I think the stars are meant for Susan. She has stars in her eyes when she talks. Her lip curls a little more to the left than to the right when she smiles. She smooths over her dress constantly to prevent wrinkles, a perfectionist at heart.

She doesn't even need to try, is what people would think, but she tries her hardest ━━━ and now the nightmare plaguing her is undoing her. An irrational fear grips my heart: is it me? Am I her nightmare? Is Hannah who she dreams of in her good dreams, her great dreams, her best dreams?

Immediately after I think of that, I want to slap myself, but I want to bang my head against the wall when Susan asks, "Potter?"

She sounds so sleepy, so vulnerable, unlike her. Why does she have to wear a mask around me when she's awake? She doesn't need to. I don't wear mine around her.

Just call me Anne, Susan, I want to say. Laugh around me. Smile around me. Bury your head in my shoulder and lean on me, cry on me.

"Susan," I say back. "You had a nightmare, so I, um ━━━ I came to check up on you and you were crying and ━━━"

"I heard you," she says bluntly, and I startle. "I think the same for you, Anne. All your dreams should be sweet, as well. And thank you for the kiss. It was nice."

"Well, I ━━━" I sputter, wanting to throw myself out of the window out of sheer embarrassment. "I'm glad. And I hope that nightmare is gone."

"It is," Susan states, her red curls messy and tangled and in front of me. "You're here now."

I blush furiously. "You say all that and yet you refuse to call me by my first name. And yet, you call Hannah ━━━" Stopping immediately, I clamp my mouth shut. "Never mind that. You should go back to sleep, and ━━━"

"You were jealous," Susan hums, eyes filled with mirth.

"No," I say, crossing my arms. "I was not, I am not, and I never will be."

"There's no need," she says lightly. "Remember what I said back on the train."

I cough. "I recall it, yes."

Every single second of my life! It plays in my head like a broken record.

"Well," Susan says, "since you're jealous, you should comfort me. Hannah's never slept in the same bed as I have."

My entire face is red now. "What on Earth are you talking about? I couldn't ━━━ I wouldn't want to intrude and I don't think I'd be able to sleep, and ━━━"

"Why not?" Susan questions, scooting closer. "Friends lie in each other's beds all the time, and they sleep just fine. Are you a different case?"

Her eyes bore into mine, and "Maybe I'd like to be," slips out of my mouth.

Why? Why am I so bold? Why can't I keep my darned mouth shut?

She laughs, and I feel my heart calm down. "Well, Anne, you've certainly made my nightmares go away."

"Maybe we can just talk all night," I offer. "Maybe we don't have to sleep."

"Are you scared?" she teases, and I'm not sure if it's her sleep deprivation that's making her do this. Will she be embarrassed tomorrow? Does she even get embarrassed?

"No," I say defensively. "I'm not scared. I'll prove it."

Susan grins. Shit. She won this one.

Eyes glimmering, she scoots over. I sit on the bed stiffly as Susan continues to lie down, her red hair splayed all over the pillow. She turns, her angelic face glowing in the moonlight. I watch, lips parted as her emerald eyes look into mine.

"I'll tell you a secret," she says quietly. "You died in my nightmare and it was possibly the worst dream I've ever had in my life."

I freeze. "What?"

"I said what I said," she mutters. "It's nice, knowing that you're alive, next to me, not dead. You had chrysanthemums in your hair. I was going to get them for you before we headed to Hogwarts, but Mother insisted on hurrying me."

"Your mother," I mutter, trying to ignore the fact that she was going to buy flowers for me. "I don't know anything about her. What's she like?"

"She's a rose," Susan muses, her eyes still staring into mine, like I'm the star. "She's got her petals and thorns. She's beautiful, but sometimes I think Aunt Amelia's loss cuts her. And she'll want to cut others down with her."

"I'm sorry," I whisper, wanting to caress her hair. "You don't deserve that, to be cut up. She's your mother."

"Sounds like you went through the same thing."

"I'm healing," I say truthfully, "but don't turn this on me, Susan. This conversation is about you. You know everything about me."

"Do I?" she questions lightly. "There has to be some secrets inside that heart of yours."

