“Harry, you heard Professor Dumbledore. You’re lucky you got off with only fainting,” Hermione said, rubbing her best friend’s back. “It could have been much worse.”

“Yeah, but Malfoy won’t ever see it that way,” Harry scowled. 

“Malfoy’s a git,” Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate frogs he stole from the Great Hall. “Hey, who was that girl who told him quit it?”

Fred sat up. “That would be Kyrie Lestrange. She’s in our year and an even bigger tyrant than her cousin, Malfoy.”

“They’re cousins?” Ron asked. 

“Yeah, haven’t you heard of her mother?” George said. When he read the confused faces of the kids in front of him, he grinned. “Her name is Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the most loyal followers of You-Know-Who. She’s locked up in Azkaban with the other psycho Death Eaters. If you think this Sirius Black guy is mad, who, by the way, is Bellatrix’s cousin, you should be lucky it’s not Lestrange’s face plastered all over the Daily Prophet.”

“Draco and Kyrie are both related to most violent murderers in Azkaban?” Hermione asked. 

“Correct, Granger,” Fred smirked at the bushy haired girl. He felt a certain kind of satisfaction when he was able to tell her something she didn’t know. Hermione was one of the smartest witches at Hogwarts. There wasn’t much that she didn’t already know. “Bet you never get tired of hearing that.”

Hermione stuck her tongue out at the boy she considered to be like an older brother to her. 

Harry’s brows furrowed and silently thought back to when he first met Kyrie Lestrange. It was when he first used floo powder to go to Diagon Alley to shop for this year’s books with the Weasleys. However, he somehow got rerouted to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, and he had no idea of the kind of dangers that lurked in that dark corner.

Knockturn Alley was dark and filled with people who looked like they haven’t smiled or seen the light of day in ten years. Harry genuinely felt scared in that part of town and his fear seemed to attract the wizards and witches who lurked there…who also haven’t seen a bath in ten years either. 

“Not lost are you are my dear,” A witch grabbed him by the collar, bringing him closer to her foul breath, her yellow teeth peeking out through her smirk. When he turned, he was cornered by five other witches and wizards. There was nowhere to run. That same witch grabbed his shoulder again. “Come with us. We’ll help you find your way back.”

“No,” Harry said weakly. 

He felt like he was on the verge of a heart attack when he heard his name.

“Harry, I’ve been looking for you.” A girl around his age with pink streaks in her hair descended the stairs of the alley. Harry didn’t recognize her he but in that moment, he couldn’t care less. He saw the way the witches and wizards stepped away from him as she got closer. There was a glint of excitement in her eyes, like she knew the effect that she had on these ghastly people. “I know you bums having nothing better to do than prey on little kids but at least be more subtle about it.” She looked back at the boy with a smile. “Come on Harry. I saw a group of red heads this way.”

Harry swallowed but nodded enthusiastically. He had about a dozen questions but didn’t know which one to ask first. 

When they were finally far enough away from the others, she said, “You know Harry, a boy like you stands out in Knockturn Alley. You should be more careful where you walk alone.”

“Who are you?”

The girl rolled her eyes playfully. “I think you mean to say ‘thank you.’”

“Right. Thanks.”

She grinned. “No problem. My name’s Kyrie.”

“Harry, but you already knew that.”

“Of course. Who in the wizarding world hasn’t heard of the infamous Harry Potter?” She said. Harry clenched his teeth. He was tired of everyone knowing who he was. He felt like a fish in fish bowl. “Look, we’ll keep this between us. Okay?”

“Why? You’re clearly a Slytherin,” Harry said, nodding towards the serpent embroidered on the notebook in her hands. “You know I’m in Gryffindor. You’re not going to tell anyone to embarrass me?”

“No, I won’t tell. Scouts honor,” Kyrie held up her hand. “Besides, I already have enough Gryffindors on my list to waste my time with. I don’t feel the need to add another one, honestly.”

“Harry!” A deep voice called from behind her. They both turned and found the friendly Giant, Hagrid, trudging over to them. They were still close enough to Knockturn Alley to cause suspicion and Hagrid was smarter than most people made him out to be. “What are you doing over here? You shouldn’t be here.”

“I got lost. I was just –“

“Harry saw me with those group of losers and noticed how uncomfortable I was, so he helped me out of there. That’s all,” Kyrie said.

