnings when they’re given to them.”

He strode away before she could snap at him again, and she was left to look at his back as he disappeared down the corridor. She cursed him, apologising to a scandalised Fat Lady before giving her the password she’d been seeking.

As she stepped into the Gryffindor common room, she couldn’t help but feel her frustration rise again.

Because Theodore, of all the things he could have been, was right.

The end of their first term at Hogwarts came with enough anxiety to bring back Hani’s headaches, aided by the cold weather, the increase in homework, and the oppressing knowledge of the secrets she would have to attempt to juggle over the Yule break.

The Gryffindor Yule – or Christmas – celebration was another added stress, something she would have rather delegated to someone else if she didn’t care so deeply about the younger Gryffindors and the feeling of unity they’d managed to cultivate since the beginning of her time as a Prefect. As it was, she refused to leave the older prefects in charge of the event, especially since Professor Alderton had made it clear he wanted the celebration to be a team effort.

So, instead of spending her Thursday evening in Tracey’s company, she dutifully stayed up late in the common room with Joshua and Bailey. Dean, Louise and Owen had done the same thing the day before while Hani was patrolling with Theodore, and she knew it would be selfish of her to ignore her fellow Gryffindor prefects because of her personal studies and foolhardy endeavours.

Thankfully, the preparations had been quick to organise, and Hani had retreated to bed early, determined to get as much rest as possible before the last day of term. She and Tracey shared two hours of free time after lunch, and she knew her friend would be happy to retreat to their secret room for at least half of that allotted slot before they joined the other free Sisters.

And so, their Friday passed without incident. Hani dutifully took notes during Defence, enjoying the French professor’s manner of teaching. She suffered through Astronomy and took an early lunch in the kitchens with Lavender and Parvati, whose improved moods were doing wonders for her heart and mind.

She found Tracey afterwards and spent an hour meditating, poking at her connection to Voldemort, and letting drops of blood drip into the vials she would need once she started working on blood potions.

They retreated to the Sisters room as soon as Hani had filled one of the clear bottles with her blood, and enjoyed some quiet time with Lavender, Parvati and Padma, all three of whom were catching each other up on the things they’d missed during their silent, stilted stand-off. Hani and Tracey lingered on the outsides of the conversation, happy to pipe in with their opinions on their foreign professors, the 4th year exchange students currently darkening their halls, and the state of romance amongst their Sisters in Norway.

By the time they had to leave for Potions, Hani had managed to work on several of the Yule gifts she intended to send to her various friends and acquaintances. The needlework had calmed her and dulled the sharp edges of her headache, and she was feeling relatively more like herself when she entered Slughorn’s classroom.

Surprisingly, despite the professor’s asinine speeches and his complete lack of affinity for teaching, Hani managed to make it through the lesson with only minimal annoyance. Focusing on her own work instead of the state of Slughorn’s classroom was proving to be her sanity’s saving grace.

And so, when Dean pulled her aside after their class, Hani was feeling rather positive about the evening ahead of them. She’d managed to stuff her anxieties and the multitude of problems she’d have to solve at the back of her mind, and she smiled gently at Dean when he linked their arms, leading them towards the common room.

“Long day?” He asked her.

“Shorter than most,” she answered. “Those three hours of free time are a blessing.”

“They’d be even more of a blessing if you spent them in the common room,” Dean teased, and Hani felt her cheeks heating. “Though I’m glad Lavender and Parvati have started speaking again. I know it was weighing on you to see them so divided. You seemed perpetually stressed.”

“Who says that’s changed?” Hani laughed lightly. “Prefecthood never ends, and neither does Quidditch. That’s not even speaking of the classes and essays and projects and– Well, you know. But you’re right, it’s nice to see the two of them mending things. They shouldn’t let a boy get in the way of their friendship. How ridiculous.”

“Incredibly so,” Dean chuckled, a silly smile on his face. He looked–

Hani blushed and turned her gaze back to the stone at her feet.

“Can you believe this first term’s already over? I feel like it was just yesterday we were being named Prefects and welcoming the firsties,” Dean sighed. Hani nodded in agreement. In comparison to the start of her Fourth Year, which had felt like a long holiday, their first term as fifth years had been over in a flash.

“It’ll be nice to get some time off,” she sighed. “You’re going home, right?”

“Yep,” Dean grinned. “We’re leaving Ron behind, though. Apparently, his parents thought it would be easier for him to get to the Yule Ball if he stayed at Hogwarts. I can’t argue with that logic, but since I didn’t get an invitation, the decision was an easy one.”

“Right,” Hani said softly. “Well, I’ll be here for the first week, but maybe after– That’s to say, if I plan something, or if something comes up with some of our mutual friends, perhaps we’ll be able to see each other. Outside of school.”

Dean tripped, and Hani stepped closer to steady him, his body cold in contrast to her ever-warm skin, bundled in enough runic sequences to last a lifetime.

“Yeah,” Dean said, his voice higher than usual. “That’d be great. Seeing you, I mean. I’d love that– I mean, I’d really like that. It’d be nice to hang out. With everyone else, too! Lots of friends to see, you know? So many things to do!”

Hani gaped a little at his babbling and instantly regretted it when he rushed them the rest of the way to the common room, swinging the Fat Lady’s portrait open before Hani could tell him that she was equally eager to spend time with him.

Silly boys and their silly feelings and silly ways of expressing themselves.

“Alright, everyone out!” Dean was saying when she followed in after him, catching sight of the bundles of younger students still hovering in little groups by the fireplace. “The sooner you leave, the earlier we can get the party started!”

They moved quicker after that, gathering their things and waving quick hellos to Hani and Dean as they passed by, marching out towards the Great Hall without protest. Only a few fourth years stayed behind, Anna and Ginny greeting Hani with wide smiles and trying to prod her for details about the party.

She sent them on their way with a laugh and a promise that they would enjoy their evening, and then they got to work.

Louise, Joshua, Bailey and Owen joined them soon after, swiftly followed by the entirety of the Gryffindor staff – with the exception of Professor McGonagall, who had apparently turned down Professor Prewett’s invitation when he’d extended one to her. Hani couldn’t blame the professor; she doubted Severus would ever be caught dead at one of these celebrations.

It was, all in all, a pleasant affair.

A few of the professors headed out after settling on a patrol schedule for the night, while the remaining staff members mingled with the prefects, asking them questions about their holidays and their hopes for the rest of the school year. Hani found herself dragged into a conversation with Professor Forrester, who she barely knew, and Bailey about their favourite first-years, though Hani refused to give any names, earning herself an eye roll from Bailey and laughter from the professor.

Soon enough, armchairs and sofas had been turned into tables and more inconspicuous seating, leaving plenty of space at the centre of the room for dancing and mingling. Snacks were provided – and immediately attacked by Joshua and Dean – and music was selected. Gold lights had been strung around the room, a small Christmas tree installed near the fireplace, and candles placed on the larger tables to complete the winter atmosphere.

They barely had any time to rest before Professor Prewett opened the door to the common room and was instantly trampled by swathes of Gryffindors, all of them entering with wide eyes and awed exclamations.

Even the older students seemed impressed by the set-up, and Hani found herself glowing with pride, glad she’d resisted the urge to ditch her fellow prefects in favour of her Blood Magic training.

“Hani!”

She grinned at the sound of Lavender’s voice, easily accepting both of her best friends’ embraces as they reached her side. They each stayed to one side of her, but Hani was willing to take whatever she could get. She could only hope the holidays would continue to repair the bridge between them.

“This is amazing!” Parvati exclaimed, her lips pulled into a wide smile. “You know, none of the other houses are doing something like this. Apparently, their professors didn’t want to deal with the hassle.”

“Thankfully, Professor Alderton and Professor Prewett love a hassle,” Hani laughed. “The second Bailey suggested we organise something to celebrate the end of the year, they jumped on the opportunity. And it wasn’t quite as awful as I thought it would be to set everything up.”

“Oh, poor Hani, getting pulled away from her studies,” Lavender said teasingly. Hani rolled her eyes but didn’t deny the quip. “Did you and Dean get everything ready together? Was he oh-so happy to get some one on one time with his favourite girl in our year? Did the two of you get cosy?”

Parvati giggled along as Lavender spoke, but Hani only sent a sharp elbow flying into her best friend’s ribs, smirking triumphantly when Lavender’s words got cut off as she gasped for air.

“Unless the two of you are ready to speak about your own love lives, I suggest you leave Dean and I alone,” she huffed, ignoring the warmth in her heart at the thought of Dean and her.

Sophie and Fay saved them from any further attempts at digging into Hani’s relationship – or lack thereof – with Dean. The two of them forcefully dragged them into a corner of the room, showing them the various snacks they’d managed to snag off the tables before the younger students had positively surrounded them.

Erin lurked with them, and Hani was instantly on edge. Erin had been avoiding Gryffindor as much as possible over the past few weeks. Hani had thought her encounter with Hurst would have motivated her to show a little more house unity, but it had only pushed her further away. Whatever their professors had done to discipline her, it clearly hadn’t done much to change her opinion of Hogwarts.

That kind of disregard for their house and school was frustrating, but it was also dangerous. Ever since she’d seen Erin’s careless attitude following the incident on the viaduct, she’d tried to keep a closer eye on her classmate during school hours, and everything she saw made one thing obvious: no amount of discipline or consequences would deter Erin.

She had a goal in mind, and she wasn’t going to let a group of Prefects or well-meaning professors get in the way of it.

“I didn’t think you’d come, Erin,” Hani said as casually as possible. “Haven’t seen you around here much.”

“Fay convinced me to tag along,” Erin shrugged.

A lie. When Hani met her roommate’s gaze, Fay only sent her a baleful look, as though she also wasn’t sure why Erin had decided to make an appearance.

“Are you looking forward to dancing?” Hani asked, extending an olive branch. “It isn’t quite as choreographed as what we did this summer, but it should be nice enough.”

“Sure,” Erin said noncommittally. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I see Seamus over there. Had a few questions for him.”

Her departure left Hani feeling even more on edge, though Lavender and Sophie were quick to turn her away from their newest housemate. They distracted her with their snacks and talk of the things they wanted to get done over the Yule break, and Hani forced herself to relax under their ministrations.

“A party would be nice,” Fay sighed longingly. “My parents used to organise a small neighbourhood party for the New Year, but they’re reluctant to do anything now that I’m at school. They’re worried I’ve gotten some ideas about partying that they wouldn’t agree with. And they’re not sure how to feel about the fact that I’ve gotten an entirely new set of friends instead of sticking with the Muggles I knew as a kid.”

“I’m always down for a party,” Parvati said, her voice equally wistful. “But my parents don’t like using the manor for anything other than official celebrations. I don’t think New Year’s Eve is quite official enough for them.”

“Well, maybe we’ll figure something out before then,” Lavender said hopefully. “Dean and Seamus are always good options, though I don’t think Seamus’ mum likes it when he brings girls home. When I asked him about inviting friends over the summer last year, he told me she’d never allow it.”

“At least we get to enjoy this party,” Sophie pointed out. “And if everything goes according to plan, our dorm will be back up to full capacity tonight!”

Hani perked up a little at the reminder of the small group of students currently making their way back to England.

Daphne had made her promise that she wouldn’t wait up for her, knowing Hani couldn’t miss out on the Gryffindor party even if it meant having to wait a night longer before seeing Daphne again. However, she hadn’t even considered the fact that their celebration would still be in full swing when Hermione arrived.

She wondered if anyone had given her a warning, or if she’d be coming in ready for bed only to find an excitable group of Gryffindors dancing around the room.

“And until she’s back, let’s freaking dance!” Sophie added, the behaviour so unlike her that Hani and the others could do nothing but follow her as she dragged them onto the makeshift dance floor the professors had set up for them.

It was surprisingly easy to let go after that.

Hani danced with Lavender, with Parvati, with Sophie and Fay, with Dean, with Louise, with Ginny, with Seamus and Neville and Angelina and Fred and George and even Ron. She laughed and gossiped and traded secrets with the older students who’d been out of the house for long enough that they no longer knew the names of all the little ones.

She dragged the younger students away from the snack tables as well, leading them into childish dances that they eagerly recreated. They looked at her with wide eyes and pestered her with questions, but she didn’t mind so much, not when their curiosity was geared towards the holidays and the break and the ball and oh Hani what are you wearing to the ball, you always look so pretty!

She danced with Dean again. She told him she wished he could go to the ball with her. He told her he was a fool for stuttering earlier, that he would love nothing more than to spend time with her outside of school. She twirled in his arms and laughed at his dazed expression. He held her closer when the music slowed and chuckled at her parted lips.

She knew there were things to worry about, bigger issues that had been gnawing at her mind for months now, but it was easy to put them to the side when she was surrounded by so much light.

It was even easier to ignore them when the common room’s door opened once more and revealed two faces she had been dying to see again since they’d left in September.

Exclamations of their names rang around the room, but Hani pushed her way through the throngs of students until she could see the top of his head, until she was almost within arm’s reach, until she could open her mouth and–

“Remus!”

It was a little improper, she knew, but his eyes lit up when he spotted her and despite their audience, he wrapped warm arms around her, something within her breathing again now that they were in the same country.

“Harini,” he said softly as he pulled away from her, patting her shoulder once more before laughing at his other students’ put-upon expressions. “I didn’t expect such an uproarious welcome! I thought Miss Potter would be the only one happy to see me again.”

That earned him many protests, and Hani reluctantly left his side in order to give him the space he needed. He nodded at her, something in his gaze telling her that she would be seeing him soon enough. She didn’t think he would let her ignore him the way she’d been avoiding her father.

Happiness coursed through her body. Remus was back. Gryffindor was thriving. And across the room, surrounded by their yearmates, Hani could spot Hermione’s coiled hair, could see the way she smiled at Sophie and Ron, at Fay and Neville and even Lavender and Parvati. The sight of her filled her with so much hope, she almost ran into a gaggle of fourth years as she made her way past the snack tables and the still-dancing students.

She stopped in her tracks, the smell hitting her all at once.

She grabbed onto the closest arm she could find and frowned at the sight of Demelza Robbins. Her teammate froze as she realised who had accosted her, and Hani felt her stomach drop.

“I can explain,” Demelza blurted out, shooting a nervous glance towards her friends. Hani made a mental note of their faces: Mary, Lisa, Andrew, and just a little further… She pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked into the guilty eyes of one Ginny Weasley.

“Please, do,” she said shortly. “Before I drag the lot of you over to Professor Prewett. I don’t know if anyone told you, but Prefects are off-duty tonight. Any issues will go straight to the professors. It’s been such a relief, getting to pass responsibility over to them. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Demelza gulped, but Ginny was the one to speak up next.

“We should have known not to accept anything from her,” Ginny snapped, though Hani could tell she was just as nervous as Demelza. “Look, we’re sorry, alright? But we thought it would be nice to have something to loosen our nerves and dance a little more freely, and–”

“And so you thought the answer would be to bring firewhiskey to a party meant for students of all ages? Including the first-years you’re supposed to be setting an example for, may I add,” Hani thundered, already seeking Prewett out in the crowd.

“It’s Hargreaves,” Andrew spoke quickly, his face pale as he gazed up at Hani. “I know we shouldn’t have taken any of it, but… Well, I don’t know. I’m sorry. She was offering, and I’ve never had any before, so–”

Fury bubbled up in Hani’s chest.

“The five of you, with me,” she said tightly. She’d spotted a glimpse of Prewett’s auburn hair close to the fireplace and forced herself to walk in his direction instead of back to the corner of the room she knew Erin would have chosen for her dealings. “Now, you’ll be hearing plenty from your professors, but can any of you tell me what you should have done when you realised what was happening?”

Ginny grit her teeth. Mary rolled her eyes. Demelza and Andrew exchanged panicked glances. Only Lisa met Hani’s gaze, looking truly apologetic.

“We should have found an adult and told them about it.”

“Well, I’m glad at least one of you has the common sense to admit it,” Hani said, her tone shorter than usual.

She didn’t say another word until they reached Professor Prewett, who straightened at the sight of Hani’s tense features and the group of repentant children behind her. His eyes lingered especially long on Ginny, who Hani knew now sported a petulant expression.

She didn’t doubt that the youngest Weasley would attempt to bring up Fred and George’s previous infractions to save herself.

It would get her nowhere, but Hani wasn’t going to make this process any easier for her. She’d made her choice, and she’d have to live with it.

“Professor,” she said respectfully. Prewett nodded at her in acknowledgement, his silence urging her to speak. “It seems as though Miss Hargreaves has found a way to introduce alcohol to the party. Firewhiskey, to be specific. She’s with a group of third years right now. If Professor Alderton or another chaperone goes there now…”

Prewett was already gesturing for Alderton. Their Deputy Head reached them within seconds, leaned over to listen to Prewett’s words, and left moments later, his body radiating with anger.

Hani could relate.

She’d never hated Erin more than she did right then, struggling to hold onto the peace and joy she’d managed to find in the safety of the Gryffindor common room.

“Professor,” Hani added. “Could I possibly be excused from the party?”

“The dormitories are always open, Miss Potter. As you have no Prefect duties to see to, I don’t see why you couldn’t simply retreat for the evening. I’ll be taking care of this lot, of course.” He didn’t take his eyes off the fourth-years as he spoke. Hani could see the severity of their actions finally seep into Ginny and Mary, who had until then held their chins up high.

“I was actually wondering if I could leave the tower, professor,” Hani said carefully. “One of my closest friends came back from the Programme tonight, and I was hoping I could perhaps catch her before bed.”

This time, Prewett hesitated. His gaze flickered towards her for a second, taking in her tense shoulders and the displeased twist of her mouth. He sighed.

“Very well, Miss Potter,” he shook his head. “Please take someone along with you. And Professor Lupin will be in charge of making sure you are back in the tower before one in the morning, when the party winds down.”

“Seems fair,” Hani said. “Thank you, professor.”

“Thank you , Miss Potter,” Professor Prewett murmured as she went to leave. “I will let Miss Avery know about your diligence and honesty. I find myself forever grateful that I decided to make you a prefect.”

Hani smiled a little at his words, though she was still vibrating with irritation by the time she rejoined her friends. Dean shot her a concerned look, and Hani pressed her lips together, tilting her head in Erin’s direction. Alderton had descended upon her, and she knew the scene wouldn’t be pretty.

Dean nodded understandingly, his brows knitting together tightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but a far cheerier voice beat him to it.

“Harini!” Hermione beamed at her. She wavered a little at Hani’s irate grimace, and Hani grimaced apologetically, rearranging her features into something a little more relaxed. “It’s… good to see you.”

“You too, Hermione,” she said softly. Sincerely. “Sorry, I truly am happy to see you again, but it seems as though Erin has decided she can’t let us have a night off.”

“Oh,” Hermione frowned, her eyebrows flying up when their other yearmates simply scoffed, exasperation floating between them freely. “This is… normal?”

“Unfortunately,” Sophie grumbled. “I’d say you get used to it, but I’d be lying.”

“Yeah,” Hani huffed. “I’m gonna– head out.”

“Do you need anyone to go with you?” Dean asked brightly. Hani looked at him and smiled, her hand itching to reach out for him and ignore the other things she’d meant to accomplish that night.

Instead, she shook her head gently.

“I was actually wondering if you might want to come along, Hermione,” she said, looking hopefully at her first friend.

“I– Yes, of course,” Hermione smiled, her earlier radiance returning as she shook the thought of Erin off.

Hani took her in for a moment as she hugged Fay, Ron and Sophie. She waved at their other housemates as she stepped away to join Hani, and it was remarkably easy to note that there was a gentleness there that hadn’t been there in September. Even her clothes had changed, her usual jeans and jumper replaced by a long skirt and a flowy shirt, no robes in sight.

“So,” Hermione said as Hani slowly marched them towards the door, only briefly meeting Lavender and Parvati’s eyes to let them know she would tell them everything as soon as she came back. “Where are we going?”

Hani returned to herself, her daze receding into something more like respect and curiosity. A desire to see what else had changed about Hermione.

“I thought we’d pay your girlfriend a visit,” she said, a teasing lilt colouring her voice.

Hermione’s questioning smile turned bashful then, and Hani was glad she hadn’t asked Lavender along instead.

“That’s– good,” Hermione whispered. “I know Daphne missed you.”

The mention of her name was enough to have Hani pick up her pace.

She couldn’t believe she’d thought she could make it through the entire night without sneaking off to find Daphne.

Suddenly, the idea of spending even a second more away from her was torturous. 

Daphne was back. She was here.

And if Hermione laughed lightly at Hani as they all but raced down the corridors towards the dungeons… Well, she’d never betrayed Hani’s confidence before.

Daphne missed you. Merlin, she’d missed her too.

Chapter Text

Footnote: While I completely respect and understand the importance of Yule on a cultural and magical level, I did want to say one more thing. To my daughter especially, if she ever reads this, know that the holidays are only as special as the people who are there to share them with you.

Marlene and Alice think I’m keeping some sort of journal for my future children, and they want me to add that I wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilled if I didn’t have them in my life. They’re pesky and nosy and sometimes I wish they didn’t know me as well as they do, but they’re not wrong. So, more than anything, I hope you have someone.

~ ToB ~

She let Hermione go ahead of her, taking the time to throw the Invisibility cloak over her own shoulders as they reached the dungeons.

It was habit, mostly, but also a precaution she’d learned was necessary when she’d once run into Malfoy and had had to submit herself to a ten-minute interrogation before finally managing to side-step him.

And despite the tenuous ceasefire she’d come to with her father, she’d always been careful to avoid him outside of their private quarters. She knew he loved her, but the secrecy of their relationship meant that she was never sure how he would interact with her in a public space.

She didn’t want to find out now, with Yule around the corner and tensions still high between them.

So, she trailed after Hermione silently, watching the first best friend she’d ever had and wondering when her steps had grown so light, her figure so confident. Had it been in Beauxbatons, when they’d been surrounded by beautiful things and difficult people? Or when they’d retired to Durmstrang, which she imagined had to be stunning in the wintertime? Had she found solace in nature, or in the other exchange students?

She considered her quietly as they rounded the corner leading to the Slytherin common room. A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered their second-year adventures down to the dungeons. It remained one of the only times she’d seen Hermione break the rules of her own volition.

“Do I just… knock?” Hermione whispered as quietly as possible, looking around aimlessly as she tried to spot Hani.

“Hold on,” she murmured back, stepping close to the common room door and the curling stone snakes that had been carved into the entranceway. “Any chance you know the password? ”

The stone snakes didn’t move, and Hani cursed underneath her breath.

“Those old things don’t have an ounce of life to them,” another voice startled her. She turned around to find a painting of a man dressed in a deep blue robe, his dark eyes glittering with amusement as he stared at her. “You’d be better off talking to the door itself.”

“I’m guessing you don’t know the password either,” Hani rolled her eyes at the portrait. She’d run into another parselmouth portrait in her Third Year, an unimpressive young woman who’d spoken of nothing but the ball she was attending in the summertime.

“Oh, it’s some nonsense about wintertime,” the man chuckled. “Solstice, perhaps? Though that may have been last week. The beautiful woman who sets the passwords refuses to utilise any of the more complex ones the dark man suggests. Claims it would confuse the little ones.”

“Solstice,” Hani snapped in English, a surprised huff escaping her when the door creaked open. “Well. I guess you’re not all useless. Hermione, could you get Daphne out here? I’m sure any of the girls in our year would be happy to point you in her direction.”

“You want me to go?” Hermione hissed. “With the little Dea– the questionable personalities in there?”

“Oh, take the cloak,” Hani sighed, throwing the item in question off her shoulders and tossing at Hermione, who let out a small grunt as it weighed her arms down. “You’re her girlfriend, Hermione. That gives you certain privileges. Parvati would have never been let in before her relationship with Blaise, but I know for a fact he’s snuck her in once or twice now with minimal protests from everyone else.”

“If you say so,” Hermione said, hesitantly putting the cloak on, her fingers tracing over the fabric as though she couldn’t remember the last time she’d touched it.

Third year, Hani thought, when they’d still been friends.

“She’s a fiery one,” the portrait interrupted her musings. The door swung shut behind Hermione’s invisible form, and Hani reluctantly turned to face the man again. “You Gryffindors are always so entertaining.”

“If you say so,” Hani shrugged. “I’ve found you Slytherins are quite tedious.”

“And yet here you are,” the portrait laughed.

“Oh, I was talking about the family,” Hani grinned sharply. “After all, Slytherin house is home to some of my very favourite people. Slytherin’s descendants, however? Except for the one psychopath, you and that lady on the fourth floor have been remarkably unremarkable.”

“Now, that was–”

His words were cut off by the common room door all but slamming open.

Just like that, Hani forgot about the silly portrait and Hermione’s invisible form and the cold that had been nipping at her fingers ever since she’d stepped into the dungeons.

Standing there, a delighted smile on her face, was Daphne.

She threw herself at her without hesitation, crossing the distance between them in a matter of milliseconds and trapping her into a tight embrace, the feeling of her so familiar it made her want to cry.

“Couldn’t wait a single night to see me again?” Daphne mumbled against her neck. “You just had to organise a strange kidnapping, didn’t you?”

“It’s not a kidnapping if you come willingly,” Hani pointed out, stepping back to admire Daphne in all her glory.

Immediately, she spotted a dozen little things that had changed about her friend. Her hair had been cut shorter, hanging just past her shoulders now. Her skin was one shade darker, most likely leftover from her time in the sunny south of France. She was wearing delicate earrings and a glittering necklace, nothing like her usually bare accoutrement.

But she was still Daphne. The light blue jumper she was wearing had been a gift from Hani, and the look in her eyes was as warm and exasperated as it always was when Hani did something she found ridiculous.

“I’m going to go.”

They both turned in unison to look at Hermione, who shook her head fondly at their befuddled stares.

“Thank you for walking with me, Harini,” Hermione said, clearly amused by their momentary memory lapse. “Good night, Daphne.”

Here, she leaned over to them to press a gentle kiss to Daphne’s cheek. Hani felt a devious grin take over her face as she watched Daphne turn a vivid shade of red.

“I’ll see you in the dorm later,” Hani told Hermione as she turned to walk away, the Invisibility cloak still draped over her shoulders. “Try to avoid Snape and Cresswell on your way back. Avery might be lenient considering it’s your first night back, but you know the adults won’t want to listen to any of our bullshit.”

“And you’ll be fine?”

“Prefect privileges,” Hani said lightly, watching Hermione falter for a second as she took in the bright red robe Hani had thrown on before they’d left the common room. “I’ll be good. Go and see the others. And please, for the love of Merlin, try to make sure Parvati and Sophie don’t cause a scandal with Erin.”

Hermione nodded, smiled once more at Daphne, then disappeared.

“You’re back!” Hani grinned as soon as Hermione was out of sight, grabbing one of Daphne’s hands in hers and squeezing tightly. “You’ve been gone far too long. At least I had the decency to be back by early December last year.”

“Because that turned out so well,” Daphne drawled. Despite her tone, her eyes shone with concern, her mouth twisting into a worried grimace. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there on Samhain.”

“Nothing you could have done about it,” Hani shrugged. “I got through it. Tracey’s been great.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Daphne huffed. “I can’t believe she jumped on you the second I left the castle. I should have known she’d try to get in your good graces as quickly as possible. You know, for all that she’s occasionally the most Gryffindor of us, she really can’t be beaten when it comes to Slytherin ambition.”

“We’re two halves of a perfect puzzle,” Hani said teasingly. Daphne rolled her eyes but didn’t correct her. “Ambitious and brave, cunning and passionate.”

“Oh, we’re calling you cunning now?” Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow at Hani.

“Yes, actually,” Hani said proudly. “I have a secret room, Prefect robes to get me out of trouble, and good grades to make the adults trust me. It’s a perfect combination, Daph.”

“Theo sent me a letter three weeks ago asking me why you were acting strange,” Daphne retorted. “Something about you looking like you’d just dragged yourself out of a dark ritual? Doesn’t exactly scream cunning to me.”

“I didn’t say I was being subtle,” Hani defended, gently tugging Daphne away from her common room. “Though I think even you’ll have to admit that my secret room is a work of art. I’m going to have to key you into the wards before you can even step foot inside. My runework is becoming more impressive by the second.”

“I’m sure it is,” Daphne scoffed, though Hani knew she admired her ability to decode and link runes together as much as Hani admired Daphne’s ease with the Magic of numbers. “What kind of key is it? Magical signature?”

Hani hesitated, looking left and right before lowering her voice.

“More like blood,” she whispered, and watched as Daphne’s eyebrows flew up, her lips parting for an instant before she regained control of her features. “And look, I know what you’re going to say, but I just need you to wait until we’re in the room so you can see–”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Daphne interrupted her. “In fact, I was going to say it’s probably a wise idea. Did you know that in Beauxbatons, some of the secret projects you stumbled upon last year are actually protected by all manner of wards? Blood magic isn’t exactly common there, but there’s a degree of leniency when it comes to wards.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense,” Hani nodded. “It’s a shame I didn’t get a look at them last year. It would have made for a great comparative study of wards powered by individuals with different magical affinities.”

“So, which of the other Sisters have you keyed in? How secret is this room? I’m sure Lavender and Parvati were delighted to have access to a space away from Lisa and Padma when they’re on one of their study tears,” Daphne snorted. “Tracey didn’t breathe a word about this in her letters, but I suppose she might have been keeping your little secret.”

“Tracey’s the only one keyed in at the moment,” Hani answered, a small frown marring her face as she gazed over at her friend. “It’s not too far from the Sisters’ room, but it’s more out of the way. The other girls have never even stumbled upon it.”

Daphne’s gaze was piercing. The downturn of her mouth twisted Hani’s stomach.

“How Slytherin of you,” she said quietly. “Maybe you were onto something about you and Tracey completing each other.”

Hani stayed silent as they climbed staircase after staircase, rising higher and moving closer to the Northern wing. Next to her, Daphne mimicked her quiet demeanour. Every step they took echoed around them. Hani turned her revelations over in her mind until she realised she wasn’t sure how Daphne would take the news of her Blood Magic.

How would she have reacted, one year ago, if one of her closest friends had announced that while she was stuck in another country, they were experimenting with Magic they could have never dreamed of accessing before?

She could tell Daphne was already off-balance, her back too straight and questions too quick to slip past her lips. Her gaze was ever-so-slightly frantic, her attitude reminiscent of the way she’d behaved after Hani’s kidnapping.

They reached the corridor in which Hani’s room was concealed, and she felt Daphne take a deep breath next to her.

“I don’t…” She started, then paused and wiped at her eyes before starting again. “I knew you and Tracey had grown closer, but it’s still… I didn’t realise how much I’d miss while I was on the Programme. When I heard what happened to you on Samhain, I started to question if I should have even left to begin with. We could have been Prefects together. It would have been easier. I could have been by your side when everything happened.”

“You couldn’t have known anything would happen,” Hani argued.

“Bullshit,” Daphne said coarsely. Hani snapped her mouth shut, stopping in front of the room’s door and looking on as Daphne’s jaw clenched. “The Dark Lord is back. I know everyone else is still in denial, but don’t think I forgot what happened to you last Yule. Don’t think I’m not aware of what Theo, Pansy and Millie’s fathers are up to while we’re at school. Sure, being abroad is a great escape, but what about you?”

“I’m fine,” Hani said, forcing her lips into a smile. “I’ve mostly fixed things with Se– with my dad, and Tracey really has been wonderful. We’ve looked some more into the prophecy, and she’s gotten me started on politics all over again, and then there’s–”

She cut herself off right before she could get the words out.

Daphne’s expression was pained, tears covering her eyes in a thin, sparkling veil.

“I don’t think I would be making it through the Programme if it wasn’t for Hermione,” Daphne choked out. “I know I’m lucky. I know that. And I’ve loved learning how to duel, how to handle complex Magics, and how our different cultures overlap or curve in opposite directions, but I’m not like you. I’m not like Sue or Lisa or Theo or even dumb fucking Ernie. I want to come home. I want to help you understand what you’ve been doing to uncover the prophecy. I want to be keyed into your wards from the get-go. How much am I going to have to miss before I come back for good?”

Suddenly, Hani’s revelation felt like ash in her mouth.

She’d known Daphne was homesick. Of course she’d known; she knew her like the back of her hand, and every letter she’d written had been filled with questions about Hogwarts and her siblings and the Sisters’ progress at school. 

However, she hadn’t realised Daphne wasn’t just sad; she was envious. She was regretful. She’d been given a choice, and she felt like she’d made the wrong one.

She’d spent the past three months abroad, and Hani had spent that time slashing a knife across the palm of her hand and taming the red and gold sparks that danced around them even now.

She hadn’t seen Daphne haloed in red and gold yet, but she should have known her friend would look ethereal.

Daphne would want to know all about her Blood Magic.

If she found out, she would never leave.

So, Hani swallowed ash, coated her throat in guilt and a deep-seated need to tell one of her closest friends about her Magic, and smiled instead.

“We’ve been waiting for you from the day you left,” she said honestly. “When Tracey dragged me out of my slump after Samhain, you were the one I was looking for. When Lisa makes a breakthrough with our Arithmancy studies, your armchair is the one she turns to. You’re not missing anything, Daphne; we’re just putting certain things on pause until you’re back to enjoy them with us. And seriously, you wouldn’t have wanted to be there after Samhain anyway. I was a mess. Insufferable. Even Lavender was sick of me by the end of it.”

Daphne smacked the back of her head.

“Of course she wasn’t sick of you, you dimwit,” she rolled her eyes. “She was worried. And I would have wanted to be there regardless.”

“But then you wouldn’t have gotten to know Hermione,” Hani said cajolingly, chuckling when Daphne’s ears turned red again. “You wouldn’t have learned how to duel properly. And you would have to see Slughorn every single week.”

“I– I guess there are certain benefits to the Programme,” Daphne stuttered, coughing to regain her composure. “Now, get on with it. I want to see this room you’ve claimed.”

Hani made quick work of it.

Instead of taking out her knife, she used her wand to cut the surface of Daphne’s hand. She collected blood into one of her empty vials, shrugging sheepishly when Daphne shot her a sharp look, and stepped into the room with a promise that she would be right out as soon as she was done.

It took her five minutes in total. She’d already reinforced the sequence of runes that let Tracey in, leaving room for the runes she drew in Daphne’s blood now. They linked beautifully into the sequence, her Blood Magic sparkling around her hands as she worked.

She wished she could show Daphne how her Magic reacted when she combined her Blood Magic with the Thread Magic she’d been developing for years.

