Dad,
Hey.. I'm back.

Sorry for the reddish tint on the paper, I'm trying to stop the blood but I can't. Would have to find some medicine from Pomfrey.. or maybe not. I can't have Minnie find out about this, or she'll end up killing a bitch or two.

I wouldn't mind honestly, but I can't have her end up in Azkaban. She's my one firm, honest support system, because some people that are supposed to be aren't..

You might be wondering how I got all bloody.. or not. I don't know. I don't know if you care anymore.

There's this new teacher for DADA, she's a Ministry hag. And I ended up in a fight with her. But it wasn't my fault. She tried to bash Ced. She tried to call his murder an accident.

And then I fought her, obviously. I ended up in her office. She made me write lines with some special quill.. And then it was carved on the back of my hand.

I'm a hopeless destruction.

Is this why you've never replied? Am I hopeless to be still trying?

Ria stared at the words for a good moment. Three letters ago, she would have cut those words off. But she did not care anymore about what she wrote.

So, my hand's still a bit sore, but I'll manage. That's all I'm doing nowadays.. managing everything.

Anyway.. I hope I didn't disturb you.
Ria.

"These have got to be the stupidest decisions I ever take.." She muttered under her breath, handing the letter to Jude. But before she could hold it in his beak, Ria backed away a little.

What if he thinks I'm annoying? She thought. Great! I'm just giving him more reasons to stay away from me.

The owl screeched, breaking her thought process. "Oh, right. You have a long flight ahead of you. I'm sorry I send you back and forth to Romania so often. Take this to Dad?"

Jude took off with the letter in his beak, and Ria watched him fly away. 

Just one letter.. one reason why you've never tried to reach out. I know Jude won't make a mistake. He's your owl, he'll always find where you are, where your house is. 

Give me one reason why you're not getting in contact when you've had so many chances.. and I'll leave you alone if you want to.

Flash news! Maybe he never wanted a child.. She thought, chuckling lightly afterwards. Well, that would make much sense. With that unhealthy coping joke, she opened the letter that Jude had brought to her before she had sent him off again.

That Saturday morning had been pretty pleasant until Jude had pecked her finger at around five in the morning, when Ria was still asleep. She had been nervous the day before, because of the Quidditch tryouts, and had slept around two or three in the morning.

Hermione had informed her about the latest news. The Ministry had found out about Sirius's hiding location being London, and Harry was sure it was the senior Malfoy who had done that. He surely must have recognised Sirius in his animagus form.

Now all Ria did was hope that the tiredness and the worry wouldn't mess up her first gig as a captain.

Hey love,

How's everything going on at school? Well.. I don't exactly expect it to be heavenly, considering everything that happened. But I just want you to be alright, sweetheart. And I hope you remember all the things I told you before you left.

And Miss. Captain, I wish you all the luck. I know you'll do just fine. And although it hurts my Gryffindor heart to say this.. but I hope Slytherin takes the cup this year. I've seen you play from the start and I'm immensely proud. And I know parents aren't supposed to say this, but I'm saying this because my dream was once the same as yours. I want to see you fly, and perform your best out there.. in front of a million eyes, something I couldn't do because of the war. And when you'll be out there in the stadium rocking the opponents, I'll try to be the loudest cheer you'll hear.

And you don't need to worry about it here. Amos is alright. I'm writing you right after I helped him settle in Dublin. My friend said he can stay at his place until he's healed. I'll keep you updated, and you can write to him too, of course. I'm back in Brighton and at my Ministry job too, Moony's back at his cottage, Padfoot is annoyed because of the news (you must know by now) but he's safe.

Take care, honey. Give my love to Harry and all your friends.

P.S.- I'm sending you some treacle tart.

Love you,
Mum.

Asteria smiled, sighing in relief.

Dear Mum,

I was almost worried that your letter hadn't reached me on the second day of school itself; like always. But it would be fair with all the work and shifting, I guess. I'm glad you're all okay. And I hope Uncle Amos gets well. I'll surely write to him.

Ha! Would the fourteen-year-old you have expected you to be hoping for Slytherin over Gryffindor? You're such a disappointment to the young you, Mother!

The moment she wrote it, she regretted it. Wow.. way to make someone insecure and unsure of themselves, Asteria. She thought, and then instantly wrote a small side note.