Hagrid narrowed his eyes. “And what were you doing down there?”

“Window shopping,” She shrugged and winked at the Giant. “I should go. It was nice meeting you, Harry.”

Kyrie walked away. 

Hagrid waited for her to disappear completely when Hagrid said, “You don’t want to be seen in Knockturn Alley, Harry. People will think you’re up to no good.”

“I was –“

“I know you didn’t find Kyrie, Harry. Kyrie found you. Isn’t that right?” Hagrid said. Harry looked at his shoes feeling embarrassed. “I know that girl better than she thinks I do. It doesn’t take much to scare her, especially not those kinds of people who hang out down there. It was sweet of her to try and convince me otherwise, though.”

Yeah, Harry thought, it was sweet. 

Harry didn’t understand why the girl he met in Knockturn Alley sounded so different than the one the twins were describing now. Especially now that he knew she shared the same DNA as Draco Malfoy.

Despite his curiosity, he decided to keep his encounter with Kyrie Lestrange to himself. Today was a long day between traveling back to Hogwarts and trying to avoid the Dementors. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his time talking about the Slytherins. 

Fred, however, noticed Harry’s blank gaze, clearly distracted by something running through his mind, and he couldn’t help but feel intrigued. “Where’d you just go, Harry?”

“Huh? Nowhere?” Harry hid his reddened cheeks in his hand. 

“Are you gonna be okay, Harry?” Hermione asked, standing up.

Harry nodded.

“Come on, Fred. We’ve got a little more brainstorming to do. We don’t want our first week to be dull now, do we?” George said with a teasing smirk.

Lee laughed, clapping his hands in excitement, and the three of them disappeared into their dorms, where a list of pranks was already being comprised.

Fred and George walked into the dungeons where their Potions class was held every year. Most of their classmates were already seated with their choice in Potions partners, whispering softly amongst themselves. 

George tapped Fred on the arm and pointed to two seats on the right-hand side of the classroom. They were in the third row, which for the twins, wasn’t ideal, but if they wanted to be partners, it was going to have to do. The only other option was the two seats on the left-hand side, but that’s where all the Slytherins were sitting, and they would rather stand for the entire lesson than be anywhere near those gits. 

About a minute later, Kyrie Lestrange and her best friend Cedrella Copplestone walked in arm in arm. Fred couldn’t help but notice how most heads turned their way. The boys in the class smirked and bumped shoulders with one another while the girls either looked on with envy or intimidation.

It wasn’t any secret that Lestrange and her girl friends were some of the most attractive females in their year. Hell, possibly in the whole school. Like most of the boys here, Fred fell victim to trailing Lestrange’s legs up to her shorter-than-was-allowed skirt, images that he would never dare to share flashing through his head. He’s heard the crude comments other have made, which made Fred realize pretty early on that he wasn’t the only one with those images in his head. 

But despite her extraordinary good looks, Lestrange was still…Lestrange. Conceited, bold, rude, manipulative, and provoking… And her friends were no different. 

“Hey,” Cedric Diggory, a fifth year Hufflepuff, waved to Kyrie and Cedrella. “Over here.”

Kyrie smirked and sat in the aisle seat of the table next to Cedric’s and his partner, Justin Gilbert. 

Fred and George scoffed at the interaction, mostly because they liked Cedric, and they didn’t want him falling into the trap of Kyrie Lestrange and her groupies. 

“How was your summer?” Cedric asked her. 

Kyrie leaned in closer with her elbows on her table. “Mundane.” She replied. She didn’t see her best friend roll her eyes behind her. “And yours? Practicing for quidditch I presume?” Her eyes scanned over Cedric’s upper body. His jawline was sharper, his hair longer, and his arms more toned. Cedric was older for his grade with his birthday falling on September 1st. The first day of school year. So he was already seventeen. And for some reason, that made him even more desirable to the Slytherin girl. 

“Mundane, huh Lestrange?” Fred said from across the room, catching the attention of every other student in the class. He leaned back in the stool he was sitting with a smirk and his arms crossed. “I’d hardly find helping your Dear ‘Ol Uncle Black escape Azkaban mundane.”