Instead, she shook her hands to rid them of the magical aura radiating around them and stepped out of the room to let Daphne in.

The only proof of her Blood Magic was stuffed in Hani’s satchel, her knife and vessel tucked away in their respective spots in her holsters.

When Tracey and Hani weren’t actively working on her Blood Magic, the room looked like a private study area that they’d dedicated to prophecies and politics. The book stacks were full of tomes meant to help Hani understand the Wizengamot, delve deeper into the divinatory portion of her mind, and strengthen the alliances her family had formed in the past.

She’d cleared their desk earlier that day, getting rid of her runic sequences in favour of the big box she’d tied up with a bow.

Daphne stared at it now, and Hani was glad she still had something to give her friend that evening, even if it was nowhere near as significant as what she’d anticipated.

“I figured you’d want to see it now,” she said hesitantly, tapping her fingers together anxiously. “Your birthday was over a month ago now, and Yule is just around the corner. You can wait until then if you want, but then it only leaves you with two days to come up with a hairstyle and accessories and whatever else you want to add to the look.”

“I thought you’d be doing my hair,” Daphne sniffed imperiously.

“Of course I’ll be doing your hair,” Hani huffed. “But you’ll have to pick what you want, princess.”

Daphne laughed lightly at that, stepping closer to the desk and running reverent hands over the box Hani had picked for her dress. It was charmed to keep the dress from being damaged, stolen, and all manners of other nightmare scenarios that had haunted her when she’d realised she’d have to let Daphne take the dress into whatever hellscape awaited her in the Slytherin dormitories.

Perhaps she was being dramatic, but she didn’t like taking her chances with something that was meant to be a gift Daphne could keep for years to come.

The bow came undone, the lid lifted, and Hani held her breath as Daphne slowly slid the dress out of the box.

Silvery blue shimmered in the moonlight, the silver embroideries standing out in the shadows. Flowers and snowflakes sparkled before fading into the swathes of fabric that made up the dress’s skirt. On the back of the bodice, in the faintest of white threads, an oak tree stood proudly, the Greengrass family crest only visible if one knew what they were looking for.

Daphne looked up at her, a hand covering her mouth, and Hani’s entire being deflated, relief spreading through her like wildfire.

“Hani,” Daphne whispered, depositing the dress back into the box as though it was the most precious thing she’d ever been handed. “For Morgana’s sake, did you even have time to take care of your own dress? Were you able to sew anything else at all while I was gone?”

“You underestimate my abilities,” Hani said, her bravado not quite cutting through the raw emotion she felt at finally seeing the dress with its rightful owner. “I’ve got presents for so many people, you wouldn’t even believe it. And my dress isn’t quite as magical as yours, since I’d much rather you stood out as the brightest star that night, but it’s also nothing to scoff at.”

“Your Thread Magic has gotten… It’s gorgeous, Hani,” Daphne murmured, disbelief colouring her tone. “Shit Hani, do you understand how much this could sell for?”

Hani stared down at the dress again, her relief turning to pride as she took in the details again. She could still see some of the imperfections she’d had to cover up; a lopsided snowflake from when she’d been too tired to keep her eyes open, an orchid that looked more like an anemone from the time Lavender had made her laugh halfway through. But the final product was exactly how she’d envisioned it.

It was Daphne personified, and she couldn’t wait to see her friend turn it from a simple dress into a work of art.

“You’d rather I sold it?”

“Oh, don’t be daft,” Daphne bit out, her hands tightening around the box. “You know what I mean.”

“I know,” Hani smiled softly, prying one of Daphne’s hands off the box to give it a grateful squeeze. “I promise I’m looking into ways to maybe make a profit out of my work. I heard some whispers from Professor McGonagall that she was rather impressed by the Prefect robes I designed, so perhaps that’ll be a beginning.”

“Good,” Daphne nodded, looking pleased. “And thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do for my favourite Slytherin,” Hani beamed at her.

“Not just for the dress,” Daphne said quietly, squeezing Hani’s hand back. “For being a good friend even though I know you don’t fully understand my perspective of the Programme. For not freaking out when I told you I wanted to date Hermione. For being here when I got back.”

“Where else would I have been?” Hani said, knocking her arm into Daphne’s. “In case it escaped your attention, I love you and missed you very much.”

“Right,” Daphne smiled tightly. “Yes. That. Me too.”

“Good,” Hani laughed. “Now, put that dress away and sit down. You’re going to want to hear about Erin’s shenanigans tonight.”

It took Daphne a few seconds to comply, her eyes roving over the dress for a while longer before she finally closed the box and took a seat on the comfortable – but horrifically orange – armchair Hani and Tracey had found in the come-and-go room. 

“Terrible for the decor,” she commented lightly.

“And yet you’re sitting on it,” Hani pointed out, chuckling when Daphne lifted her chin defiantly. “Now, what’s the last thing I told you about Erin? I lose track of all the shit she’s pulled and what I’ve managed to share with you and Sue.”

“Something about a spat she had with Weasley? Ginevra, that is.”

“Oh Merlin, you’d better strap in,” Hani said, snickering at the eager expression on Daphne’s face. “This is going to be a long one.”

And it was. Erin’s tales were complex, varied, and most of the time so absurd Hani had to start her stories over three times before Daphne finally caught on to their newest classmate’s delusional reasoning.

It was perhaps the longest story she’d told all year.

And yet, with Daphne by her side, time flew.

Hani breathed in as she finished speaking and, for the first time since Samhain, felt like the piece she’d been missing had been slotted back into her heart.

Chapter Text

One of the biggest struggles a blood wixen will face is the connection of their Magic to something as fragile as blood. Blood, unlike the more nebulous entity that is Magic, is something that can be lost. When we lose blood, we also lose power. It is not a permanent loss, but one that can be felt if we overexert ourselves. 

Rituals are tricky in that way. Giving our blood strengthens our connection to Magic, but it also puts us in a most vulnerable position. It is why I urge you to surround yourself with people you trust when you undergo any blood ritual. It is why I also advise you to always have tailored blood replenishment potions at hand.

It is a careful balance, but one that can be found with practice. Give enough to show your devotion, but not so much as to lose control.

~ ToB ~

“Well, well, if it isn’t my dutiful partner skulking around the castle after curfew.”

Hani let out a hiss of surprise and spun around so quickly she almost lost her balance, red and gold dancing before her. She squeezed her fists tightly at the sight of Theodore and immediately regretted it when his eyes caught the movement. His lips curled into his now-familiar curious smirk, and Hani wished she had the gumption to slap it off his face for once.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t find it nearly as infuriating as she had at the beginning of the year. Besides, she had a feeling her father wouldn’t be impressed with her if he found out she’d been getting into trouble with her patrol partner.

“Jesus, Theodore,” she huffed once her heart calmed, the sparks of red and gold magic settling down before vanishing entirely. “And you accuse me of skulking.”

“Yes, well, I prefer the word ‘slinking’ for myself. Or ‘sneaking’, perhaps. Skulking is far too Gryffindorish for my tastes,” he chuckled lowly. “Besides, Avery asked me to pick up a few evenings of patrol over the break.”

“She asked the same of me,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t trust the professors one bit, does she?”

As far as Hani could tell, Wren had approached every single Prefect who had stayed for the holidays and had enlisted them for her extra patrols. She’d promised it would be reflected in the reports she handed to their Heads of Houses every month, which meant they’d all been eager to go along with her ploy.

If only Hani knew what her ploy was.

“To be fair, Slughorn is still a professor here,” Theodore drawled. “So, I don’t entirely blame her for wanting to make sure there are actual competent wixen out here to keep an eye on any mischief makers.”

“I don’t think Slughorn is even on the patrol rotation,” Hani snorted. “It’d be a liability. They’d be better off creating a squad of fourth-year Prefects than trusting him with our safety.”

“Too true, Harini. I still can’t believe they let him come with us on the Programme. Of all the preposterous things I’ve lived through at Hogwarts, that has to make the top three,” Theodore said, his eyes glittering with amusement. 

“Ah, it doesn’t even cut through my top ten,” she answered with a casual wave of her hand, watching as his jaw dropped open for a second before he snapped it shut. “I mean, there were the multiple encounters with V– The Dark Lord, and then there was the Basilisk, Pettigrew, finding out my godfather was a murderer, finding out my godfather wasn’t a murderer, the kidnapping…”

Theodore stared at her. She stared back, her arms crossed over her chest in an unconscious move to protect herself from the intensity of his gaze. There was something about goddamned Theodore Nott that made her feel as though he could see through every single act she put up.

“You know, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to reveal your weaknesses and trauma to someone whose father is on the Dark Lord’s payroll,” Theodore finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“I didn’t know the Dark Lord had a payroll,” she responded drolly.

“Of course he doesn– That’s not the point.”

“No, the point is that after months of pouting at me because you feel as though we should be closer after the Programme, you’re surprised I’m actually talking to you,” Hani sighed. “If you wanted to tattle and tell your father about me, Theodore, you would have done that already. In fact, maybe you did. It’s none of my business.”

“Merlin, you’re such a Gryffindor,” her partner said, sounding genuinely exasperated. “You can’t go around speaking about those things as though they’re not highly sensitive information.”

“I mean, He already knows about them,” Hani shrugged. “I don’t really see who I’m trying to keep it a secret from. It’s not as though I’m blabbing about the Light side’s plans.”

“Right,” Theodore said stiffly. “Anyway, I know you’re not on extra patrol tonight. Avery told me the only people out would be professors and the seventh years.”

“So?”

“So, what’re you doing out of your common room?”

“Skulking,” Hani replied dryly.

She resisted the urge to tighten her hold on her bag. Though she’d promised Tracey she wouldn’t take the vials of her blood – or the blood replenishment potions – out of their secret room, she’d finally given in and brought one back with her.

If something happened to her and she needed a replenishment potion, she’d prefer to have one on hand. Her first batch was far from perfect, but it would be potent enough to get her through an emergency if one were to arise.

“Another dark ritual, then?” Theodore asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

There was nothing technically dark about brewing blood replenishment potions. They were healing potions, which meant they were usually categorised as light even if the use of blood should have made them neutral, at the very least. However, she didn’t want word to spread that she carried a private stock of potions in her bag.

Not that she thought Theodore would tell anyone about what he saw.

Still, she would much rather be safe than sorry.

“I have other hobbies, Theodore,” she told him with a small smirk. “Though I know you don’t quite understand what those are.”

“Reading is a perfectly satisfactory hobby,” he retorted, his jaw ticking.

“Of course it is,” she said sincerely. “In fact, I spent most of my evening reading, since you so desperately want to know.”

“And the rest of your evening?”

“So curious,” she huffed. “I was embroidering my friends’ ribbons for the Yule Ball. Sue wanted me to make some last-minute changes, and I still needed to finish the one I picked for Lisa. Would you like to join me next time? I’m sure I can find a dress for you to sew if you’re so eager to be involved.”

“No need to bite my head off,” Theodore scoffed. “And I didn’t mean any offence either. It’s just that Yule is four days away and your Magic is… potent. You should be careful with any rituals you carry out until then. And you really should join everyone else in the ritual space on the solstice. It’ll be safer there.”

“I–” She cut herself off, knowing that his concerns were annoyingly valid. Not that he had any right to know what she did in her free time, but her Magic had been more active as the solstice approached. “I am being careful. And I have somewhere to conduct my Yule ritual safely, so don’t worry about that. I may be newer to Magic than you are, but I’m not an idiot.”

“Never said you were,” Theodore shrugged. “I’m only covering my bases so Avery doesn’t accuse me of letting potentially dangerous rituals fly under the radar.”

“Right,” Hani said, rolling her eyes. “Well. You’ve covered your bases. I’ll see you around, Theodore.”

“Harini,” he said, catching her arm as she made to leave. “Look, I’m not– I’m not trying to be a prat. I was actually looking for you yesterday. You’re close with the youngest Weasley, right?”

“She’s a friend,” Hani answered, tilting her head curiously. “Why’re you asking?”

“I just– Could you keep an eye on one of her friends for me? Ravenclaw, dark hair, dark eyes, always looks like she’s up to something?”

Hani let out a soft laugh.

“Yes, Theo, I can keep an eye on your cousin for you,” she said, her laughter turning to snickers when she noticed the tips of his ears turn red. “Though I promise you she’s perfectly fine. And you’ll be at the ball too, won’t you? So you can make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble when we’re there.”

“It’s easier if it’s not me,” he said uncomfortably, and Hani was clever enough to know not to push.

Families like the Notts weren’t ones she wanted to psycho-analyse. If all Theodore needed from her was someone to watch out for a girl as sweet as Harmony Nott, she’d happily go along with it.

“You’ll owe me one,” she added at the last second, grinning when he groaned. “Tracey and Daphne have taught me well.”

“Yes, yes,” Theodore breathed out through gritted teeth. “I’ll see you around, Harini. And seriously, stay out of trouble.”

“Impossible,” she smirked, skittering away before he could call her back.

As soon as he was out of sight, she dipped a hand into her satchel. Relief coursed through her body when she felt glass against her fingers. Red and gold sparks danced happily between her skin and the glass, her Magic recognising what she’d done to the potion within.

She shook her head as she headed back towards Gryffindor Tower.

Her Magic wasn’t the only thing she needed to be careful with. After all, it was becoming painfully obvious that Theodore had a knack for finding her in the worst possible positions and, eventually, he’d come too close to the truth.

And if that happened…

Hani cut the thought off before it could fully form.

She didn’t want to think about what would happen then. She’d make sure it never did.

Her Blood Magic was so eager, Hani was starting to believe it would eventually burst out of her fingers without her consent.

The spells she was using were dark in their own right, but part of her body itched to do more than that. The Black Family spells were the only ones remotely close to the feeling of rightness that took over her very being every time she slashed the palm of her hand and bled Magic into the world. 

“Something on your mind?” Daphne called out.

The two of them stood at opposite ends of the forest spot Blaise and Daphne had taken her to the year before. Tracey sat on a fallen log a few metres away, a notebook balanced on her knees and a pen trapped between her fingers.

She’d been taking notes on their duels – which Daphne had forced Hani into the second she’d gotten Cresswell’s permission – in the hopes of giving their favourite exchange student a few tips. Apparently, Hermione and another one of the girls in their year were still consistently beating Daphne during their training sessions, and it was driving her insane.

“Just thinking about how I’ll beat you this time,” Hani called back with a cocky grin.

Though really, her arrogance was far from baseless. They’d already gone through five duels that morning and Hani had quickly realised that the time she’d spent communing with her Magic had only helped sharpen her instincts.

It had been months since she’d properly duelled, but her body had jumped back into the motions as though she’d never stopped.

“If it’s parseltongue, it doesn’t count!” Daphne protested, rubbing at the arm Hani had previously hit with a modified stinging hex. “I can’t spend my life trying to come up with counters I’ll only ever use against you.”

“Hani isn’t the only parselmouth around, you know?” Tracey pointed out dryly. “If anything, she’s doing you a favour preparing you for the worst case scenario.”

“If the worst case scenario comes to pass, I don’t think I’ll be alive to tell the tale, let alone to brag about my amazing parseltongue counterspells,” Daphne scoffed. “I’d rather she threw some Black spells at me.”

“I do believe that’s how I beat you the first time,” Hani drawled, biting back a smirk. “And the second. And the fourth, if I’m not mistaken. But I can keep tossing them your way if that’s what you really want.”

Daphne didn’t bother answering. Instead, she raised her wand and bowed shallowly, waiting for Hani to do the same thing and for Tracey to announce the beginning of the duel before flicking her wand and drawing up an impressive shield.

It was the only shield she’d be able to successfully maintain for the duration of the duel. Just like Hani, Daphne had struggled with their introduction to shields. But unlike Hani, she hadn’t moved past that initial block. Not yet, at least. Something about the structure of shields didn’t agree with Daphne’s Magic.

Hani found it ironic. To everyone except her friends, Daphne was impenetrable. She stood tall and strong, never showed a single crack or weakness, and didn’t let anyone in unless she trusted them implicitly. But her shields revealed the very heart of her; malleable, ever-changing, and impossible to grasp.

At her core, Daphne was better suited to offence. She was quick on her feet, had a solid grasp of battle strategies, and knew how to find the flaws in other people’s defences.

When she cast a blasting curse at the ground beneath Hani’s feet, the spell leapt from her wand eagerly. Her leg-locker curse was equally as potent, though it shattered uselessly against Hani’s Tenebris Praesidium, a shield tailored specifically to Dark wixen who fought violently and weren’t afraid of harming each other in the process.

While Daphne methodically cast spells in Hani’s direction, Hani paced herself. She threw shorter hexes and curses at Daphne and even took the time to weave a runic sequence into one of her burning hexes, but she didn’t exhaust herself. She’d quickly realised that Daphne didn’t have the same kind of patience in duelling as she did in other aspects of her life.

She was, in many ways, more like Basile than any of the other people Hani had ever duelled against. She wanted to showcase what she knew, and she wanted to give people something to look at. It was why she manipulated the terrain around them so bluntly, and it was why she didn’t falter even when Hani’s shields failed to reveal any cracks.

Unfortunately for her, until she learned to poke Hani with more creative techniques, she would have a hard time getting through Hani’s defences.

Three minutes into their fight, Hani saw Daphne’s shield flicker for an instant. Her friend was quick to readjust, freezing the ground beneath Hani’s feet with cursed ice to give herself the time to strengthen her Altum Praesidium. But Hani’s balance was impeccable, and she took advantage of the slippery terrain to inch closer to Daphne.

“Doloricus,” she whispered, keeping her circular wand movements tight and controlled so she could better aim for the arm that had already been bothering Daphne.

The effect was instant. Daphne, caught off-guard, didn’t have the time to consider the incantation Hani had used or the nature of the spell. If she’d seen it rush towards her, she would have noticed the silvery sheen that betrayed most illusion spells, and her brain would have had an instant to consider the pain she was experiencing in a different light.

Instead, she clutched at her arm and hissed loudly, swapping her wand to her non-dominant hand and hastily casting a weakening hex at Hani.

Hani didn’t even let it hit her shield; she dodged out of the way and murmured an Accipere Sanguinem, her Magic bursting with energy as red and gold sparks danced down her fingers, along her wand, and into the spell that hurtled towards Daphne.

In theory, Daphne’s shield had regained enough strength to hold back minor cutting curses. Surprise flashed across Daphne’s face as she glanced down at her shoulder, her robe now hanging off it uselessly.

“Expelliarmus,” Hani breathed out.

Surprise was a wixen’s worst enemy, especially in combat. Most defensive spells required a great deal of willpower and concentration which meant that, when an individual was thrown off their guard, they would sometimes drop even the most basic of shields.

So, Hani watched as Daphne’s wand was tugged out of her friend’s hands and flew effortlessly towards her instead.

“Damn it!” Daphne cursed, throwing her hands up in frustration. “How did you even do that?”

Hani glanced over at Tracey, who was staring back at her knowingly. She’d been there when Hani had flicked through the Grimoire in search of minor hexes and curses she could use without betraying her affinity for Blood Magic.

All of the spells she’d learned were wand-magic and could theoretically be performed by anyone, Blood wixen or not. So, even if someone did realise Hani was using Blood Magic, there would be no proof that she was anything other than a ‘typical’ Dark witch delving into evil Magics.

Oh, they’d scream about corruption and they’d sneer at her for daring to use Magic that was so explicitly forbidden, but Hani didn’t care much about that. She was already Dark, already a Black, and already a parselmouth.

What was one more baseless accusation about the nature of her soul?

“I think that’s enough duelling for today,” Hani said instead of answering Daphne’s question. She closed the distance between them and reunited the wand in her left hand with its owner before using her own wand to heal the cut on Daphne’s shoulder.

Sana Amicum, just like Sui Sana, was technically a wandless spell, but Hani had realised there really wasn’t anything stopping her from using her wand as a medium if she wanted to be slightly more inconspicuous. And since her Blood Magic spells were far more effective for her than any healing spells had ever been in the past, she didn’t see a reason not to take advantage of the tools she’d been handed.

Daphne raised her eyebrows as the cut on her shoulder vanished and her skin stitched itself back together, but she didn’t question Hani any further.

“Thanks,” she said. “We’ll have to do this again. My duelling skills are nowhere where I want them to be yet.”

“Once you’re back here for good, I promise we can take time out of our days to get you up to higher standards,” Hani grinned at her. “Though, it’ll have to wait until I’m not on patrol or doing homework or training for Quidditch.”

“Gotta be ready for that first big game,” Tracey said with a brilliant smile. “Wouldn’t want my team to kick your ass, would you?”

“Oh, please,” Hani snorted. “Slytherin won’t know what hit them. When was the last time you guys even beat us? In your dreams, maybe?” 

“You can laugh all you want, Potter, but we’re coming for your title,” Tracey said, her smile turning to a devious smirk. “You see, the one thing we’ve always been missing is a Beater duo as strong as yours. Now, those Weasleys are pesky, I’ll give you that much, but our girls? They’re unbeatable. Literally.”

“Sure, sure,” Hani huffed. “I’m still going to have to see it in action before I take your word for it.”

“And that’s a perfect spot to end this thrilling sidenote,” Daphne cut in dryly. “Not that I wouldn’t love to talk more about your Quidditch teams and aspirations, but I’ve got bigger things to worry about. I can’t let Hermione beat me during the tournament. And right now, she’s getting the best of me almost as often as Hani is.”

“Almost?”

“I’ve gotten her a few times,” Daphne sighed. “But the way she duels is so much more… natural than the way I do.”

“I mean, that makes sense,” Tracey said bluntly. When Daphne turned her gaze to Hani, she could only smile apologetically. “Don’t look at us like that. I’m not saying you’re not an amazing witch. But your Magic has always been based in crafting, in creating, in coming up with new ways to utilise old techniques. None of that screams ‘battle’, you know?”

“But Hani–”

“I may be a thread witch, Daph, but I also faced Voldemort when I was eleven years old. I went up against a Basilisk at twelve. My Magic recognises battle in a way yours doesn’t, and it… loves it,” she finished lamely.

Tracey’s eyes were heavy on her, an implicit understanding passing between the two of them.

Hani was a thread witch, but she was also a Blood witch. And out of those two, she had a feeling she knew which one would win out when push came to shove. When the war came and fighting became a necessity, Hani would have an advantage many didn’t. An advantage that meant Daphne would never have a fair shot against her in a duel, especially not as Hani learned to utilise her family magic even further.

“Hey, did you guys ever do paired duels while you were in Beauxbatons?” She asked Daphne. When her friend nodded, she sighed and took a deep breath before speaking again. “Now, I’m going to suggest this once and only once. If you reject the idea now, it’s off the table.”

“Oh, hell yes,” Tracey snickered.

“You sound ridiculous,” Daphne snapped at her best friend before looking at Hani. “What’s the idea?”

“You and Hermione could use some people to balance you out. Perspectives from a different group of exchange students. Theodore and I could help,” she grit out.

“You and Theo?” Daphne repeated, eyebrows raised. “Seriously? I thought the two of you were in some weird stalemate with your friendship.”

“There is no friendship,” Hani grumbled. “And there is no stalemate. We’re perfectly civil and capable of spending time together without making it awkward. We’ve also got experience with the Duelling Tournament. If you can convince Hermione to participate, we can give both of you tips.”

“And you’ll help me figure out her weaknesses?” Daphne asked, her eyes wide and pleading.

The expression was so uncharacteristic for Daphne, both Hani and Tracey breathed out a laugh.

“I’ll do what I can for you,” Hani laughed. “And I promise that even if I end up making duelling robes for her, yours will be better.”

“Well obviously,” Daphne sniffed. “That’s the bare minimum. Do you reckon you’ll have them ready by the time I get back from Norway? It’d be useful to start practising with them.”

“Or it’ll make you overly reliant on a robe that can easily get lost or damaged,” Tracey sing-songed. Daphne’s gaze was piercing as it turned to her, but Tracey only shrugged. “Don’t hate the messenger. I mean, the tournament is one thing, but what will you do if you ever need to duel someone when you aren’t already wearing your robes?”

“Why would I need to–”

Her breath hitched as she cut herself off, a guilty look passing over her face as she glanced between Hani and Tracey.

“The Programme tends to keep our minds off painful things,” Hani said, her tone sympathetic. “I mean, I got kidnapped in December but, by March, I’d moved onto other things. When the breakout happened, I’d managed to compartmentalise the situation entirely. It’s a good thing, Daph.”

“Seriously,” Tracey huffed. “Worrying about You-Know-Who is a full-time job. Especially considering who our dear friend right here is to him.”

“Yeah,” Daphne winced, the movement so small Hani would have missed it if she wasn’t intimately familiar with her friend’s usually impassive features. “I don’t suppose you’ve managed to convince your guardians to tell you more about what’s going on?” 

“Not in a million years,” Hani shook her head. “I mean, when I’m lucky, Severus will give me a short update after my therapy sessions on Sundays, but even that’s restricted to the bare minimum. He lets me know Voldemort is still active, tells me not to worry, and elegantly waffles on about the Order’s actions.”

“Never gives you anything concrete?” Daphne asked, her lips pursed.

“It’s hard enough getting him to speak,” Hani said tightly. “He’s– It’s– I don’t know. It makes me feel like I don’t have his trust anymore. Like I lost it somewhere along the way, even though I haven’t done anything to make him doubt me.”

“He’s your father,” Daphne pointed out.

“And that argument is outdated,” Tracey retorted, earning himself a surprised look from Daphne. “We get it, we do. Lavender and Parvati have talked me through their reasoning a hundred times already. Hani’s guardians are adults and want to keep her safe, they want her to stay out of trouble, they don’t want her to worry, we should listen to them… But there’s a damned prophecy hanging over her head.”

“I know,” Daphne said. “I know. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. So surely, the best way to go forward now is to listen to anything Hani’s guardians have to say about their end of the situation and hope we eventually get something out of it. They’ll have to slip up someday, right?”

“Maybe,” Hani shrugged, then exchanged a loaded glance with Tracey.

Daphne’s back straightened.

“What?” She asked sharply.

Tracey nodded. Hani tilted her head to the side.

“I’m not waiting,” she said. “I can’t sit around and hope the war doesn’t come to me until I’m ready to face it. So I’m going to pick up my duelling training again. I’m looking into politics and alliances and ways to act as the heiress to a few powerful houses. And I’m– What’s a good way of putting this?”

“She’s developed an awareness of the mind link she shares with You-Know-Who in the hopes of getting into his head,” Tracey said bluntly. “We’re going to purposefully recreate what happened on Samhain.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Tracey and Hani met Daphne’s stare head-on, but Hani’s hands were trembling. They’d been working on this for over a month now, and if they lost all of their progress because Daphne gave them up to Severus, she wasn’t sure how she would react.

“I’ve been using the divinatory link between Voldemort and I to find the source of our connection. From there on out, the process is pretty similar to Legilimency, so Tracey and I have been practising together,” she said softly. “I won’t be able to know if it works until Voldemort’s barriers are weakened, but the hope is that the connection will open up long enough for me to break in and catch a glimpse of what he knows or what he’s doing.”

“That–” Daphne started, an incredulous laugh bubbling past her lips. “That is absolutely insane.”

“You can’t tell–”

“Oh, hush,” Daphne interrupted her. “As if I’d ever tell your guardians about this. It doesn’t make it any less insane. And I’m going to need the details right now. Is that why you created a top secret room?”

“We can’t have Hani’s secrets floating around the school,” Tracey said, shrugging unapologetically. “Which is why we should move this conversation. Come on.”

“She just wants to get in there because there’s heating and snacks,” Hani whispered to Daphne as they started moving. Daphne laughed, the sound genuine and familiar, and Hani’s shoulders lost some of their tension.

“I can get behind that,” Daphne said, her gaze softening as it met Hani’s. “I can get behind a lot of things. You just need to give me a second to adjust.”

“A second? I’m sorry, am I talking to the right Daphne Greengrass? You meant a month, right? Maybe two?” Hani teased her, dancing out of her reach when Daphne made to swat her arm. “Too slow, Greengrass. No wonder Hermione’s kicking your ass at duelling. We might need to get you running laps.”

“Oh, and some Quidditch drills!” Tracey added, catching the tail-end of Hani’s sentence as they caught up to her. “We’ll get you in shape in no time.”

“The two of you are being very brave for a pair of witches hiding an incredibly incriminating secret,” Daphne said lowly, smirking mercilessly when Hani faltered. “I love you both, but I am a Slytherin, and this is enough leverage to last me the rest of the school year.”

“You’re going to blackmail us?” Tracey scoffed. “As if. You said it yourself; you’d never tell Hani’s guardians about this.”

“No, but I could get the other Sisters on your trail. Lavender on a mission is quite a sight, isn’t she?”

Hani huffed but didn’t deny Daphne’s claim.

When her friend smirked victoriously, she couldn’t help but smile back at her. It was nice to see she was still herself despite all the stress and changes the Programme had imposed upon her.

Hani would gladly deal with a bit of friendly blackmail if it meant she got to see Daphne in her element.

“No, not okay!”

Hani buried her head deeper in her arms, wondering how much lower she would have to get to disappear.

“Your hair holds up better than mine! Besides, my hairstyle will take longer than yours, so it should be done first. Hani can work on you while I get into my sari, and then you can sort your accessories out while she completes my look.”

The chair next to Hani creaked, and she looked up with a weak smile to meet Sue’s amused gaze.

“You’re going to go along with Lavender’s plan even though Parvati’s is more logical, aren’t you?” Sue whispered to her. Hani snorted softly, careful not to look back at her two arguing best friends.

Thankfully, the distance between them had increased as they’d stormed to the corner of the room where Hani had stored all the ribbons and various other pieces she’d crafted for her friends.

“Parvati isn’t winning this argument,” Hani told Sue conspiratorially. “This is Lavender we’re talking about. She’ll stand in front of that table all day and night until the ball if it means she can prove a point. And you know Parvati. She doesn’t have as much steam as our dearest Lav.”

“Oh, she’s definitely giving up within the hour,” Padma grinned as she settled into the seat on Hani’s other side. “If I were you, I would have told them both they could take care of their own hair if they’re going to be this petty over it.”

“They’re still getting over… everything,” Hani sighed. “I’m trying to be the middle ground. Or something like that.”

“That’s very noble,” Sue said genuinely while Padma snickered.

“Oh, shut it,” Hani nudged her. “Lavender is finally coming along to Blaise’s presence in our lives, which wouldn’t be possible if I wasn’t there to direct our conversations towards neutral topics.”

“How very fascinating,” Padma drawled. “I’m sure you’re having a fantastic time talking about school and… school?”

“And the Gazette,” Hani rolled her eyes, sitting up properly so she could look at both her friends without twisting her neck painfully. “Blaise isn’t too bad when he’s not all over Parvati. And he’s a Slytherin, which means he’s actually interesting.”

“Oh yes, you do love your Slytherins,” Padma said, amusement colouring her tone.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hani asked, scoffing.

“Just that you were almost a Slytherin, and Daphne’s a Slytherin, and Tracey is a Slytherin, and your patrol partner is a Slytherin, and even your– Oh, for Merlin’s sake. That breaks the vow?” Padma huffed.

“Luckily for you, I caught the gist. And I see your point. But in my defence, it’s not my fault Slytherins have a greater understanding of sarcasm and dry wit. I love Gryffindor, but then I have to deal with people like Sophie who don’t fully understand dark humour or the blurry lines of morality and all that.”

“I’m not sure I want to know what ‘all that’ means,” Sue frowned. “There’s nothing in here that crosses a blurry line of morality, right?”

Hani raised her eyebrows, tilting her head towards Lavender, Parvati, and the table covered in clothes and accessories she’d crafted with thread magic.

“That’s– I mean… I see your point,” Sue pouted. “But in my defence, thread magic is only perceived in a negative light because people are du– silly.”

“Our darling Sue,” Padma laughed. “So innocent. So kind.”

“I don’t know about innocent,” Hani chuckled. “I’m pretty sure getting a boyfriend marks the end of innocence. At least, that’s what Séraphine made it sound like when I talked to her about relationships this summer.”

“Morgana, Hani, did you get a sex talk from your father’s maybe-girlfriend?”

“Hello to you too, Trace,” Hani sighed as Tracey slid into the chair across from her, resting her chin on her interlaced fingers. “Trouble?”

“Your Misters Weasley intercepted me,” Tracey shrugged, shaking her head almost imperceptibly when Hani tensed in her chair. “Wanted to chat about research. They’re strange ones, but I think I like them.”

“They’re very likeable,” she shrugged.

“Or I’m just easily charmed,” Tracey said nonchalantly. “Who’s to say? Now, I want to know more about Séraphine’s relationship talk. What wise advice did she have to share with you? Because there’s… someone I like, but it’s been impossible to pin him down. Did she have any tips about confessing your feelings in a way that doesn’t make you die of embarrassment?”

“It was more… vague,” Hani sighed. “Like, be careful who you date, always make sure you have friends and family looking out for you, and don’t get blinded by love when there are other things that matter. She also said it was different for me with girls, because I have a better grasp of their feelings.”

“Do you?” Padma asked, frowning. “Because I swear, boys and girls are equally confusing to me.”

“I don’t know about understanding their feelings,” Hani admitted with a snort. “But at least with Lavender, it was more like having a best friend with a few benefits. I think she wanted me to realise it could be different with a boy.”

“And?” Tracey asked.

“And what?” Hani retorted.

“Well, is it different with a boy?” Sue prompted her, sounding more curious than anything. “You and Dean are–”

“Okay, no. I mean, well, it’s just– There’s nothing there. Yet. There’s nothing there,” Hani blurted out, feeling her cheeks warm. When Padma went to poke them, she leaned away and flicked her nose. “But if there was something there, then… yeah. I guess it’s different. A thousand times more stressful.”

“That could be because he isn’t your best friend,” Padma sighed. “Your data’s not going to be reliable until you date a few more people.”

“Are you using me to run a bisexual study?” Hani laughed incredulously.

“I use all of you for various studies,” Padma sniffed haughtily. “Don’t think you’re special, Harini.”

“I would never,” Hani said, stifling a laugh. “Do you have any other bisexuals for your study?”

“Not yet,” she shrugged. “But I’d rather wait than force anyone to come out against their wishes. We’re barely old enough to be thinking about relationships anyway. I mean, there’s been what… five couples in our year group so far?”

“Are we counting Programme relationships?” Tracey asked right as Hannah and Daphne plopped down into the seats on either side of her.