(It was a joke, obviously. You're the best mother, friend and person I've ever had in my life, my beloved old woman.)

I promise you, Mum. I'll make you proud. I've been practising hard. I've revised all the captaincy tips you and Ced gave me. I'm prepared for the tryouts and I FINALLY can't wait to take out the (mind my language please, I've heard worse from you) narcissistic shits out of my team. Also, Adrian was with me during practice and he said I could be good as a Seeker too! It inflated my ego a bit, not going to lie. And as much as I love playing as a Keeper, I hope I can play as a Seeker for once, just for a change maybe.

Ria paused for a moment, thinking of things she wanted to mention, but it was almost as if her hand had a mind of its own.

I actually wanted to confess something to you. I've been writing to Dad—

Ah.. there it was. The second regretful mistake in the letter. Ria scratched that sentence furiously, blotching it with ink until it was unreadable.

Please, please, please stay safe, Mum, at home, when you're out and especially at the Ministry. And I hate that woman who came in as our DADA teacher. Her name's Umbridge, you might know her. Keep yourself at a safe distance from that hag.

Anyway.. take care.

P.S.- The treacle tart smells lovely! Thank you, love you!

Ria.

After slipping into her Quidditch gear, Ria made her way to the Owlery. Last night's detention had been a lot worse than the previous detentions. The cuts that would heal while writing with that blood quill had stopped healing. And now the line would remain carved into her hand until the DADA jinx gets rid of Umbridge.

She had wrapped her hand in bandage after the wound had stopped bleeding, so that no one could really see what it was.

As soon as she reached the Owlery, a platinum bleached blonde head caught her eyes. "Malfoy." She voiced in acknowledgement.

He nodded at her. "Edwards." He replied in the same tone, then returned to his owl. "Why aren't you at the Quidditch field?" He asked.

"Why aren't you at the Quidditch field?" Ria questioned back.

"Aren't you the captain?" asked Draco.

"Aren't you the one that gets your arse there late on the days of tryouts and practices? Like every single time?" She criticised, and he was taken aback at the unexpected personal attack. "You know, I'm not Marcus Flint, right? You might not land on the team this time?" She asked, her lips curling into a little smile.

She would be more than happy to get rid of this jerk.

Malfoy stared at her in disbelief and let out a small laugh. "No, you wouldn't!" Her expression didn't change, but his sure did. "You can't do this to me!" He exclaimed.

Asteria shrugged, turning to find an owl to deliver her letter. "Well, mate, I technically can. I'm the Captain."

"But why?" He asked again. "You can't remove me from the team just because you hate me!"

Ria paused. "Actually, I was going to remove you 'cause Slytherin needs a better Seeker, but you gave me one more reason!" She smiled, watching as the owl fled away with the letter.

"Wait— You hate me? I thought we were friends.." The dumb assumption made Ria snap her gaze towards him. She blinked in disbelief. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Draco asked.

"I'm sorry.. What did you just say?" asked Asteria, not wanting to believe her ears. "You thought we were— we were— what?"

"..friends?" He muttered. Ria sniggered, but then instantly stopped as he rolled his eyes. Then she slowly broke out into laughter again.

"It's not funny." His response made her laugh harder. "It's really not, okay? Don't laugh at me!" He snapped, and Ria shut her mouth since he seemed pretty annoyed.

"You—" He sighed. "Besides Scamander, you're probably the only person who's completely honest with me and doesn't encourage me to rot, like others do." The words that came out of his mouth surprised both of them, but they concealed it very well.

Out of all the people, Ria hadn't expected Malfoy to show faith in her.

She chuckled with a mixture of surprise and relief. "Good thing.. you weren't too late to catch up." She gave him a small smile and left the Owlery.

Malfoy, pretty surprisingly, felt like he had some weight removed from his chest. He felt pretty guilty and pitiful after hearing some things about her from his father; things that only a few people knew.

"You're still a pretty bad Seeker, though!" Ria's voice echoed from the stairwell.

"Hey!" Malfoy bellowed offensively, chasing after her. "I'm a pretty good Seeker!"

Ria started laughing, but then faced him with a dead serious look on her face. "No."

"Okay, you know what? You're right, kicking you from the team would be pretty harsh. I'll tell you what? Try for the Beater's position." She concluded, descending the stairs of the tower.