Kyrie narrowed her eyes. “Weasley, you never seem to surprise me. Just when I thought your brain couldn’t be any smaller…”

“I mean it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Fred said, the faces around him turning from intrigued to apprehensive. “Why else would he escape if he didn’t already have a plan to reunite with his family and finish what he started – what with You-Know-Who’s name becoming a common topic of conversation again amongst your kind.” 

“Maybe because it’s Azkaban, you git. No one wants to be there,” Kyrie retorted.

Fred’s smirk grew, knowing he was getting under her skin. “Well, you would know that better than anyone else, wouldn’t you, Lestrange?”

“Yeah, rumor has it you’re the first witch to be granted a visiting pass into Azkaban. Tell me, does she look as awful as her mug shot picture? Is she as crazy as everyone says?” George added earning a chuckle from Fred. 

Fred watched Kyrie’s jaw sharpen as she clenched her teeth together. Next to her, Cedric kept his head down, avoiding looking at both the twins and Kyrie, suddenly finding the quill in front of him very fascinating. He was never one for confrontation unless absolutely necessary. Much like the rest of Hufflepuffs, he kept to himself, and avoided the ongoing feud between Gryffindors and Slytherins like the plague.

Cedrella leaned in closer to her best friend and glared at the ginger twins. “If her family was going to break anyone out of Azkaban, why would they start with Sirius and not her own mother?” 

“Maybe that’s their next move,” A Gryffindor sitting behind the twins said. 

“You better hope it’s not,” Cedrella said. “I heard Blood Traitors were her favorite –“

The Weasley twins jumped out of their seats, and Cedrella and Kyrie were quick to follow, stools scraping on the concrete floor. Instantly, the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherin students stood at their desks. The houses were divided on opposite ends of the room. In the middle sat the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw students, who looked around warily, unsure if they should get out of the way or stay seated. 

Fred felt his blood boiling under his pale skin, his hand reaching for his wand in his pocket. He was used to Slytherins using his family against him, but it was mostly about their lack of money or his father’s obsession with muggle objects and inventions.

It was hard to get a reaction like this out of the twins, but when threats are made against their family…they’re ready to become lethal.

Cedric was the first non Gryffindor or Slytherin to stand. He turned to face Kyrie and lightly placed a hand on her arm, “Don’t. It’s not worth it.” He looked down and saw how white her knuckles were around her wand. 

“Sit. Down. Now,” A deep voice vibrated from the back of the room. No one moved an inch and no one took their eyes off the opposing house. “I said now!” White light flashed in the dark room and an abrupt force pushed the students in their seat, turning them forward. 

The students grunted and rubbed their stomachs and backs to ease the sharp pressure they had just felt.

“Typical Gryffindors. Nothing but a bunch of big mouths,” Cedrella muttered. 

Fred didn’t pay any attention to the lecture Professor Snape was giving about the importance of O.W.Ls and how he won’t accept anyone into Advance Potions next year without an Outstanding score. Instead, he was thinking of all the ways he was going to hex the Slytherins, focusing mostly on Lestrange and her friends. With the scowl on his brother’s face, Fred assumed George was thinking the same thing. 

“For next lesson, I want a detailed written essay about the potion you would use against your enemy, why you would choose that one, and what will go wrong when you inevitably concoct it incorrectly,” Snape said in his nasally voice, already laced with disappointment on the first day. 

At the mention of the word enemy, Kyrie and Fred looked up at each other, eyes narrowed in a glare. Then, a small grin tugged on the corners of Kyrie’s face and she had the audacity to wink at him, because she knew exactly what to do to drive him mad with irritation, always acting like she had the upper hand in their confrontations, pretending like she couldn’t be bothered by the insults that were constantly being thrown her way. 

And it worked every time. 

“Class dismissed,” Snape said. 

Fred didn’t even bother placing his books back into his bag. He just scooped everything into his arms, prepared to confront Lestrange again before she could disappear into the Slytherin Common Room, but Snape’s voice stopped him. 

“Miss Lestrange. A moment.” 

Fred glanced back at her, but the confusion written on her face made it clear that even Kyrie didn’t have an idea what it was that Snape wanted to discuss. She whispered something to her best friend, who walked out with a couple of other Slytherin students. 

“C’mon,” George said. “She’s not worth it.”