“If we’re talking relationships in our year, those should absolutely count,” Hannah said. “So there would be Hani and Lavender, Lisa and Antero, Hermione and Daphne, Sue and Henrik, and that’s just from the Programme.”

“Okay, so maybe my numbers are a little off,” Padma grumbled.

“We have Blaise and Parvati, of course,” Daphne said, nodding towards Parvati. She and Lavender had finally calmed down, though Hani could tell from their bent heads and clenched fists that the argument was far from over.

“Sally-Anne and Theo are a thing,” Hani said, adding them to their tally. “And… Susan’s seeing someone, isn’t she?”

“Wayne,” Hannah nodded, scrunching her nose up. “He’s so boring. Though, at least he’s better than Ernie. Which is another couple, by the way. I still can’t believe I ever dated him. Is my taste really that bad?”

“Do you want us to answer that?” Daphne drawled, smirking when Hannah glared at her. “Draco and Pansy technically dated so Pansy could get her father off her back. But it lasted less than a week, and I’m almost certain she spent most of that time kicking Draco whenever he tried getting close to her.”

“There were also a few… hookups in Ravenclaw,” Padma said, her voice tinged with disgust. “Anyway, I get your point. 15 is old enough for relationships. But for the most part, it’s still boys dating girls and girls dating boys.”

“How dull,” Daphne sighed.

“Uninspired,” Hani agreed with a grin. “Hey, Lavender! What do you think of the lack of lesbians at school?”

The distraction was effective. As soon as she heard her name, Lavender came hurrying over, Parvati hot on her heels. The ribbons and argument were left at the table behind them. By the time Lavender sat next to Hannah, her eyes were glimmering with excitement. Parvati rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips twitched up despite herself.

Hani winked at her, ignoring the baleful stare she received in return.

“First of all, there are more lesbians around than you might think,” Lavender said, repeating a sentiment Hani had heard a hundred times already. “But also, the world sucks. I mean, we’re better than the Muggles when it comes to this, but we’re still not exactly super accepting.”

“My parents would certainly be… displeased if they knew about me,” Daphne agreed. Tracey squeezed her hand reassuringly, and Hani pressed her lips together. “Purebloods like the idea of queer people about as much as they like the idea of muggleborns.”

“I’m with Lavender on this one,” Sue said, her jaw set. “The world sucks.”

“Woah! Sue Li, language!” Padma exclaimed, cackling softly when Sue narrowed her eyes at her.

“If you don’t want your parents to know about you and Hermione, are you just… not going to dance with her at the Yule Ball?” Hannah asked quietly. “I mean, won’t your father be there?”

“Yeah,” Daphne grimaced. “But it’s different. It sounds awful, but they’ll find it easier to accept a muggleborn girl. In their eyes, it’ll never last. We’re from two different worlds, and there’s no way it would work. They’ll tell themselves it’s me exploring new things, and then they’ll move on.”

Hani frowned, tracking Lavender’s face as her features contorted painfully. Hannah’s gaze flicked to Lavender as well, a small furrow finding its place between her eyebrows. When she looked at Hani, Hani bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head.

“I’m more worried about my parents figuring out that I’m seeing someone,” Sue sighed. “I haven’t even told Kai. He’d let it slip, and then I’d be grounded for life. I’m not supposed to see anyone without their permission. Which means I’m not supposed to be seeing anyone at all.”

“Parents are ridiculous,” Parvati scoffed. “As if they weren’t dating people when they were our age. I’m pretty sure most of our parents met at Hogwarts, and there’s no way they didn’t kiss before graduation.”

“Or maybe they were reasonable people who understood school was more important than romance,” Padma grumbled. Hani looked over at her, amused. “It can’t be that fun.”

“Well, there’s no rush,” Sue said, smiling at Padma. “But when it works out, it’s… I don’t even know how to describe it. It makes sense. I mean, the kissing and hand-holding is nice, but that’s not even it. It’s knowing that you have someone who feels so deeply about you that they want to be with you as often as possible. They want to tell you how great you are and they never get tired of you.”

Across the table, Hannah muttered something Hani didn’t catch, but both Tracey and Lavender snorted. When Hani raised an eyebrow at her, Hannah lifted one shoulder and grinned, obviously pleased that she’d made their friends laugh.

“Don’t repeat this to anyone else, but I agree with Sue,” Daphne said, sighing when Tracey immediately started poking her. “Stop that. I’m serious. It’s not even just the relationship, it’s everything that comes before and in between. The moment I realised I had feelings for Hermione, it felt important. She felt important.”

Hani’s heart skipped a beat then.

She thought of nights staying up late in the common room, of laughter exchanged during meetings and kind words slipped when they thought nobody was looking. She thought of her Magic swirling happily, red and gold lighting up the room as though trying to tell her something.

“Daphne Greengrass, secret romantic,” Parvati giggled. “Blaise is going to love hearing about this.”

“Blaise isn’t going to hear a word of this,” Daphne huffed. “Sister code, my lovely Parvati. If you even hint at anything we’ve said today, I’ll make sure he finds out about all of your most embarrassing moments.”

“Noted,” Parvati said, holding her hands up in surrender. “And if it makes you feel any better, I do agree with you. The lead-up is just as fun as the relationship itself. Though nothing beats knowing you have someone who’ll always have your back. Someone who would rather be with you than doing anything with anyone else.”

“Yeah, because that’s healthy,” Lavender grumbled, earning herself a sharp look from Parvati and a gentle nudge from Hannah. “I’m just saying.”

“So, how much are you and Henrik going to dance at the ball?” Hani asked Sue, eager to diffuse the tension.

“Ah, I’m not sure,” Sue laughed. “He loves dancing, but I don’t know how I feel about the audience. Kai is bound to make fun of me if he spots me, and then he’ll notice I’ve been with the same boy all night, and then… Well, it’s just not the most subtle of displays.”

“Don’t worry,” Daphne smirked. “Everyone will be so busy looking at Hermione and I, they won’t have any time to think about any of the other exchange students. Especially since we’re going to shine in the duelling exhibition as well.”

“Oh, how generous of you,” Sue said, rolling her eyes. “I appreciate your sacrifice. Though, you’re probably not wrong. You and Hermione look stunning together, and it’ll be ten times more obvious when you’re in your best dresses, dancing like professionals.”

“Did you know Hermione could dance?” Daphne asked Hani, her eyes bright. “She was so awkward about it at first, but she eventually broke and told me she’d taken a few ballroom classes as a kid. She’s a bit stilted, but it’s ado– I mean, it’s quite sweet.”

“Right,” Hani said, biting back a smile. “I’m sure the two of you will look wonderful.”

“She’ll be perfect,” Daphne sighed. Next to her, Tracey shot Hani an incredulous look, which Hani returned with an equally bewildered stare. “Not as much as me, though. Hani outdid herself this time around, and I’d like to see anyone try to outshine me.”

“We get it,” Lavender cut in, her tone impatient. “You and Hermione are going to be the belles of the ball. I’d much rather hear about Sue and her date. I mean, we haven’t had the opportunity to–”

“Jealous you won’t be the one in the spotlight this time around?” Daphne asked teasingly. “I thought you were wearing pink to the ball Lav, not green. I promise I’ll dial it down next year so you can have a turn.”

“How kind of you,” Lavender replied monotonously. “Though I don’t need you to dial anything down. I shine bright enough even when you’re there.”

“Especially if we get Hani to make our dresses for us,” Parvati interjected, her eyes darting from Daphne to Lavender and back again.

“You’d still have to find a date as incredible as Hermione,” Daphne laughed. “I mean, I’ve set a pretty high standard here. Who knows when you guys will manage to f–”

The scraping of Lavender’s chair stopped Daphne in her tracks.

Hani watched as her best friend stood, her cheeks flushed and jaw clenched, before storming out of the room, her body radiating with a mixture of anger and something Hani was tempted to ignore.

“Wha–”

“It wasn’t anything you said, Daph,” Hani said gently, only half lying. “She’ll cool off.”

She glanced at the door as she said that, hesitating for a second before turning back towards Daphne and shooting her a reassuring smile.

It took her a few seconds to realise Padma was looking from her to Parvati, eventually choosing to settle her gaze on her twin sister. Parvati stared back, her brows furrowed and eyes filled with confusion.

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” Padma grit out. “Seriously? Fine. I’ll go after her. I didn’t know you were so fucking clueless, Titi.”

Padma’s exit was more elegant than Lavender’s, but certainly no less hasty. She was gone within three seconds, slamming the door behind her only slightly less violently than Lavender had. 

“What is that about?” Daphne frowned. Next to Hani, she could see Sue’s features frozen in an identical expression.

Across the table, Tracey and Hannah’s lips were pursed, their gazes meeting Hani’s in grim understanding.

And in the seat next to the one Padma had just vacated, Parvati’s mouth finally parted, a glimmer of recognition bringing her face to life.

“Oh,” she whispered. “Shit. I should go. Hani, are you…?”

“I think I’ll stay here,” Hani shrugged, looking at Daphne so she wouldn’t have to meet Parvati’s questioning gaze. “You go ahead. I’m sure Padma already has a handle on the situation. She’s better at this than I am anyway. It’d just be awkward.”

Parvati nodded once, the movement jerky, before sedately following in her twin sister’s path.

The Sisters’ room remained silent for a moment after she’d left, their conversation suspended by Lavender’s abrupt departure. Hani could feel Tracey looking at her piercingly, but she didn’t want to think about her decision to stay behind or the reason Lavender had left to begin with.

She had enough on her hands these days.

“Now that they’re gone,” she said, clearing her throat. “I guess it’s time for me to be honest and admit I’ll actually be doing Sue’s hair last?”

It earned her a wide smile from Sue and chuckles from the rest of her friends. Tracey tilted her head in acknowledgement of Hani’s change of topic, and Hani could only hope she wouldn’t have to subject herself to an interrogation the next time they were alone together.

In the meantime, she’d have to find a way to keep Lavender’s temper from getting the best of all of them.

Simple task, really.

Hani pushed the door to her dormitory open a few inches, poking her head in stealthily and letting out a sigh of relief when she spotted Lavender’s empty bed, abandoned desk, and absent satchel.

She slipped in and threw her bag onto her bed, wincing a little at the sound of clinking glass.

“How many potions are you carrying in there?” An amused voice asked from the bed next to hers.

She looked up at Hermione, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully.

“Didn’t see you there,” she admitted. “And it’s really not that many. Just enough to keep me going for a few months if something goes wrong. Only one of them is explosive, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Right,” Hermione snorted. “I haven’t seen you in here much this week. Daphne says you’ve all been spending time together in your secret room?”

“Sometimes,” Hani shrugged, rifling through her bag and taking out the Politics books she’d been meaning to leave on her bed stand – Tracey thought she might get bored enough to read through them one morning if they were within reach. “I’ve been outside, too. Tracey and Hannah keep me company on the grounds, and our lovely Weasleys are always happy to play Quidditch.”

“I hear Ginny is especially eager to get some time on the pitch over the holidays,” Hermione hummed. “She got suspended from the team, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, it’s a shame,” Hani sighed. “Though really, she should have known better than to accept alcohol from Erin. None of them are sneaky enough to get away with drinking around adults.”

“I can’t believe Erin didn’t get suspended from school altogether,” Hermione frowned. “There were first years at that party. They shouldn’t have to be exposed to things like that. At least Fred and George are smart enough to keep their contraband out of the little ones’ sight.”

“Yeah, well Erin isn’t exactly trying to be subtle,” Hani rolled her eyes. “She wants to get suspended. I doubt this’ll be the last time we have to deal with one of her outrageous schemes.”

“At least she won’t be at the ball,” Hermione said, sounding genuinely relieved. When Hani raised an eyebrow at her, she didn’t even feign sheepishness. “I’m not going to take it back. She’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“You’re not wrong,” Hani chuckled. “Speaking of the ball…”

She took out the envelope she’d received the weekend before. In it sat a cream and gold card inviting her to the Yule Ball on behalf of one Hermione Granger. She’d meant to thank Hermione as soon as she’d received it, but the Sisters truly had been keeping her busy.

And when she’d had a moment to spare, she’d rushed to her room in order to work on another batch of blood replenishment potions, hoping she could finish it up before the Yule Ball so her progress wouldn’t be set back to zero when she left to spend the week with Sirius.

“Thanks for this,” she smiled. “You could have let Sue and Daphne send it along and used your slots to invite someone else, so I– I appreciate it.”

“It felt right,” Hermione smiled back at her. “ I thought it would be a nice way to mend the bridge between the two of us. And the bridge I burned with Parvati from the very start. Daphne pointed out that I haven’t been quite as innocent in the situation as I wanted to believe, so… I guess I’ve got a few years to make up for.”

“The Magic of the Programme,” Hani shook her head, amused. “It’s a shame we can’t send everyone. I think we’d all benefit from a year spent away from each other.”

“It does help put things into perspective,” Hermione said, her lips twisting into an embarrassed grimace. “Especially Beauxbatons. I mean, they don’t even have the space to get into petty spats over there. I know you had your pair of boys last year who caused problems, but once you’re in the school itself, there’s never enough time to get into an argument. Nothing like what Lavender and Parvati and I would get into, at least.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Hani said. “And don’t buy the Beauxbatons illusion. Less squabbles means less friendships as well. They don’t get… this.”

She gestured between them as she spoke and watched as Hermione’s lips turned back up into a brilliant smile.

“You know, if you’d like, you could get ready with us for the Yule Ball,” she added quickly. “Sophie and Fay are welcome to tag along as well, of course. I was going to do everyone’s hair, and I’m more than happy to do something for you too. I’ve got plenty of spare red ribbons that I’ve accumulated from years of being a Gryffindor.”

“Do you even know what to do with all of this?” Hermione raised her eyebrows, pointing to her afro. She’d stopped straightening her hair ever since she’d gotten back from the Programme, leaving her coils to frame her face flatteringly. “I mean, I know you’re great with hair and weaving, but–”

“I get it,” Hani interrupted her, smiling reassuringly. “Maybe I can start with a few ribbons? You can show me where to put them, and I can give them a magical touch. And once you’re back in England for good, you can start teaching me the proper way to braid your hair.”

“That– That sounds great,” Hermione said with a small grin. “Should I tell Fay and Soph that you’ll be taking care of their hair as well, then?”

“Sure,” Hani laughed. “They’ll just have to show up early. I’ve got an order to follow, and the Sisters will kill me if I don’t stick to it. Lavender and Parvati have been particularly uptight about it.”

“Is that why you walked in here like a thief?”

“I didn’t– Well, yes,” Hani huffed. “Though, it’s less about the ball situation and more about Lavender’s temper these days. I’m sure you’ve noticed that she’s even shorter than usual.”

“I did catch onto that when she called me a nosy twit after I glanced her way yesterday morning,” Hermione drawled. “I almost took it personally, but then she turned on Parvati and told her to stay out of her business when she tried to intervene on my behalf.”

“Yeah,” Hani winced. “It’s not been her best week. I’m hoping the ball will put her in a better mood.”

“Is it–” Hermione cut herself off for a moment, looking at Hani consideringly before breathing deeply and speaking again. “Is it because of me? It can’t be a coincidence that I got back here on Saturday and, two days later, she’s snapping at everyone whenever we so much as breathe in her direction.”

“It’s complicated,” Hani said, rubbing at her temples. “But… Yeah. I guess your presence hasn’t done anything to lift her mood. I’m sorry. I know it’s not your fault, and I’m sure she’ll get over herself eventually. Besides, with Erin away with her family, I think it’s been easier for Lav to fall back into her old habits.”

“Yeah, okay,” Hermione said softly. “At least we only have to run into each other for a few more days. I’m heading home after the Yule Ball.”

“So is she,” Hani grinned. “Maybe it’ll give the castle a chance to heal. Who knows, it might even cleanse all the negative spirits while you’re gone, and we’ll come back to an entirely new atmosphere.”

“Maybe,” Hermione said mirthfully. “Will you be staying here?”

“I’ll be here until Sunday,” Hani answered. “My first guardian has custody for the first week, but I’m leaving with Sirius for the second week. Apparently, he finally redecorated the sitting room next to my bedroom, which means I’ll have even more space to lounge around in. I’m using it as an excuse to invite some of my friends over.”

“That’s nice,” Hermione smiled gently. “And will you be spending… Yule with him?”

“Yeah,” Hani replied slowly. “Sirius, Remus and– my father have set something up for tomorrow. I even convinced them to let Hannah join us for a little bit.”

Hani watched as Hermione nodded, her features blank.

She faltered for a second, her lips parting as she realised just how little Hermione knew about her life these days. She didn’t know about Hannah. She didn’t know that Hani had lived with her for a month, that she loved her little siblings more than she’d ever loved any of her other friends’ siblings, that she’d become the person Hannah turned to whenever she needed to talk about the trial and the triplets and the nightmare of the Abbotts’ family life.

She didn’t even know that Severus had officially adopted her.

“It’s– Well, it’ll just be nice. Hannah was the first person I ever completed a Yule ritual with, so it feels good to know we’ll get to do it again,” she explained clumsily. “Are you doing anything?”

“Daphne convinced me to try a few traditions with her,” Hermione admitted with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry I never–”

“It’s fine,” Hani cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I’m sure you and Daphne will have a great time.”

“Yeah,” Hermione murmured.

Awkward silence settled between them like an overwhelming warm blanket, and Hani turned to fiddle with the pile of her books on her bedside table.

“Well, I should head back to–”

“I promised Daphne I’d– Oh, sorry.”

“Oh, don’t keep Daphne waiting on my account. I’ll… see you around. And thank you again for the invitation. I’m glad to have you back. At school, I mean. It’s good to have you back here,” Hani stammered, cursing internally.

“Thanks,” Hermione smiled, grabbing a handful of her belongings before rushing out of the dormitory, leaving Hani to stew in her damned awkwardness.

At least this way, her conversation with her guardians wouldn’t be the most stilted one she’d have had to suffer through that week. 

Remus was the one to open the door.

The tension that had been building within Hani vanished instantly, leaving behind only the warmth she’d come to associate with Remus.

“Hi Remus,” she smiled brightly, leaning into his embrace when he held his arms out to her. “I didn’t think you’d be the first one I’d see today. I didn’t even know Severus trusted anyone other than himself to let people into his quarters.”

“He doesn’t,” Remus snorted, patting the top of Hani’s head gently before gesturing for her to take a seat in her armchair. “But he and Sirius got caught up doing Merlin knows what, so they’re running late. I’m assuming Sirius suddenly realised he was missing an essential gift or some Black heirloom he’ll insist is crucial for his ritual.”

“Sounds about right,” Hani laughed as she threw herself into her armchair, making quick work of the quilt crumpled beneath her. “You wouldn’t happen to have made any snacks, would you? Maybe a little something sweet to start this day on a positive note? A cup of hot chocolate for your favourite goddaughter?”

Remus shook his head, amused, and proceeded to levitate Hani’s beloved mug from the kitchen. A plate of biscuits came floating behind it seconds later, and Hani rewarded Remus with a grateful grin.

“You’re easily the best adult I know,” she sighed as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. It was perfectly warm with a hint of vanilla, which was how both she and Remus preferred their drinks.

The man was a chocolate addict, but even he understood the importance of balance. A splash of vanilla could go a long way.

“Don’t let Severus and Sirius hear you say that,” he told her chidingly, though his lips were tilted in a pleased smile when he leaned over to grab a biscuit from the overly-full plate. “They’ll have my head if they think I’m somehow bribing you into loving me more.”

“Ah, I said nothing about loving you more,” Hani pointed out. “I mean, dad sucks sometimes, but he’s still my dad.”

“Right,” Remus said, choking on a laugh. Hani bit back a smile of her own. “I’m sure he’d be… glad to hear you say that.”

“I think I’d be grounded for a month,” Hani retorted. “Maybe even two, if he’s in a bad mood. And considering Sirius is going to be here all day, I don’t think my odds are good. So, maybe don’t repeat anything I just said to him?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Remus chuckled. When his laughter faded away, Hani saw his expression slowly melt into something more serious. “I’m sorry things are still complicated between your father and you, Harini. He does mean well, even if I think his methods aren’t always the most sensible.” 

“Yeah, well,” Hani shrugged. “At least he’s not completely keeping me in the dark, which is more than I can say about Sirius. His letters are so… careful. He doesn’t mention anything outside of his job and his weird social outings. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing about the adventures he goes on and the party he hosted in an abandoned biking shop, but I wish he would– I wish he’d trust me.”

“I know,” Remus said gently. “Have you been able to bring any of this up in therapy? Severus tells me the sessions seem to be going well, but even he doesn’t know what’s being shared.”

“I talk about them a little bit,” Hani muttered. “But Healer Branstone thinks it’ll take me a while to open up more because I’m afraid of speaking poorly about them behind their backs.”

“And are you?”

“Afraid?” Hani asked, scrunching her eyebrows together in thought. “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s one thing to complain about them to you or the Sisters, but if I mention it to the Healer, it’ll feel like I’m… I don’t know. Ungrateful for everything they’ve done for me? I mean, I’m not an idiot. I know they think they’re protecting me.”

“They’re not doing such a bad job of it,” Remus said, his lips tilted into a sad smile. “It may not feel that way to you, but they’re parenting as best as they can. And aside from the unfortunate incident on Samhain, you haven’t run into anything dangerous since your custody was passed over to them, have you?”

“No,” Hani pouted. “But it’ll come eventually. It always does.”

She’d been granted a respite whilst Voldemort spread terror throughout the Muggle world, but she didn’t think she’d be so lucky forever. Especially if Severus was right and he did know enough about the prophecy for him to view Hani as a threat.

“You’re far too serious for a teenage girl,” Remus huffed fondly. “Drink your hot chocolate, eat your biscuit, and stop worrying about a war that’s been going on since before you were even born.”

“Easy enough for you to say that,” Hani rolled her eyes.

“Harini,” Remus said, his voice stern and gaze serious. “Do not think we’re keeping you out of this war because we think you’re incapable of handling yourself. I’ve made it clear to Sirius and Severus that you’re to be involved as soon as there is reason to believe you are at risk of being harmed.”

“I–” Hani stopped herself before an instinctive retort could slip past her lips. Something about the way Remus spoke and the fierce protectiveness in his eyes made her think she was better off saving her snappy statements for the other two thirds of her guardian trio. “Fine.”

“At least you have plenty of other things to keep you busy this year,” Remus laughed lightly at her disgruntled look. “I hear you’ve been doing a wonderful job as a Prefect, and Gideon seems to think the Gryffindor team has a good chance of winning the cup yet again. Of course, I’m sure that’s got nothing on what you’ve been doing in your free time. I haven’t been able to get a peep out of Sirius and Severus, but how has–”

The flaring of the fireplace cut him off suddenly. Out of the green fire came Severus, closely followed by Sirius. By the look of their full hands and the battered trunk Sirius was dragging along with him, Remus had been on the right track regarding their whereabouts.

For a moment, before he spotted Hani, Severus’ jaw remained set, his mouth tight with tension and his brows furrowed. Behind him, Sirius was biting at his bottom lip, a mixture of worry and guilt swimming in his eyes. Both of their shoulders were raised high. Hani caught Remus wincing in her periphery, and she resisted the urge to mimic his expression when she noticed Severus turning towards them.

Immediately, his features melted into something softer and, though Hani hadn’t quite forgiven him for everything, she felt her heart settle a little.

It had been a while since she’d come home to him without the expectation of therapy or Occlumency or an argument.

“Happy Yule, Harini,” her father smiled at her, carefully placing the items he was carrying onto the ground before coming over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Hani cautiously looped her arms around his waist and relaxed when he welcomed the embrace. “I trust you’ve had a good morning so far? I see your pseudo-godfather has already plied you with biscuits.”

“It’s the only right way to start Yule,” Hani grinned, pulling away so her father could roll his eyes at her cheeky expression. “Besides, the two of you weren’t here to take over, so Remus had to go with what he knows best.”

“And that’s… what? Chocolate and sweet treats?” Sirius laughed, bounding over to Hani and pulling her into a hug, forcing Severus to step to the side in order to properly wrap her into his arms.

She remained stiff in his embrace, feeling awkward despite herself.

The last time she’d seen Sirius, she’d been furious. And whilst Severus had done as much as he could to earn Hani’s trust back, Sirius had been… noticeably absent from her life. She hadn’t been lying to Remus when she’d said his letters were lacklustre. They never revealed anything, and they lacked the authenticity Hani had come to expect of the man.

And though she knew there were rules against guardians visiting their wards at Hogwarts, Hani had thought…

Foolishly, she’d thought Sirius would be willing to go back to his days of rule-breaking for her. She’d hoped, deep down, that he would break into Severus’ quarters one Sunday and beg Hani for forgiveness by bribing her with sweets, news of the outside world, and a devious promise to get into trouble.

But now, she sat still in her armchair and realised that she hadn’t forgiven him.

When he stepped away, she let out a shaky breath that both Severus and Remus picked up on, their gazes sharp and questioning.

She shook her head and smiled genuinely, the awkwardness she felt towards Sirius not enough to dampen the pure joy she felt at being with her family for the first time in what felt like forever. 

“So, what’s the plan for today?” She asked. “And how much of it will be baking from your magical recipe book, dad? Because I promised Hannah we’d have a feast ready for her by the time she joined us tonight. Her standards are quite high, you know?”

“I know,” Severus chuckled. “I assure you, I’ve made ample plans for us to bake. However, your godfather insists that we should open gifts first. He’s quite impatient for you to see everything he’s acquired for you.”

“We’re not opening anything before we’ve completed at least one Yule ritual,” Hani scoffed playfully. “I didn’t even open any of the gifts the Sisters got me, so there’s no way I’m giving in now. Mum wrote all about her Yule traditions in the Evans Grimoire, and I thought it would be nice for us to do one of them as a family.”

“If I’m remembering correctly, most of those rituals involve–”

“Blood, yes,” Hani cut Sirius off impatiently. “But the blood is optional. The ritual won’t be quite as effective without it, but it also won’t be useless. At the end of the day, it’s still a ritual to celebrate Magic and our connection to the Dark. I promise we can do Black rituals for the rest of the day if that’s what you want, but this would– It’d mean a lot to me.”

It would also be a nice way for her to round out her day. If she started with an Evans ritual, it would make her blood ritual that evening even smoother – at least in theory. Her Magic wouldn’t be entirely satisfied with the tradition without the addition of her blood, but it would recognise her intentions.

“I think it sounds like a wonderful idea,” Remus said, sounding eager. “And it would be ridiculous for us to start with any other ritual. Harini is a Blood Witch, and her Magic will want to be acknowledged as early as possible on the solstice that celebrates our affinity.”

“I agree with Harini and Remus,” Severus added.

Hani’s eyebrows flew up when he accompanied his statement with a squeeze to Sirius’ shoulder. They rose even higher when Sirius didn’t shake off the touch, instead leaning into it for a brief moment before sighing loudly and turning to Hani for guidance.

“Perfect,” Hani grinned. “Let’s get started.”

Talking them through the ritual was easy enough, and she mentally patted herself on the back for picking the perfect tradition to start their day.

They each picked a candle, a food offering – Remus’ biscuits – and a ribbon Hani had carefully selected that morning before leaving her dormitory. She’d used one of the vials of blood she’d taken out of her secret room to dip the thread into her blood, infusing the ribbons with both of her Family Magics.

Not that she would tell her guardians about that little nugget of information.

Once they’d prepared their materials, Hani guided them into a surface-level meditation and sank into the state in which she could best feel her Blood Magic. She welcomed the red and gold sparks, let them float towards her guardians, and recited the words she’d learned by heart as soon as she’d found the ritual in the Grimoire.

It was nothing elaborate, just a few lines about welcoming darkness and the blessings it had bestowed upon their family, but it felt right.

Her Magic responded to it joyfully, though Hani could tell it was desperate to slip out and do something. It was why she’d exhausted herself the night before, casting more blood spells than she had since she’d gotten her hands on the Grimoire. Tracey had sat nearby while she ran through her healing spells, filled another vial of blood, completed a perfect runic blood sequence, and practised some of the minor offensive spells her mother had crafted after Hani’s birth.

She was grateful for the mindless practice now. Though the sparks around her were eager, they weren’t quite as dangerous as they’d been in the past few days. They were settled, or at least as settled as they ever got around major holidays.

And, once the ritual was finished, their blessings glittering with Magic and their candles burned down far more than they would have been had tradition not been involved, Hani felt her Magic take a deep breath.

Red and gold floated down to cover her fingers, the ribbon she’d tied around her wrist, and the biscuits she’d selected. Instead of feeling oppressive as it had in the earlier months of her experimentations with the Grimoire, the Magic soothed her and wrapped her in a feeling of pure, perfect belonging.

“That was nice,” Sirius said, breaking the silence with a hesitant smile. “I’m sure Lily would have loved it.”

“Well, she did create it,” Hani pointed out, her lips twitching in amusement. She laughed quietly when Sirius rolled his eyes at her. “I’m just saying! But I’m glad you liked it. It’s nothing fancy, but it should anchor our Magic for the day.”

“Which means we’re all set to open presents, bake, and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist for the day?” Sirius asked, his body vibrating with excitement.

Hani couldn’t begrudge him his eagerness. This was their first true Yule since his release from Azkaban, and she understood why he was so determined to make it unforgettable.

“I’ll bring over something a little more substantial than this… breakfast,” Severus drawled, wrinkling his nose at the biscuits Hani and Remus were happily munching on. “I don’t suppose the three of you would dig into a platter of fruit instead?”

“On Yule?” Hani scoffed. “I’d rather stick to my biscuits, thanks.”

“Your loss,” Severus sighed loudly. “It’s a shame those biscuits are going to have you full in no time, because I thought you’d be excited to try one of the bigger baking pieces my mother liked to prepare for our Yule celebrations.”

“Wait, wait!” Hani exclaimed as he made to leave the living room. She hastily wiped the biscuit crumbs off her jumper and turned pleading eyes onto her father. “Maybe I can have a little bit of fruit. I wouldn’t want you to eat them by yourself.”

“How noble of you,” her father said dryly. “And since you’re so anxious to make sure I’m not alone, you can come and help me cut them up. We’ll have to prepare enough for the entire day; Miss Abbott will surely want something fresh to go with the pile of sweet treats you’re sure to bake for us.”

“Fine,” Hani grumbled half-heartedly. “Are we going to rope those two into helping us as well?”

Sirius and Remus let out twin gasps of mock-indignation as she gestured towards them, and Hani couldn’t stop the pleased smile that curled at her lips. Sirius was a bit of a twat and not exactly a model guardian, but she did so love making him laugh.

“We’ve got bigger things to worry about,” Sirius said, faking disappointment. “Unfortunately, Remus and I will have to stay behind to set up your presents and decide who gets to give them out first. The fruit-cutting will have to be up to the two of you. And please, don’t tire yourselves out bringing any fruit to us. Remus and I will simply learn to survive on biscuits and butterbeer.”

“You call that butterbeer?” Severus snorted. Hani watched, bemused, as Sirius tossed him a cocky grin and a wink, which only made Severus laugh harder. “Keep deluding yourself, Black. Do make sure Harini doesn’t get into your cup, please. If she gets inebriated, she’ll be your responsibility. And trust me, you do not want to deal with your goddaughter when she is tipsy.”

“Hey!” Hani protested, sputtering when Severus raised an imperious eyebrow at her. “I wasn’t that bad!”

“Perhaps not,” Severus smirked. “However, I believe you were hardly the only drunk teenager in that room, which made you relatively… exuberant. And anxious. Not quite the winning combo you seem to think it was.”

“Whatever,” Hani muttered, marching herself into the kitchen and determinedly ignoring the three men snickering behind her. “You won’t be laughing once Hannah arrives and I gain an ally! She’s very convincing!”

“I don’t know why you’re so flustered, Harini,” Severus chuckled as he joined her in the kitchen. “Unless you and Miss Abbott decide to dip into Sirius’ spiked drinks, there won’t be any reason for you to defend your drunk shenanigans.”

“Well, I–” Hani started, cutting herself off when she spotted the mirth shining in Severus’ eyes. “You’re the worst.”

“If you say so,” Severus replied with a laugh, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder. “It’s good to see you smile, Harini.”

“Mhm,” Hani shrugged awkwardly at her father’s fond look. “It’s Yule . What am I supposed to do, sulk all day?”

“I believe that’s what Sirius expected, yes,” Severus said, his smile widening when he noticed the twitch of Hani’s lips. “But truly, Harini, I’m happy to see you’ve been doing better. I’m glad our first Yule as– as father and daughter will be one to remember affectionately.”

“Yes, yes,” Hani mumbled, her cheeks burning hot. “Please go back to your usual self.”

“If you wish,” Severus smiled. “I love you, Harini.”

“Love you too,” Hani said softly.

“Now, would you care to show me these knife skills Horace loves to brag about?” Her father added, his smile fading into his trademark Slytherin smirk. “I’m having trouble believing him, since the daughter I know prefers to mess around with her ingredients than prepare them correctly.”

“That’s for research purposes!” Hani cried out indignantly, glaring lightly at Severus as he handed her a bag of apples.

There was a challenge in his gaze, and Hani could have detected the trap from a mile away.

She fell into it willingly, determined to show her father that Slughorn wasn’t exaggerating her prowess in the laboratory.

And if it meant Severus ended up with a perfect platter of fruit within an hour, well… At least Hani would get to enjoy her apples without having to suffer through a speech about her lack of precision in the kitchen.

The smile Severus gave her when he presented her work was just a bonus. It definitely didn’t make her Magic sing or her red sparks trail eagerly after her father.

That was just the power of Yule.

She was cloaked in red and gold from her head to her toes.

Hani ran her fingers over the deep red of her lehenga, pausing over every divot left by the golden patterns she’d painstakingly embroidered into the fabric. Symmetrical flowers decorated her arms and the hem of her dress, with smaller runes weaved into the body of the dress in a hypnotic configuration meant to dazzle and impress.

Smiling a little as she admired herself in the mirror she and Tracey had moved into their secret room for this occasion, she let her hands trail up to her hair. Her red locks seemed even starker in contrast to her lehenga, the colour vibrant enough to make the ensemble interesting instead of tacky.

She got to work quickly and steadily. The ball was in four hours, which meant she would be spending the rest of her time before the event braiding hair, weaving ribbons into loose curls, and checking everyone’s outfits for last-minute adjustments.

Thankfully, her hair was as familiar to her now as the shape of her nose and the colour of her eyes. As she braided the section of hair that would crown her updo, she embellished it with golden threads that would shine brilliantly once she was underneath Hogwarts’ night sky. She hummed softly as she weaved and threaded and braided, her fingers diligent and ever-moving.