Draco groaned in frustration and continued walking with her. "Why don't you let that go?"

"Okay.. okay.. just tell me why you like to play as a Seeker. Just— Just one valid reason?" Ria asked, halting in her track.

Malfoy squinted his eyes in confusion. "That's not—"

"No! No! Tell me! I'm a good listener. I'll be your therapist."

"My what—"

"Listen!" Ria interrupted with a yell. "We don't have time. There's like—" she raised her bandaged hand to check her watch. "—twenty more minutes till the tryouts start and I don't wanna make a bad first impression. So just answer my damn question! Why do you like to play as a Seeker?"

Malfoy was left quite speechless for a few seconds. That was intriguing, though. Why did he go for the Seeker's position without a thought?

"I'm not trying to pressurise you into doing something." Ria said in all honesty. "But according to me, one should always have a good reason to do something. Like.. look at me! I play as a Keeper now, 'cause I always kinda did since I was young, even in other sports! I was never deflected from that position. And I like playing as one!" she spoke up.

"I've never played as a Chaser or Beater, because I can't focus on flying in the air and aiming perfectly at the same time. But, I'm far better at prediction and keeping up with things.. or following things. When something is moving towards me, I can analyse the way it's going to go pretty quickly, and so, I can catch it pretty quickly. That's why I play as a Keeper, because I know I'm good at it! And it gives me a kind of satisfaction. What about you?"

"I.." He breathed out, deep in thought after the analysis Asteria had presented. "I don't know." He said, genuinely. "I really don't know."

"I know." She said. "Because in the first year, you saw Harry play as a Seeker—"

"Oh no, no no no!" He laughed. "Potter? Really? Listen, the world doesn't revolve around your boyfriend! Do you really think I'd waste my time doing something just because—"

"Remind me of those 'Potter stinks' badges again?" She replied sarcastically. "Come on! You two are the arch nemesis to each other! That is literally something that you would do!" Draco opened his mouth to deny, but Ria interrupted again. "Don't even think about denying! You know I'm right!" She spun on her spot and continued walking.

"And you just admitted it, that I'm completely honest with you! So, just think about it!"

Malfoy looked up at the ceiling and groaned. He shouldn't have said that. "So you're just going to use it against me for the rest of your life?!" He asked.

"YUP!" Ria's reply echoed through the stairwell.

He shook his head in annoyance, skipping down to catch up, while muttering under his breath, "My father will hear about this.."

"Alright!" Asteria bellowed, trying not to lose her confidence at the scene in front of her. "We're waiting for five more minutes! Till then, get yourselves prepared!" Harry heard her call from the ground before she stormed out of view.

Harry had been waiting in the stands with some other students to support Asteria on the day of tryouts. Clearly, it wasn't going well. He followed behind where his girlfriend had gone; the changing rooms.

Sophie sighed in relief and stopped pacing outside the room once she saw Harry. "Thank Helga!" She whispered, holding Harry by his shoulders. "I don't know what to say to Ria.. I have zero experience about Quidditch pep talks. Please—"

"I— I will! I will.." Harry assured with a small smile. "There's no one else inside, right?" Sophie nodded, making him rush inside, where he saw a distressed Ria muttering things to herself.

"I should've known— I should've known how bad of an idea it was—" she groaned in agony and looked up at the ceiling. "Why... Why can't I just have a moment of satisfaction? When am I finally gonna feel good about myself? WHEN?"

"Ria?" Harry called out in worry, and she looked down at him, but the moment their eyes met she looked down at the floor, wiping her angry tears away.

"Hey.." he cooed, trudging closer to her and wrapping his arms gently around her. Ria tried to break out of his grip, but he didn't budge, adding a bit more of annoyance to her already ruined mood.

After a few moments of prying, Ria gave up and plopped her forehead dramatically on Harry's chest, making him kiss her head. "What's wrong?"

Asteria laughed in disbelief. "As if you don't know what's wrong?" she replied.

Harry sighed. He did indeed know what was wrong, but he wanted to hear it from her. Just so Ria could take her frustration out instead of keeping it in. "What is wrong?" He asked again.