George looked her up and down in disgust as Kyrie passed them to meet Snape at his desk. Fred nodded and followed his brother out. 

Fred and George spent their night hexing the bathrooms near the Slytherin Common Room, causing the toilets to explode right before curfew. It wasn’t their most creative prank. In fact, they’ve done it once before in their first year at Hogwarts. But they were both so angry after Potions that it was the best they could come up with on such short notice. 

Despite their successful prank, Fred was still feeling sour after his encounter with the Slytherins during Potions. The threat Cedrella made still didn’t sit right with him, and Kyrie…Merlin he hated Kyrie. She was a self-absorbed cruel little brat. With her attitude, she was destined to take just after her mother – maybe even follow in her footsteps and share a cell in Azkaban.

“Look, she’s not worth all this energy, mate,” Lee said as they hung out in their dorms. “If you’re going to think about her this much, at least think of her…naked or something. Now, that doesn’t seem like a waste of time.”

Fred pulled his pillow out from under his head and chucked it at his best friend. 

“Not including the naked thing…” George said, walking from his desk to sit on the edge of his own bed, “but Lee is right. You can’t let her ruin our fifth year – at least not within the first week.”

“She threatened our family, George,” Fred sat up, glaring at his brother.

“Cedrella threatened our family with Bellatrix.”

“You’re seriously washing this over with semantics?”

“Of course not,” George said. “For all we know, Kyrie is gonna grow up to be just like her mother. But that girl is a lame excuse to attend all your thoughts to.”

“Unless you’re picturing her naked,” Lee said. 

George closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest. 

Fred rolled his eyes. “What do you supposed Snape wanted to talk to her about, anyway?” 

“Oi, what’s got your panties in a twist, Lestrange?” Cedrella “Ell” Copplestone, Kryie’s best friend, hip bumped her with a smile on her face. Cedrella was beautiful. Her bleach blonde hair fell in easy waves past her chest. Her brown eyes were striking against her fair skin and her lips were always gorgeously polished with sparking pink lip gloss. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a couple of Dementors.”

Cedrella and Kyrie met on their first day at Hogwarts when they were both sorted into Slytherin. Back then, they were only a shell of what they were now. Timid, nervous, but excited. Now, those little girls were strangers.

Kyrie snorted. “Of course not. But I’m also not stupid enough to tempt one of them with a good time, if you know what I mean.”

“A good time, huh?” Cedrella wiggled her eyebrows. 

“Have you ever heard of the Dementor’s Kiss?” Kyrie asked her in all seriousness. 

“No, we didn’t all grow up learning the ins and outs of Azkaban, you know,” Her best friend smirked. 

Cedrella meant it as a joke, and she said it with pride. However, the indirect mention of Kyrie’s mother hollowed her chest into a bottomless pit, but after fifteen years, Kyrie mastered the art of faking a smile and keeping her head high with feigned confidence. 

“Well, it’s the only kiss, even you, would never ask for, Ell,” Kyrie said. 

“What are you trying to call me?” Cedrella scoffed jokingly.

Kyrie smirked but continued. “Its soul sucking. Literally. Worse than death. And it doesn’t take much to convince them to suck it right out of you.”

“Suck what out of who?” Steven Friar, another fellow Slytherin in her year, conveniently popped his head between the two girls, smirking. 

Kyrie rolled her eyes. “Of course that is all you heard.”

Kyrie also met Steven Friar in her first year of Hogwarts when the Sorting Hat placed them all in Slytherin. Joining them at their table that day was also Ophelia Wenlock, Danny King, Selina Branstone, and Zakir Ancrum. Quickly, this was how her friend group transformed. A group of prideful, parent pleasing, pureblooded, wizards and witches. All part of the house that homed the only students who believed being the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange was a privilege, even if the witch stroked a deep fear within all of them.  

“What can I say, Lestrange, your words put me in a trance,” Steven smiled. 

His curly brown hair brushed against Kyrie’s cheek and his breath smelled of chocolate frogs from the train. Out of all her friends, Steven was the one to make her laugh the hardest. Unlike most Slytherins, he didn’t take life too seriously. Although he always remembered to keep in mind the expectations his parents had for him, he didn’t let it control him. And Kyrie always envied that about him. 

