nightmare dressed like a daydream.

“It is a compliment Lestrange. Now what are you up too and can I help?”

“Yeah. Maybe. I mean if this is my spot and this is your spot we’ll probably see each other. Anyway, bye.” At that she turned and began to climb down the many steps from the tower leaving the little blonde alone.

“Pleasure.” Scarlet said, a cheshire cat-like grin suddenly appearing on her face. Melissa Bell. My oh my had she heard a lot about her over the past few days. “Well I have heard so much about you lately. I feel like I’ve heard more about you than I’ve heard about well anyone You’re quite the buzz in the Slytherin dorms. My oh my.”

“It’s fine.” The blonde looked like she had just trodden on the territory of someone frightening. Scarlet narrowed her eyes at her, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. “Thought the whole point of this was to talk to new people or whatever.” She had to say she wasn’t exactly excited about the whole thing but still it was a must.

“I’ll say. You just get over it though.” Scarlet had said too much already. The walls at Hogwarts had ears, if anyone ever knew what she’d said she’s have a lot to answer for. “I er. I’ve got to go...” Awkwardly she got to her feet and looked at the door. “It was nice meeting you though.”

“I’m never too eager about anyones presence, especially yours. You know that’s the problem, people call me a bitch but really I’m just not incredibly excited by the presence of a lot of people.” Scarlet joked trying to hold back a smile. Looking up at him she grinned before patting the bench next to her. “Sit your equally non-existent arse down on this bench.”

“HEY IT’S YOU!” Scarlet exclaimed happily at the sight of her friend, pulling a facial expression that read both a mixture of srcasm and delight. Scarlet could never just be happy, even with her friends. She still had to be Scarlet. “A human I am happy to see what the hell are the odds. Park your fine arse next to me and tell me about your holidays.” She hadn’t seen Alessandra for the whole of the holidays, mainly due to the fact that one girl was just as antisocial as the other, though at school they were both fairly well liked and active. “Still an old maid or have you finally got a proposal under that belt of yours?” She teased.

She scoffed once again at Scarlet’s comment, a ‘Don’t flatter yourself’ balanced on her lips but she kept quiet under McGonagall’s gaze. It wasn’t as if Darcia hadn’t noticed Scarlet’s inherit natural beauty but she rarely acknowledged any of her Slytherin sisters’ allure verbally. 

“Why, thank you.” A smirk formed along Darcia’s lips. Of course she believed she was better than most, but a reassurance from a peer could only help her ego. “Of course, if you’re being sarcastic, I will have to hex you.” 

“Oh yeah I forgot the Wicked Witch of the West only cares about the lack of water in Africa in case it gets on her and she melts.” Scar teased. “I swear no joke, I don’t have a death wish. Speaking of which have you heard about all the gossip that’s gone on with...” Scarlet’s voice trailed off. Every pair of eyes in the classroom were staring at the two girls, including the Professor.

“Nice of you to join us Miss Gosforth.” Great. Perfect. “I trust you have better things to do rather then distract my seventh years?” She sat in silence, just staring at the angry old woman in front of her, the sides of Scarlet’s face getting hotter and hotter as she felt an irrepressible blush coming on.

Grabbing hold of her books, Scarlet went to stand up and leave before McGonagall gestured to her to sit down before turning back to the chalkboard. “I think one more loud conversation and we’re busted.” Scarlet whispered back to Darcia. “Got any spells that make her ability to hear whispering girls any less fantastic?” She joked.

“No that’ll do, just the one I dropped was fine. First few days, returning all the overdue books, you know all that boring stuff.” Scarlet paused for a moment to study her face, confident she didn’t know her. “Do I know you? I’d shake your hand, but they are full. I’m Scarlet.”

She smiled at her friend’s imitation of Ed – no matter how inaccurate, and possibly offensive, it was, Scarlet was able to bring a laugh out of Rosaline. “Yeah, he gets a little defensive at times, doesn’t he? Although he has been a bit of a hothead lately…” she trailed off.

“Juliet Conrad, yes. Her sister isn’t too bad, but that Juliet, I swear to Merlin. Please let her be your next target,” she rolled her eyes. “What’s happening with Amelia though?”