The girl in his arms looked up at him with an angry frown and pried herself away from him. "There's like— no one out there!" She bellowed, pointing towards the pitch. "This was supposed to be tryouts! I literally don't have any other fucking options, 'cause there's just six players! Out of which, only three are good at playing their roles! The other three are the ferret and his two dumb followers!" She exclaimed, completely forgetting that she had had a moment of friendship with that ferret just some time ago.

"Hell, I don't even have any backup or— or substitutes! How on fucking Morag am I supposed to play?! And win?!" Harry opened his mouth to comfort, but she cut him off with a fake laugh. "I should've known.. Why did I accept this position? Why didn't I return it to Adrian..? We could've had some.. fifty-fifty partnership or shit like that."

"And— And!" She laughed again. "I was confident enough to make a bet with Flint! 'You'll see me holding that Cup over the sea of serpents while I make even the lions clap for me'— my arse! What was I even thinking like— was I okay?" She questioned, and her boyfriend accepted his defeat.

Yeah.. he would not be able to interrupt her self-demotivating talk this time, he was afraid.

"You know what? I wish I had Lagarde's time-turner, the one that Mum used, and just go back to the time I made that bet with Flint. No! Really! What was the young me so desperate for— because if I go back? Oh, imma kick that bitch hard on the back of her head! She gonna wake up with two concussions and a desire to switch up her entire personality so that she NEVER ends up in Slytherin ever fucking again!"

When she finally stopped, her chest was heaving up and down because of heavy breathing. The cluttering sound of brooms shaking against the cupboards that had been concealed by her voice stopped after a few seconds. And that just made her feel even worse about herself.

In an effort to comfort her, Harry gently pulled her towards himself. She sighed. "Go on.. tell me how immature and childish I sounded—"

"Shh.." he cut her off by taking her into a hug, resting his chin on her head as it rested on his chest. "I'm not going to say anything.. I just wanna be there for you." he said.

"You always are.." she mumbled. "But don't you get tired? Hearing me whine about everything, every damn day—"

"Shut up." He whispered against her hair. "Just shut up. Let me live the best moments of my life peacefully. This is so comfy." The remark from Harry made her helplessly chuckle. "Why do you work yourself up so much? Spare something for me too." He commented, making Ria look up at him.

"Didn't you ask me to take out my anger and not suppress it?" She asked.

"Yes, of course. But you feel too bad about it afterwards. I don't think you should." He frowned. "Not in front of me, at least.."

Ria didn't say anything else, instead she just apologised. "I'm sorry, you have to bear with me."

Harry chuckled, shaking his head. He then cupped her face and took her in for a kiss. The girl melted away into it pretty quickly, forgetting for a moment that her day had been bad.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and in the midst of her nodding, Harry kissed her once again. "Sure?"

"Yeah.." She chuckled as Harry stole another kiss. She sighed with content. 

Whereas people would compliment Harry about his green eyes and leave the talk to it, Ria would take her time, wandering off into those emeralds that sometimes appeared to have been picked from the most enchanting of forests. She loved to do that. It seemed like a break from the world.

"I should probably cancel today's tryouts, shouldn't I?" she asked.

Harry seemed offended by the question. "No, I don't think of a reason you should.." he chuckled. Ria glared at him.

"I'm being serious, Ria.. You don't need to." Harry continued. "You don't have to prove yourself to everyone. If they don't have faith in you— If they miss the chance to experience the amazing person you are, it's on them! You don't owe them anything, love!" Ria's heart swelled at his words.

"You've been the best at this gig since day one! They're never gonna find anyone like you! 'Cause you are one of the people that wouldn't back off, or even whoop some arses straight if you need to!" Ria laughed at this, making him smile. At least his words were working wonders.

"And about the bet.." said Harry, with a little mischievous glint in his eyes. "There's still time.. We aren't on the same level yet, are we?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "You still think you're gonna win?" She shook her head, scrunching her nose. "It's okay, Potter.. you can always dream."

"Well, I have won before. I did dream once.. and it got me to you." 

Ria tried to hide her smile at his sly remark. "So have I! That was a win-win situation." She replied, smiling widely. "This is Quidditch. This will be different."

"We'll see.." Harry grinned, looking down at her pretty face.