Finally, she looked up into the mirror and blinked, stupefied, at the young woman who stared back at her.

It had been different the year before. She’d still been a child, had held the shadows of her kidnapping close to her chest, and hadn’t been blessed with the confidence that her Blood Magic granted her every day.

Now, she brought careful fingers up to her face and startled when she felt the tip of her index hover over cheekbone.

Almost in tandem, her Occlumency barriers wavered, her Blood Magic rising to attention for an instant before settling once more.

She forced herself not to think about it, pushing herself back into the present.

Her green eyes stared back at her dazedly, and Hani shook her head to focus on her hair instead. The braided bun left room for the rest of her outfit to breathe, and she grinned when she spotted the lilies dangling from her ears and neck, the jewellery set subtle but stunning – not that she would have expected anything less from Severus.

Satisfied with her appearance, and still a little rattled from the realisation that her friends and her were no longer girls playing at dress up and dreaming of fancy castles, she picked up her hairstyling supplies and headed out towards the Sisters’ room.

It was chaos in there.

Dresses were scattered about the room, jewellery and accessories piled on top of armchairs and sofas, girls lounging on the floor and tables, every surface turned invisible under the weight of makeup products.

Hermione, Sophie and Fay had commandeered the darkest corner in the room, and Hani hurried towards them first, greeting them with smiles and compliments – Sophie had already slipped into her silver dress and Fay had clearly handled both her and Hermione’s makeup. The three of them welcomed her with open arms and let her get to work without a fuss.

Hani sank into a rhythm as she braided and twisted and added ribbons to the final looks. When Hermione came back from the partitions they’d set up dressed in red as vivid as Hani’s hair, she looked up at her with a new appreciation for her friend’s figure.

And when Hermione asked her if it was ‘too much’, self-consciously patting at her coily hair, frilly dress, and the lips Fay had painted a deep shade of red, Hani knocked her shoulder gently and admonished her for thinking she was anything other than stunning.

It was, of course, a rockier path from there on out.

The Sisters were nowhere near as patient as her dormmates, which meant Hani found herself climbing over armchairs to curl Padma and Lisa’s hair at the same time. The two Ravenclaws were the only ones willing to compromise, happy to let Hani multitask if it meant everyone got the updo of their dreams. She made sure to weave both of their ribbons in a pattern for grace and elegance as a thank you before moving onto the others.

“I don’t need it to be perfect,” Hannah told her when it was her turn, but Hani scoffed and rolled her eyes at her friend.

Hannah had been willing to step up at the same time as Padma and Lisa. However, she was the one person Hani refused to give anything less than her all to. She’d only asked for a slightly elevated fishtail braid, and Hani took great pleasure in weaving red ribbons into the final product. By the time she was done, Hannah’s hair perfectly matched the red and gold sparks that had been dancing around Hani all day, silently pouting at her use of Thread Magic.

She took care of Tracey, Lavender and Parvati next, which earned her endless grumbling about the order she’d picked for the night and plenty of shuffling around from Tracey, who had only agreed to have her hair done up because she ‘didn’t want to be left out’. Parvati spent the entire time fidgeting with her sari, babbling about what Blaise would think of her, and asking them if they thought she would be better off wearing the gold or pink earrings her mother had sent over.

Lavender huffed and scoffed and moaned the whole time, but despite the finicky nature of the braids Hani had to weave together at the back of her head, she was easier to deal with than Parvati. Hani would gladly take her sullen silence and brooding over Parvati’s infatuation.

“I am excited,” Lavender told her with an apologetic smile when Hani stepped behind the partition with her to fix the back of her dress, which Lavender hadn’t been able to do up by herself. “I loved the Yule Ball last year, and I know I’ll like it just as much this time around. But it’s– It’s stupid. I’m sorry for ruining the vibe.”

“You’re not ruining anything,” Hani told her, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as she finished lacing up her outfit. “Go out there, find a cute French or Norwegian girl to dance with all night, and try not to think about… everything else. You owe it to yourself to have a good time. I mean, have you seen this outfit? And don’t even talk about the hair. If you don’t have fun tonight, you’ll be wasting my hard work.”

“We couldn’t have that,” Lavender laughed, and Hani grinned at the light in her best friend’s honey eyes.

“Much better,” she murmured. “You look beautiful, Lav. So please, don’t compare yourself to anyone out there.”

“Not even if they’re dressed in red and looking like a goddess incarnate?” Lavender huffed, her eyes darting to the side even though they were hidden by the partition. “Kind of hard not to look at her, you know?”

Hani wasn’t sure who she was talking about at this point, so she only hummed noncommittally and slank out from behind the partition with one last encouraging smile. Lavender smiled back sadly, and Hani felt her heart constrict, wishing there was more she could do for her best friend.

Instead, she walked over to Daphne and Sue, both of whom were ready for her, dressed in their glittering dresses. Hani took a second to admire her hard work, some of the tension within her unclenching as she glanced at the sparkling embroidery she’d weaved into Daphne’s dress.

It had looked good on a hanger and in a box, but that was nothing compared to how brightly Daphne shone in it. The silver and blue accents made her eyes stand out and her pale blond hair fell like snow onto her shoulders, blending with the light shade of silver Hani had chosen for the embroidery at the top of Daphne’s dress.

With Sue in periwinkle next to her, the pair made for quite a vision.

And Hani wouldn’t be the one to ruin their perfect painting.

She’d saved an entire hour for the two of them even though their updos were relatively simple, and she made sure to take every step as slowly as possible, determined for the result to be immaculate.

It paid off when she stepped away from Sue with ten minutes to spare before the Yule Ball and admired the way she’d managed to blend the lighter periwinkle ribbons into her dark hair. Daphne was finishing touch-ups on her mostly-invisible makeup, and Hani nodded to herself as she stared at them.

“Absolutely perfect,” she smiled, her eyes crinkling happily when both of the girls nodded, grins splitting their faces. “You’re going to look beautiful out there tonight. And you’re going to destroy whoever you go up against in the exhibition.”

“That’s sweet of you Hani, but we all know I’m going down hard,” Sue giggled, fiddling with one of her low plaits for a moment before letting it go and forcing her hands away from her hair. “I’m sure Daphne and Hermione will give us a show, whether they’re paired with each other or not.”

“I’m counting on it,” Hani said, winking at Daphne. Her friend rolled her eyes, but Hani knew she was using her dress and hair and makeup to disguise the heaps of pureblood arrogance she channelled every time she talked about duelling. “Now, I’d better leave the two of you to go and find your dates. The other Sisters and I will try our best not to embarrass you on your big night.”

“See, I wasn’t worried about that, and now I am,” Daphne sighed, glaring at Hani. “Get out of here before I tie you down to a chair to stop you from doing anything foolish. You’ve got a Nott to find.”

“Oh, she’ll be fine,” Hani huffed.

Nevertheless, she left Daphne and Sue – along with Lavender, Hermione and Parvati – behind, eager to get to the Great Hall and see what the Board of Governors had managed to pull together for the evening.

The school had already been dressed up in the past few days, but Hani knew they’d been waiting on the big night to reveal the final product to everyone, including Hogwarts students.

She walked through the castle in a haze of red and gold, her Magic matching her excitement and coming to swirl around her every time she caught sight of her dress.

The closer she got to the Great Hall, the more she ran into other beautifully-dressed students. The younger pupils who had stayed behind had been relegated to their dorms for the night, which meant there wasn’t a soul walking around without a dress, robe, or other formal attire of some sort.

Hani breathed it all in and determinedly ignored the pang of nostalgia that hit her as she looked at the delicate decorations dangling from the Entrance Hall’s ceiling. She was glad, truly, that Hermione had invited her to the Yule Ball. 

It just didn’t stop a part of her from hoping she would step into the Great Hall and find Basile and Freja waiting for her, their eyes bright and their smiles wide.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” Hani cursed, holding a startled hand to her chest. “You’re going to end up giving me a heart attack. Also, you aren’t the Nott I was looking for. I didn’t think you’d even talk to me tonight.”

“We’re Prefect partners,” Theodore huffed. “And we were on the Programme together. A certain amount of politeness will be expected from us.” 

“Of course,” Hani snorted. Her eyes lingered on his robes, the cut modern and the colour brighter than anything she’d ever seen him wear before. “You look… different. A good different. Did Parkinson force you into this?”

“Not quite,” Theodore said, his cheeks reddening. Hani didn’t bother biting back her smirk. “Sally-Anne thought it would be nice for us to match, and she refused to accept my argument that black goes well with anything. The style was all Pansy, though.”

“It shows,” Hani laughed. “No offence, Theodore, but I can’t imagine you would ever pick something even remotely fitting for yourself. Black may suit you, but you look far more alive in colour. Dare I say you might even look good in red.”

“Oh, please,” Theodore scrunched his nose up. “I’ll let you handle that. It seems when it comes to you, there’s no such thing as too much red. You designed the dress yourself?”

“The embroidery, yes,” Hani said, smiling proudly as she trailed her hands over her lehenga again. “It’ll look great when I’m dancing.”

“I’m sure it will,” Theodore nodded, his attention wavering when he caught sight of something behind Hani. “I’ll see you later, alright? Save me a dance.”

“What– No, Theodore! Absolutely not!” Hani called after him, shaking her head when he resolutely ignored her. “What a twat.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Leo’s voice appeared behind her, and Hani twirled with a delighted smile. “That’s more like it. Don’t let the… lesser boys out there get you down. They’re not worth it. You should be more focused on me and my dazzling presence. Or your darling Prefect Thomas, if that’s what you prefer.”

“Merlin, you’re just as much of a git as they are now,” Hani pouted, though she linked her arm through Leo’s when he offered it to her. “I thought you’d be with Hannah and Tracey. They were so excited to see you again, I reckoned I wouldn’t run into any of you outside of dinner.”

“Well, I can always make an exception for my Sisters,” Leo grinned. “They’re making their grand entrance into the Hall together, and I thought you could use the company. Lavender and Parvati are coming in together, aren’t they?”

“Yup,” Hani chuckled. “Pink power and all that.”

“And since Daphne’s with Hermione… That leaves you with me! How lucky,” Leo winked. “Now, are you ready?”

It was easier with Leo by her side. She nodded, the twisting of her gut having disappeared at some point during her conversation with Theodore, and let Leo pull her into the Great Hall, where snowflakes and stars and twinkling lights blinked everywhere she looked.

It wasn’t Beauxbatons, but she’d known all along it would never be the same.

The only thing she could do was enjoy the night as it was offered to her.

To her horror, Hani did dance with Theodore.

He accosted her soon after dinner, took her away from the little dance party she’d been having with Hannah and Padma, and dragged her into the middle of the dance floor. He at least had the decency to apologise, muttering about his father and the other influential people watching, so Hani resisted the urge to step on his toes.

She didn’t have the same restraint when it came to Macmillan. The second he extended a hand out to her and asked her to dance, she sniffed and whirled away from him. She found the infamous Harmony Nott instead and gladly spun her around for a few minutes. The younger girl smiled the whole time, chatting about her friends and asking Hani for stories about Ginny and Erin. She even coerced Hani into dancing with some of her other friends; she waltzed with Astoria, shuffled around with Erica, and listened to Luna Lovegood’s excited stories as the two of them moved in a semblance of a dance.

After that, she stuck to the Sisters. Leo reduced her to laughter when he showed her an improvised choreography for one of the stuffier songs of the night, and Hannah somehow managed to turn his dance into something half-decent. When Hani found Lavender and Parvati again, they eagerly dragged her into a tangle of limbs as they sashayed around the dance floor, pointing out pretty girls that Lavender thought she might ‘have a chance with’.

It was easier, Hani thought, to be on this side of the Programme. There was no mingling needed, no surprise exhibition to keep her on her toes, and no one watching her every move – though perhaps that last one was wishful thinking; she knew Severus and Sirius were in the crowd somewhere, their eyes glued to her.

“So, Lavender got her hands on alcohol,” Daphne told Hani as the two of them left the dance floor to find refreshments. Hermione waved at them as they walked away, and Hani shot her a genuine smile. 

She and Daphne had been dancing all night, looking like a vision of fire and ice, and Hani had been surprised to realise she didn’t mind. She liked the sight of them together. She liked the sight of Hermione, happy and pleased and finally looking like a version of herself that Hani could be friends with again.

“Are we surprised?” Hani said in response to Daphne’s statement. “I mean, it was only a matter of time.”

“Aren’t you supposed to go all Prefect on her?” Daphne frowned. “Alcohol isn’t allowed in here for a reason. Do you remember how messy things got last year?”

“I remember how much fun everyone had,” Hani raised her eyebrows, befuddled by Daphne’s disgruntled expression. “You were having fun.”

“Yes, but I wasn’t making a fool out of myself the way Lavender is,” Daphne muttered.

Hani stared at her friend, blinking slowly. A quick glance around the room revealed that Lavender was dancing with two of Daphne’s exchange partners as well as a gaggle of their friends – Durmstrang students, most likely. Her face was flushed, her body loose, and her eyes hooded as she let herself be guided by a pretty girl with bronze skin and dark hair.

“She seems fine to me,” Hani shrugged. “She’s hardly doing anything different than what you and Hermione have been up to all night. Besides, she’s been having a miserable week. The least she deserves is a bit of entertainment.”

“She hasn’t even danced with me,” Daphne added with a huff. It was like Hani’s words were going right over her head. “I invited her, but she’s barely spent more than two minutes talking to me all week. It’s ridiculous.”

“O-kay,” Hani said slowly. “Well, if you want to dance with her so badly, why don’t you go and ask her? You haven’t exactly been seeking her out either.”

“That’s– that’s not the same,” Daphne stammered, though Hani didn’t miss the way her cheeks darkened. “It’s not like I’ve been avoiding her. She’s never around. I thought you guys said Parvati was the problem this year. Is there something in the water you’re drinking up in Gryffindor Tower?”

“Probably,” Hani snorted despite herself. “But Parvati’s been better this month. She hasn’t spent the entire night dancing with Zabini, at least, which is progress. And Lavender… She’s– She’s having a good time, Daph. If you want to dance with her, go ahead, but please don’t ruin this evening for her.”

“Of course I won’t ruin it for her,” Daphne scoffed. “I’ll go and find her now. Bring her a drink.”

She gestured at the cup in her hands, and Hani tilted her head curiously.

“Wasn’t that for Hermione?”

“I– Right. Yes,” Daphne blushed. “I’ll go and do that first. Then I’ll find Lavender and let her see what she’s been missing out on all night.”

She hurried away before Hani could say anything else, leaving her to shake her head at her friends’ antics.

“Trouble in paradise?” Tracey asked, sidling up to her. The back of her hair was plastered to her neck, her cheeks flushed, a slight sheen of sweat covering her forehead. “Ignore the look. Hannah’s been making Leo and I practise this insane choreography for the past thirty minutes. I’m pretty sure she’s trying to knock us out for the night so she has a reason to leave.”

“Looks like she’s doing a good job of it,” Hani snorted. “And Daphne’s fine. Just having a bit of a moment. She’ll get over it soon enough.”

“Or she’ll make a mess of it,” Tracey sighed exasperatedly. “But hey, not our problem. Yet, at least. How’re you holding up?”

“Good,” Hani smiled. “My Magic’s been going haywire all evening, but I suppose that’s to be expected at this time of year, especially since we didn’t have time to do anything in the room this morning. I really should have filled another vial up. It might have calmed it down a little bit.”

“Or it would have made it worse,” Tracey shrugged. “Your Magic is the furthest thing from a predictable science. Luckily, we’re not stuck in a foreign castle this time around, so you can always leave if you feel like things are getting out of hand.”

Hani hummed noncommittally, her gaze catching on Lisa, Padma, Parvati and Leo gathered around a tall figure that looked an awful lot like–

“For fuck’s sake,” Hani groaned. “What is Sirius doing with our friends?”

“What do you– Oh, yeah. About that. Why didn’t you tell us the two of you were hosting a New Year’s Eve party? I’m sure everyone will make it, but it’s still leaving it a little late to get all the invitations out,” Tracey said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the snacks table as they stared out at Sirius and their Sisters.

“I’m sorry,” Hani said, almost choking on a sip of her drink. “We’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party? Since when?”

Just then, Sirius caught her eye. His smile turned into a devious grin, and Hani shook her head at him. Her godfather only winked, waggled his fingers at her, and went right back to his conversation with her friends.

It was probably a ploy to get back into her good graces and, damn it, it wasn’t a bad one. She’d brought up his birthday party while they’d been baking the day before, and she should have known Sirius would pick up on how peeved she’d been not to have gotten to experience it for herself.

“He’s ridiculous,” she huffed, the corners of her lips curling up. “I suppose he’s got to have a few redeeming qualities to make up for all the lying and secrecy and adult nonsense.”

“A party will be fun,” Tracey agreed. “And you’ll get to invite whoever you want. No Macmillan, no Ministry workers, no fourth-years trying to act like they aren’t drunk out of their minds. And since you’ll have no restrictions on numbers, you can make sure your beloved Dean is there to keep you company.”

“I don’t– That’s not–” Hani tripped over her words, her cheeks suddenly on fire. “Yeah. That would be nice. Though, he’s not the only one I’d invite. Basile and Freja will need invitations, as well as pretty much everyone from the Programme last year. And if there’s no limit on numbers… I could send out invitations to almost everyone in our year, couldn’t I? Excluding the obvious few we don’t want there.”

“You’ll have to skip all the Dea– the ones with questionable parents. Although, you might be able to get away with asking Perks to come. She’s a Hufflepuff, which gives her a bit more leeway to attend the Girl-who-Lived’s big bash.”

Hani hummed thoughtfully, her mind whirling with names and faces she’d want to see and others she definitely wouldn’t want to include. She’d have to talk to Sirius as soon as possible.

She supposed that had been his goal all along. After all, she wouldn’t be able to set up the party without him, which meant she’d have to actually talk to him for longer than a minute.

“I should–”

She was cut off by a loud clap, which redirected everyone’s attention to the dais at the front of the room where Professor McGonagall was standing with a wide smile and open arms.

“My apologies for interrupting our festivities, wonderful guests, but it is finally time for our Duelling exhibition! Exchange students, please make your way to the front of the hall!”

Suddenly, the raised dais shimmered and shifted until the stone floor turned to ice – an illusion, Hani guessed, since she doubted they would make the students duel on dangerous terrain in front of an audience. The lights in the rest of the hall dimmed, creating a spotlight on McGonagall and the students shuffling up next to her.

Hani grinned a little at their anxious faces as she and Tracey elbowed their way to a decent spot in the gathering crowd.

“Did we look like that last year?” She asked her friend, who laughed as she nodded.

“Even worse,” Tracey chuckled. “You guys had no idea what was about to happen, and you seemed petrified. It doesn’t help that they didn’t give you time to dance beforehand. Going straight from mingling with politicians to an exhibition is hardly good for the nerves. Though, if it makes you feel better, you were nowhere near as bad as Lisa and Theo.”

Hani laughed along with Tracey as the exhibition was introduced. It wasn’t long before the first pair of sixth years stepped up to face each other and bow formally, their wands extended in front of them and smiles gracing their faces.

Hani and Tracey settled into a comfortable rhythm of whispering about the Hogwarts students and speculating about their foreign partners. Lisa joined them partway through the exhibition, Luna Lovegood – of all people – trailing after her with a dreamy smile and a thoughtful expression on her face.

“The older students are far too caught up with themselves,” Lovegood said when the last pair of sixth-years faced each other – Hani quickly recognised Sue’s older brother and crossed her fingers for him. “They’re missing all the nargles hovering around them.”

Hani stiffened a little at that, thinking about the red and gold sparks floating from her hands to her head as they spoke. Tracey nudged her sharply, and she forced herself to relax. Lovegood hadn’t said anything that implied she knew what was going on with Hani’s Magic. Besides, she hardly thought all the sixth-years were hiding an affinity for Blood Magic.

“You don’t think one of them will win?” Hani asked Lovegood instead.

“Oh, they probably will,” Lovegood sighed. “The older ones usually do, don’t they? They’re closer to freeing the rest of their Magic.”

Lisa smiled a little at that analogy, and Hani couldn’t deny it was a sweet way of viewing magical maturity.

“I bet Hani could take them now,” Tracey said confidently, wincing when Kai was hit with a petrifying curse. “She’s got enough Magic now that she doesn’t need to wait for the rest of it to free itself.”

“She does have lovely Magic,” Lovegood said airily, and this time when Hani froze, Tracey didn’t reprimand her. The red and gold sparks around her were livelier than ever, swirling around their group without care, settling in Lisa’s hair, Lovegood’s hands, and all over Tracey. 

When Hani closed her eyes for a moment, determined not to let Lovegood’s words get to her, she almost gasped at the sight of her mindscape covered in a familiar red haze, sparkles of gold shimmering in the clouds that made up her Occlumency barriers.

“Hani,” Tracey hissed. “Focus.”

“Sorry,” she whispered. “You don’t think Lovegood knows–”

“She doesn’t know anything,” Tracey murmured, squeezing Hani’s glittery hands with a sparkling hand of her own. Despite her nervousness, Hani couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight of her Magic, so used to the rituals and spells that she and Tracey completed together that it recognised a piece of itself in Tracey. “But seriously, focus. The fifth-years are about to go up.”

Macmillan went up first; Lisa, Hani and Tracey rolled their eyes in unison, laughing when Lovegood blinked at them and asked why the boy was infected with wrackspurts.

“Would it be offensive for me to call him a wrackspurt to his face?” Tracey snickered.

“It wouldn’t be very nice for the wrackspurts,” Lovegood replied with a straight face, which only caused Tracey to dissolve into giggles all over again.

Thankfully, Ernie was swiftly disarmed by his partner, leaving room for Sue’s lovely Henrik and a girl Hani hadn’t been introduced to yet.

After that, the duels went by quickly. The fifth-years were better than Hani and her peers had been during their own exhibition, but they were nowhere near as ruthless or eager to impress as the sixth-years. Hermione easily won her duel while Sue lost hers in a record amount of time, shrugging sheepishly when McGonagall pursed her lips at her.

Daphne was called up last alongside a boy called Lauritz. Hani went to cheer for her friend, knowing how much she would hate the attention, but instead let out a sharp hiss as her body contracted.

Her Magic froze around her before disappearing entirely, the red and gold sparks winking out of existence.

“Trace–” Hani started, letting out another pained sound when she closed her eyes and found her Magic concentrated there, swirling around her mind and pressing up against the Occlumency shields it so hated.

Through the haze, Hani forced herself to reach for the divinatory link, feeling her heart rate pick up when she had to push through her Magic to get there.

Her Magic never approached the link.

Hastily, she threw up her blood shields. She focused until all the sparks had retreated from the link and back into her mind, where she hoped they would form into the shield she’d promised Tracey would hold up if anything ever happened.

Distantly, she could feel someone guiding her body away from the crowd. She wondered what Tracey had told Lisa and Luna. She wondered what–

With a jolt, she felt herself reach the end of the tether.

Instead of the wall that usually faced her at this point, her consciousness teetered on the edge of a cliff.

She knew what would be waiting for her at the bottom.

Pain coursed through her again along with a hint of fury, rage, disbelief, anger, betrayal.

Hani took the leap.

She breathed in, and immediately knew she wasn’t herself.

Her lips were curled in a snarl, her fists tight and her fingernails digging into the palms of her hand. In front of her kneeled three men, and disgust filled Hani as she stared at their pathetic forms. Incapable, every single one of them.

“Failure,” she hissed , “is not an option in our line of work. You told me this was something you could do. You were given one job. A single task. Perhaps I was asking too much of you.”

When she breathed again, Hani forced herself to remember the techniques she and Tracey had gone through. She was still herself. Her name was Harini Potter, she was at the Yule Ball, and though she despised all Death Eaters on principle, she didn’t know these men.

“My lord,” one of the men said. When he looked up, Hani found herself staring into familiar eyes. “You must understand, the prophecy was no longer there. It seems for once, the Order were clever enough to lead us in a pointless chase. They have had it all along.”

Another wave of rage rushed through Hani, but she grit her teeth – she could feel it, could sense her body just behind a wall of red and gold – and kept her eyes on the men kneeling at her feet. At Voldemort’s feet.

“And what use are you to me, Theseus, if you cannot even keep track of a single prophecy?” Voldemort said, his voice dangerously soft. “What am I to do with a servant who cannot give me the one thing I asked for? ”

“Surely, the exact wording of the prophecy would not change–”

The second man’s sentence was cut off when Han– Voldemort flicked his wand. The man spasmed for a moment before dropping to the floor, his mouth open in a silent scream. Hani felt glee and delight and horror tug at her mind and heart, leaving her feeling sick to her stomach.

Her Magic called to her, and she almost gave into the urge to go back to it, to cut off the link and retreat into herself.

But she couldn’t.

“My lord, Avery only means that we always knew what it would come to,” the last man said, and though Voldemort didn’t react to the name, Hani felt herself shiver. “The girl has to die.”

“Of course she has to die,” Voldemort spat. “But you are a fool, Carrow, if you do not think the Order is using the prophecy to their advantage. They will be training her. It was your duty to find out what they were training for. It was your responsibility to find out if there was a weakness to exploit.”

“Yes, my lord,” Carrow responded. “But surely, whatever power she has–”

“She has no power,” Voldemort hissed at him, the words so sybillant, Hani wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t slipped into parseltongue.

“Of course, my lord,” Nott spoke up, his tone coated in false adulation – though from the way she preened, Hani wasn’t sure Voldemort was aware of the contempt Nott was trying to hide. “Carrow meant to say that the girl cannot have any hold over you. Whatever her parents believed, whatever the Order believes, she is nothing . She will die fighting.”

“They will all die fighting,” Voldemort corrected, and this time Hani couldn’t control the wave of crazed violence and vengeance that overtook her. She could feel Voldemort’s face twisted into a manic grin, and when he laughed, she felt it down to her core. “They will give me the prophecy.”

“My lord?” Avery asked, his voice wavering ever-so-slightly, his hand still shaking from the Cruciatus curse.

“You have two days to come up with a solution to our current predicament,” Voldemort continued with a sneer. “If you do not have an answer by then, I suppose I shall have to find you replacements. Until then, I will have to trust my loyal servants to make up for your failure.”

“My lord, you must know that the raids– ”

Hani felt her Magic tug at her again and, this time, she didn’t resist it. She breathed in and out the same way she had during her legilimency training with Tracey, and she slowly felt herself lose sight of Nott, Avery and Carrow. They blurred before disappearing and, just like that, she was back in the red and gold haze of her mind, away from the divinatory link and Voldemort’s insidious thoughts.

Her Occlumency barriers were intact but, for good measure, Hani wrapped her Blood Magic around the part of her mind where the connection to Voldemort lived.

Only then did she open her eyes.

She immediately took a step back, her mind overwhelmed by the sight of not just Tracey, but Lisa, Lovegood and Daphne in front of her.

“I–”

“Are you okay?” Daphne asked before Hani could apologise or defend herself or blurt out everything she’d just seen.

Hani shrugged, then nodded, then shook her head.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was trembling. Her cheeks were wet. Her breaths were coming out loud and unsteady, the thoughts behind her Occlumency barriers begging to be let out.

Before she could spiral any further, Daphne’s arms embraced her tightly. She breathed in deeply and let out a small sob when Daphne held her even closer, the smell of vanilla soothing and familiar and a sharp contrast to the dark room where Voldemort had met with his followers.

The girl has to die. She has no power. She is nothing.

She is nothing.

“I feel sick,” Hani whispered.

“You should sit,” Lovegood said, surprising Hani when she gently pulled her away from Daphne and guided her to sit on the stone floor next to her.

They were in an empty classroom. From what Hani could tell, Tracey had managed to get them a good distance away from the Great Hall. No one would find them there.

“What are you–”

“Lisa and I noticed you weren’t looking well, and the nargles were everywhere around you,” Lovegood hummed. “When Tracey took you here, we followed. Your aura was all wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m guessing that’s what happens when you go digging into a psychopath’s brain,” Tracey sighed, patting Hani’s hair gently. “But you managed to get yourself out of there. You’re okay. You did great.”

“It doesn’t feel that way,” Hani whispered, melting into Lisa’s side when her friend sat next to her. “They think the Order is training me. They think there’s– something. Some sort of power that I’ll use to fight against him. And they believe getting their hands on the full prophecy will give them the answers they’re looking for. To kill me.”

“Well, obviously the power–”

Tracey cut herself off with wide eyes, her lips parted. Hani stared back at her, ignoring the frown on Daphne’s face and the tilt of Lisa’s head as she looked down at Hani.

“If they don’t want to train me, I’ll have to train myself instead,” she said firmly, smiling grimly when Tracey nodded.

“You know this was probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever done,” Lisa said, shaking her head and laughing when Hani grumbled in protest. “It was! I mean, Hani… You could have been hurt. You could have been lost.”

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t intend to do it again,” Hani muttered. “I got what I needed. We’ll find a way to destroy the connection.”

“Damn right we will,” Daphne said tightly. “Never again, Hani. You looked… Just, never again. Promise me.”

“I promise,” Hani said.

She met Daphne’s anxious blue eyes and felt her heartbeat slow down. Voldemort and his Death Eaters’ words wouldn’t leave her anytime soon, but she wasn’t alone this time around. Daphne was here, looking at her as though she was afraid Hani would disappear, and somehow–

Somehow, it changed everything.

“Let’s not let this ruin our night,” she said, squeezing Lisa’s arm and giving Lovegood a grateful look before pushing herself back up and linking her hand with Daphne’s. “We should be celebrating! Voldemort didn’t get his hands on the prophecy, his lieutenants are in his bad book, and they made it sound like my death wasn’t entirely given. That’s got to count for something.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Daphne huffed.

“Hani, the other Sisters…” Lisa started, trailing off awkwardly.

“Don’t tell them yet,” Hani pleaded. “Now that we have parts of the prophecy, we can start deciphering it and putting the pieces together, and figuring out what it means for the future. I’ll tell them once we’ve got something more tangible.”

“Fine,” Lisa huffed. “But I’m helping you. And so is Luna. I mean, she isn’t a prophet, but any divinatory skills are probably better than nothing at this point.”

“Auntie Dorothea would be so proud of me for getting involved in a Divination investigation,” Lovegood beamed. Hani stared at her for a second, feeling like an idiot for not realising it earlier. “So would mum. She would have loved this. Grandma wouldn’t be pleased, though. Says every prophecy she ever gave ruined lives.”

“Right,” Daphne said slowly. “But Hani’s life is going to be fine.”

“Oh, yes,” Lovegood said solemnly. “Her aura is very alive.”

With that, she took Lisa’s hand and skipped out of the room.

“How reassuring,” Tracey said in their wake. “Did you hear that, Hani? Your aura isn’t dead yet. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Nothing.

Hani nodded and forced her mouth into a smile as Daphne and Tracey led her away from the classroom and back towards the Great Hall.

But all she could think about as she stepped into the crowded room was a pair of eyes looking up at her with fake admiration and speaking words she thought might haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life.

She almost lost her footing when Daphne guided them over to Blaise and–

Hani took an involuntary step away from Theodore, grimacing when he frowned at her. She looked away from him, nausea rising within her.

She stayed far away from Theodore for the rest of the night.

And later, while the rest of her friends sipped their spiked drinks and Daphne left her to dance with Hermione, Hani crept out of the room and walked deep into the dungeons, far from the Yule decorations and the holiday spirit that made her feel sick to her stomach.

She laid in her bed in Severus’ quarters and closed her eyes, caressing the distressed red and gold sparks in her mind and making herself relive the scene she’d witnessed over and over again, determined not to forget a moment of it.

She is nothing . She will die fighting.

She didn’t sleep that night.

Chapter Text

There have always been theories about the cyclical nature of life and Magic. As a blood witch, I assure you there is truth to these theories. Birthdays are an example of that: each rotation of the planet strengthens our Magic, amplifies it, and settles it deeper into our blood.

However, I have also felt there is something special about the eve of a new year. I believe our blood can perceive the anticipation in our mind, as I have always suspected the two to be connected, linked by our Magic. Regardless of how it happens, there is a certain calmness that comes over me every year, right as the clock strikes twelve. 

Further research will need to be done when future Evans witches are born, but I truly believe our blood recognises New Year’s Eve as the end of a cycle. Or perhaps it senses the beginning of a new one. 

It is a simple theory to prove. Simply close your eyes at midnight and tell me: do you feel the stillness?

~ ToB ~

Hani woke to the sound of muffled voices. She rubbed blearily at her eyes and reached for her wand to cast a quick Tempus, relaxing a little at the early hour that appeared in front of her.

Most of the Sisters – including herself – would be going home in a few hours, and the others would murder her if she didn’t say goodbye. They’d all be heading off on the Hogwarts Express, but Sirius had vetoed the idea as soon as Hani had floated it with him. Apparently, he and Severus had decided it would be safer for her to Floo directly from her dad’s quarters.

She didn’t mind the privileges of having a professor for a father, but it did make her long a little for the neverending train ride back to London and the excited chatter that always filled their compartment.

She took her time getting out of bed, her mind hazy and her Occlumency shields in full force. She didn’t have to dig to know what was hiding behind there; she was well aware her subconscious would have already shoved memories of the previous night behind the wall, hoping to dull the ache she still felt every time she remembered how callously the Death Eaters had discussed her life – or lack thereof.

What did it say about her that there was an entire group of adults out there wishing for her demise? She wasn’t even sixteen yet, and somehow they’d decided she was the biggest threat to their organisation.

All because of a damned prophecy they didn’t even fully know. A prophecy she’d been trying to get her hands on for months, only to find out it was just as bad as her worst-case scenario.

The only morsel of hope she could hold onto was the mention of her power. Tracey had cut herself off before she could reveal anything to the others, but Hani knew they’d both been thinking the same thing when she’d brought it up.

It was a good thing she’d started working on her Blood Magic despite Sirius and Severus’ protests because, if death was what was coming for her anyway, she refused to stare at it without at least fighting to the best of her ability. She’d duel and train and cut the palm of her hand until even Sui Sana couldn’t fully heal it if that was what it took to survive.

Because she had to survive.

Didn’t she?

She cursed her wandering brain as she stubbed her toe against the foot of her bed, but the pain at least had the advantage of dragging her out of her maudlin mind.