"A girl needs her secrets," I tease, finally caving and lying down, "but I've told you practically everything, or you've figured them out for yourself."

Our faces are inches apart, now. Her cheeks are red, too, and I count stars on her face, dotting her nose and cheeks. Those freckles keep me alive.

"Thank you for being here," she whispers.

"Of course," I reply easily. "Anything for you."

Stop being so bold, Anne! I scold myself as Susan laughs.

"And anything for you," she says, making me sputter and turn around, placing my palms on her burning face. "Don't be shy, Potter. You literally said the same thing."

Potter. I don't want her to call me that.

"Call me Anne. Call me anything but Potter."

Her hand rests on my shoulder, and I want to die, but in a good way. Not my falling out of a window, but in her arms, because they're spreading warmth in every corner of my body.

God, I'm so corny.

"Alright," Susan says, sounding sleepy. "Good night, Anne."

. . .

"Rise and shine, lovebirds!"

Hannah throws open our covers, giggling as I sleepily yawn.

"What time is it?" I mutter, shivering as goosebumps spread across my arms. I can still feel Susan's body heat and her arm around me ━━━ oh, Lord. Her arm is around me. "It's so goddamn cold."

"Time to get up," Hannah says, sounding miffed as I back away from Susan. "I tried doing everything to get you two out of bed. Maybe it's a couple thing."

"Couple?" I sputter as Susan groans and smashes her face with a pillow. I giggle, but then cough when Hannah stares expectantly. "We're not dating."

"Good," Hannah says, and when I gape, she laughs. "Kidding. You don't have to give me that look, Anne. Besides, I like someone else, and Su and I are just friends."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, flustered (even though I know exactly what it means), and she laughs again.

"You'll figure it out in due time ━━━ but get up, it's time to give out food!" Hannah claps her hands, and Susan finally rises from her pillow. "Finally up, huh, Su?"

"You're loud," Susan mutters. "Good morning, Annie."

"Annie?" Hannah mouths, giving me a wink.

"Shut up," I mouth back, before smiling. "Morning, Susan."

"Couples are so rude these days," Hannah mutters, and I notice that even Susan is red now. "Be down in fifteen, both of you. We can't afford to be late."

"It's 4:30 in the morning," Susan mutters. "Dear Merlin."

"I thought you'd be the type of person to get up early in the morning and start journaling," I admit.

"I am not a morning person, Annie," Susan says, and I cough, red blooming on my cheeks. "Do you mind if I use the restroom first?"

"Sure," I murmur, not looking at her, "go ahead."

When the door closes, I look up, spreading my fingers on my face. I just slept on the same bed as Susan Bones. I just cuddled with Susan Bones.

I want to scream, but in a good way. Or in a bad way. I can't tell.

I'm sitting like this, only me and my incoherent thoughts, when Susan returns from the bathroom, her curly hair tamed and her uniform crisp.

"Your turn," she says, her eyes roaming across my face. "We should hurry."

"Right, yes," I say, flustered as I rush to the bathroom.

I manage to semi-gracefully exit the dorms, tugging on my stockings as I head down the stairs. Susan glances towards me amusedly, and I stick my tongue out at her.

"You can slow down, you know," she says as we reach Hannah, who's tapping her foot impatiently.

"Hannah said we had to hurry," I argue, quickly brushing out my hair with my fingers.

"You're not going to be very quick if you trip and fall," she points out. Grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers, she shoots me a glance. "So, slow down, Annie."

Hannah coughs, grumbling something about third-wheeling as the three of us head into the Kitchens. Susan, I notice, has a faint redness on her cheeks, but is still holding my hand, like it's the best prize she's ever received.

Astoria, Daphne, Luna, Neville, and Ginny are waiting for us inside, talking to the House Elves. Susan, Hannah, and I join, and without greeting anyone, we package food. It's silent besides the occasional small talk, but a foreboding mood fills the room.

People need this, and that sucks the happiness out of everyone in the room.

And so, they do. The early morning sun is about to rise, so we're quick to smuggle the food back to Gryffindor's dorms; Astoria and Daphne stay back to continue packing food, and well, making sure that we as a group look trustworthy.

No one questions Daphne. She looks distraught, and we leave it at that.