“Oi, get a grip, Friar,” Danny and Zakir matched their pace with the others. “You know, the only thing joining you in your bed this year is your right hand.”

“Jokes on you, I’m a lefty,” Steven winked at his friend.

“What are you talking about, anyway?” Danny asked them.

Out of all of her guy friends, Kyrie was closest to Danny. The bond they shared was different than the ones she had with Steven and Zakir. This one was more serious and intimate. They shared a connection that she couldn’t relate to with any of her other friends. Maybe it was the fact that his parents were similar to Kyrie’s aunt and uncle, who she had been living with for the past thirteen years. They were highly regarded amongst all wizards in Europe. They shared powerful roles in the Ministry, which always added pressure to the ideology of showing off a picture perfect family. There were certain expectations that Danny and Kyrie were meant to meet, and Danny took that role seriously. 

“The Dementors,” Ell said.

The five of them found Selina and Ophelia waiting for them in the Great Hall, saving their friends their seats with the other fifth year students. Kyrie took her seat next to Ophelia and eyed the rest of the room. 

On the other end of the room, Hufflepuffs pushed each other around playfully.  Next to their table, Ravenclaws were catching up quietly, and behind the Slytherin tables, Gryffindors obnoxiously cackled.

“I heard that Potter kid fainted on the train when he looked at one of them,” Ophelia said with a slight snicker, catching the last of their conversation as they settled in. 

Kyrie glanced over at the Gryffindor table again. Ironically, Harry Potter was turned towards them as well, glaring at Draco Malfoy, who was no doubt teasing the kid about what happened. 

News traveled fast in Hogwarts. Rumor had it one of the Dementors locked onto Potter during the train ride into campus, and the interaction was severe enough to make Harry Potter pass out.

Steven pulled another chocolate frog out of his shoulder bag. Kyrie snatched it out of his hand.

“Hey!” He complained. 

Kyrie threw the chocolate frog at the blonde third year. It hit him in the side of the head, causing him to turn around and glare daggers at his own cousin.

“Leave him alone, Draco,” Kyrie scolded him with a smirk on her face. She glanced over at the younger kid who was scowling at her cousin. His brown hair was sticking up in the back, his glasses askew, and the scar on his forehead peeked out from behind his bangs. “At least wait until the kid looks a little less… peaky.” 

Kyrie winked at the young Gryffindor, remembering their encounter only a couple of weeks ago in Knockturn Alley. Harry flushed and was physically turned away from the Slytherin table by two red headed twins. 

The infamous Fred and George Weasley. They’ve been causing chaos at Hogwarts since they stepped onto campus five years ago. They were adrenaline junkies. The twins were well known for their pranks, always finding a way to improve their jokes and up the stakes. Whereas most of the school loved and laughed at their antics, Kyrie found the two utterly annoying and obnoxious. However, the twins’ perspective of Lestrange and her friends weren’t far off from that either. 

Maybe it was the natural feud between their two houses, or maybe it was that they just knew how to get under each other’s skin. But the Weasleys and their friends have hated Lestrange and her friends for as long as she’s known them. 

The twins narrowed their eyes at Kyrie but were smart enough to keep their mouth shut.

Kyrie smirked at their reaction to her already so early into the school year. She ignored the curious eyes of their little brother, Ron, and his best friend Hermione and turned back to her friends. 

Ell scoffed, noticing the twins’ looks as well. “I’ll tell you one thing I didn’t miss. The stupid dungbombs those idiots like to shoot off in the halls.”

“One stupid prank this year and I will make their lives bloody miserable. I don’t have time to be distracted from studying for the O.W.Ls,” Selina said. She was by far the smartest out of all Kyrie’s friends. Obsessed with her schoolwork, she was on the right path to follow in her parents’ footsteps to work for the Ministry of Magic.

“It’s day one and she’s already talking about the exams,” Zakir rolled his eyes. 

Kyrie snickered and ignored her friend’s scowl. 

“Hey,” Danny leaned in closer to Kyrie. “I like the green. It matches your eyes.”

Kyrie smiled. “I might have to dye it back to pink then. Don’t want you to get distracted from your studies this year.”