She set to getting ready for the rest of the day instead. She slipped into a comfortable pair of faded jeans, tugged a green jumper on top of the long-sleeved embroidered shirt she’d made just a few weeks earlier, and finished the outfit with her favourite winter robes, black with silver embroidery to represent Sirius’ side of the family.

After that, she had to spend half an hour in the bathroom untangling the hair she’d carelessly left up the night before. Ribbons and pins tumbled from her curls as she raked her fingers through the mess she’d made. By the time she was done, she only had the energy for a single, long dutch braid that she tied off with a green ribbon to match her jumper.

When she looked into the mirror, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

This wasn’t like Samhain. Her eyes were still bright, her hair still vibrant, and there were no shadows hiding behind her gaze. Tracey and Daphne and Lisa knew what had happened, and they wouldn’t let her fade away.

She’d invite them over. They would talk. She would meditate religiously until the divinatory link was nothing more than a nightmare she had to live through whenever those words popped into her head.

With a confident nod to her reflection, she walked out of the bathroom and made her way to the living room. Sirius and Severus were on the same sofa, sitting closer than Hani had thought they would ever be capable of. Their voices were low, but Hani was near enough now that the topic was impossible to escape.

The Hall of Prophecies.

“What’re you talking about?” She asked anyway, flopping into her armchair with a careless grin and mentally patting herself on the back for a brilliant performance.

Her father and godfather looked over at her with matching looks of hesitation, and she rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her exasperation. They both knew how she felt about their secrecy, so she didn’t see any reason to act as though it didn’t get on her nerves. They could reprimand her if they wanted to, but she knew they wouldn’t dare. It would mean bringing up the sensitive topic they’d been so careful to avoid on Yule.

“There was an incident at the Ministry last night,” Severus finally replied, his lips pursed. “A worker was injured in the process, but it seems the event was mostly self-contained, and we’re confident the Dark Lord didn’t obtain what he was seeking.”

Hani hummed. Of course he hadn’t; they’d seen this coming from a mile away. They’d probably been congratulating themselves for a job well done before Hani had come in. They’d achieved what they’d wanted to all along: Voldemort didn’t know the prophecy, and neither did Hani.

How convenient for them. And how utterly frustrating for the two people the prophecy actually concerned.

Not that she was complaining about Voldemort’s ignorance. It was just… ironic.

“Is it going to cause a problem for our plans?” She asked, shrugging when both of her guardians looked at her suspiciously. “Why would I ask? If you wanted to tell me, you would. You clearly don’t, so there’s no point in me pushing for it. This may sound surprising, but I don’t actually want to ruin my holidays by fighting with you.”

“Right,” Sirius said sheepishly. Severus kept his narrowed eyes on her while her godfather spoke, and Hani forced herself not to fidget under his scrutiny. “We’ll still be heading out as soon as your friends have left, but I’ll have to leave Grimmauld at some point this afternoon. Remus will be coming over to keep you company.”

“And to babysit me,” Hani huffed.

“Yes, Harini,” Severus drawled, finally dropping his intense stare. He exchanged an amused look with Sirius instead, and Hani prickled more at that than she had at their decision not to keep her in the loop.

Since when did Sirius and Severus glance at each other like that? Since when did they conspire and theorise about how she would act?

“Aren’t you pleased the two of us are getting along?” Her father asked innocently – or as innocently as Severus could manage, at least. “I know you were worried about our co-parenting skills, but it seems we’re getting the hang of it. And yes, Remus will be there to supervise you, which we knew would irk you. But Harini, you are still a child under our responsibility.”

“Besides, Grimmauld may be better now than it used to be, but it’s hardly the safest place for a teenager,” Sirius added with a chuckle. “And are you really going to complain about getting time with Remus? The man is the easiest company you’ll ever get.”

“Sure,” Hani grumbled.

“I’m sorry, Hani,” Sirius said, sobering up when she didn’t join in. “I know this wasn’t the plan. I’ll make it up to you when we start planning the party, I promise. You can pick whichever Black estate you want, and we can decorate however you wish. Though, you’ll have to send out your invitations soon if you want everyone to make it.”

“I will,” Hani said, smiling tightly up at him before turning back to her lap. She dimly noticed Severus getting up and moving over to the kitchen, leaving her alone with her godfather. “And it’s fine, really. You have to go deal with all the political nonsense, I get that. I mean, I’ll have to do it someday as well, right? So it’d be silly of me to hold it against you.”

“I’m still… It’s still my responsibility to take care of you,” Sirius said softly, sounding genuinely sorry. It did a good enough job at soothing Hani’s raised hackles. “Remus was the best I could do on short notice.”

“It’s not the worst you could have come up with,” Hani conceded with a slightly brighter smile. Sirius returned it with one of his own, and Hani had to resist the urge to go over to him and embrace him.

After all, he wasn’t entirely forgiven yet.

“You’re really not curious about last night’s incident?” Sirius asked into the ensuing silence. “The Hani I remember from this summer would have jumped on the opportunity to dig into the Order’s plans. Hell, even the Hani from Samhain was more inquisitive than you are now.”

“What’s there to be curious about?” Hani asked, hoping she was doing a decent enough job of covering her anxiety with feigned nonchalance. “I’m guessing Voldemort tried to get the prophecy, but Severus made it clear he didn’t find it. Which makes sense, since I took it out this summer. Not exactly a mystery, is it?”

What was a mystery was what Voldemort would do now, but she knew better than to ask Sirius about his thoughts on the matter. He would brush off the question and assure her the Order would be ready to face him when he inevitably blew up. Hani was tired of pretending like she believed him and her dad when they said things like that.

It was clear to her that while Voldemort wasn’t exactly winning this battle they were waging, he also wasn’t losing.

The adults were nowhere near as knowledgeable as they wanted her to believe. And she was nowhere near as clueless as they wanted her to be.

Distantly, she wondered when the Order was planning on bringing her into the fold and letting her unleash whatever power they believed she had. How many casualties would they suffer through before Severus and Sirius couldn’t shield her from the pressures of a war?

“Drink.”

Heat curled around her fingers. She blinked up at Severus before looking down at the cup he’d unceremoniously shoved into her hands. Her lips twitched at the sight and smell of her favourite hot chocolate, and she shot her father a mock-glare.

“You’re buttering me up,” she accused, though she gladly took a sip of her drink. “How devious.”

“You’ll have pancakes before you leave,” Severus added with a small smirk. He didn’t deny her statement, nor did he react to Hani’s annoyed huff.

“I’ll get sick if I eat anything before we travel,” she pointed out. “You wouldn’t want to waste your pancakes on someone who’s only going to expel them within the hour. Sirius can have them.”

“Actually,” Sirius said, sounding awfully pleased with himself. “We’ll be Flooing such a short distance, we doubt it’ll be a problem. The pancakes should be safe.”

“We’ll be– Wait a second, are we taking your motorcycle back to London?” Hani asked, her entire body perking up at the thought. She’d been dreaming of Sirius’ bike ever since she’d ridden on it that summer, something which she was sure both of her guardians were well aware of.

This was a true, unequivocal buttering up, and Hani would gladly enjoy every second of it.

“It’s got those modifications on it to increase speed without impacting safety, and Severus recently checked the invisibility sequence Remus created when we were younger. It’s in top shape,” Sirius grinned.

“It’s in top shape now,” Severus corrected, shooting Sirius a look Hani couldn’t quite decipher. It certainly wasn’t the hatred they’d once shared. “Harini, you’ll be in charge of checking those sequences every time you get to a destination. With any luck, it will also help you with your Ancient Runes project. Analysing the sequence should be easy enough for someone as capable as you.”

“What are you implying about m–”

“That sounds great, dad,” Hani grinned. Her brain was already bouncing with ideas about what the runic sequence could look like. If Remus had been the one to come up with it, it was bound to include a variety of different languages – her pseudo-godfather was obsessed with etymology. She wondered if it was anything like the early stages of her own sequence, or if the motorcycle’s composition made it an entirely different challenge. “I should go and get my things.”

“Ah,” her father stopped her before she could so much as finish standing. “You sit right here while I fetch our pancakes. Your things are packed and your room is immaculate. There is no reason for you to rush out of here without eating first.”

“Whatever,” Hani pouted. Though, if she was perfectly honest with herself, she could feel her stomach grumbling at the enticing smell wafting from the kitchen. Mixed with the sweet scent of her hot chocolate, it was a deadly combination.

“He’s pushy, isn’t he?” Sirius whispered. But where his tone would have once been acidic and full of barbs, now he only shook his head and chuckled, clearly amused in the face of Hani’s frustration. “You need to get way ahead of him, prongslet. You should have summoned your bags before he could even blink.”

“Yes, well, then he would have grabbed my trunk out of the air and tossed it aside,” Hani sighed. “It’s a lose-lose with him.”

“I don’t know about that,” Sirius laughed, and Hani shot him the most betrayed look she could manage while actively fighting off her amusement – and perhaps pride – at seeing her guardians getting along.

“So…” She said, stretching the last sound out. “Were you serious about me being allowed to invite as many people as I wanted?”

“I’m always Sirius,” her godfather snickered. “But yes, I was. If they can fit in our biggest property, then they can come.”

“I doubt that’ll be a problem,” Hani snorted, her previous list extending as she considered how many more people she could realistically invite to her New Year’s Eve bash. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me throw it without supervision?”

“Not even in your wildest dreams,” came her father’s answer. He walked in with raised eyebrows and three plates of pancakes floating in front of him. He delicately levitated the buttered ones over to her and plopped the syrupy ones down for himself and Sirius. “Sirius and I will both be there. That’s a non-negotiable.”

“Since when are you involved?” Sirius asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “This was supposed to be a godfather-goddaughter bonding moment.”

“If you are planning on inviting dozens of teenagers into your home while my daughter is there, you’ll have to live with the fact that I’ll be there as well,” Severus answered dryly. Hani half-expected Sirius to protest, but her godfather only shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. “Now, enough chatting about your plans. Eat your pancakes and get out of my quarters.”

“Please,” Hani scoffed. “You love me, and you love having me here.”

Severus hummed. “Perhaps. I’m simply not so sure about that dogfather of yours.”

“Fair,” she answered immediately, laughing when Sirius let out an indignant huff.

She dug into her pancakes before her godfather could think to reprimand and watched, pleased, as Sirius did the same, glaring at her and Severus as he did so.

It wasn’t a perfect start to her week at Grimmauld Place, and she was sure the nightmares and anxieties wouldn’t disappear thanks to a stack of fluffy pancakes, but it wasn’t bad either. She could work with that.

“So.”

Remus raised an eyebrow at Hani, his face implacable.

“So?” He repeated when she didn’t expand.

She sighed and rolled her eyes at him, tapping her wand impatiently against the arm of the lumpy couch she’d decided to settle on. She missed her armchair already. And she envied Remus, who seemed entirely at ease in the environment that didn’t feel quite like home to Hani.

“I’m not going to bring it up first,” Hani said stubbornly when Remus continued staring at her. “There’s no way I’m risking it getting back to Sirius and Severus.”

“Where’s that Gryffindor bravery of yours, Harini?” Remus laughed, his mask cracking to reveal the amusement lying beneath. “Though, I can’t say I blame you. But truly, the matter is as simple as I’m sure you’ve surmised by now. You-Know-Who sent four of his men to retrieve the prophecy from the Hall of Prophecies, not knowing it was a futile task from the get-go. They had a brief interaction with the Order member we posted there to keep up illusions, and then a longer encounter with a Ministry worker who got injured on their way out.”

“But they’re fine now,” Hani concluded, not waiting for confirmation before speaking again. “And who were the Death Eaters?”

“Frustratingly, we’re not sure,” Remus frowned. Hani didn’t think he’d lie to her, not when he’d been so clearly annoyed to find out Sirius and Severus had given her the most watered down version of the events possible. “We suspect Amycus Carrow was involved. The curse that was placed on the Ministry worker is a family trade secret, and our witnesses don’t believe any women were involved, which eliminates his sister.”

“It would have to be people who come in and out of the Ministry regularly, right?” Hani asked, eager to hear about Remus’ theories.

Eager to see if they matched up with the truth. To see if she could figure out who the fourth Death Eater had been and why they hadn’t been invited to the meeting she’d witnessed.

It was, in the grand scheme of things, a harmless mystery for her to solve, and it would distract her from the slightly more ‘doom and gloom’ portions of the previous night.

“That’s the most plausible explanation, yes,” Remus replied. “No Death Eaters were spotted coming in or out of the Ministry, which means the men were wearing their day clothes outside of the Hall of Prophecies. To be frank, I’m most curious about where they managed to get changed. If there’s a blind spot in the Ministry…”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good,” Hani grimaced. “Do you think Malfoy was there?”

Remus exhaled loudly. “It’s hard to say. Malfoy is far more complicated than most Death Eaters. From what our allies have gathered, his tendencies are rather neutral, but he refuses to step away from You-Know-Who’s supposed protection. I’m unsure if that means he would have been perfect for this job or if he would have turned it down by claiming it could potentially compromise his political status.”

“Right,” Hani nodded. “But what do you think?”

“I think Malfoy has other plans,” Remus said, rubbing at the bridge of his nose for a moment before opening his eyes again and pinning Hani down with his serious gaze. “I think there’s more going on than we could possibly know. Albus is convinced that we have everything under control, that we can stop this war from ever happening by winning these small battles in the Muggle world, but he’s always been ridiculously optimistic in the face of pure evil.”

“I mean, what could Voldemort even do?” Hani asked, her brows furrowed. “I thought he was starting these battles because that was the only thing he could really manage at this point.”

“Yeah,” Remus breathed out, his lips tilted up in a humourless smile. “That’s what everyone thinks. I mean, it’s what I thought too. But it doesn’t… I know you won’t understand this, Harini, but it doesn’t make sense for the person he is. The monster he is.”

“So you think he’s hiding something?”

“In war, I always assume everyone’s hiding something,” Remus snorted dryly. “I don’t even think your father and godfather are telling me everything. It’s just how it is. But yes, I think You-Know-Who is concealing some other plan that none of us are privy to, not even Severus. And it’s entirely possible Malfoy is helping him develop this plan.”

Or Nott, Hani thought, who had been the obvious leader amongst the three men she’d seen in her vision – her connection. He didn’t have quite as much political gravitas as Malfoy, but his name and family were influential enough to have an impact in the magical world.

If things were simpler, she could have simply sent Theodore a letter to ask him his thoughts on the matter.

Instead, she bit back the wave of guilt and revulsion that shuddered through her at the thought of Theodore in his Yule Ball outfit, staring at her with the same eyes that had told her she was nothing.

“Okay, well,” Hani said, clapping her hands together hard enough to make them sting. The pain was a welcome distraction. “Thank you for telling me. And for not telling Severus and Sirius about this.”

“Who says I won’t?”

“Right,” Hani laughed, “you’re going to tell my dad and Sirius that you willingly broke their silent rule not to tell me about anything to do with the war?”

“Point,” Remus chuckled. “Though I’m not sure what they expected when they asked me to keep an eye on you today. They know I don’t fully approve of the way they’ve handled things this year.”

“That’s a very nice way to say you think they’ve been–”

“Careful with your words there, Harini.”

“– slightly twattish on occasion,” she completed with an impish grin. “Honestly, I kind of thought they’d ask Séraphine to come here. Not to babysit me, obviously, though that would have been a nice bonus. But they both seemed to get along very well with her this summer, especially Severus, and it would have made sense for them to want to see her again for the holidays.”

“Ah, yes,” Remus winced. “You’re aware that Severus and Séraphine had a–”

He cut himself off there, gesturing uselessly in what Hani assumed was an attempt to communicate their romantic connection.

“They went on dates,” Hani shrugged. “It’s whatever.”

“How eloquently put,” Remus huffed out a laugh. “They were involved for a while, yes. I don’t believe it went any further than that, however.”

“Really? Why?” Hani frowned. She’d thought they looked good together; close friends who’d finally realised they felt more for each other than pure friendship. They’d been proof that even though things hadn’t worked with Lavender, it didn’t mean a good relationship couldn’t be built off a strong friendship first.

“Severus didn’t share the details,” Remus said wryly, his lips quirking up. “But from what Séraphine implied, they simply weren’t suited for each other in that way. It happens. I believe you and Miss Brown had a similar experience, didn’t you?”

“Well… yes,” Hani pouted. “But surely, some platonic relationships can evolve into something more in a way that makes sense, right?”

“Merlin, you’re young,” Remus chuckled. “Of course they can, Harini. However, you have to understand that in order to find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with – if that’s something you desire – you often have to go through a great deal of trial and error. You could date five of your friends before finding the one that suits you.”

“Did you?” Hani asked, suddenly aware that she’d never heard Remus discuss any of his past relationships.

“Ah,” her pseudo-godfather blushed. “That’s– I dated friends, yes. But in my case, the person I found a genuine connection with was never truly my friend to begin with. We were always… something more.”

“Wait a second,” Hani gaped. “You’re seeing someone?!”

Remus’ blush turned deep crimson as he smiled sheepishly at her, and Hani couldn’t help but grin at his timid demeanour.

“I meant to bring it up when I saw you for Yule, but time got away from us,” he explained. “And Harini, I hope you understand that I am only telling you about this because I want you to feel safe with me. This isn’t something for you to flaunt and share, especially not with your father and godfather.”

“You’re telling me before Severus and Sirius?” Hani asked, befuddled. “Why?”

“Because you are, in most ways, my goddaughter, and I don’t wish to keep things from you,” Remus answered with a fond smile. Warmth flooded Hani’s body at the thought of him opening up to her just to make sure she didn’t feel as though he was lying to her.

Not that his relationship was any of her business, but it felt… nice to be considered like this. As though she was his priority.

“And also because I didn’t want you to find out from someone else,” Remus continued. “Though we’ve been very discreet, Hogwarts students aren’t known for their subtlety, and I’m aware you are best friends with the girl who essentially conducts the school’s gossip train. If Archie and Lavinia weren’t able to keep it hidden for long, then I doubt I’ll be able to either.”

“It’s another professor?” Hani tried not to sound too excited, but her mind was swimming with possibilities. “Do I know them? Did they ever teach me?”

“Thankfully not,” Remus snorted, and Hani let out a disappointed huff. “It would have been far stranger if that had been the case, Harini. He doesn’t know you well, which has made our relationship a lot less awkward when it comes to discussions about my amazing, talented goddaughter whom I love more than anyone else. He knows you’re a student at Hogwarts, of course, but he doesn’t personally know you. It’s easier this way.”

“Okay, you’re killing me with the suspense,” Hani whined. “Just spit it out! I promise I won’t judge you. Except if it’s Slughorn. I’d definitely judge you if it was Slughorn.”

“A revolting idea,” Remus shuddered, physically shaking the thought off. “No. No, it’s… Argo. Pyrites. Close your mouth, Harini, it’s not that surprising. I know he’s well out of my league, but I’d like to think it’s not entirely inconceivable.”

“No, that’s not it,” Hani waved his concerns away. “It’s just not who I was expecting. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of you even talk to each other.”

“That is quite the point,” Remus smirked. “Though it has probably helped our case that I’ve been off in France and Norway for a majority of this year. We only started seeing each other over the summer, so it’s been easy enough for us to keep things hidden from the general Hogwarts populace.”

“And from Severus and Sirius,” Hani added. “They’re going to murder you when they find out and realise you kept it from them for so long.”

“Perhaps,” Remus shrugged. “But I hardly think the two of them can comment on my decision to keep secrets.” 

Hani’s eyes widened comically as she stared at Remus. Her godfather smiled at her, tugging fondly at one of her braids.

“They’re fools for keeping you in the dark,” Remus murmured. “And if I hadn’t been sworn to secrecy, I would have told you everything already. You’re going to be dragged into this someday whether they like it or not, and I would much rather you didn’t go into things blind.”

“I’m not…” Hani hesitated, gazing up at Remus’ soft smile again to gather her courage. “I’m not quite as blind as they think I am.”

Remus blinked, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he nodded.

“Good.”

“Good,” Hani agreed. “I still can’t believe you’re dating Professor Pyrites!”

“I’ll introduce you to him,” Remus chuckled. “He’s been wanting to properly meet you anyway, and it would be nice for the two of you to get to know each other. I do plan on having him around for a long time, but I don’t want to get in too deep until I know you enjoy his company.”

“Ugh, you’re so sappy,” Hani said, scrunching her nose up. Though really, she was endlessly pleased. It felt good to feel important.

“Because you aren’t?” Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. “From what I’ve heard, your current relationship is so nauseatingly sweet, even the professors have caught onto it.”

“Oh my god, I’m not in a relationship!” Hani exclaimed, her face heating up. “Why is everyone so interested in my romantic life anyway? I mean, shouldn’t you be bothering Severus and Sirius instead? I’m sure they’ve got far more going on with their love lives than I– Okay, no, stop laughing, I heard how that sounded, and I take it back. There’s no way dad and Sirius are ever going to manage healthy relationships. Too many secrets.”

But that only made Remus laugh harder, so Hani poked her tongue out at him, pouted – very maturely – and grabbed the stack of invitations she’d been working on with Sirius before he’d had to leave for his Order mission.

“I’m ignoring you,” she told Remus. “You’re being weird.”

It took four invitations for Remus to finally calm down, at which point he refused to tell her what he’d found so funny.

Hani stuck him on invitation duty for the rest of the afternoon and spent her free time penning a letter to Hannah instead.

She needed to know everything there was to know about Professor Pyrites.

Sirius came back late on what had been meant to be their first day together, and he spent the next two days desperately trying to make up for it.

On Christmas Day, they put up the smallest Christmas tree Hani had ever seen in the first floor’s sitting room and decorated it with the strangest Black heirlooms they could find. Sirius insisted it would drive his ancestors crazy, and Hani was just happy to do something with her godfather that wouldn’t lead to a fight. Instead, they bickered about the best decorations until they agreed on the magical holly garland they’d found in the attic.

After that, Sirius took her to the non-magical world and dragged them to the movies, where they both tried very hard to pretend as though they were familiar with current cinema etiquette. They half-payed attention to the movie, too busy smothering their laughter to fully immerse themselves in the experience. Hani was sure Leo would eventually add it to their collection at school anyway; he loved Christmas the most of any of them.

When Hani told Sirius about her friends and the stash of movies they were trying to build, her godfather insisted on taking her to buy a few new tapes for their collection. They ended up in a run-down shop full of fathers looking for last minute presents and teenagers skulking in corners, pointedly avoiding the adults among them. The salesman tried to convince them to invest in DVDs, which were apparently the new biggest thing in the movie world, at which point both Hani and Sirius’ eyes glazed over, most of the conversation flying right over their heads.

They left with three tapes and more information for Hani to pass onto Theodore as he continued on his journey to master Muggle Studies.

It was a good day. Even when Sirius had to excuse himself that evening after receiving a panicked patronus, Hani couldn’t shake the warmth that had burrowed itself within her as soon she’d seen the ugly tree her godfather had picked for them.

So, when Sirius came back looking worse for wear, his clothes ripped and his arms covered in scratches – as well as a particularly nasty cut – she didn’t push him.

She sifted through his potions stores, which were surprisingly well stocked, and discreetly cast Sana Amicum on his cut while he dealt with his scratches. She made him tea, grabbed his favourite biscuits, and didn’t comment when he poured a little extra something into his drink. And when he sighed loudly, the exhaustion clear in every line of his body, she told him about the politics book she’d read that day and all the ridiculous traditions she’d learned about while he was gone.

“They’ll never make sense,” he chuckled when she groaned about the nonsensical nature of pureblood rules. “You just have to smile, nod, and put on the pureblood mask they all love.”

Hani laughed then, pointing out that Sirius was a pureblood heir too, and watched as some of his tension disappeared, leaving room for mock offence.

He went to bed looking lighter than he had when he’d come home, and Hani only had a few nightmares that night.

On Boxing Day, they stayed in. Sirius pulled books out of the Black library and took great pleasure in showing Hani all the worst tomes his family had put there through the years. When she suggested they get rid of some of them, he scoffed and told her he would never dare. They were ‘heritage’, he claimed.

Hani rather thought he wanted to keep them so he could scare any future guests, but she didn’t call him out on his pompous answer.

When Sirius got tired of the books, she let him disappear into his room for a few hours while she baked and worked on the last few invitations she needed to send out for the New Year’s Eve party – all for the Sisters, who had already told her they would be there.

She was adding a few doodles to the cards when Sirius stepped into the kitchen, a smile on his face.

“Smells good in here,” he told her, briefly opening the oven to check on the second batch of cookies Hani had put in there a few minutes earlier. “I don’t suppose you’d let me have one before the rest are done?”

“Not a chance in hell,” Hani said sternly. “I want to compare the different flavours so we can pick a few for the party. There’s also muffin batter in the fridge so we can try those afterwards. And I was thinking we could make pizzas as the main dish.”

“We could also order pizza,” Sirius drawled, taking a seat across from Hani and flicking through the Sisters’ invitations with approving nods. “We’ve already received forty positive responses, and I know you’re expecting more in the next two days. Do you really want to spend the entire day before the party making food?”

“Yes, actually,” Hani huffed. “I’ve already finished embroidering my dress, you have a handle on the decorations, Black Castle looks stunning as it is, and there’s nothing for me to do here other than homework. Cooking and baking sounds like a lot more fun than going over my Arithmancy essay for the fourth time.”

“If you’d just let me have a lo–”

“Daphne already told me she’d check it,” Hani reminded him with a wave of her hand. “Besides, if I let you do it, then Severus will want to be given the same honour, and there’s no way I’m allowing him to take a peek at my Potions essays. I think he’s worried I won’t get an Outstanding on my OWLs.”

“As though you’d get anything else,” Sirius scoffed. “Your father worries too much.”

“Because you don’t?” Hani retorted.

“I worry about reasonable things,” Sirius replied with a pointed look. “I’d say wanting to keep my goddaughter safe from the horrors of the world is a little more rational than thinking she won’t ace her exams. You’ve done nothing but show us how clever you are these past few years, and I know you’ll do even better on your OWLs.”

“You sound sure of yourself,” Hani grumbled. Truth be told, her professors’ warnings about the exams had finally gotten to her.

As she’d completed her winter essays, she’d found herself wondering if her standards were high enough or if she needed to push herself further. She’d even sent a letter to Hermione to ask her about her own work and which subjects she thought they would have to pay particular attention to.

When the answer had come in the form of a simple ‘all of them’, Hani had groaned and thrown away her latest attempt at her Herbology essay.

“Prongslet,” Sirius said, his voice amused. Hani glared at him. “Hani, your professors are purposefully making your essays and tests harder this year so you’ll be ready for the real thing. If you’re getting Outstandings now, there’s no reason for you not to get one in June.”

“Okay, you say ‘professors’ like they’re all in agreement, but do you remember Slughorn?” Hani asked with a quirked brow. “Because whatever everyone else is doing, I’m pretty sure he’s doing the opposite.”

“That–” Sirius started, pausing briefly before beginning again. “That’s entirely possible. But you’ve gotten brilliant at Potions, haven’t you? I hardly think that’s the subject you have to worry about. If anything, you should be working your ass off to make sure you honour the Black family and–”

“Aaah, I’m not listening to you anymore,” Hani said, covering her ears with her hands and standing to check on her cookies. “I get plenty of disappointed looks from Andromeda. I don’t need a lecture from you as well. Stars should be looked at, you know? We’re not meant to be studying them.”

“I think the Ancient World would disagree with you there,” Sirius chuckled. “You know, if we look all the way back to the beginnings of science and art, we find deep roots and connections to the celestial world. In fact…”

This time, Hani really did tune him out. She’d heard it a hundred times already from Andromeda – and even Severus, when she dared to imply Astronomy was a useless subject – and she didn’t need to hear it from her godfather as well. Instead, she focused on her cookies and considered the toppings she wanted to try for the pizzas.

Sirius was still talking when she put another batch into the oven, and when she walked over to the kettle to make them tea, and when she asked him if he thought they needed vegetarian options, and even when she offered him a mug along with a ‘please shut the hell up’ cookie.

It wasn’t until he took a bite of the chocolate-orange combination that he finally stopped, letting out a pleased hum.

“Oh, that’s good,” he said through a mouthful of food, rolling his eyes when Hani scrunched her nose up at him in disgust. Still, he finished chewing before speaking again. “You know, you could always become a baker, if that’s something you wanted.”

“I don’t know,” Hani shrugged. “I think that’s more Hannah’s thing. She’s the one who gave me all these recipes, you know? She’s been working on them her whole life, basically. Though I suppose it helps that she has very eager taste-testers at– home.”

“I’ll have to thank her personally, then,” Sirius sighed happily. “You don’t suppose we could get her to come here early and help us with the preparations, do you?”

“She’d probably be happy to help, though I’d have to check if early dismissal is covered by the PPP.”

“By the what?” Sirius let out a loud cackle of laughter.

Hani smirked. “Parent-professor privilege. You know, how Hannah should technically be staying at Hogwarts for the full break but gets to stay here for New Year’s and the few days after that because Severus worked his magic? That’s pure PPP. Lavender came up with the name, of course.”

“Of course,” Sirius snickered. “Does your father know you’ve come up with an acronym to discuss all the rules he breaks for you and your friends?”

“He’d probably kill me if he found out,” Hani responded. “Or he’d stop using the privilege altogether. Maybe both. But it’s an easy way for us Sisters to talk about it without actually implicating him. Anything more than that makes the vow kick in, and Lavender was sick of having to tiptoe around the subject. So, when I was allowed to skip school for a day after Samhain? PPP. When Tracey and Daphne got caught out after curfew but didn’t get reprimanded? PPP. When I get to spend a week of my holidays in his quarters instead of in our dormitory?”

“PPP,” Sirius completed for her, still laughing softly. “Not the worst acronym you could have come up with. I don’t suppose you’ve got one for me?”

“Oh, no, my friends are very happy to discuss you openly,” Hani chuckled. “In fact, I think they thrive off it. It makes them feel powerful, you know? They can just drop your name in the middle of a conversation and watch as everyone around them goes quiet.”

“I suppose I can take that,” Sirius grinned. “We’ll have to make sure those Sisters of you are treated as guests of honour at Black Castle. They should get their own rooms for the night.”

“They’ll want to share,” Hani said, smirking when Sirius’ smile turned to a pout. “But I’m sure we can come up with something else to make them feel special. I mean, you could always get them gifts, if that would make you feel better.”

“It would,” Sirius sniffed. “But I think I can do better than that. You don’t have any ideas, do you?”

“Oh, don’t look at me,” Hani said wryly. “I’ve got plenty of ideas for the rest of the party, for the decorations and the organisation and the set-up once we’re at the castle, but you’re on your own for my friends. I got them presents a few days ago; the only ones I need to be thinking about are those who have birthdays coming up. And that’s already more than enough, trust me.”

“How utterly unhelpful,” Sirius said sulkily. “Say… Do you think those cookies of yours are ready? That first one was lovely, but I think I’d like those raspberry ones even more, and if I could just have a nib–”

Hani slapped his wandering fingers away from the plate of cookies cooling on the table in front of him.

“Patience, Siri,” she said, shaking her head exasperatedly. “It’ll be worth the wait to make sure we have the perfect combination of cookies for the party.”

“Doesn’t feel worth it right now,” her godfather grumbled, though he at least had the decency to look away from the tempting baked goods. “Well, if you’re not going to help me with gifts and you aren’t going to let me try your cookies, how about you sell me on your playlist for the night? Do we need to find some last minute musicians to entertain for the night?”

“Actually, I think I have a better idea…”

Sirius leaned in closer when she lowered her voice, and Hani smiled at the eager expression plastered on his face.

He wasn’t forgiven, but perhaps a temporary truce would do them both some good.

Blood dripped from Hani’s palm to the half-full vial on her desk, and she resisted the urge to check her wards for the third time that night.

Every time she heard a creak of wood or a breeze of wind, her back straightened and the fingers of her right hand tightened around the book she was holding. She knew that, theoretically, Sirius was fast asleep, but her godfather had always had a tendency of wandering around the house long after dark.

So even though she didn’t think he would get up and walk into her bedroom without knocking first, she’d set her blood wards up anyway.

Now, she sat at her desk with a book on the intricacies of the different political alliances she would have to form once she turned sixteen and pretended she wasn’t dying to delve back into the Evans Grimoire.

Part of her cursed Tracey for making her promise to stick solely to the spells she already knew while they were apart, but a bigger part of her understood her friend’s concerns. The further she got into the Grimoire, the riskier the spells became. She was itching to get back to her training, but she wasn’t going to push her luck.

Instead, she focused on the parts of her studies she’d been ignoring in the past month. While she let blood flow from her hand, she flicked through thick tomes about politics and traditions in the Wizarding World. She was slowly beginning to understand what the Wizengamot represented, and she was almost certain she would be able to make it through a formal dinner without making any major faux-pas.

Red and gold sparks danced over the paragraph on marriage alliances, and Hani waved them away with an amused huff. 

She had too much on her mind to even consider marriage, but she still skimmed over the section, knowing she wasn’t the only one who’d have to think about the complexities of politics.

How many of the girls – or boys – in her year would have to give up on a chance at love because of their parents’ desire to secure a strong alliance? And if it came down to it, would Hani be able to make that choice?

She shivered in revulsion at the mere thought, shutting the book hastily. In the back of her mind, an image of Dean flickered to life, and she felt her face heat up as she tried to push it behind her Occlumency shields.

“Ridiculous,” she muttered to herself, placing a stopper on the vial of her blood before casting a wandless, wordless Sui Sana on the palm of her hand. “Get it together, Harini.”

Dean was nice. He was funny. He was lovely and handsome and – if Hani was being honest with herself – obviously interested in her.

If he tried to kiss her, Hani thought, she would let him.

But marriage? Alliances? Love?

There was Blood Magic humming beneath her skin and Thread Magic weaved into every aspect of her life. There was a divinatory connection rooted in her brain, linking her to Britain’s most monstrous wizard. There was an entire world out there, relying on a miracle to save them from whatever war He had planned for them.

If she had to choose between kissing a boy and being that miracle, Hani wouldn’t hesitate.

Maybe this was what Severus and Sirius had been trying to shield her from. This awful sense of responsibility tugging at her stomach, thoughts of war clouding all of her decisions.

They’d want her to make the easy choice.

Throw the party, kiss the boy, leave the Evans Grimoire on a shelf somewhere to collect dust until she turned seventeen.

And Hani would throw the party. She’d kiss Dean if he leaned in.

