if i believe you

     “ tell me ,  how does a cockroach walk ?  a mouse seems more accurate ,  light & quick on my feet . ”  her hand rested on the strap of her bag that ever so slightly dug into her shoulder .  “ hey ,  gild . ” the smile on her lips grew further .  “ i heard rita was looking for you in the great hall . ” it was a matter of seconds before the wizard had continued to move with his feet .  “ now ,  where were we ? ”

              perhaps sneaking out past curfew was not the type of habit one should’ve developed — but ever since olivia was just a small first year, it had become something of an obsession for her. sweet olivia parkinson was so used to being the GOLDEN GIRL, so sick of always being the most perfect version of herself, that even just this small bit of rebellion felt like the most wonderful rush, in her eyes. what exactly she would do and where exactly she would go would change with each night, but on this particularly starry midnight, it was simply the middle courtyard in which she headed.

              wrapped up in layers of scarves and robes and fluffy socks, olivia trekked through the castle halls, careful to listen out before turning a corner in case she might run into ( another ) prefect. her steps were near silent and an absentminded smile graced her perfect features, such a genuine emotion a rare occurrence on dear olivia’s face. in fact, she was feeling quite lighthearted, quite FREE, up until the moment she heard footsteps approaching from the other end of the corridor, causing her to immediately freeze in her spot. just as she were contemplating turning back around and heading to her bed, the figure of amora moody came into the light, allowing olivia’s muscles to relax ever so slightly. ❝ what are you doing? ❞ she hissed, smile now completely wiped from her lips.

SHE COULDN’T SLEEP.  it wasn’t something that was unheard of for the gryffindor as she was always tossing and turning at night.  it caused most of her dormmates to groan and throw their pillows at her.  so amora liked the idea of escaping her mind,  the rebellious actions of sneaking out after curfew seemed like a far better alternative than staring up at her boring ceiling.  the lioness was nearly a wiz when it came to knowing the ins-and-outs of all the prefect patrols.  she had much to thank her dearest friend,  lily evans, for that.   with her CHESTNUT WAND in hand and the end of it lit up by her lumos spell,  amora’s slender legs ambled through the corridors.  she ignored the many grumpy portraits,  all of whom had something foul to say, as she made her way down towards the ground floor.

she too was bundled up,  a warm scarf wrapped around her neck and draped off her shoulders.  she wasn’t expecting company.  she had mapped out that no prefect would walk down this specific corridor at this hour.  that is until she heard the shrill and arrogant voice of olivia parkinson.  a particular slytherin that she did not understand or get along with --- and amora got along with most slytherins.   with a sigh and squaring of her shoulders,  amora put on the fakest of smile.  “ OLLY,   please hold in your excitement.  it’s a little too much---”  there was a laugh that followed,  one only to irritate.  "  i’m walking.  y’know since i have two legs just like you?” 

          HER WORDS WERE SCRIBBLED INTO THE PARCHMENT,    etched into the thin paper and soon faded after each word was written.   she made sure the ink would hide her bubbly cursive writing.  amora sat in bed,  her ruby lipstick wiped away and makeup neatly cleaned off her face as it always was at bedtime.  she was alone in her family townhouse,  tucked away from any peering eyes.

         “ MERLIN KNOWS you could use the practice . ”  her steps quickly matched those of the lion’s as she interrupted a conversation .  there was no explaining  W H Y  the hufflepuff wanted to taunt ,  but the feeling was there .  “ how was detention ? ”  the witch sported a playful smirk . 

        he wasn’t a particularly easy person to read ,  nor was it difficult .  the boy was an open book ,  regardless of the lies scribbled on each page .  “  P E R H A P S  i do . ”  he didn’t .  his head bounced .  “ acromantula’s are a particularly nasty breed of creatures but no creature is unstoppable ! ”

walking with her friend away from the pitch, she couldn’t help but think about their friendship over the years. it had began on the train their first year and blossomed into a bond that was seemingly unbreakable. katherine trusted amora with every secret she held, even her own life. and if the two weren’t together it was a rare sight to be seen. with a sigh she responded, “i know, things have been terrible as of late. yes, the holidays should provide quite a distraction. are you prepared to return home?”

happily walking side-by-side with katherine,  amora felt herself relaxing.  all previous anxiousness out the window.  ----- but yes,  the thought of the war scared her because she didn’t feel ready.  they needed more PREPARATION,  but at least she wasn’t alone.  she had someone to tell her frustrations too.   “ of course i am.  the moody family always has the fanciest of dinners.  are you staying at hogwarts for the holidays or going back home,  kat? ” 

          “ you make a valid point ,  but i believe in my current skills .  i’ll be fine ,  mind you !  i could have the three-headed dog resting easy with my charm .  -   -  your secret is safe with me .  ”

“it’s a talent i guess. or maybe i just KNOW you. maybe he’s scared we’ll actually get good at it and run him out of a job. ME? oh i’m spiffing. amazing. wonderful. you know me. how have you been though? and how has that wonderfully dull boyfriend of yours been?”

      amora smiled nervously,  her fingers crossing behind her back and away from view.  marlene DID  know her,  just minus one big, friendship-crushing secret.   “  sturgis ?  he’s doing good..  mar,  he isn’t dull.  he’s a musician.  they’re far from dull,  ”  there was another nervous laugh,  but amora kept going.  “ but i’ve been good.  came back from mum and daddy’s house for the holidays.  alastor made an unexpected visit to one of our fancy dinners. practically made daddys veins pop out his forehead,  so that was fun to watch-- ”

“HA –” jabbing her finger in her direction, “i knew it–” she chuckled, laughter echoing through the hall, for a second she felt like everything was normal. 

“i wouldn’t do it to have a good time, but it’s nowhere near as bad as his draught of the living death essay – that nearly sucked the life out of me–” 

“oh FORGIVE slughorn for giving you assignments to better your knowledge and raise your grade. —he is such a HORRIBLE person for doing his own job.” rodolphus rolled his eyes, “though he might actually have fun, seeing as it is his life’s work.”

        “  my marks are fine as always.  and if you haven’t NOTICED  i think learning how to make them would be far more knowledgeable then writing a five page essay on it and its usefulness. ”  she smiled further despite the boys blatant eye roll.    “ but then again,  what do i know right ?   ---merlin rod,  no wonder slughorn adores you.  you should run his fan club. ”

“Amora, love – name ONE TIME you’ve happily written an essay, dear ol’ slughorn has nothing to do with your aversion to essays–”

        “  OH HUSH !   i can name one,  just give me a minute--- ”  tapping her finger on her chin ,  obviously deep in thought,  it only took amora a moment before her forehead creased.  “  well,  i’ve never fancied writing  so sue me.  but you cannot tell me that slughorns recent assignment is not a paperweight,  because i will NOT LISTEN  ”

“the man has a certain fetish for the long boring ramblings of students struggling to get a passing grade, its barbaric. instead of writing about these potions shouldn’t we be making the useful ones?”

        “  oh marlene,  you know me so well.  you are literally reading my mind !  you’d THINK  he’d have us do such things ?  and yet instead he assigns us paperweights.   but...  how are you?  i know i haven’t been the greatest friend, mar.  but have you been okay ?  ”