Every few weeks, Kyrie dyed streaks of her brunette hair a different color. For majority of the summer, it was a pastel pink. And Danny knew this because he spent the summer pining over Kyrie Lestrange like she was the last woman on Earth. And Kyrie let him, finding no harm in a little summer fling, even if it was with one of her closest friends. But now that the school year had begun, Kyrie had no intentions of continuing said fling. And she made that very clear to him last month. However, it was clearly going to be harder than she thought for Danny. 

“With you in the room, I’ll always be distracted.”

Ell pretended to gag. “Oh please, get a room you two.”

“Happily. Maybe we’ll use yours,” Danny smirked back at her.

“I’m about to lose my appetite and I’ve been looking forward to this food for three months.”

The Great Hall silenced as Professor Dumbledore stood up from his spot at the front table with the other professors of the school. Kyrie eyed each and every one of them, pausing on the face of a man she didn’t recognize. 

The Headmaster took his place at the podium. “Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say, before we become befuddled by our excellent feast. I myself am particularly looking forward to the flaming kiwi cups, which, while somewhat treacherous for those of us with facial hair...” He chuckled at his own joke. “Mm. Yes. First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Good luck to you, Professor.” The students applauded the new professor. At least he looked a little more…humble than last year’s DADA professor. He waved politely at the students. His sandy hair, matching the color of his facial hair surrounding his mouth, fell lazily on his forehead. He looked to be in his forties. He was dressed in a casual suit that would give the illusion that he had his life put together, but Kyrie could tell there was something…off…about him. “As some of you may know, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid!” Hagrid awkwardly stood up, his big body shaking the table in front of him. To this, Kyrie happily applauded the Giant. Unlike most students in her house, Kyrie really liked Hagrid. 

When Hagrid sat down, the atmosphere changed in the Great Hall. Dumbledore didn’t look as pleased as what he was about to say next was of grave importance. “Finally, on a more disquieting note, Hogwarts - at the request of the Ministry of Magic - will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban.” A few murmurs vibrated around her, but what caught her eye was Draco and his two idiot friends Crabbe and Goyle teasing Harry by pretending to faint. “The Dementors will be stationed at the entrances to the grounds. While they are under strict orders not to enter the castle itself, you will on occasion see them as you go about your daily activities. Under no circumstances are you to approach them. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving.”

After dinner, with a belly full of roast chicken, pumpkin juice, and cauldron cakes, Kyrie unpacked her luggage quietly while listening to her friends discuss their summers. 

Selina spent a lot of her time in the Ministry, shadowing her father and getting a head start in making sure her name was well known amongst her father’s peers, so that when it comes time to apply in three years, she’ll be an easy hire. 

Kyrie always admired her friend’s dedication to her education, but sometimes that dedication distracted her from what was also important at Hogwarts – fun. She, Ophelia, and Ell always had to convince her to come to parties hosted in the Slytherin Common Room, talk to the girls she had admitted to holding small crushes on, and close the books early to gossip late into the night.

Ophelia spent most of her summer visiting her cousin in Berlin, spending most of her money at the local shops over there. She had a bit of a spending problem, that one. 

And Cedrella went into intricate detail of her night with a muggle she met at her family’s vacation house in Sussex. 

Kyrie covered her copy of the Daily Prophet under her school sweaters in the bottom drawer of her dresser. She didn’t want to talk about Sirius with anyone. Not even her best friends, and she hoped they wouldn’t bring him up either. 

 Her friend’s teasing voice cooed her name behind her.

“What about you, Kyrie? Have anything you’d like to share about your summer?” Ophelia smirked knowingly. She braided her golden locks back behind her head. Not a single blemish dotted her face after she removed her makeup and was freshly moisturized. Her fingers were always dazzled with rings that fascinated Kyrie. Last year, Ophelia gifted a thick gold and green ring to Kyrie for her birthday. She wore it every day on her right middle finger.

“Yeah, anything about how your green hair matches your green eyes,” Selina giggled. 

Selina’s shoulder length brown hair fell over her face as she leaned over the pillow set on her lap. Her brown skin glowed under the overhead light. Her teeth were beautifully straight and her jaw line exceptionally sharp. Kyrie always wondered why Selina chose to be single. She knew a couple of girls at Hogwarts who were secretly harboring crushes for her friend. 

Kyrie rolled her eyes. “I think you can infer what my summer was like.”