"Why don't you just stop talking in riddles now that you're dating?" Theo's sudden voice made the pair break apart and drive away from each other. "Like.. it gets annoying from an outsider's point of view, trust me." He shook his head in disbelief.

Asteria squinted her eyes in question. "How long have you been standing there?"

Theodore thought for a good while before shrugging. "The whole time?" He answered.

Harry and Ria shook their heads in sync. "No, you were not."

The Slytherin boy gave a mild 'dang it' kind of expression. "Okay, I was not." He accepted his defeat. "Now come on out before the rest of them leave, too."

Ria muttered a little 'ouch' under her breath at Theo's remark. "Anyway, gotta go." She stood on her tip-toes and gave Harry a quick peck on his lips. Theo whipped his head away from them, clearing his throat.

His best friend rolled her eyes as she linked her arm with his and walked out of the room. "You know, there wasn't anything disgusting about us kissing, really.." Ria defended, while he left a quiet shudder.

"Yeah.. no, it was disgusting." said Theo, making Ria roll her eyes again as they walked out onto the pitch.

"We'll see about that when it'll be you dating someone.. Where's Sophie, by the way? She was outside the changing rooms a few minutes ago.." she trailed off, looking at a scene unfolding at some distance.

The Scamander girl was supposedly having a good laugh with Ria's new 'friend', and Ria didn't know how to feel about it.

"He can make people sincerely laugh?" Theo whispered, looking at the pair too. "Since when?"

"Since.. this morning?" Ria whispered in disbelief.

Okay wait.. I know I told Malfoy to pull himself together if he wanted to win Sophie over, a year ago. But that didn't mean I really wanted him to win. This is wrong!

She took an urgent step towards the couple, standing less than a mile away from her, but Theo grabbed her hand. "Hey.. let it be. You know Sophie can't be corrupted."

Ria nodded hesitantly. "Yeah— Yeah." she replied. It might be just her feeling overprotective, but Sophie was her sister, and she couldn't let anything or anyone hurt her.

"Alright.." she continued, looking away from the pair. "Alright.. wait, where's Blaise? I haven't seen him since this morning."

"Oh— um— he's sick." Theodore answered, making Ria's face contort in worry. "He was just feeling nauseous since he woke up today."

"Is he okay?"

"Probably.." he shrugged. "But, hey! Don't you think you should start the tryouts? And honestly, who gives a shit if no one else shows up? They aren't just that dedicated if they let the chance go because of one person. It's good for the team."

Asteria nodded in reassurance. "Maybe you're right. Now do me a favour. Take Sophie with you and send Malfoy down." She smiled at him one last time and began walking away.

"And Ria!" The girl turned to him. "Don't worry about the substitute. I'm sure we'll find one. Until then, show them why you own the title of Captain."

"Thanks, Nott!" She nodded in acknowledgement, walking towards the group.

"Okay! Attention, everyone!" Her voice took the players' attention, and they stopped their warming out sessions. "Welcome to the Slytherin Quidditch tryouts. I am Asteria Edwards, your new Captain, in case you didn't know."

"Now, I'm going to have to make some things clear. I will not hear any criticism, any prejudice, nor will I tolerate any misbehaviour in my team." She gave everyone a stern expression. "We're here to play fair, and win fair. You disobey me and my rules, you get your arse landed out of the team. I don't care if we don't have extra players. I'll learn to make clones of myself if necessary. Another thing.." she glanced boringly as Draco runs towards the group.

"I don't like late-comers, take note of it." Malfoy nodded slightly. "Good. And lastly, have faith. Have faith in me, in yourselves, and in the people around you. Trust me.." Her gaze flickered to Harry, who was watching from the stands, "it makes a huge difference."

When she looked back at the group, Amelia had been smirking at her. Avoiding looking at her, Ria finally clapped her hands together. "Great! Let's go. I want four laps around the pitch!" The players picked their brooms up and the tryouts began.

She walked towards her broom and picked it up, preparing to ascend too when she sensed a present behind. "Why aren't you up in the air?"

Draco shrugged. "Is that really necessary?" Ria gave him a long, questioning look. "Aren't I going to end up in the team, anyway? And after today's conversation, we're definitely friends."

"No, we're not." She said. "You haven't given me a proper reason yet."

"Yeah, it's not like I've saved your life twice.. Definitely no." said Malfoy sarcastically.