But she would carry the Grimoire with her everywhere, and she would bleed into clear vials so she could brew potions and imbue blood into her embroidery, and she would duel with Daphne and Hermione and Theodore until she could beat them all with her eyes closed.

She carefully placed her latest vial of blood into the hidden compartment of her trunk and sighed as she lay down on her bed.

Above her, floorboards creaked.

She ignored them, closed her eyes, and hoped dreams of Dean would be enough to keep the nightmares at bay.

(They never were.)

Hani didn’t practise her Blood Magic again the next day. She didn’t like how unsettled it had left her, how muddled her thoughts had gotten, or how bad the nightmares had been when she’d gone to bed that night.

Her mind, she realised, didn’t trust Grimmauld Place the same way it did Hogwarts. Her Blood Magic didn’t truly believe they were safe, and why would it? As far as Hani knew, Sirius would burn the Grimoire if he found out she’d been using it without his and Severus’ permission.

So, she went back to her politics books and tried not to act too restless around Sirius, who popped in and out of the house in between errands. She asked questions about the Black Grimoire and their family and the specific traditions she could look forward to in her future, and she pushed her mother’s spells out of her mind.

And on the 28th, she woke up with a smile on her face. 

She’d dreamed of Voldemort and the awful Death Eaters who scraped at his feet and kissed his robes, but not even that could dampen her excitement.

The sun was out, the frosty air fogging up her windows, and in two hours, her babysitter for the day – Nymphadora – would arrive with Tracey, Lisa and Lovegood in tow.

She grinned as she got ready, putting more effort into her braids than she had since she’d gotten to Grimmauld Place. She twisted green ribbons into her red curls and donned a green jumper, brown skirt, and a thick pair of embroidered tights to keep her warm. She even applied the thinnest layer of makeup from the set Parvati had gifted her for Yule.

She practically skipped into the kitchen, eagerly busying herself with breakfast. She wasn’t sure if the girls would have had the time to eat before their scheduled Portkey, so she prepared more than she and Sirius could ever get through alone. Pancakes were baked, sausages grilled, and a wide variety of fruit cut up into neat pieces for her friends to choose from. She found some yoghurt for Tracey, peppermint tea for Lisa, and an assortment of juices for Lovegood since she wasn’t sure what the younger girl liked.

“It’s a little much for the two of us, don’t you think?” Sirius asked teasingly as he walked into the room, pressing a kiss to the crown of Hani’s head as he passed her to grab a cup of coffee. Hani wrinkled her nose at the smell and stepped closer to her breakfast spread. “You realise your friends may have already had food at home, don’t you?”

“Well, then this will be brunch,” Hani huffed. “Or a very hearty breakfast for me. I’m hungry.”

“Mmm,” Sirius hummed. “Have you been sleeping well?”

“Yes,” Hani answered quickly – too quickly.

“Really?” Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow at her. It was an expression she’d seen so many times on Severus’ face, it felt strange to spot it on Sirius’. “Severus tells me you didn’t get much rest after the Yule Ball, and I’ve noticed you’ve been looking tired in the mornings.”

“I’m just not a–” Hani cut herself off before the lie could fully slip past her lips. Sirius regarded her calmly, arms crossed and an unimpressed look on his face. “I guess the news of the Hall of Prophecies got to me a little bit.”

She is nothing, her mind whispered. Red and gold sparks danced around her cloudy Occlumency barriers, reacting to the words when Hani’s heart clenched.

“And on the night of the Yule Ball?”

“Oh, come on,” she scoffed, hiding her discomfort behind a layer of laughter. “It was the Yule Ball! There was alcohol and dancing and flirting and far too many politicians for my taste. Even when I don’t have to talk to them, they still have this aura about them that puts me on edge. It was an exhausting night for everyone. I don’t think Lavender’s fully recovered yet. She sent me a letter yesterday saying her mother had finally forced her to leave her bedroom and complete her schoolwork. Apparently, she’d been living in practical darkness since the Ball.”

“I suppose you at least had the decency to leave your room the next day,” Sirius said, chuckling lightly. “And Hani, if you ever want to talk about whatever is bothering you, you know you can always come to us. We may not be able to share everything about You-Know-Who’s actions, but we don’t want you to feel as though you can’t even bring it up. It’s okay to be worried.”

“It’s fine,” Hani smiled thinly. “I’ll talk to Healer Branstone about it when the holidays are over. I’m sure she’ll have some tips to give me about nightmares and unnecessary anxieties.”

“They’re not unnec–”

“You should really have something to eat before you go to work,” Hani cut him off, pointing to Sirius’ chair before turning around and fixing herself a mug of hot chocolate. “And don’t forget the packed lunch I made you. Remus tells me you haven’t been feeding yourself when you’re out on assignments.”

“For Merlin’s sake, Hani,” Sirius sighed. “You don’t have to worry about me. That’s my job.”

“You won’t be able to do that job if you pass out in the middle of the day,” Hani rolled her eyes. “Besides, it’s not like I made you a four-course meal. It’s a couple of sandwiches and a bag of crisps from the shop.”

“It’s still more than you needed to do,” her godfather said, exasperated. “But thank you. I appreciate it. And I promise I’ll savour your sandwiches in between deliveries.”

“Good,” Hani nodded. “Will you be back for tea?”

“Ah, don’t count on that,” Sirius winced. “Deliveries are crazy at this time of year. Lots of shops reduce their stock in the new year to leave space for new items, which means there are plenty of eclectic magical objects being purchased at the moment. Feel free to invite your friends to stay for tea if they want.”

“We’ll see what their parents said,” Hani replied, perking up at the sound of the Floo. “Hey, doesn’t that mean you’re running late? You told me you’d need to be out of the door before Tonks got here.”

“Shi– Fu– Damn it,” Sirius cursed, sticking a pancake between his teeth as he hurried out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall. “‘ello Do’a, gi’ls!”

Tonks snickered as Sirius shoved his feet into his boots, wrapped his scarf around his neck and rushed to grab his things. He was halfway out of the door already when he remembered to turn around, wave his goodbyes, and give Hani a reminder to behave.

“He’s very peculiar,” Lovegood said airily once the door slammed behind him. “How wonderful. So purple.”

“Hi guys,” Hani smiled, coming forward to embrace Tracey and Lisa before giving both Tonks and Lovegood polite nods of greeting. “Welcome to Grimmauld Place! The Black Family is delighted to have you here.”

“Not quite the right introduction,” Tracey laughed. “But I suppose it’s better than nothing. You’ve been reading your new politics books, then?”

“To my great chagrin,” Hani pouted. “It’s either that or my schoolbooks, and I’ve read those enough already. I might go insane if I have to go through the chapter on Switching Spells one more time. That essay was almost the end of me.”

Tracey nodded minutely, having obviously caught onto what Hani wasn’t saying.

“I think Professor McGonagall is trying to bore us into bad grades,” Lisa agreed with a groan. “I mean, I love Transfiguration, but even I thought it was one of the dullest assignments she’s ever asked us to complete. There’s only so much to say about Switching Spells. I ended up going on a tangent about the uses it could have in a practical work setting.”

“Smart,” Tracey said. “I just talked about the spells you could use instead of a Switching Spell and why they’re obviously better alternatives.”

“Oh, Professor McGonagall is going to hate that,” Hani cackled. “And she won’t even be able to give you a bad grade if you’ve actually argued it correctly.”

“I don’t think Professor McGonagall minds too much,” Lovegood said with a small smile. “She’s a very wise woman, isn’t she?”

“Alright, well, as much as I would love to stay here and reminisce about the good old days, I do have work to do,” Tonks said with a wince. “If you don’t mind, Harini, I think I’ll use the office on the second floor to go through my paperwork. If you girls need anything, don’t hesitate to knock. And if it’s an emergency, I was made to believe you can cast a Patronus?”

“Yeah,” Hani nodded, blushing a little when Tonks beamed at her proudly. “But we’ll be fine. We’re 90% sure Sirius and Remus got rid of everything dangerous that still lingered around here.”

“Perfect!” Tonks laughed. “Have fun! Don’t burn the house down!”

“We’ll try!” Tracey called after her, laughing brightly at the scandalised look on Lisa’s face. “Oh, come on. As if I would ever even touch fire in Lord Black’s house. You know me better than that, Lis.”

“Do I?” Lisa asked dryly, following Hani into the kitchen when she gestured for them to relocate. “Because as far I’ve heard from Hannah and Leo, you’re the type to walk into an ancestral home, spot the three most dangerous items in your vicinity, and conduct an experiment on them as soon as everyone else has their back turned.”

“That’s– Well, just because I did it once at the Patils’ house doesn’t mean I’d do it again anywhere else,” Tracey grinned unrepentantly. She paused when she spotted the spread Hani had prepared for them, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, that’s what I’m talking about! Fuck, Hani, did you make all this yourself?”

“I thought you might be hungry,” she shrugged, trying her best to hide how pleased she was by her friend’s reaction. “I wasn’t sure if you’d eaten already, so…”

“Nah, I hate eating before magical travel,” Tracey said, flopping down onto Sirius’ chair and immediately diving for the yoghurt and honey Hani had picked out for her. “Sarah can scarf down an entire Christmas feast and be fine, but I get queasy if I’ve had more than a piece of toast and a cup of tea.”

“Oh, is that cranberry juice?” Lovegood asked, smiling when Hani nodded. “My favourite. I find it makes everyone the most delightful shade of orange. Thank you, Harini.”

“You’re very welcome,” Hani beamed, waiting for Lisa to sit down before picking a chair next to her. “Feel free to have as much as you want. And Sirius said you were welcome to stay for tea, though I know that wasn’t part of the plan. If you wanted to, I’m sure Tonks could send a message to your parents.”

“Daddy will be waiting for me to eat,” Lovegood answered. “But I’m sure the three of you will be happy to have some time alone.”

“That’s– Very nice of you, Luna,” Lisa smiled gently at her housemate. “And if my mum agrees, I’d be happy to stay over for a while longer.”

“Same here,” Tracey said happily. “Hell, I could probably even convince my parents to let me sleep over. Christopher is back home for a while, and I think having an extra person around is draining them. They’ve never actually had five kids, you know?”

“Five is a lot,” Lovegood blinked. “I think I’m already too much for daddy, and I’m just one of me.”

“Oh, believe me, my guardians wouldn’t survive with more than me either,” Hani laughed, earning herself a shy smile from Lovegood. “I think some parents are better suited to bigger families than others.”

“Yeah,” Tracey frowned, and Hani didn’t have to ask to know what she was thinking about. “At least mum and dad have always done their best with us. And it was nice, having siblings, even if Sarah’s the only one who really feels like my sister.”

“I personally think families are far too complicated for our own goods,” Lisa huffed. “Which is why I suggest we move onto an easier topic and the reason we are gathered here today.”

“Easier?” Tracey snorted. “Okay, sure.”

“Lisa isn’t totally wrong,” Lovegood argued softly. “Families are often tricky and full of emotions and too human to understand. Prophecies aren’t really simple, but they’re still just a thing for us to talk about.”

“Just a thing,” Tracey muttered. “Right. As though it’s not been driving Hani and I crazy for the past few months.”

“To be fair, it would have been driving you a lot less crazy if you’d told someone about it,” Lisa said with a pointed glance at the both of them.

“In our defence, Parvati and Lavender didn’t exactly inspire us with confidence,” Hani shrugged. “The second I bring up the prophecy, they remind me that S– Sirius and my father know what’s best. This matters to me, and I didn’t want to have to stop working on it because we talked about it to the wrong person.”

“Still,” Lisa said with a small pout. “You should have known I would never betray your confidence. We’re Programme partners.”

“You were busy,” Hani replied, daring Lisa to counter that point. Lisa briefly opened her mouth before closing it with a tilt of her head. “But we’re here now. If anyone wants to take notes, I’m sure Daphne would love to get a recap of our conversation when we see her over New Year’s.”

“Of course she would,” Tracey rolled her eyes. “She’ll probably spend half of her night with Granger and the other half reading through everything we come up with today. Mad girl, she is.”

“Mad, clever girl,” Hani corrected before turning to Lovegood. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for agreeing to come. Not properly, at least. I’m sure you understand how much this means to me, and I’m glad to have an expert here to guide us through the more technical parts of prophecies. Your aunt has been a great help, but there’s only so much I can ask her without raising warning bells.”

“Auntie Dot would never betray your secrets,” Lovegood murmured. “And you don’t have to thank me for anything. I’m always happy to help Ginny’s friends. Besides, I never get to practise my Divination properly. I only wish I was a Seer. I could help you more if I could see the future.”

“Being a Seer sounds like torture,” Tracey said, wrinkling her nose. “You’re an Empath, right? Much nicer to live with. No doomsaying prophecies to give, no horrific futures to witness; if you ask me, you got the best of the three.”

“That’s what daddy says,” Lovegood smiled widely. “Mummy used to think the same thing. She was a Seer like Aunt Dorothea, and I don’t think she liked it very much. She would have preferred prophecies. I brought some of her books with me. I thought they could help.”

“They definitely will,” Hani said as the younger girl drew a bundle of books out of her satchel and placed them between the platters of bacon and apples. “Though, since we don’t actually know what the prophecy says, I’m not sure how much the usual decoding tactics will help.”

“We know enough,” Lisa said, her face set with grim determination. Before Hani could ask her what she meant, she pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and ironed it out in front of her. “First: the Dark Lord truly believes you must die. Second: there is a power he believes the Order will use to their advantage. Third: he thinks there may be a weakness to uncover through this prophecy. Fourth: he’s convinced you will fight. Fifth: your parents believed in this prophecy too.”

“It must have been rather specific,” Lovegood hummed. “Most prophecies cannot be pinned to a single person until much later in their lives. Though, it hardly matters now. You are clearly the subject of the prophecy.”

“No more doubt?”

“If your parents believed it, and the Dark Lord believes it, and your guardians believe it, and even Dumbledore’s great Order believes it… I’m sure you’ve heard of self-fulfilment, yes?” Lovegood asked, her voice almost sad.

“Yeah,” Hani sighed. “So, that’s it? I have to die?”

“Well, of course not,” Lovegood giggled. “That would be a very silly prophecy. They’re not like Seer visions, you know, they can’t determine the exact future. They just… point in a direction.”

“That’s good,” Lisa said, jotting something down. “I mean, it’s not great, but it’s slightly more reassuring than what you were convinced was going to happen. And it covers the first point I brought up. If the Dark Lord thinks you have to die, then he must believe you also have the power to defeat him.”

“It would explain his obsession with a baby,” Tracey nodded in agreement. “If the prophecy implies that you have a power that could kill him, it would certainly urge him to make a move before you were old enough to protect yourself.”

“Okay,” Hani said slowly. “So the prophecy probably doesn’t say ‘The Dark Lord will kill Harini Potter and win the war.’?”

“Oh no,” Lovegood laughed again. It was a nice sound, chiming like quiet bells. “Prophecies are a lot more poetic than that. It’s probably more like… ‘And she who carves the earth will have power even the Dark Lord cannot vanquish.’ Very flowery, very uselessly vague. And no names.”

“So, it’s unlikely that my death is prophesied,” Hani recapped. “And Tracey and I have an idea of the power it may be speaking of. It would… make sense, especially considering what I think might have saved me that night. It would also explain why he thinks I’ll fight.”

“It would also explain why your guardians have been keeping things close to their chests,” Tracey frowned. “Not that I’m justifying their decisions or the way they’ve handled everything, but if this prophecy declares you’re the only one who can defeat him… That’s not a light burden to carry.”

“Yeah,” Hani whispered. “Although, I don’t think the Order will let me stay out of it forever, no matter what my guardians think is best. The second I turn 17, there’ll be a knock on my door asking me to join the battle.”

“Most likely,” Lisa agreed. “Though, the question remains: do they know what this mysterious power is? The Dark Lord seems to believe they do, but if even I’m not aware of it… It’s not your Thread Magic, is it?”

“No,” Hani shook her head. “And no, the Order doesn’t know. Only Tracey, Sirius, my dad, Remus, Lavender and Parvati know about it. Since only four of those people also know about the details of the prophecy, that leaves us with a very small pool of people who could connect the dots.”

“Okay,” Lisa breathed out. “So I guess the next question is pretty obvious.”

“Do we think this power is actually enough to defeat a dark lord?” Tracey completed for her, her voice sounding strangely strangled. When she met Hani’s eyes, there was genuine concern swimming in her gaze.

Hani couldn’t blame her.

Blood Magic had been one thing to consider when she’d thought all she would have to do was protect herself. But if she had to vanquish Voldemort? That would require an entirely different skill set, a new compendium of spells that even her mother hadn’t come up with before her death.

It would mean that her Duelling couldn’t just be good, or great, or the best in their year. It had to be good enough to withstand a direct – and willing – encounter with the most powerful dark wizard of their age.

“Well, of course it is.” Lovegood was the one to speak up, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Prophecies aren’t a sure thing, but this one wouldn’t exist if your power wasn’t enough. It’s just a matter of using it right.”

In front of Hani’s eyes, red and gold sparks fluttered and danced, glittering between her fingers as though begging her to see them, to use them, to realise they could give her the victory she was looking for.

“Lovegood is right.”

“You can call me Luna, you know,” Lovegood – Luna – interjected with an amused smile. “It feels wrong to have someone use my last name when I’ve been this close to their aura. Especially since yours is so pretty. I like your purple, too. You’re a very complicated person, Harini.”

“You’re not the first to say that,” Hani snorted, deciding she’d be better off not asking about the purple comment. “But regardless, you’re right. No one would be this afraid if my power didn’t present a real threat. Which means Tracey and I have been doing the right thing all along.”

“Ugh,” Lisa groaned. “I hate this. There has to be a way for us to interpret this damned prophecy that doesn’t involve you joining in active combat.”

“Maybe there is,” Hani shrugged. “But there’s no way for us to come up with all the possibilities when we don’t have the full picture. Which means right now, my best shot at ensuring the ‘he must kill her before she kills him’ part of the prophecy doesn’t come true is by doing what the Dark Lord assumes I’ve been doing all along.”

“It’s a good thing the training is fun,” Tracey grinned. “Especially if we add Duelling to the rotation of skills you need to perfect.”

“We should make a schedule,” Lisa said, snapping her fingers. Tracey nodded enthusiastically at that, moving so she was sitting next to their Ravenclaw friend. “Although it would be easier if you told me what this secret power training was.”

“Not yet,” Hani said with an apologetic smile. “Someday, when I’m confident I can properly perform a secrecy vow. But for now, you’ll have to trust that Trace knows how much time we need to put into it.”

“Oh yeah, just a fuck ton,” Tracey said crudely, earning herself an elbow jab from Lisa.

Hani left them to it, standing to refill their drinks and put away their dirty dishes.

To her surprise, Luna joined her by the sink, drying the plates that Hani put down in front of her.

“You have to believe in yourself,” the younger girl said out of nowhere. Hani looked at her with a small frown. “Your aura is too confused right now. Whatever this power you have is, you have to really believe it’ll work. That’s what my mum always said: ‘Magic can only take you as far as your belief goes.’ If I didn’t believe that your aura was real, it would reveal nothing to me.”

“I believe in my Magic,” Hani retorted, sighing when Luna only stared at her with a dreamy smile. “To a certain extent. But that’s normal. It’s not like I’m planning on confronting the Dark Lord tomorrow. I’ve got years, I hope, to be the person everyone needs me to be. To perform a literal miracle.”

“It’s funny, you know,” Luna said softly. She wasn’t looking at Hani anymore, but rather at the space around her. “You sound as though the idea of defeating him terrifies you, and yet… You would have fought anyway.”

“What?”

“Even if you didn’t have this power, even if the prophecy didn’t exist, you would have fought,” Luna repeated. “It’s written all over you. Tracey, too. You’re braver than I am.”

“I–”

She couldn’t deny it.

“I don’t know if it makes us braver,” she said instead. “It’s just the way we were raised. It’s selfish, really; I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if the people I love died and I hadn’t done anything to try and stop it from happening.”

“Hmm,” Luna hummed. “Courage is still courage. You’re allowed to be a little selfish with it.”

“You know, you’re a lot wiser than Ginny is,” Hani said, grinning when Luna burst into delighted giggles. “You’ll be coming to the New Year’s party with her, right? It would be lovely to see you there.”

“Of course,” Luna nodded. “She’s brave, too. It’s good to know she’ll be fighting with you when the time comes.”

Hani’s grin turned sad.

Perhaps she was brave, but there was a courage about Luna that she didn’t think she would ever be able to match. Because she knew for a fact that, if she’d been faced with her friends’ deepest feelings day in and day out, she wouldn’t have made it through a single week.

Yet here was Luna, chatting about her outfit ideas for New Year’s and laughing about Ginny’s alcohol mishaps as though she hadn’t just told Hani that she knew her best friend would someday volunteer to fight in a war against darkness itself.

No wonder Lisa liked her so much.

It was dark outside, but Hani breathed in the cold evening air with a smile on her face. Golden lights twinkled around the doorway of Black Castle, spreading across the facade as far as Sirius, Hani, and a handful of house elves had been able to reach. Hani’s red and gold sparks mingled with the fairy lights now, and she let them spread even further, cutting through the castle’s imposing walls.

Beyond the door, she could hear the faint hum of music and the laughs of her closest friends, somehow turning the castle into something almost familiar.

“You joining us?” Hannah asked, poking her head out of the door and sighing when she spotted the fond look on Hani’s face. “Seriously, you’ve got to stop admiring the lights. You’re going to catch a cold, staying out here all night. Besides, the rest of your guests will be here soon.” 

“It’s just a nice view,” Hani said softly. “And if you don’t think this dress is imbued with warming charms, you’re a fool. I don’t plan on staying inside all night, unlike some of my cowardly friends.” 

“It’s as nice in there as it is out here,” Hannah huffed. “If not more. Now, seriously, Lavender is already tipsy from the punch and we promised your dad we wouldn’t let her get drunk before everyone else arrived.”

“As if we have any control over Lavender’s actions,” Hani snorted. Nevertheless, she urged her sparks to gather around her again and followed Hannah back into the castle.

The entrance they were using wasn’t the main one. They’d decided early on that they would only use a small part of the castle, and the grand entrance was a little too grand for Hani’s liking. Instead, they’d picked the portion of the castle that had once been exclusive to the Black family. Bedrooms had been set up for all of Hani’s friends upstairs, and the ground floor had been decorated according to Sirius’ high standards.

Sitting rooms and halls were brimming with light and food and music as Hani and Hannah passed by, ignoring them in favour of the night’s main attraction: the ‘training’ ballroom where a stage had been set up and banquet tables creaked under the weight of the pizzas Hani and Hannah had spent their morning cooking.

“There she is!” Lavender exclaimed as soon as she saw Hani.

Her best friend bounded over to her on unsteady feet, throwing herself into Hani’s arms so quickly, she almost didn’t catch her.

“We’ve missed you!”

“Clearly,” Hani laughed uneasily. Over Lavender’s shoulder, she exchanged a worried look with Parvati, whose eyes hadn’t left their best friend’s figure for a second. “Hey, why don’t you go and sit with Parvati? Everyone will be getting here soon, and you’ll want your feet to be well-rested for all the dancing that’s about to happen.”

“But I have a drink waiting for me!” Lavender whined when Hani steered her away from the drinks and towards the settees Sirius had organised in a perfect circle earlier that day. “You know, Seamus, Ron and Soph promised we’d play drinking games. You won’t be able to stop me then.”

“No, I won’t,” Hani said exasperatedly. “Though I do hope they have the sense not to get you so drunk you pass out. I’ll be busy with other things, and I don’t want to get pulled away from my night because you forgot about limits.”

“Like you’re not going to drink?” Lavender scoffed. “More alcohol! More music! Less doom and gloom!”

Hani plopped her best friend down on one of the settees and watched as she immediately folded herself into what had to be the world’s most uncomfortable position. Parvati joined her soon after, tilting her head curiously at the Lavender-pretzel before clearly deciding to go along with it.

“The punch is actually quite good,” Parvati told Hani, holding her own half-empty cup up for inspection. “I’m not sure how this one has managed to get herself so drunk already, because I swear there’s more juice than alcohol in this.”

“Well, actually, I have my own stash,” Lavender said with a proud grin. “Obviously.”

Hani was saved from having to uphold the conversation when chiming bells echoed around the room, indicating that the first of her guests were finally arriving. 8pm on the dot; she did love punctuality.

She rushed to the sitting room connected to the Floo, grabbing a cup of punch on her way there and gesturing for her friends to stay in the ballroom. The room would be crowded enough without adding her nine lovely Sisters to the mix.

The fireplace flared green, and Hani beamed as Hermione stepped out, looking beautiful in a set of blue robes covering a bronze jumper. As soon as she saw Hani, she smiled and leaned in for a quick hug that Hani gladly accepted.

“This is amazing!” Hermione exclaimed, waving at the fairy lights and banners and paintings. “Lord Black outdid himself. I’ll have to–”

They were interrupted by the Floo, and Hani smiled apologetically as she returned to her hosting duties. Some of the older students arrived first – they would only be staying for an hour or so before leaving to go to their own, more mature parties – and Hani tried her best to act as though she knew what she was doing as she guided them towards the ballroom.

Hannah joined her after that, insisting that she was just as much of a hostess as Hani was, and the two of them greeted their yearmates with wide smiles and laughter and enough holiday cheer to light up the entirety of the castle.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Thomas himself.”

Hani spun around dangerously fast at Hannah’s words and pointedly ignored the way Lily snickered behind her.

“I’ll just find the ballroom myself, yeah?” Her fellow prefect said with a cackle, dodging the stinging hex Hani shot her way.

“Hi, Hani,” Dean smiled at her, and Hani couldn’t help the way her stomach fluttered. “You look beautiful.”

“Hi, Dean,” she said, hoping she sounded as pleased to see him as she felt on the inside. “You look amazing too. I’m glad you came.”

“Of course,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. And I know you’re probably busy with hostess things, and I wouldn’t want to bother you, and it’s totally okay if you don’t have time, but… I’d love to dance with you tonight, since I wasn’t there to enjoy your company during the Yule Ball.”

“Yeah,” Hani said. She could feel herself blushing, her cheeks and the tips of her ears tingling in tandem with her stomach. “I’ll find you, I promise.”

“Good,” he grinned, and then he was gone, disappearing down the hall on Justin’s heels and slapping him on the shoulders with a whoop.

Hani watched the two boys as they turned into the ballroom, her red and gold sparks twirling around her in such a fairytale-like way, she was almost tempted to follow after Dean and forget about the rest of her guests.

But then–

“Hani!”

Her sparks flared up. Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes filled with tears as she turned around, a smile on her face and a laugh on the tip of her tongue. Dark hair covered her eyes and made her splutter uselessly, and Hani melted into Freja’s arms as though she’d never left her side.

“Frej,” she whispered into her friend’s ears, tightening her hold when Freja made to leave their embrace. “Nope. I’m allowed at least ten more seconds. I haven’t seen you in far too long.”

“Oh, it’s only been a few months,” Freja chuckled as they finally pulled away, but Hani could see a matching sense of relief in her exchange partner’s eyes. “What? You couldn’t even last one summer and autumn without me? Do I need to plan regular visits to your dreary little country?”

“Yes, please,” Hani murmured. “That would be perfect.”

“You’re so soft,” Freja snorted, gently nudging Hani’s ribs. “But I’ve missed you too. Being back at school full time after a year on the Programme was a hard return to reality. I don’t understand how Antero slipped back into it so easily.”

“Ah, Lisa was the same,” Hani shrugged. “And speaking of Antero, I assumed you would all arrive together. Didn’t you have to come from the Ministry Floo?”

“Dad Portkeyed me closer,” Freja explained. “I took the Floo in a magical pub somewhere. I’m sure the others will be here soon, though. I think Antero was planning on travelling with Henrik. And wow, if that isn’t like… what’s the expression?”

“History repeating itself?” Hani suggested with a small wince. “Yeah. We just have to hope Henrik and Sue have it more under control than Lisa and Antero did.”

“You mean, that they’re less in love with each other?”

Hani laughed a little sadly at that, unable to deny the truth behind Freja’s words. A knowing look passed between them then, and Hani knew she wouldn’t be the only one trying to keep their friends away from each other.

As much as she knew Lisa missed Antero, she didn’t know what good could come out of the two of them reminiscing about the good old times.

“Well, well, who said you could start the party without me?”

And perhaps Hani had underestimated how much she’d missed these people. Perhaps she’d overestimated how well she’d been doing without them. Perhaps she’d been lying to herself, just a little bit, when she’d told herself being around the Sisters was the same as being around her Exchange friends.

Because Basile’s voice was like sunshine incarnate, and running into his arms was second nature.

Freja was right behind her, crushing both of them as she squeezed them tightly. 

“The trio’s back!” She exclaimed, and it was… fine. There was no awkward pause, no hesitation, no acknowledgement of the person they’d lost somewhere along the way. “And Basile, you asshole! You told me you’d send the book back to me before Yule, and look where we are now!”

“Does it help if I tell you I have it now?” Basile asked sweetly, taking a book out of the bag he’d slung over his shoulder. “And I’ve annotated it so beautifully, you won’t even be able to complain about the specifics of what I’ve written.”

“Oh, I’ll complain plenty,” Freja huffed. “You’re lucky this is Hani’s big night, or I’d be having words with you right now.”

“I’m sure you would,” Basile smirked, bending down to kiss Freja’s cheek lightly.

He’d grown again, both in height and in confidence. His hair was lighter than it had been at the end of their year together, and there was a bounce in his step that he hadn’t had since the beginning of their time in Beauxbatons.

He looked good.

Hani had missed him so damn much.

“I don’t mean to break up this lovely reunion, but we have guests waiting in line on the other end of the Floo,” Hannah said, waving at Basile and Freja as they greeted her. “You’ll have all night to catch up, Hani. Now, come and greet the rest of our foreign friends, because I don’t actually remember all of their names.”

Hani pouted a little, but Basile and Freja pushed her towards her latest guests and excused themselves to find the ballroom, so she complied and reminded Hannah of names underneath her breath.

It took a good half hour but, eventually, the Floo was closed and Hani made her way to the ballroom with Hannah in tow, giggling as her friend told her about an interaction she’d caught between Clément and Basile on one of her trips to accompany their guests down the hallway. It was good to know that even after months apart, some of her friends hadn’t changed one bit.

“Ready?” Hannah asked her as they stopped behind the ballroom’s imposing door. Beyond it were all of Hani’s favourite people – minus her guardians, who were holed up upstairs – and the promise of a night even better than both her Yule Balls combined.

“You don’t even have to ask,” she grinned, and swung the door open with a nudge from her red and gold sparks – who had finally started making themselves useful as more than pretty decorations.

Immediately, cheers went up, covering the live music Hani had managed to organise for the day. Severus and Sirius must have let the Weird Sisters in through the side entrance while she’d handled the Floo, and she beamed at her greatest accomplishment of the night.

As it turned out, being famous did have a few perks.

Not many, but just enough to make her reconsider her plans to hide out for the rest of her life after Hogwarts.

“Hani, this place is amazing!” Someone yelled into her ear.

“Morgana, Hani, how on earth did you get the Weird Sisters here?” Someone else added – Ginny, maybe. “This is the best party I’ve ever seen!”

“In a fucking castle!”

Hani laughed at the younger girls, staying to listen to their exclamations for a couple of minutes before excusing herself.

As it turned out, hosting a party was exhausting.

Every time she stopped to dance or talk to someone, she was pulled aside by someone else who had a question about the castle or where they could find the bathroom or ‘have you seen where my friend went?’. It was chaotic and nothing like what she’d expected, and she loved every single second of it.

Especially since she got to exchange exasperated glances with Dean every time they were separated and engaged in plenty of gossip with Freja and Basile as they followed her around the room like lost ducklings.

“So, Daphne and Granger are dating now?” Basile asked, gesturing towards the pair dancing as close to the stage as they could get without physically tripping over the lead singer. “I know you said Granger got better, but I didn’t think Daphne could ever date someone so… Pure.”

“Hermione isn’t pure,” Hani snorted.

“You get what he means,” Freja rolled her eyes. “Daphne is wasted out of her mind right now, but Granger isn’t even tipsy.”

“I’m not tipsy either,” Hani pointed out.

“Lies!” Basile cackled. He was far from sober himself. “You’ve had three cups of punch, Hani, and you giggle to yourself every time we pass by your wonderful Mr. Thomas. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he had you under a love spell with the way your eyes have been trailing him all night.”

“He’s pretty,” Hani huffed. “I’m allowed to look.”

“Oh, you can look as much as you want,” Freja smirked. “In fact, I hope you do more than look once you’ve had enough of everyone else.”

“Disgusting,” Hani said, shoving her friend to the side and laughing when Freja swayed dangerously. “I’ll leave that to Blaise and Parvati.”

The two of them had disappeared an hour into the party, and Hani hadn’t had the courage to go looking for them. She loved Parvati, but there were some things she didn’t want to see, and Blaise’s tongue down her throat was one of them.

She’d left Lavender with some of the other Sisters instead.

Last she’d checked, their best friend had been slow-dancing with Leo, who had forcibly pulled her away from Marie. Lavender had been flirting with her so outrageously, Alexandre had bent over with silent laughter at the agonised look on Marie’s face.

“All your romantic drama is so much more interesting than what we get at Beauxbatons,” Basile sighed as they neared the corner of settees that Hani had been aiming for. “It’s no fun when the drama involves people you don’t even know.”

“Hogwarts drama is the best drama,” Lily piped up from where she was lounging on one of the couches. She raised her cup to greet Basile and Freja, who tipped their cups back in her direction. “Not that I have anything to compare it to, but it’s pretty unbeatable. So many secrets, so many break-ups, so many love stories. I heard from one of the Weasley boys that people think our Prefect pairings are going to cause even more romances.”

“Well–”

“Isn’t that what you and Dean are?” Basile asked loudly.

Hani stepped on his toes as hard as she could and glared at Lily when she burst into snickers.

“You know, it’s weird, but I always thought…”

“Thought what?” Hani asked, frowning.

Freja shook her head and, in true drunk fashion, promptly turned around and walked towards the dance floor, yelling something about needing a proper Slytherin reintroduction.

“She’s crazy,” Lily cackled. “I love her. She was always a good fit for Slytherin. Not that I saw much of her in the common room, but she’s a funny one. Put Malfoy in his place more than a few times.”

“That’s our Freja,” Basile said proudly, his words only slightly slurred – or maybe Hani was just tipsy enough that they sounded fine to her. “I gotta find Lucie and Adèle. I love you, Hani. Go and find your boy. I need to dance! Gotta move!”