“I suppose so.” Scarlet mused. Half-bloods were a weird grey area in their friendship group, the Carrow’s were half, Emma was half as was Lucinda and so was Severus, in fact a few of their friends were. Rosaline was right though, it was thing to be friends with them in the eyes of the Lestrange’s, it was quite another to bed them. “True. It’s terrible. I wonder if she knows what she’s gotten herself into? Poor lamb.” Scarlet added faking sympathy obviously in an effort to be bitchy. “You’re hilarious Ro. I love it. Rabastan broke the news to her about the girl, nice to know you’ve aided with a name. Now the fun can really begin!”

“Oh well I thought that was him all the time, nice to know he’s got other emotions other than anger.” Scarlet did genuinely care about Rosaline and she did want to get along with her ‘man friend’. “I’ll come with you to his next gig if you want? I’ve heard he is quite the player. Might be nice to see him channel his emotions into something more productive than optioning out the faults in my clothes.”

“I’ve never spoken to the Conrad girls. I may or may not add Juliet to my list. Comical that Rosaline doesn’t like Juliet, how does Romeo feel about all this?” Scarlet joked. “I don’t know yet. We could take her stuff and stick them to the ceiling in different places and make a scavenger hunt for her to find? Or we can less discreetly custard pie her whenever we see her and then run away so she doesn’t see it’s us?”

“I don’t think I’m that different, I think I’m like other people like me. We Slytherin’s get such a bad reputation for being heartless and such but we’re not. I think we get a bad name because of the majority and the majority kind of engulf our house and leave a few of us stranded. Sink or swim. I’ve seen what happens to people who defy them, it’s not a place you want to be. I know others who do the silent rebellion and if anything that’s the best way.” Turning to Poppy she narrowed her eyes at her. “You better not tell anyone about this conversation curly, I’m not heartless but I can be pretty nasty if I get crossed.”

“Thanks.” Scarlet replied, raising her eyebrow. “I need my curiosity to be satisfied, it’s driving me crazy.” Settling into her chair Scarlet prepared herself for a story, siting back and crossing her legs in the large emerald green armchair. “Oooh do tell. I’ve been hearing whispers that you’ve had a few duels in the first few days of term, which I am not surprised at. Who’ve you been teaching a lesson? Inquiring minds want to know.”

A laugh escaped her lips, instinctively, at Scarlet’s comment on the older Gryffindor, though she stopped herself when she’d realised the situation. “He’s adorable when he gets all Irish,” she muttered sheepishly, hoping her friend didn’t hear her cheesiness. “But, really S? Couldn’t you have found some other Hufflepuff to drench in water? Take his sister for example. She despises me. Or even better, a Gryffindor. I’d pay to see you try an Unforgivable on their head girl.”

“Shut up Ro.” Scarlet laughed, pushing her friend’s shoulder playfully. “I’m a fantastic person and everyone should want to be friends with me.” She couldn’t help but be a little shocked by the information Rosaline had presented her with, how had she managed to find that out? Rosaline did have a way of doing things that was beyond Scarlet’s understanding, mostly because she was incredibly well connected. “Really? Wow. Half-blood. The scandal. At least she’s not a muggle-born, what an earth would Bella have said to that?” The name Melissa Bell, did ring a bell with her so to speak, a thought that made her chuckle, but not enough for it to mean anything really to her. Nevertheless she knew Rabastan would appreciate the information, especially since Rosaline and Scarlet were about to mess with his favourite little red head. “Excellent. I’m thinking of maybe roping in Peeves to help do something, but reasoning with Peeves is difficult so I may have to abandon that plan.”

Narrowing her eyes, she gained at Rosaline. It was sweet to see her get embarrassed and gushy over a boy, even if the boy was in her opinion a block head. Scarlet was quite sure she had met bread with more about them than Edmund MacMillan but Rosaline obviously saw something in him. “It wasn’t my fault! He started it. I made one harmless itty bitty joke and he went all ‘DON’T YOU HURT MY FRIENDS’ like whoa calm down King Arthur, I made a ginger joke, a lecture on not bullying others wasn’t necessary. Besides I did the world a favour, he was way too much of a hothead and I cooled him right down.” Scar chuckled. “Who Juliet Conrad? Nota a bad idea, she’s not my least favourite person but that would be humorous.”