"Okay, then.." Ria nodded. "I'll repay you by saving yours, one day. But right now, if you want to make it into the team, you will need to try out."

"Are you serious?" He asked.

She gave out a small, exasperated laugh, shaking her head and mounted on her broom. "Yes. Get your arse up there.."

The tryouts had been okay for Ria. Adrian and Amelia were the best at their jobs, as always. Montague and Goyle were alright.. could use some improvements. The player she was most concerned about was the new Beater alongside Goyle.. Crabbe. She hated that boy, but he wasn't that bad as a Beater. It almost hurt her heart to take him into the team.

Draco didn't seem to try that much. Ria had the wish to make him play as a Beater for just once, but then again, she wouldn't have a Seeker that had been in the game as long as Malfoy had. Crabbe's hits were strong, but his aims were pretty questionable, since the Bludgers he hit had come towards Asteria thrice, and had finally hit her hand the fourth time. And Crabbe, being the dumb boy he was, hadn't realised that the girl knew he was doing it intentionally.

"Good work, team." She said while all of them had landed on the ground. Her left hand was now burning— where Crabbe's bludger had hit her, and she was sure it was bleeding through the bandage. "I don't think there's a need to mention the parts you all will be playing in the team, but just to be sure.." she trailed off.

"Adrian Pucey, Amelia Henry and Graham Montague— the Chasers. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, you'll be playing as the Beaters. Draco Malfoy is the Seeker. And I, Asteria Edwards, the Keeper." The team, and the audience that could hear, clapped politely.

"Montague," the boy nodded in acknowledgement, "you weren't bad, but you need training. Same goes for you, Goyle. Crabbe, you might have hit me almost four times, but I'm only excusing you right now because your aim got a little better with every hit." The boy nodded, mocking seriousness. "And as of our first practice session, I'll let you guys know later. Till then, you're dismissed."

As soon as the players began leaving, Harry hurriedly left the stands, with Sophie and Theo behind him.

Asteria walked towards one of the pillars and dropped her Nimbus down. She plopped herself on the ground and leaned back into the pillar. Now that there was nothing to distract, the pain in her hand was hitting her badly.

Harry hurriedly crouched in front of her and lifted her hand. "That fucking dick!" He hissed under his breath, gently removing her glove. "Just— Just some time, okay. We'll get a little murtlap—"

"No! No need." Ria interrupted. "It'll be fine. My wounds heal quickly."

"Stop thinking you're invincible, for God's sake." Sophie whispered, making her chuckle. "That's not funny."

"Sophie, honestly. I'll be fine. It's gonna heal in minutes, and you know why."

"But still—"

"Sophie, I promise, it's not that severe."

"It is, Ria!" exclaimed Theo. "And you were already wearing a bandage. What happened? You didn't tell us?"

The girl gave Harry a slightly panicked look. "She— uh— accidentally cut her hand earlier, just before the tryouts started, and I bandaged it." He quickly made up a lie, knowing well from her look that she had told none of them about Umbridge's punishments.

"This!" Sophie emphasised. "This is why I tell you to not take Quidditch so damn seriously!" She crouched down too and started opening her bandage.

"NO!" Harry and Asteria yelled simultaneously, scaring the Hufflepuff. She looked between the two, shocked. "Let's just leave. There's— There's dust out here." said Ria. "It'll sting badly."

"But you can't just.. let it be." Theo justified.

"I know and I— I'm not going to!" assured Ria, getting up in a heartbeat. "I'll clean it up, don't worry. You three go. It's almost lunchtime." She didn't want anyone to see what the wound was, or specifically, what the wound said.

"And Harry!" He didn't yet know that her words weren't the same as his. "Don't you have practice in a few minutes? You need to have some food before that!"

"Yes, I will, my love." Harry nodded sincerely. "But I'll help you clean your wound first."

"You don't really need to!" She answered in all honesty. Harry's temper had been bad these days. She didn't want to make it worse. "And you weren't there for your tryouts yesterday. I don't want you to be late.."

The desperate look on Asteria's face said much more than the girl realised. Harry slowly nodded. "Okay.." he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "We're going to talk about this later." He whispered with a small smile, making Ria nod in response.

"You should leave too.." She said to the other two.