He scrambled away from her, and Hani didn’t hide her grimace when he immediately bumped into some of the boys in their year. Justin and Michael caught him laughing, their laughter fading when Basile proceeded to start blabbing in French to the two of them.

“Better them than us,” Lily chuckled. “You look happy with them.”

“Yeah,” Hani smiled, feeling fuzzy and warm and so grateful for the people around her. “It’s good to see them again. Hey, shouldn’t Emma be here?”

“She had to cancel at the last minute,” Lily sighed. “Abandoned me to the wolves. By which I mean Morag, who’s only gone because she needed the toilet. And Isobel’s been hanging out with us as well. She’s not the superior twin, but she’s not bad.”

“You can’t say that!” Hani gasped. “It would be like saying there was a better twin between Padma and Parvati.”

“I mean, you don’t want to hear this, but–”

“No, no, no!” Hani shrieked, covering her ears. “I don’t want to hear it!”

“Alright, drama queen,” Lily laughed, taking Hani’s hands down. “Merlin, you’re drunk. You know, it’s getting close to midnight. You should find your boy and get out of here. I promise you’ll still hear the countdown if you’re outside.”

“Really?” Hani scrunched her face up.

“The Weird Sisters won’t let anyone in this castle miss it,” Lily said with a cheeky grin. “Now, go. Take Dean outside. Put an end to everyone else’s misery and kiss him.”

And when she put it like that…

Hani was drunk, but she wasn’t a fool.

“It’s nice out here.”

Hani hummed.

“It’s quiet,” she agreed, smiling up at Dean and stepping closer to him when a sudden burst of wind chilled her hands and face. “I wouldn’t want to live here all the time, but it’s good. Still. Like time was suspended here for a while.”

“You’re a pretty thoughtful drunk, huh?”

“I’m not drunk,” Hani huffed, pouting when Dean chuckled lowly. “I’m not! The fresh air has sobered me right up.”

“Sure it has,” Dean laughed, and Hani couldn’t think anymore, because had his laugh always been so perfectly entrancing? “You know, I feel like I hardly got to see you tonight. Not that I didn’t expect it, but I barely had time to catch sight of you before you were moving onto something else.”

“Why Dean, were you looking for me?” Hani said teasingly, swallowing thickly when Dean levelled her with a deadpan stare.

“Of course I was looking for you,” he said quietly, shaking his head at her. “I like Ron and Seamus and the other boys, don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t the ones who invited me to this party. They’re not the ones I came to see tonight.”

“So many people here to see me,” Hani giggled. “I guess I really am quite famous.”

“I don’t know if it has anything to do with fame,” Dean said, brushing his arm against hers. Hani startled, almost bumping into a bench on the side of the path they were walking on. Instantly, Dean’s hand curled around hers, tugging her until she was back on track. “I don’t know if you realise this, Hani, but you’re very likeable. You have a way of talking to people that makes them feel… seen.”

“Do I make you feel seen?” She asked, furrowing her brows.

Sometimes, she felt like she didn’t see anything at all past the colours of her Magic and the clouds of her Occlumency barriers.

“You do,” Dean said, his voice so genuine, Hani had no choice but to believe him. “And you do it for everyone else in that ballroom. Even the little ones and the new exchange students you hardly know. It’s just something about you, Hani.”

“How special of me,” Hani snickered lightly.

Dean didn’t laugh along.

“You are special,” he said instead, and Hani’s heart swooped.

She didn’t say anything as they continued down the path. The air truly was clearing her mind, and she could feel some of the alcoholic haze lift off her mind as they reached a small enclosed space she hadn’t spotted during her few walks around the castle. Flowers surrounded them, filling the air with a sweet scent and reflecting moonlight in fragments of pastel colours.

It was perfectly still.

In the distance, cheers sounded, somehow seeping past the castle’s thick walls. Somewhere in a village nearby, fireworks were already going off.

The noise felt so far away here, and Hani breathed the quiet in with a smile, closing her eyes. She could almost sense it, that calmness her mother had spoken of so fondly. An Evans tradition in its unique way. Her red and gold sparks settled on her hands in a thin layer, silent and unmoving, and it felt like a sign as well.

A countdown started. She realised, dimly, that there was still a hand in hers. It squeezed her fingers shortly and suddenly, there was someone right in front of her, inches away from her face.

Her breath hitched.

The countdown came to an end in an excited celebration. Screams of ‘Happy New Year!’ echoed in the castle. Dean leaned in. His lips pressed against hers, and she let out a small sound of surprise.

Fireworks exploded above them. He held her closer. Her mind whirled with a million thoughts at once. Red and gold sparked to life around her, tiny explosions that popped in her ears and made her blink dazedly when she finally moved away from Dean.

He smiled at her, and her heart pounded in her chest.

“Happy new year,” he whispered, but it was the loudest thing she’d heard all night.

“Happy new year,” she whispered back.

Midnight had come and gone, the Magic of the moment leaving with it, and Dean had finally kissed her.

She smiled.

Lavender’s head was on her lap, her friend’s honey-coloured hair spread across her thighs.

Next to her, Freja dozed against Basile’s shoulder, her eyes blearily blinking open every few seconds. She would murmur a few fond, drunken words before falling back into that half-sleep that was so desperately trying to claim her.

Lisa sat cross-legged across from her, her back against the four-poster bed she’d chosen for the night. 

Everyone else had either left or gone to bed already. It was so late – so early –, Hani could almost imagine the morning birds twittering outside their window.

“So, he finally kissed you,” Lisa grinned.

Hani hummed softly. She’d spent the hours after midnight dancing with Dean, with her friends, talking to Freja about everything she loved and hated about Sirius, laughing at Basile as he told her about his latest Clément-related shenanigans. She’d dragged Lavender away from Khadija, unwilling to let her two very drunk friends do anything they would regret later.

She’d apologised to Khadija with a sweet smile and a kiss on the cheek, and she’d danced with her until she’d stopped pouting.

After that, she’d found Dean again. He’d twirled her around and stolen kisses when he thought no one was looking. They’d laughed and talked about everything – about nothing.

“Yeah,” she told Lisa now. “He did.”

“At midnight?” Basile asked eagerly.

Hani nodded.

“Was it bad?” Lisa frowned. “Oh, please tell me it wasn’t bad. I’ve been rooting for the two of you, and it would make things so awkward if you didn’t work out.”

“No, no, it was good,” Hani assured her. “It was good. But it was…”

She tried to find the right word, but it escaped her even now.

“It was loud,” she finished lamely.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Basile interjected. “I mean, isn’t that how it should feel? Fireworks and your heart beating quicker than ever, and a million butterflies inside your head and your stomach?”

Hani shrugged. When she looked up at Lisa, she saw her friend staring back evenly, her face a picture of understanding.

“You like the quiet,” Lisa murmured.

“I do,” Hani agreed. Paused. “I like Dean too.”

This time, Basile didn’t cut in with a witty remark. He just nodded slowly, squeezed Hani’s hand, and stood up to gently guide Freja towards her bed.

Lisa stayed behind, nudging Hani’s foot with one of her own.

“You can like both,” she told Hani with a small smile. “And if one day you decide you like one more than the other, it’s not like you made a promise to anyone. Just don’t worry about it too much, silly. You looked happy with him.”

“Yeah,” Hani said, her lips twitching up. “I am happy with him.”

There was silence, for a moment, but a question burned on Hani’s tongue, and she was still just tipsy enough to let it slip out. 

“You like the quiet too, don’t you?” She asked.

“I do,” Lisa hummed.

“Was it quiet with Antero?”

“It was,” Lisa answered. No hesitation. Not a second taken to think. “It was… perfectly still.”

She didn’t push any more than that. She stood, carefully manoeuvring a sleepy Lavender, ruffled Lisa’s short hair to make her laugh – or at least protest very loudly – and urged her friend to go to bed before the sun rose and her guardians checked on them.

Then, she found her own bed, tucked both Lavender and herself into it, and closed her eyes.

She dreamed of Dean, of fireworks, of butterflies, of excited shouts, and of the moment of peace she’d felt before it all.

Chapter Text

Blood Magic is like life, my darling Harini.

Sometimes, it hurts.

~ ToB ~

Hani dragged her trunk behind her with a thud, ignoring Sirius’ sigh of disapproval. She doubted he’d been any better at her age. She hadn’t been to platform 9 and ¾ since the summer, and she’d missed the sight of it. She didn’t think she could ever forget how it felt to stand there amongst all the other magical children hurrying onto the Express, desperate to get away from their parents, but it was still nice to get a reminder.

She waved at Leo when she spotted her friend further down the platform, batting away his mother’s fussing hands.

“Should I be fussing as well?” Sirius asked, his eyebrows raised. “Maybe then you’d finally pay attention to me.”

“I’ve paid attention to you all week,” Hani rolled her eyes. “I think you’ll survive. And if you fuss, I’ll just leave. We don’t need any more reason for people to look our way.”

“They simply can’t keep their eyes off me and my dashing looks,” Sirius smirked cockily. He chuckled when Hani groaned at his antics. “I promise I’ll behave, at least until you’re safely on the train. After that, I reserve the right to do whatever I wish.”

“Fine by me,” Hani shrugged. “And since I wouldn’t want to hold back your weird desires, I should be off. Love you.”

“Oh no, wait a second there,” Sirius tutted, grabbing one of her Prefect robe’s sleeves and tugging her back towards him. “Like I said, best behaviour while you’re out here. I at least deserve a proper goodbye for putting up with you for a full week. And for hosting the world’s most amazing New Year’s Eve party.”

“I guess it wasn’t the worst thing,” Hani said teasingly, giggling when her godfather pulled at one of her braids. “It really was great. Thank you for not totally freaking out when we showed up hungover the next morning.”

“Don’t thank me for that,” Sirius snickered. “I’m almost certain your dearest Lavender will still be working through that alcohol today, which means she’s bound to be an absolute riot. But you’ll learn from your mistakes eventually. Maybe the rest of you can knock some sense into her.”

“It’s not our fault New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday,” Hani pouted. “The school should have given us an extra week off to recover.”

“The truest words from the most wonderful of people.”

Hani spun around with a bashful smile at the sound of Dean’s voice. He stood behind her, trunk leaning against his leg, a goofy grin pulling at his lips.

“How are you holding up?” She asked him.

From what she’d heard, the boys had kept partying long after their hostess and her closest friends had disappeared behind closed doors. They’d stumbled out of their assigned rooms in the morning in varying states of disarray, but Dean had left late during the night, knowing his parents wouldn’t have approved of him staying at a girl’s house, no matter who else was present.

Justin had looked vaguely green when he’d told the Sisters that Dean had won whatever idiotic drinking game they’d come up with.

“Ah, I’m good,” Dean laughed sheepishly. “I hope we didn’t leave too much of a mess for you to clean up. We tried to get rid of the evidence, but I doubt our drunken efforts were worth much.”

“Indeed.”

Sirius’ voice was such a perfect imitation of Severus’ that, for a moment, Hani looked around expecting to find her dad waiting behind her. But it was just Sirius, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes narrowed.

“If you’d truly wanted to handle the evidence, you would have stayed to see your efforts through in the morning,” Sirius continued, his face stone cold. Hani sighed at his ridiculous show of protectiveness.

It had taken him less than three hours to get Hani to admit she’d finally kissed Dean, and now he was going to hold it over Dean’s head every time he saw them together. She should have kept her damn mouth shut, no matter how annoying he’d gotten with his prying.

“My apologies, Lord Black,” Dean said, rubbing at the back of his head. “My parents had made it clear they wanted me back home before dawn, and I was in no state–”

“To kiss my goddaughter? I agree entirely,” Sirius cut in with a sharp smirk. Hani kicked his shin and glared up at him. “Oh, for fu–”

“What Sirius means to say is that he’s happy to officially meet you,” Hani smiled sweetly, hoping her godfather could hear the danger in her words. “He’s only peeved because he didn’t get to greet you in the morning. He’s been curious about you for weeks, and I think it annoys him that Remus knows you personally when he’s had to live off our stories.”

“Your stories? How much do you talk about me, Hani?” Dean asked, some of his embarrassment and tense attitude melting into delighted amusement. “And what exactly have you been telling people that has them so curious?”

“That’s none of your business,” Hani said, her cheeks warm. “Anyway, I’m glad the two of you could meet, but we really should head into the train before all the good seats are taken. I can already see some drawn curtains in the best carriages.”

“Damn younger students taking our spots,” Dean grumbled, though he coughed and plastered a half-smile onto his face when he caught Sirius still staring at him. “It was nice to meet you, Lord Black.”

“Likewise,” Sirius drawled and goodness, Hani really needed to have a talk with her guardians about the amount of time they were spending together. The similarities were uncanny. “You take care of yourself, prongslet, alright? I don’t want to hear about you doing anything your father wouldn’t have done at that age.”

If he’d been talking about James, that would have left plenty on the table, but Hani mumbled underneath her breath about unreasonable requests.

She also bit back a comment about joining the Death Eaters. She had a feeling that one wouldn’t fly with her godfather any more than it would with her dad.

“Love you Siri,” she said instead, trying to muster as much sullenness as she possibly could into three words.

“Love you too, Hani,” her godfather chuckled. “I’ll see you soon. Goodbye, Mr. Thomas.”

“You too!” Dean said with a nervous laugh.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was dragging Hani away from her godfather and onto the Hogwarts Express.

She couldn’t help but giggle at the dazed look on his face.

“That could have gone a lot worse,” she said, grabbing one of Dean’s hands with her free one. “At least you only had to deal with the easy guardian. I promise that as awful as that felt, in this instance, Sirius is the better option.”

“How reassuring,” Dean groaned. He didn’t ask about her other guardian, and Hani didn’t explain any further. “For Merlin’s sake, the third and fourth years have gotten way too confident these past few years. We would have never taken the good carriages.”

“Speak for yourself,” Hani smirked – a quick thing that turned into a pout as soon as they passed yet another full carriage. “The Sisters and I always pick the best seats we can find. We didn’t settle for anything less even when we were younger.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Dean rolled his eyes, though the expression was more fond than genuinely annoyed. “You’re far too clever to let yourself get pushed around by a bunch of fifth-years.”

“That’s right,” Hani grinned.

“And since you’re so clever…” Dean started, looking up and down the train’s corridor before leaning closer to Hani. “I suppose you deserve to be rewarded for your efforts.”

Hani felt the kiss from the tip of her toes to the top of her ears, the pressure of Dean’s lips and hands so very lovely, she sighed a little when he pulled away. He smiled and pecked her lips one more time, quick and soft, before letting his left hand fall from her face – though he kept the right one near her waist, which Hani was painfully aware of.

“Well now we have an even smaller chance of finding a carriage,” Hani whispered, her eyes meeting his ebony gaze for a loaded second.

She looked away with a cough when a pair of second-year Hufflepuffs ran past them, their bright laughter echoing around them even once they’d disappeared further down the hallway.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Dean muttered, his gaze catching on something behind Hani. Before she could so much as blink, he threw the door to a carriage open and levelled the people inside with a deadpan stare. “I thought we taught you better than to take over the fifth-year carriages.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise there was assigned seating,” Ginny blinked up innocently from her spot closest to the window. She’d cut her hair to just above her shoulders, and Hani had to admit it suited her much better than her longer locks. “From what I’ve been told, the Hogwarts Express is on a first-come, first-serve basis. And since Luna and I got on in Plymouth…”

“That’s–” Dean cut himself off, throwing his hands up. “Deviously genius.”

“Well, we didn’t actually have a choice,” Luna giggled. Hani met her gaze and tipped her head forward in a small nod of acknowledgment. Luna’s grin widened. “Daddy thought it would be silly not to take advantage of the new system. And Mrs. Weasley had the yellowest shade to her this morning. I think she was pleased not to have to deal with Ginny any longer than necessary.”

“Hey! I resent that!” Ginny huffed. “Fred and George are far more problematic than I am.”

“And yet, your brothers aren’t the ones that got suspended from the Quidditch team,” Anna said teasingly, shrugging unapologetically when Ginny narrowed her eyes in her direction. “Just stating facts, my lovely friend.”

“Whatever,” Ginny rolled her eyes. “As you can tell, it’s already a tight fit in here, and I don’t think any of us want to suffer through your new romance while we’re trying to enjoy a nice trip back to Hogwarts.”

“We didn’t ask,” Dean pointed out. “Though I’ll remember this moment, Ginevra. If we can’t find a carriage soon, I’m going to be in a foul mood tonight.”

“I reckon you’ll be in a foul mood anyway,” Neil Edwards said, his brows furrowed. “I went through some of the future carriages before I got here, and the atmosphere amongst the fifth-years is off.”

“Really?” Hani frowned. “Are you sure they’re not just hungover?”

“Definitely not,” Neil shook his head.

“Although, if you want to avoid your yearmates for a while longer, your favourite Gryffindor is in the next carriage over,” Andrew Murphy smirked. Hani glared at him, her lips twitching when he laughed loudly. “I don’t think she’s pleased that she and her friends weren’t invited to your party, Harini.”

“Yes, well, I think I’ll live with the guilt,” Hani drawled. “Though, if you want to keep her company Murph, I’m sure she’d welcome such a handsome face with open arms.”

“I think I’ll find a way to live without that particular honour,” Andrew snorted, echoing Hani’s words. “Have fun finding your friends in whatever pitiful carriage they chose. And if you figure out what’s going on with their mood…”

“I’m sure Gryffindor will be abuzz with the latest gossip before we even make it back to the dorms,” Hani huffed. “Between Lavender, her new Gazette crew, and our overall tendency to shove our noses where they don’t belong, I don’t think you’ll have to rely on me at all.”

“But if you’re really desperate to find out right this second, you could always leave the carriage and investigate,” Dean added, chuckling when the gaggle of fourth-years jeered at him. “Hey, don’t count on me to look the other way during patrols if this is how you treat us outside of school hours.”

“When do we ever give you a reason to look the other way?” Colin asked, his eyes so wide and guileless, Hani nudged Dean until he softened his stare and promised Colin he’d always look the other way for him.

“We’ll see you at Hogwarts,” Dean added before leaving, scoffing at Ginny’s snickering and the smug looks on the boys’ faces. Only Colin and Luna gave them genuine goodbyes, waving and promising they’d see them around. The door slid shut in front of Hani and Dean, and they exchanged amused looks. “A bunch of brats, that’s what they are. We definitely weren’t like that last year.”

“Oh, we were far worse,” Hani grinned. “At least those of you who remained at Hogwarts the whole time. Did you know Leo and Tracey once got into trouble for attempting to have an overnight sleepover in the shared common room?”

“I did not know that,” Dean laughed quietly. “Though, now that I’ve gotten to understand Leo a bit better, it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. He’s very… carefree.”

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Hani said. “Though, in his defence, I think he simply doesn’t care much about school. I have to respect that to a certain extent; I never really liked being in class before Hogwarts.”

“What was it like? Before?” Dean asked her softly, twining their fingers together when Hani started picking at the embroidery on the cuffs of her sleeves. “I mean, were you always ridiculously smart? Or is that a Magic thing?”

“A bit of both, I think,” Hani smiled. “I wasn’t a bad student at all, but it’s like I said: I didn’t care. It’s hard to excel at something you forget matters as soon as you step out of school.”

“Ah, so it’s like Herbology,” Dean nodded sagely, and Hani elbowed him, a laugh bubbling up in her throat. “No offence to the subject! I just don’t really get it.”

Hani was still laughing as they passed into the next passenger car, her hand warm in Dean’s, his smile sending red and gold sparks flying around her in restless patterns.

The silence hit her all at once, her chuckles fading as a shiver travelled down her spine.

The few students roaming the corridor were equally quiet, their eyebrows drawn in tight frowns as they searched for their friends.

It was a strange sight for their usually exuberant cohort of fifth years. With only minutes to go before the train’s departure, there should have been chaos and squealing and friends rushing between carriages to find the rest of their group.

“Okay,” Dean murmured. “I get what the fourth years meant now.”

Hani nodded mutely. A quick glance into the carriage closest to her revealed a group of Ravenclaws but, two doors down, she and Dean stumbled upon the Sisters, who’d been joined by Lily and Zabini. The latter had his hand in Parvati’s, their fingers pale from the pressure of Parvati’s grip.

“Hi,” Hani said as she walked in. Dean hovered awkwardly behind her, offering smiles and a wave to Zabini, who returned the gesture with a curt nod. “What’s going on?”

Lily turned then, and Hani sucked in a breath as she looked into red-rimmed eyes, tear-stained cheeks and chapped lips.

“Emma’s house burned down last night,” Lily whispered.

For a second, Hani froze. Worst-case scenarios rushed through her head before she felt Hannah’s steadying hand on her forearm.

“No one was home,” she told Hani with a sad smile. “According to Lily, they made the last-minute decision to celebrate the New Year with cousins in Cardiff.”

“Fuck,” Hani said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Is any of it salvageable?”

Lily pursed her lips, the misery radiating from her answer enough.

Before Hani could second-guess herself, she crossed the distance between them and wrapped Lily in her arms. The Slytherin girl was all bones and angles, but Hani held on anyway, squeezing tightly until she felt some of the tension finally drain from Lily’s figure.

“She’s okay,” she whispered into Lily’s ear, rubbing circles into her back when Lily let out a quiet sob. “Things can be replaced. She’s what matters.”

“I know,” Lily hiccuped. “It’s just– It’s not– It fucking sucks. God, I’m sorry for ruining the mood. I would have gone to someone else, but Morag’s not on the train yet, and Emma– They’re giving her the day off so she and her parents can have a moment to grieve their home together.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Parvati spoke up. Her eyes were still haunted. “She’s fine. Everyone’s fine. If talking to us helps you be fine as well, then we’re happy for you to stick around for the rest of the train ride.”

“Absolutely,” Dean agreed. Hani stepped away from Lily and turned back to look at him. His eyes were fixed on Lily, sad and empathetic. As soon as Hani left Lily’s bubble, he took her place, rubbing Lily’s back soothingly and guiding her towards the seat beside Padma. 

Hani watched them with a smile.

“He’s a good guy,” Lisa whispered into Hani’s ear. She startled, raising a hand to her chest as she glared at her friend. “Sorry. But he is. When Lily first told us, I had no idea what to do. The two of you are much better at this kind of stuff.”

“Yes, that’s why we’re the Gryffindors,” Hani huffed out a soft laugh. It petered out as soon as her gaze fell onto Lily again. Her knees were curled beneath her chin, her hands trembling until Padma reached out and hesitantly steadied them with her own. “I’m glad Emma’s okay. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose a yearmate like that, let alone a friend.”

She shuddered a little at the thought.

It was – by far – the most sombre return to Hogwarts she’d ever experienced.

By the time the welcome-back dinner was over, the entire school had heard about Emma’s plight, and the atmosphere in the Great Hall had turned bleak. Younger students – mostly Slytherins – had dashed out of the hall as soon as McGonagall had dismissed them, older students following behind to offer whatever comfort they could muster.

And all throughout the night, Hani couldn’t quite shake the chill that had seeped into her bones as soon as Lily had mentioned the fire. Couldn’t stop imagining a heap of ashes darkening the winter landscape, Emma standing in front of the remains of the home she’d always known.

For the first time since the Yule Ball, her nightmares didn’t feature Voldemort at all.

The hall was lighter in the morning.

The weather had turned in their favour; the sun illuminated their tables as they sat down for breakfast and exchanged greetings with their friends. When Hani looked over at the fifth-year Slytherins, she was relieved to find Emma sitting there, a small smile on her face, tucked between Lily and Astoria’s muggleborn friend.

Malfoy had wisely decided to sit away from them, keeping his eyes on his plate rather than gawking at their newly-returned yearmate. Instead, Bulstrode and Theodore sat across from the group of muggleborns, seemingly entertaining a polite conversation with the trio. Benign and common enough not to warrant a letter from their parents, but a message nevertheless.

Perhaps Theodore would pass it off as an attempt to glean information from their enemies, if his father were to ask. But Hani had a feeling that if she was the one asking questions, he would shrug, blush, and pretend not to know what she was talking about.

“Well, it’s a good thing she’s back,” Dean commented as he noticed the direction of Hani’s gaze. “It would have felt bad to beat them on Saturday if they were missing one of their teammates because of such an awful situation.”

“Eh, I don’t know,” Ron said with a teasing grin. “I doubt beating Slytherin could ever truly feel bad. I like Emma as much as the next person does, but I don’t owe the rest of the snakes anything.”

“Oh, come on,” Seamus chuckled, nudging Ron’s shoulder. “There are plenty of good eggs in there. I hate to say it, but they’re far from the worst when it comes to the seating chart arrangement. Some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are absolute twats.”

“Seamus has a point,” Dean laughed. “I mean, if you asked me if I’d rather hang out with Parkinson or Malone, it wouldn’t be an easy decision. Even Perks has her strange moments.”

Hani winced a little at the reminder of just who Dean had to spend his time with in and out of the classroom. For all that she had to patrol with Theodore, she at least knew where his loyalties lied, trusted him not to give her away no matter the incentive, and was able to relax around her seating partners.

“Sure,” Ron shrugged. “Doesn’t change anything when it comes to Quidditch. I’m sure Emma will fight fiercely, but I’m also sure we’ll beat the hell out of them and get to brag about it for weeks to come. And it’s going to feel damned good when we do.”

“Has Angelina announced the final line-up for Saturday?” Hani asked Ron. Her spot on the team was a given, but she knew Angelina had still been deliberating between McLaggen and Ron before they’d split for the Yule holidays. “I mean, she’d be a fool to pick that jerk over you, but it’d be nice to have confirmation.”

“She’s taking us out on the pitch tonight,” Ron replied, his face turning faintly green at the thought. He pushed his half-empty plate away from him. “Oh, Merlin, I’m going to get shown up by Gryffindor’s most irritating member. You know what, maybe I should give up now and tell Angelina to let Cormac have it. That would be less humiliating, right?”

“Don’t be a coward, Ron,” Fay huffed, shoving his plate forward until he could reach it again. “Have some breakfast, focus on classes, and don’t worry about that oaf. He’ll get what’s coming for him. You’re going to kill it out there. I’ll keep you company after Divination. I’m sure Hani can run some drills with you until then.”

“Sounds good to me,” Hani said, smiling at Ron. “I’m no star chaser, but I can certainly help you warm up and gain a bit of that confidence you seem to have lost over Yule.”

“It’s just being around everyone at home again,” Ron blushed, his cheeks and ears turning a vivid shade of red. “They’re so– much. And they’re so good at Quidditch, I always feel like I’m fumbling next to them. You know what I mean.”

“I think that’s bullshit,” Dean scoffed. “None of your siblings are Keepers, are they? Which means you’re one of a kind. And if it makes you feel better, I’ll tag along as well. It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to practise, and it would do me some good to get back on a broom.”

“I’ll ask Ginny to join us too,” Hani added, her sparks dancing happily at the thought of enjoying one of her favourite things with some of her favourite people. “We can’t afford to have her getting sloppy just because she can’t play on the team for a while longer. No, don’t give me that look, you know she’ll want to help, and she’ll be a lot more ruthless than Dean and I could ever be with a Quaffle.”

“What about you, Nev?” Seamus asked, leaning over Ron to catch Neville’s eye. “Are you finally going to make your Quidditch debut?”

“Sod off, Seamus,” Neville laughed, his cheeks a dusty shade of pink. “I’ll come and watch. Give my strategic advice from the stands.”

“I’d love to join in as well, but I’ve got my Gazette meeting with the other members who don’t have class at that time,” Lavender said, her eyes lit up with delight. “We’re working on the final details so the first edition can go out on Sunday. All we’ll have left to write is the article on the first Quidditch match, which Junpei and Colin are going to handle. Can you believe it’s this close to being done?”

“Yes,” Sophie drawled. “Because it’s all you’ve been talking about this morning. I swear, you woke up with the word ‘Gazette’ on your tongue.”

“It’s a pity you’ll miss out on the practice,” Hani pouted. “You give far better praise than Neville ever could.”

“I’d give better praise if we were in the greenhouses,” Neville huffed. “It’s not my fault you don’t have any interest in running a gardening competition. Too obsessed with your little sports to focus on the things that really matter.”

“No-one likes a complainer, Nev,” Fay chuckled. “And I promise we’ll go down to the greenhouses with you someday. Eventually. At some point in the next two years and a half. Probably.”

“I could go with you.”

They turned in unison towards Erin, who’d been strangely quiet ever since their return to Hogwarts.

It was back to her same old, unpredictable routine; one day, she couldn’t stop talking and bragging and getting on their nerves, the next she would be silently plotting, only speaking up when she felt like it would get her the attention she desired.

“Ah, that’s nice of you Erin,” Neville said bashfully. “But you’ve got Divination as well, don’t you? And Runes after that. I’ll be fine in the stands. Especially since Hani gifted me one of her magical jumpers for Yule.”

“Now we can all match,” Dean nodded with a grin and a squeeze of Hani’s hand. She knew most of the Gryffindors in her year were wearing their jumpers under their robes as they spoke, wanting to take full advantage of the enchantments she’d weaved into the knitted fabric. She’d purposefully done them in shades of red, gold, grey and black, so they wouldn’t stand out against their uniforms.

“I wish mine had been blue instead,” Erin said right then, and the rest of their table shot her a baffled look. “What? It would suit me better. I’m so tired of wearing Gryffindor colours all the time. It was nice at first, but I’m over it now.”

“I just don’t think the professors would appreciate you showing up in a blue jumper,” Parvati said dryly, rolling her eyes when Erin shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey, if you want to transfigure it blue, ruin Hani’s careful work, and get yourself into trouble, it’s your choice. I certainly won’t be the one to stop you.”

“Oh, is that the time already?” Fay said with an exaggerated gasp, standing and grabbing her satchel in a wide gesture. “We’re going to be late to Charms if we don’t hurry now. Let’s get moving.”

Hani bit back a laugh when she spotted Parvati’s pouting face, clearly frustrated at having the wind taken out of her sails. She recovered quickly when Lavender sidled up to her left, Hani to her right, and they started a conversation about the Gazette, their hopes for their first day back, and their eagerness to have their first class with the Ravenclaws rather than the Hufflepuffs – who tended to be a little too cheery at eight in the morning, at least for Parvati’s sensibilities.

The three girls linked arms as they walked towards their Charms classroom, meeting up with Padma and Lisa halfway there, and Hani smiled as her sparks flitted amongst her friends.

It would be a good day.

Hannah found her right after lunch, catching the hem of Hani’s sleeve and dragging her away from her group of smiling Gryffindors. Dean was tugged along with her, their interlaced fingers making the movement awkward and janky.

“Sorry,” Hannah grimaced when she spotted Dean. “I didn’t mean to…”

“All good,” Dean laughed. “I’ll let you two talk?”

“I– Yeah,” Hannah said after a moment’s hesitation. “You’ll probably– It’s– I’m not sure–”

“Hey, it’s all good,” Dean said, frowning slightly. “You don’t owe me an explanation. If it’s anything I need to know, I’m sure I’ll find out about it later. Feel free to join us on the pitch afterwards if you and Hani are still happy to join. We’re trying to get Ron to relax before his big trial tonight.”

“Sounds good,” Hannah smiled. 

Dean smiled back, but Hani had straightened at the sight of her friend’s strained features. There was no spark in her eyes, no real emotion in the tilt of her lips.

“I’ll catch you when I can,” she told Dean, leaning over to press a short kiss to his cheek before letting go of his hand with one last squeeze. “Tell Ginny she should lead the session while I’m gone. It’ll give her a good taste for the captain position.”

Dean’s smile was softer when he looked at her and, despite her worry over Hannah, Hani felt herself melt a little at the genuine fondness she recognised in his gaze.

“Alright,” she said as soon as he left, waving away the remnants of her silly feelings to focus on Hannah. “Let’s find somewhere quiet to talk. Do you want to go to the Sister’s room? We could go to the main common room, but it might not be as empty.”

“I know a spot,” Hannah murmured, tilting her head to the side and leading Hani down the path she knew would take them to the kitchens and, eventually, to the Hufflepuff rooms.

Instead of walking straight, however, Hannah took a sharp left at the first intersection, a sharp right just a few steps later, and opened the heavy wooden door that had appeared just in front of them.

Hani blinked at the sight of ingredients of all sorts piled high, stretching from the floor to the ceiling in labelled boxes and bags.

“The elves don’t really pop in here,” Hannah explained with a shrug. “And the other Hufflepuffs prefer to use it at night. Completely unsanitary, if you ask me, but I know the elves have a separate pantry they use. This is mostly reserve stocks they’ll use if there’s ever an emergency.”

“How lovely,” Hani said, making a note to herself never to touch the items on these shelves. Though, surely, the ingredients at the top must have made it out unscathed. “Did you want to–”

“There was a kid missing at breakfast this morning,” Hannah cut her off. Her brows were drawn together tightly, her lips pressed in a thin line. “Archie Lane. I noticed it immediately because he’s usually trying to slip off to the Gryffindor table to sit with his crush. His best friend said he’d been pulled aside in the common room by Professor Pyrites, but she didn’t know anything else.”

“Okay,” Hani frowned. “Is he alright?”

“No.”

It was a single word, but it was enough for Hannah’s voice to break, for her eyes to well up, and for one of her trembling hands to find Hani’s.

“Hani,” she whispered, her words watery. “His parents di–”

She cut herself off with a sob. Hani felt the statement spear through her heart anyway.

Archie Lane, she thought, was a child she remembered in the form of smiling blue eyes, perpetually messy hair, and an air of constant happiness. She knew him through bitten-back laughter and whispers swapped with Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Slytherins and Ravenclaws alike.

She couldn’t picture his face now, but something in her broke anyway, because her mind screamed at her that he was good.

“Was it another attack in the Muggle world?” She asked, because there were so many muggleborns and half-bloods in the younger years, it would – devastatingly, heartbreakingly – make sense.

“I don’t know,” Hannah hiccupped. “Professor– Sprout doesn’t know. Professor Pyrites isn’t– at school right now. He’s been– gone all day.”

Hani tugged Hannah into her arms.

They were the same height now. Hani had caught up to her in the summer, and it was easy for her to wrap her arms around Hannah’s shoulders and hold her as close to her heart as she could manage.

“It’s not fair,” Hannah sobbed into her hair, and Hani–

Hani didn’t say anything, because of course it wasn’t. 

But it had always been this way, hadn’t it?