It was no secret that Danny always fancied Kyrie since their first year at Hogwarts. He always took the open seat next to her in the Great Hall, offered to be her partner in Charms and Potions when they shared the class, and was always glued to her side at social events. 

Kyrie tried convincing herself that she felt the same way towards Danny. He was the perfect match in the long run. With their highly respected families, blood purity, and money, every wizard expected them to be married following graduation. 

“Oh come on. Give us details!” Ophelia pushed. 

“Not everyone’s an open book like our dear Ell,” Kyrie said sarcastically.

“Did you at least shag? Or did you torture him with just a kiss?” Selina asked.

Kyrie rolled her eyes again and turned her back to her friends to hide her blushing cheeks as she climbed into bed. 

“Oh, she definitely had sex!” Ophelia said.

“Well, tell us about it!” Selina exclaimed. 

Kyrie glanced at her best friend but she couldn’t read her expression. Ell got uncharacteristically quiet, looking both intrigued and annoyed at the same time. 

Suddenly, Kyrie felt a little guilty that she didn’t tell her best friend first. They told each other everything first before sharing with Ophelia and Selina. But this wasn’t something she wanted to share through a letter. 

Kyrie shrugged. “It was fine.”

“Just fine?” Ophelia asked. 

Cedrella raised a brow. 

“I don’t know…it was…well the first couple of times were awkward –“

“You did it more than once?” Selina asked. 

“Do you want to hear the story or not?” Kyrie said. 

Selina raised her hands in surrender and silently urged her to go on. 

Kyrie was honest with them. She told them that the first couple of times with Danny were a little awkward. With niether of them having done it before, they were feeling a bit shy. But towards the end of the summer, they found their groove and it got better. Kyrie couldn’t deny that there was a physical attraction between her and Danny. But that’s as far as a connection she felt. There were no sparks, no tingles, no butterflies or whatever the fairy tales tell you. There was just…sweat, pants, and a short high. 

Ophelia groaned. “I’m so jealous.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure your perfect guy is out there,” Kyrie said with a wave of her hand. “Isn’t that what they say anyway? You’ll find someone when you’re least expecting it or whatever that dumb shit is.”

“Yeah, that makes me feel better,” Ophelia rolled her eyes. 

“So, what are you going to do this year? String him along again, letting him drool at your feet?” Ell said, straightening out the comforter on her bed. Kyrie froze and tilted her head at the harshness of her words. “He’s clearly in love with you.”

Kyrie answered. “I was honest with him at the end of summer. I said whatever we were doing ends the second we get on the train to come back to Hogwarts. He’s one of my best friends and I don’t want to lose that over some hookup.”

“It wasn’t just a hook up to him, though.”

“Well, it was to me and I made that very clear to him the moment he kissed me for the first time. He knows where I stand and that’s that.” Kyrie said forcefully, growing more and more irritated by Ell’s attitude. “What’s with the third degree, Ell?”

“Nothing,” She shrugged, acting nonchalant. “Just want to make sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.” She turned to slide into her own bed.

Kyrie glanced at her other two friends from across the room, but both of them shrugged and awkwardly shuffled under their own covers.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ Like most of booktok, I have found my way into the Harry Potter multiverse, mostly consisting of Dramione fan fiction. As much as I love, Dramione, I love Fred Weasley more, and haven't found the fic that I crave the most. So, I decided to write one myself. Remember, this is all for fun, and if the story/my writing isn't for you, feel free to exit the book without anything negative say. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, but please be respectful. 

~ This story will mostly follow the stories/movies but if you notice anything different, it was most likely done one purpose for the sake of the story. And that's okay! Some of the dialogue was taken straight out of the movie script. It goes without being said, but I'll say it anyway - any and all work created by the author of Harry Potter is not mine - including plot, characters, and dialogue. But I am using all of those in this story.

~ In the books, if you think about it, all the "pure blooded" characters are somehow all related to one another in some capacity. For the sake of this story, that is not the case here. If anyone is related to anybody, it will be said. For example, the Weasleys will not be, in any way, related to Sirius Black, etc. 

~ I have decided to make the characters one year older than what they are in the books/movies. So instead of starting school at the age of 11, they were 12. I did this for maturity reasons, as later in the story there will be descriptions of mature scenes.