At the Gryffindor Commons, we pass food containers to the first years, ski masks on our faces: Ginny's idea. We can't let them know who we are; we can't be caught. For now, we remain hidden, until Harry calls me through the mirror and gives us a task.

I hope he's safe.

"Thank you," one of them says, and I want to throw off my ski cap and hug them forever.

But I don't. We continue, dorm by dorm, group by group. We weave our way through hungry students and out of the Commons, running back to the Kitchens.

Not once are we caught. The sun rises when Neville, Luna, and Ginny have left for their classes, and only us Hufflepuff and Slytherins remain.

"I hope this doesn't last," Daphne murmurs.

I don't have to ask what this is.

"None of us do," Susan instead says, nodding respectfully at her before the three of us leave. We, unlike Astoria and Daphne, don't have the luxury to be late.

"Time for hell," I mutter as we walk towards our first class of the day: mandatory Muggle Studies, taught by Alecto herself.

As we seat ourselves, her piercing eyes narrow at the sight of my face. I defiantly raise my chin, eyes glittering.

"Morning," Alecto says briefly, her dark eyes sweeping across the classroom. "You're all here, seventh years, for a double Muggle Studies period. And every time you have this class, you are going to drop whatever filthy belief you have for those pitiful vermin and listen to me."

Her eyes are hungry, so powerful. The ones who want to control have been controlled once, too. But I dont have the time nor energy to pity her. After what she does to innocents, how can I pity her? She's too far gone.

"Is that understood?" A few murmurs of assent fill the room until she bangs her hand on the desk. Hannah jumps, and I flinch. "Is. That. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor," we all say.

All but Neville.

My breath hitches in my chest. I watch Hannah panic and nudge him, but he says nothing, his eyes trained on the Professor with no hint of fear in his eyes, only pure hatred.

Only his hands are shaking. Is it because of his rage? Or is he secretly afraid, too, like we all are?

"Merlin," Susan mutters.

"Mr. Longbottom." A sickeningly spiteful smile grows on Alecto's face as a few Slytherins snicker, but for the most part, we are all silent. "Do you understand?"

He blinks at her, undeterred. "No."

She laughs, the ugly sound echoing. "Is that right? Is that right?"

Her wand now points to him. We're all silent, Hannah practically shaking next to him. My hands are struggling to stay still, but I can't do anything. I need to blend in; it's the only way I can help.

"Stand up," she orders.

Nevile thankfully listens, slowly rising from his seat.

"I suppose that you," she snarls like a rabid dog, "like your parents, need to be tortured to be put down."

Neville's eyes flare with anger. "Don't ━━━"

"Crucio!"

Neville's screams fill the classroom, and I can't take it anymore. "Stupefy!"

My wand is pointed at Alecto as she falls to the floor, stunned. My arm begins to shake as the entire class swivels to stare at me, their eyes piercing. Some are judgmental, most either scared or impressed.

Oh, God. What have I done?

I'm about to run out of the classroom when a Slytherin student says, "Rennervate," and Alecto stands as if nothing happened.

"Potter, was it?" she purrs, head tilting like a cat. "You just attacked a teacher."

I scamper away, like I am her prey, the mouse. Nothing comes out of my mouth but heavy breathing and the desire to punch her and run at the same time. This is different. If I do anything, Susan can get hurt. The Resistance can get exposed.

I can get tortured, just like Neville.

Daphne looks like she's about to open her mouth, when ━━━

"Let her go," Draco inputs, and I startle, my face morphing into disgust at the sight of him. "She's erratic, Professor. I'll get her out of here, and away from your sight."

"Draco," Alecto starts.

"Remember," he cuts in, "the Dark Lord sees potential in her."

My left fist clenches. No, no! Draco's going to do worse! And You-Know-Who sees potential? Still, after what I pulled months ago, even what I did in Fleur and Bill's wedding?

Alecto scowls, before sighing hesitantly. "Very well, Draco. Get her out of here."

With no choice, I lower my wand and follow Draco, glancing behind my shoulder to see Susan. She nods.

Susan trusts me.

My heart flares, and even though I'm with Draco as I leave, I know it's going to be alright. I know that I can handle myself, like I did last time.

I've got this.