It hadn’t been fair when she’d lost her parents either, but that was the way the world went. Sometimes, parents died.

She didn’t say that to Hannah. Instead, she hummed softly, rubbed circles into her friend’s back, and listened as she cried and cried and cried.

“He’s so young, Hani.” Those words came later, when sobs had turned to harsh breathing and tears had turned to tracks on her cheeks. “And he– How do you come back from this? How do you recover from your parents’ death?”

She wasn’t looking at Hani as she spoke. Hani was glad for it.

She wouldn’t know what to say to someone who expected her to understand what that pain felt like. She missed her mother and father, but she’d never had to deal with the unfathomable heartbreak that Archie was surely experiencing as they spoke.

“He’ll have his friends by his side,” she said gently. “And you. Professor Pyrites. Uncles and aunts and cousins, hopefully.”

“But what if they don’t–”

This time, she did stop herself. Caught something in Hani’s gaze that made her pause mid-sentence.

Hani smiled sadly.

“We’ll look out for him,” she said. A promise. “Things are better now.”

“Hani–”

“Do you know when he’ll be back? We’ll have to make sure we talk to the students in his year group so they at least have a vague understanding of what’s going on. Death is… hard to grasp at their age. Not as hard as it is for Muggles, but still difficult nevertheless.”

“It’s always difficult,” Hannah said, her sad eyes never leaving Hani’s face. “Hani, I’m so–”

“You don’t have anything to apologise for,” Hani smiled sincerely – or as sincerely as she could in the face of horrific news, she supposed. “If you ever need someone to talk to and you want that person to be me, I’ll always be there. No matter what.”

It was Hannah’s turn to stay silent.

She took Hani’s hand as they left the pantry, whispering about ways to break the news to Archie’s friends without causing too much pain or panic.

Hani truly didn’t need an apology, but she kept her fingers curled around Hannah’s anyway.

She had a feeling Hannah needed it more than she did.

The news had spread.

Their second breakfast back at Hogwarts was subdued, especially in the half of the hall the Gryffindors shared with their yellow and black-clad classmates.

Archie hadn’t come back, and Hani expected he wouldn’t for at least a week. Time for him to grieve, to sort out his custody, to figure out what the world looked like without his parents in it.

Professor Pyrites was seated with the second-year Hufflepuffs, but Hani could tell it was costing him to be there. His eyes were downcast, his features sallow, and the smiles he mustered up for the sake of the younger students were devoid of their usual warmth. Hani wondered if Remus knew what had happened. Would they grant him a reprieve from his role as a chaperone for the sake of someone he cared about? Would Remus dare to ask?

For Professor Pyrites’ sake, she hoped he did.

“It’s awful,” Parvati whispered.

Her eyes were fixed on Pyrites and the gaggle of students around him. Amongst all the black and yellow, Hani spotted red and gold, silver and green, bronze and blue. Archie’s friends gathered around the one person who had seen him and supported him as he found out he’d gone from having two healthy parents to being an orphan.

“They haven’t heard from him,” Dean said softly. He kept nibbling at his bottom lip, his teeth darting out to pull at the irritated skin until all that was left was swollen red. Hani wished she had the energy to soothe him. 

She didn’t even know if she’d managed to soothe herself. She’d spent the whole night with her eyes closed, red and gold dancing behind her eyelids, sleep eluding her.

“I wouldn’t know what to say either,” Seamus murmured. Hani had never heard him so quiet before. “What would you write in a letter like that? Would you share the details of what you’d learned? Tell them that you’re heartbroken?”

“I don’t think I would even be able to pick up a quill,” Ron admitted. “I don’t know if I’d manage to talk to my siblings, let alone you guys. It’s just, what– How do you put that into words?”

They all paused.

Dear Daphne, her letter would start. Please come, it would continue. I can’t do it alone. 

She wondered if Archie had considered it. Had he put a quill to parchment – pen to paper – and watched as the ink slowly spread, mixing with his tears? Had he considered who to write to, who he would allow to see the rawest part of him?

Was he sitting somewhere now, alone? 12 years old and parentless with no friends to hold his hand and no magical family to take him in? 

She hoped he had someone.

“I’m not hungry,” Lavender said in the midst of their silence. She pushed her plate to the side and stood. “I’m going to head down to Care early. See if the unicorns are around.”

The others looked at her gratefully, shuffling out of their seats and ignoring the food they left behind. Dean kissed Hani’s cheek before he left, murmuring a sweet goodbye and a promise to see her later as he made to stand.

Erin, Seamus and Hani stayed behind, their schedules free for the first two hours of their day.

Hani wished she had something to keep her mind busy, wished she had a reason to visit a herd of unicorns and bury her head in the sand for a little while. Maybe even until Archie had returned and no longer felt like a ghost haunting their consciences.

“I’m going back to bed,” Seamus announced after a few more minutes of silence, broken only by the whispers of the sixth and fourth-years to either side of them. “Fuck this. I don’t want to be awake for any longer than I have to on a day like this.”

“Yeah,” Erin breathed out. “I’ll head up with you. If that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Seamus said, and Hani knew he meant it. When he turned to her with a question in his eyes, she shook her head ever-so-slightly.

Two tables down, Tracey had caught her eye, a question of her own painted over her features, and Hani thought she’d provide a better distraction than sleep ever could.

“Okay, well I’ll see y–”

He cut himself off with a frown.

Professor Alderton was striding down the length of Gryffindor table with a tight look and a bundle of parchment fisted in his hands. Tension radiated from him.

He stopped a few steps away from the trio of fifth years. His eyes met Olivia Cooper’s.

“Miss Cooper, if you’re not busy?” He asked, the question more order than request.

Olivia stood with a shrug and only the slightest furrow of her brows.

Hani’s gaze followed them as they left not through the usual door, but through the side entrance the professors used to come and go from their offices without having to run into students.

“Yeah, I’m not going to think about that right now,” Seamus mumbled. “Erin?”

“Coming,” the girl in question said, slinging her satchel over her shoulder and waving briefly at Hani before stalking out of the hall on Seamus’ heels.

Hani watched them go, her stomach tying itself into knots.

She wished Severus was in attendance, if only so she could look at him for comfort.

If only so she could convince herself there was nothing insidious going on.

But he wasn’t there, and the pit in her stomach widened.

She didn’t know how long she stayed there, staring at the Head Table as though she could will her father into existence. Eventually, Tracey’s warm hand found her limp one, and she let herself get dragged out of the room.

Still, there was lead in her shoes and alarm bells ringing in her head.

Her Magic itched.

She could feel Tracey sitting across from her. Their knees were almost touching, and her red and gold sparks had stretched out around them like a fragile shield. If she focused hard enough, she thought she could almost see the rise and fall of her friend’s chest. A remnant of the weeks they’d spent practising legilimency, she supposed, along with her Magic’s heightened awareness when it came to Tracey.

The extra magic in the room was making her restless. Her Black blood longed for a needle in her hand, and her Evans blood sang forlornly along with it.

“Fuck,” she snapped, opening her eyes and laying down on the rug behind her.

The pretence of meditation wasn’t doing anything for her or her nerves. Her Occlumency shields were as strong as they were going to get for the time being, and her Magic wouldn’t let her fully sink into the floating state she and Tracey had been trying to achieve.

To her surprise, Tracey didn’t complain about the interruption. Instead, she winced as she flopped down next to Hani, their heads inches away from each other.

“I’m shite at this Occlumency stuff,” Tracey sighed. “No luck on your end either?”

“My Occlumency’s fine,” Hani shrugged awkwardly, the fabric of the rug scrunching up around her shoulders. “But it doesn’t get rid of the thoughts or the Magic. I need to be doing something.”

“Yeah,” Tracey frowned slightly, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. “I almost wish I was the type of person who could just… sit for a moment. Not that I want to think about any of this, but I also don’t know– I’m not sure there’s anything I could do that would make this feel better, you know? A kid lost his parents. It sucks no matter how you look at it.”

Hani hummed.

“I’d duel if I could,” she murmured. “Go out to the training grounds with Angelina and have a proper fight. I’d use my Blood Magic if I thought I could get away with it. Make myself feel useful for once.”

“Yeah,” Tracey said again, softer this time. “Do you think it was a Death Eater attack?”

“I think that, even if it wasn’t, the fact that we considered it is a problem,” Hani answered tightly. “They tell us not to worry, but what are they doing to stop it? We’re supposed to just… sit around and go to class while people die? Bloody stupid. We’ve got magic.”

Tracey nodded.

“We’ll go out this weekend,” she told Hani. “You and I, without anyone to watch us. You can practise some of the spells that can be passed off as regular curses, and then you can finally teach me how to fight. We both know I’m not going on the Programme next year, so I might as well learn before it’s too late.”

“Okay,” Hani agreed. “We’ll find your affinity. Figure out what works best for you. Make sure you’re ready whenever–”

Tracey hummed. She didn’t add anything else.

Parvati would have felt the same way, Hani knew, but it felt nice to have Tracey there. Tracey, who never judged and who always understood Hani’s deep-seated need to do something.

She wondered if Tracey felt that itch too, if she’d started feeling it as soon as she’d heard about little Archie and the parents he’d lost.

“You should practise Vitiosus Vulnus,” Tracey said a few minutes later. She sat up, gesturing at the empty space they usually reserved for Hani’s minor blood rituals. “We could transfigure one of the chairs into a dummy, and you could finally get a feel for the offensive side of things.” 

“I haven’t–”

“Oh, don’t lie to me, Harini Potter,” Tracey snorted, the hint of a smile gracing her face for the first time that morning. “I’ve seen you flick to those pages. You’re just like your mother; eager to find out more and get into the thick of it. She wouldn’t have wanted you to stick to healing spells, ritual spells and potions.”

If anyone else had spoken of her mother so casually, Hani wouldn’t have been able to hold herself accountable for the way her temper flared. But coming from Tracey, whom she knew had read the Grimoire as carefully as Hani had, it felt almost like a compliment.

“She was a fighter,” Hani said, her lips twitching as she imagined her brilliant mother putting men to their knees with the barest movement of her wrist. “I guess it’s fitting that we will be as well.”

“So… Vitiosus?”

“Why not?” Hani huffed. “The war’s coming either way.”

Professor Alderton had returned by lunchtime, but his classes for the afternoon had been cancelled. He hadn’t been in the Great Hall for lunch, his presence in the castle having been announced by Cedric and Wren instead.

When Cedric had stopped by Gryffindor table with the news, he’d slipped two pieces of parchment to Dean and Hani. Requests for an urgent, mandatory Prefects’ meeting once classes were done for the day.

Professor McGonagall had signed the missive herself.

Hani had curled her hand around the message and watched as the paper crinkled until the writing would be beyond recognition. When Lavender had looked at her questioningly, she’d shrugged and explained they would have to absent themselves at the end of the day.

She didn’t let herself theorise.

She was grateful for her busy afternoon, for the rigour of Transfiguration and the exacting nature of Arithmancy. She threw herself into her work, her wand movements impeccable and her pronunciation sharper than it had ever been before. Even Professor Vector commended her for her latest Arithmancy structure, something which usually only happened when Daphne was around.

Dean was waiting for her outside the Arithmancy classroom. Hannah and Justin hovered right behind him, their heads bent close together.

They gathered silently, letting the rest of their classmates trickle down the corridor before they spoke.

Finally, it was just the eight of them.

Hani pulled her Prefect robes out of her bag and donned them like armour. She watched the other girls do the same thing, smoothing their hands over the fabric as though getting rid of the wrinkles would somehow make the meeting painless.

“Whatever happens in there,” Justin finally said, his voice hard. “I need you to stand behind me. Behind us.”

“What could–”

“I just… I just need that promise,” Justin cut Lisa off. His fists were bunched at his sides, his cheeks puffy, his eyes red. “Please?”

They nodded. 

When they moved towards the Prefect room, Lily was the one to step forward and take his hands until they relaxed, his fingers no longer a frightening shade of white.

Theodore wouldn’t meet any of their gazes.

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Dean whispered to her as they approached their dreaded destination. “We’ll make it through this.”

Hani smiled tightly.

If Dean needed hollow words to make himself feel better, she wouldn’t stop him, but she stayed silent as they filed into the room she usually adored. Now, she could barely stand the thought of taking her usual seat.

As though this was just another Saturday check-in.

As though Professor McGonagall wasn’t standing at the front of the room, flanked by every Head of House and Deputy Head, their faces stony.

No one dared talk as they waited for the last group of seventh-year Prefects to walk in.

Hani tapped her free hand anxiously against the table in front of her, the other one begging to be released from Dean’s relentless grip.

The air was heavy with fear and nervous anticipation.

As soon as the three remaining Prefects appeared, Professor McGonagall raised her wand.

The feeling of wards being erected was so familiar to Hani by now, she shivered a little and straightened in her seat as she felt them rise around them. These were the kinds of wards that were put up when the caster had no idea what kind of reaction they would get out of their audience.

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” McGonagall started. She didn’t smile. Hani preferred it that way. “I’m sure by now, you have all heard about the unfortunate passing of Archie Lane’s parents.”

They acknowledged her mutely, with tilts of their head and dips of their chins.

“At the time, we were not made aware of the circumstances of their… death,” she continued. “I am here to tell you they were not casualties in a mass terrorist attack like the ones we have witnessed in the past year.”

Dean let out a sigh of relief. Hannah deflated. Michael sat back in his chair, some of the tension evaporating from his figure.

But in that brief moment of relaxation, they missed it.

Theodore tensed and, across from them, Wren’s gaze flickered to him. Their eyes met for less than a second, but Hani felt her stomach drop.

“That isn’t to say–” McGonagall paused, her breath hitching. “That is not to say that this wasn’t an attack. Mister Lane’s family were not random casualties; they were targeted. A mark was left in their home, identifying their attackers.”

Hani fought the urge to find Severus amongst the other teachers, to make him confirm what she already knew.

She saw understanding – the awful, terrible kind – dawn on the other Prefects’ features. She felt it take over her own face, prickle at the back of her eyes and her throat.

“Last night–”

Professor McGonagall’s words were cut off by a strangled sob. The entire room turned to look at Louise, who was shaking her head, one hand pressed to her mouth.

“Last night,” McGonagall murmured, “the same group attacked Olivia Cooper’s mother and stepfather in their home. Both had passed by the time Muggle law enforcement were made aware of a disturbance.”

Louise’s cries pierced through the silence like barbed wire. Hani swallowed back bile and tears alike, the sound uncomfortable and too loud compared to the rest of the room. Joshua was holding her hand, but he seemed to barely be holding back his own torrent of emotions.

“As the rest of the school becomes aware of this development, we ask that you direct any students who are struggling with the news towards your Heads and Deputy Heads. For your own sakes, we would ask that you not try to handle the burden of their shock and grief yourselves,” McGonagall added, her sad eyes stuck on Louise’s shaking form. “We understand that this is– unfathomable. Younger students especially will be distressed, and we are committed to giving them the support they need. In order to make the news less stressful, we have decided to keep the circumstances of these deaths quiet. The Lanes and Whites will be sorely missed and their deaths will be treated with respect, but we cannot afford the panic that would get out if the other students realised what was going on outside these walls.”

A chair scraped against the floor.

Bailey stood, her eyes blazing with fire. Hani watched, wide-eyed, as Hattie moved to stand behind her.

Without hesitation, Justin and Lily followed suit. When Justin’s gaze met hers, Hani nodded.

She wouldn’t break her promise.

She hoped the others wouldn’t either.

“I thought better of you, professor,” Bailey all but spat. “I thought you would at least have the decency to acknowledge the quiet parts out loud. I would have never taken you for such a coward.”

“Miss Wint–”

“On Monday night, Emma Vane’s house burned down. On Tuesday, it was Archie Lane’s turn. And yesterday, Olivia’s. Do you think we’re fools? Do you not think we keep tabs on our own? Do you think me careless , Professor, when it comes to the people whose homes have been in danger for over a year now?”

“I assure y–”

“I learned all of their names!” Bailey cried out, her hands lashing out in front of her. “I comforted them when they lost friends or family to reckless attacks by Death Eaters that the Ministry refuses to acknowledge. When they sent out panicked letters to their parents, hoping beyond hope that none of them had been caught in the crossfire, I was the one to hold their hand. Hattie was the one to feed them. Justin and Lily listened to their worries and never flinched. Where were you then? How dare you pretend to care about muggleborns now that lives have already been lost. They were at risk all along!”

McGonagall didn’t move, her face stricken. Behind her, the other professors’ features were caught in pained grimaces.

Hani felt sick, the knowledge crawling over her uneasily.

“The second Archie was called out of school, I asked myself which of his family members had been killed,” Bailey hissed. “These attacks have always been targeted, professor, no matter what you may have convinced yourself of on that mighty throne of yours.”

“Of course, Miss Winters,” McGonagall finally responded, her words soft and hesitant. “Forgive me for my poor choice of words.”

“I can forgive you for that,” Bailey sneered, “but not for the suggestion that we keep things quiet. How could I live with myself if another student lost their family when we could have done something to warn them? You want me to go out there, warn my parents, and then let all of the others rot? Absolutely fucking not.”

Professor Prewett was the one to speak this time, his tone calmer than McGonagall’s.

“No one can be alerted,” he said. All four of the muggleborns in the room bristled. “As Professor McGonagall said, panic is the last thing we want to incite right now. If muggleborns and their parents are made aware of the situation–”

“They could live?” Bailey interrupted, bitter laughter bubbling past her lips. “They could survive and get to see their children graduate? They could give their children a chance at a normal life, in which they don’t have to deal with shitty guardians who either won’t understand their Magic or who will look down on them for their blood status?”

She was yelling now, and Hani felt herself get smaller in her chair, desperate to get away from here. Her gaze jumped from Prewett to Bailey and back again, silently begging the professors not to make things worse.

Bailey was clearly terrified, and Hani didn’t think she would listen to anything they had to say.

“If you would let us explain, I assure you we are trying to do what is best for all of your families,” Prewett tried to pitch his voice to be gentle and welcoming, but Hani winced at how condescending it came out.

“No, no you’re not!” Bailey screamed. “You’re doing what’s best for you and the Ministry’s fucked up political plans! But you don’t get it! We’re not all like Potter, getting the luxury of a perfect guardian handed on a silver platter. Some of these kids won’t survive without their parents, professor.”

“Woah, Bailey.”

She stopped at the sound of Justin’s voice.

Hani felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“Fuck, Harini–”

Hani shook her head and looked away from Bailey’s devastated eyes.

“Miss Winters,” Professor Prewett continued, taking advantage of her momentary lapse to gain control of the situation. Hani had no idea how he’d managed to keep his cool. If she was in his spot, she would have either burst into tears or started screaming right back. “We believe the Death Eaters already have eyes on multiple muggleborn families. They obviously have access to their addresses, and they would need to scout out the locations in advance if they wanted their plans to go off without a hitch. If hundreds of owls go out today and families try to escape their homes, do you understand what would happen?”

Bailey didn’t have an answer to that.

Hani wished she didn’t understand what Prewett was implying. She wished she hadn’t had anything to eat that day so her stomach could stop churning. She wished Archie and Olivia hadn’t been pulled out of school. She wished that, against all odds, the world had been a bit fairer to them for once.

“We are doing what we can,” Professor McGonagall said softly. She walked closer to Bailey until the table was the only thing separating them. “We are using our own forces, both from the Ministry and outside of it, to try and get the situation under control. If we can evacuate any families safely, we will. I can promise you that much. But panic– Panic would be deadly.”

Bailey swallowed loudly. She didn’t meet McGonagall’s gaze as she nodded.

“I understand,” she whispered. “And I–”

“Do not apologise, Miss Winters,” McGonagall said sternly. “You have made some very valid points today. I’m ashamed we have not done more to support you already. Even if you cannot share the details with your peers yet, I hope you know my door is always open for you and any student who feels powerless in such trying times.”

No response came.

“Very well,” their Deputy Headmistress sighed. “You are dismissed. If any of you wish to stay to ask questions or simply to have a shoulder to lean on, I will be here.”

Hani wrenched her hand out of Dean’s as she stood.

“Harini!” Bailey called from behind her.

But Hani felt sick, and her Magic itched, and she felt like a damned fool for not having known more about the other students at Hogwarts, and she didn’t want to look at Bailey right now.

She didn’t want to look at anyone.

She didn’t want anyone to worry about her when there were other students out there whose parents had died .

“Why didn’t you know?”

The question escaped her before she could even think to stop it.

The second he shut the door to his quarters behind him, she descended on Severus with a broken voice and eyes that burned from the urge to cry.

Her father stared at her for a moment, his gaze sad and heavy. He sighed, shook his head, and crossed the space between them in three long strides.

His breathing was choppy and his grip too tight, but it made him feel more alive to Hani than ever before. She gripped his robes with trembling hands and didn’t bother hiding her own hiccuping breaths.

“Why didn’t you know?” She repeated, a sob threatening to break through what she’d hoped would be a collected effort at a serious conversation. “Why couldn’t you stop it?”

Severus placed his hands on her shoulders as he put space between them. They were steadier than her own, and they gave her something to keep her grounded.

The stone-cold exterior he’d maintained in front of the other Prefects had vanished, leaving behind exhaustion and sadness and– guilt, perhaps. He’d dropped his Death Eater pretence the second he’d stepped through the door, but Hani realised now it had probably been easier for him to convince himself he didn’t care. Professor Snape, Death Eater, didn’t have to deal with grief and empathy and regret. But Severus Snape, Harini’s father, did.

“I made a choice, Harini,” he told her quietly. “When I adopted you, I had to put my ambitions as a spy to the side. I still contribute to the cause, and you know I do what I can to gather information for the Headmaster, but I stepped away from any role I could have had as the Dark Lord’s right-hand man. I would never take that choice back, do you hear me? However, it means I have to live with the knowledge that I will not be made privy to the Dark Lord’s most well-kept secrets.”

“But surely, a plan like this…”

“There are people the Dark Lord trusts with these kinds of things,” her father frowned.

Nott, Hani thought. Avery. Carrow.

“He cannot plan everything alone,” Severus said bitterly. “From what I’ve heard of the Order’s investigation into the– the crime scenes, these murders were methodical. There are signs of some of his usual fighters, but the careful organisation implies someone else was in charge.”

Had Theodore known? Had Wren? Had they suspected their fathers had been organising a murder spree while they celebrated the New Year?

“What’s the point of you being a spy if you can’t even stop things like this?” Hani whispered desperately. “You’re risking your life for– for what, dad?”

“For all the young people in the Dark Lord’s ranks who can still be guided towards the right path,” her father answered instantly. He forced her to meet his gaze as he spoke. “For you, so that I may stand between you and Him if he ever dares approach you. For every bit of good I can sneak into the Death Eaters without him noticing.”

Hani grit her teeth.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop this, Harini,” he added, one of his hands coming up to wipe the quiet tears streaming down her cheeks. “They didn’t deserve to die.”

“No one ever does,” she murmured. “I just don’t know how we’re supposed to live with ourselves knowing we could be doing something to help.”

“There isn’t– Harini, look at me.”

She glanced up into his dark eyes.

“There isn’t anything we can do or could have done differently to stop this from happening,” he said. His voice was full of conviction, but the hole in Hani’s gut didn’t feel any less empty because of it. “The things the Dark Lord does, the things his loyal followers are willing to do for him… Harini, the murders weren’t simply statements of hatred. They were a carnage, do you understand? Beyond the politics and the targeted attempts on innocent lives, there is a sickness I hope you will never have to understand or witness.”

“But you have?”

“Yes,” her father replied, his tone leaving no room for interpretation. He’d been on both ends of the massacre, and Hani reckoned they had been equally horrifying. “Even when you are part of a war, even when you are an active soldier trying to salvage whatever peace you may, there are some things, some horrors that will always end in death.”

“You’re only saying that because you don’t want me to get involved,” Hani muttered, her brows drawn together.

“Perhaps,” Severus hummed. “Or perhaps I am telling you what I wish someone had told me at your age. The guilt isn’t yours to carry, Harini.”

But she didn’t believe it was guilt she was feeling. It wasn’t regret that was eating her up from the inside out. It was a hunger fueled by sparks of red and gold, a desire to use the Magic she’d been blessed with to do something more than sit around and learn Arithmantic sequences.

It reminded her of the piece of parchment – ripped from a book, most likely – that her mother had tucked into the back of the Evans Grimoire.

Blood and Elemental wixen are a Precaution. In times of war, when wixen are dealt unfathomable odds, Blood and Elemental wixen will appear. They will be blessed with Magic that can level armies if used correctly, and they will have the power to bring peace once more.

“I have so much Magic,” she told her father, the words soft but certain.

She didn’t often admit it to herself, didn’t like to think about the amount of power that ran through her veins, but she knew, deep down, that there was a well of Magic within her that many wouldn’t even be able to fathom. 

“And I will do everything I can to make sure you get to see it grow to its fullest potential,” Severus said. 

“So, once I turn seventeen…”

“Once you turn seventeen, I hope to Merlin this damned war will be long gone,” her father said, pursing his lips.

Unfortunately, there was a world of difference between hope and reality.

Her dad could hope the war would be over, but it didn’t mean he believed it. He could hope Hani would listen to him and stay on the sidelines, but it wouldn’t stop her from doing whatever she wanted to.

The guilt wasn’t hers to carry, no. It belonged to the Death Eaters who had murdered innocent Muggles in the name of their twisted Lord and their nauseating belief that non-magical lives mattered less than magical ones.

Hani couldn’t bring back the parents her schoolmates had lost, but she could do everything in her power to save as many lives as possible.

She thought of Tracey sitting in their secret room, encouraging Hani as she cast a spell most people would have flinched at. She thought of Luna, telling her that Ginny would run into the fray as soon as she saw an opening. She thought of Daphne duelling with icy fire in her eyes.

They had so much Magic on their side.

Surely, it had to count for something.

They all held themselves stiffly as they ate their breakfast.

Hani had spent her night reading through the Potter journals Sirius had gifted her for Yule, making note of the political alliances her grandfather had cultivated throughout his life. She’d carefully scribed a list of names, of people to approach and others to avoid. She’d mentally gone through the older students still at Hogwarts and had picked out those who she knew to have Death Eater ties.

It hadn’t made the nausea go away, not when dinner had been spent in complete silence – the news of Olivia’s tragedy had broken out to the rest of their schoolmates and had been met with stunned disbelief. However, it had made her feel something other than helplessness, if only for a handful of hours.

There were people out there who felt just as powerless as she did and who would be happy to defy the adults’ orders of passive inaction. And there were so many Death Eater children whom she knew didn’t adhere to their parents’ ideologies.

It wasn’t hopeless.

Yet, as she stared at the buttered piece of toast in front of her and considered the empty spot the sixth years had left for Olivia, it was hard to muster up the optimism she’d felt overnight.

“Colin is working hard to try and find pictures of their families,” Lavender was saying quietly, her voice a blend of respect and that same desolation they’d all been carrying for the past few days. “It was Pansy’s idea, actually. She thought it wouldn’t be a fair tribute if we didn’t show their faces.”

“It’s a good idea,” Fay smiled sadly. “Wixen are so quick to dismiss non-magical lives, or to reduce them to a footnote. A photograph will remind everyone that they aren’t simply names and parents; they were people too.”

“Yeah,” Lavender breathed out. “Pansy and Hudson are trying to get an account of their lives as well. It’s not what any of us signed up for, but they’ve been doing far better than I could have possibly imagined considering the circumstances. Having so many muggleborns has helped make the process smoother, too. They know better than most how to navigate the non-magical world and its archives.”

Hani and Dean’s eyes met across the table. Dean’s jaw was clenched, and Hani tapped his foot with hers as a reminder that he wasn’t alone. He smiled – grimaced, really – and forced himself to settle.

Next to him, Seamus had caught the exchange with sombre eyes. If Lavender hadn’t been busy trying to sort out the Gazette’s first release that Sunday, Hani knew she would have picked up on their subtext as well.

She watched as Dean leaned closer to Seamus and swapped a few tense sentences with him. Their faces were closed off but, in a sea of miserable students, their conversation went unnoticed.

“I’m just not sure what we’ll do if–”

Lavender stopped there, but they all winced anyway. Hani knew they’d all been thinking about it. She wanted to tell them that they shouldn’t worry, that the only person in their group who had something to lose was currently holed away in a Norwegian castle, but she swallowed the words back.

She understood what McGonagall and Prewett had been saying.

It didn’t make it any easier to stay quiet.

“You know, there was a raid in Leeds on the same night as Olivia’s mother and stepfather died,” Parvati said, biting at her lip. “I thought maybe… But if it’s not the raids, then what the fuck is killing them? Is there some new disease we don’t know about? Or is this the world’s unluckiest week?”

“It could be something worse,” Ron muttered. He shrugged when the others turned to stare at him with wide eyes. “I know we don’t want to consider it, but it could be. We all know who’s lurking out there right now, ordering those raids. Mum didn’t want to talk about it over the summer, probably because the Ministry’s being so shifty about it, but I know dad thought it was only the beginning.”

“Yeah,” Sophie frowned. “My parents never said it outright, but I caught them looking at houses in the countryside. The city doesn’t feel safe anymore, especially not for non-magical folk.”

“Mum’s worried sick about my dad,” Dean admitted. Hani’s eyebrows rose in surprise; she’d never heard Dean talk about his parents at school. It was the same way with most muggleborns and half-bloods with a Muggle parent; despite how progressive Hogwarts claimed to be, they always seemed to worry people would react poorly to the reminder of their non-magical lineage. “She’s in denial, though. Won’t let herself accept who’s actually behind the raids.”

“My mam’s the same way,” Seamus sighed. “Took me a while to realise denying the truth wouldn’t make it any less scary.”

“I mean, we have to cut our parents some slack,” Parvati said hesitantly. “They lived through a war already, you know? I can’t imagine how horrifying it must be for them to realise it was never really over.”

“It’s why we came here.” 

They all turned to look at Erin, whose arms were crossed tightly against her chest. Her features were hard, her lips turned down, her eyes devoid of their usual mischief.

“My dad’s an ambassador,” Erin continued, looking down the table until her gaze fell upon her little sister. Emily’s usually-bright smile had been dulled to a trembling twitch of her lips. “And his parents– my grandparents, that is – still live here. When my dad heard about the raids and sent them a letter, they were quick to deny it all. But my dad’s not an idiot. He was a diplomat the last time around, and I think it would have killed him to stay away now.”

“And your mam was fine with that?” Seamus asked genuinely. “Putting you all at risk so your dad could feel better about himself?”

“I didn’t catch that part of the conversation,” Erin huffed. “But I reckon she was sold by Hogwarts’ promise of being the safest place in the world.”

“So she got scammed,” Lavender mumbled underneath her breath. Thankfully, she was seated to Hani’s left, with Erin three seats to their right. Still, Hani nudged her in the ribs and levelled her with a stern stare. “Wha–”

“Don’t antagonise her,” Hani hissed. “Not about this.”

To Lavender’s credit, she lowered her gaze and turned towards the sixth years to her right, jumping into a quiet conversation and pointedly not listening to Erin, Fay and Seamus’ discussion regarding the Hargreaves’ decision to move to England during such trying times.

Hani, equally uninterested by the topic, opened her mouth to ask Neville how he was holding up. He’d been particularly quiet over the past few days, and though Hani didn’t think the two of them handled their parents’ death the same way, she figured she could perhaps draw him out of his shell better than any of their other yearmates.

Before she could speak, however, movement near the Head Table caught everyone’s attention.

The Hufflepuffs froze in their seats as Professor Pyrites came striding through the staff entrance and strolled down the steps of the dais to reach their table.

Even from afar, Hani knew his face was too pale and his features too drawn for him to be bearing good news.

When he stopped near the first years, the entire hall seemed to hold their breaths. Lavender’s hands were shaking as she gripped an apple tight enough to leave nail marks in its skin. Dean’s skin had turned a sickly shade, greyish and ashy.

Hannah was on her feet already, Cedric striding after her determinedly.

Hani watched, bile rising in her throat, as Pyrites spoke to the smallest girl at the Hufflepuff table and took her hand to help her stand.

She stared, frozen in place, as Hannah’s steps faltered. Rising next to the little red-haired girl, hands on her hips and anxiety painted over her face, was Abigail. Her fingers found the other girl’s – Quinn, Hani’s mind provided – and squeezed tight. Hani knew, without a doubt, that Abby understood what was going on.

Quinn looked clueless next to her. 

“I’m going to be sick,” Lavender whispered. Hani pulled her head down to her shoulder, forcing down her own distress so her best friend wouldn’t feel her shuddering at the sight of Abigail, tears shining in her warm eyes.

Hannah reached Pyrites and the girls just as the professor kneeled down to meet Abigail’s gaze head-on.

Hani didn’t know whether to be grateful or resentful for the distance between their seats and the first-year Hufflepuffs’. As it was, she could only guess at what was being said. She stared, forcing herself not to look away from Abigail, as Professor Pyrites whispered something to the girls and tried to pry Abigail’s fingers away from Quinn’s.

Hannah, putting on a brave face, was the one to finally pull Abigail away from her friend. She held her little sister close to her as Pyrites guided Quinn to the dais, up the steps, and towards the staff entrance.

Hani didn’t think she would ever forget the way Quinn turned around at the last second, something desperate and wild flashing through her gaze as she looked for Abigail in the sea of yellow and black.

The second the pair closed the door behind them, the hall burst into movement, students making their way out of the hall to the sound of horrified whispers and barely-restrained sobs. Only the Hufflepuffs stayed still. Justin and the remaining Prefects were rushing to the first years, but the other students were glued to their seats, their eyes trained on the group of panicking eleven-year-olds at the end of their table.

Hani blinked, dazed, but still she didn’t look away from Abigail and Hannah.

She was so focused on them, it took her a moment to realise they were walking towards her, their fingers interlaced tightly.

“Hani,” Hannah said as soon as she reached her side. Her words were shaky.

Hani wondered how much it was costing her not to cry.

“I’m going to catch up with Professor Pyrites and Quinn,” Hannah continued, her left hand coming up to stroke Abigail’s hair. “Could you–”

“Of course,” Hani replied. She stood, hitting the back of her legs against the bench in her hurry to get up and grab Abigail’s free hand. “Anything at all. Lav, could you tell Professeur Bianchi that I’ll be late to class?”

Lavender nodded mutely, gathering her belongings and motioning with her head for Parvati to follow. Her best friends squeezed her shoulder encouragingly as they passed, and Hani was glad they hadn’t tried to say anything to Hannah or Abby.