"Oh, don't think for a minute we're leaving you like this." Ria sighed at Sophie's statement. But then, she saw a ray of hope sitting in the stands.

"Oh, looks like someone's waiting for you!" she exclaimed, her voice having a little teasing tone. Sophie turned her head to look at where the Slytherin's gaze had just been. And her lips refrained themselves from smiling at the gaze of a particular blonde, waiting in the stands with his chin resting on his palm.

"That's— er—" Sophie's eyes nervously travelled to Harry. And he quickly shut his ears, looking elsewhere. Ria chuckled, shaking her head.

"You know what's better?" asked Harry, not removing his hands. "I'll leave you three to yourselves, for now. We'll meet later, Ria." He walked away.

Sophie Scamander's gaze kept bouncing between Ria and a smirking Theodore. "So, what's really going on, Soph?" He suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.

"Nothing too deep, or secretive, I swear." She replied, having a hard time containing her smile. "I'm sorry, I should've told you earlier."

"I thought it was nothing too deep, or secretive." Theo mocked her voice, making her shove him. He and Ria laughed.

She then looked over to Ria. "I don't wanna leave you like this."

Ria rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! I'm fine! See? It even stopped bleeding! Go now, Soph!" She chuckled, giving Sophie an encouraging shove. The girl giggled, walking towards the stands. "Just take care, okay?"

"Will do!" She replied. And the two sighed at her.

"Ah.. look at her growing up." said Theodore, giving a sad smile.

"Theo.."

"Hey! I just don't want her to end up heartbroken again, okay?" He defended herself.

Asteria nodded. "Yeah, me too." Her break up with Justin had been rough enough, and she didn't need another one. "Anyway.. What are you waiting here for?"

Theodore opened his mouth to answer, but Ria had already interrupted. "You know what's better? Just go and check up on Blaise, instead, cause I will not explain myself again—" she began pushing Theo towards the exit of the field, "—I am perfectly fine." She grunted, trying hard to push him, while he just laughed in defeat.

"Alright, alright.. I will." He raised his hands in surrender. "By the way, have you planned your gift for Sophie's birthday?"

Ria stopped dead in her tracks. "Shit, no, I haven't. But I'll figure it out— Hey!" She laughed in victory. "I have an idea, actually!" she exclaimed.

Excited, Theo turned to her. "Really? What?" That question only made Ria swat his arm. "Oww!"

"Plan your own gift, you twat! You take suggestions almost every year!"

"Okay! Okay.." He frowned. "Not my fault, no one taught me how to pick the right gifts.." he muttered under his breath. "Anyway, see ya later."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Ria picked her broom up. She looked at her hand and shook it lightly. No pain. She shrugged. Well.. it's nice having quick healing abilities. What else is my Enchantress blood hiding?

As she turned to walk towards the changing rooms, her eyes caught a black-haired figure leaving the field. And as soon as she realised, her hand flew up to her mouth in regret. How could I forget her?!

Tired with how her day had gone, Ria trudged towards her dorm. The portrait opened at the familiar face and she entered. She gently placed her Nimbus down as the door closed behind her and sighed. Now with nothing else on her mind, the constant hits from Crabbe had begun to bug the crap out of her.

Yeah, I get it. You hate me. That doesn't mean you'll try to give me a concussion every time you get a chance. Of course, she had to do something about his attitude.

A sudden 'hey!' made her jump in fear. She breathed out in relief once she saw Harry. "Oh my— Harry!" She chuckled, but he didn't seem amused. "Hey.. what are you doing here?"

Harry walked towards her, cradling her in his arms. "I.. came to see how my girlfriend's been doing.." 

Ria rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah.. it's totally not been just twenty minutes since we last met." She shrugged. 

Harry raised a questioning brow. "Are you teasing me?" He asked.

"What am I supposed to do, then?" Ria chuckled endearingly. "You aren't supposed to be here right now." She answered.

"Am I?" He questioned, taking her left hand in his. "Well.. I don't care. I wanna see if my girlfriend's alright."

"You have practice right now, you shouldn't be here.." She replied, the smallest hint of a smile from her lips slowly disappearing.

Harry shrugged. "I told Angelina I might be a little late. She said she didn't mind until—" Ria retracted her hand as he started to take the bandage off. Harry stared at her in question. "What's wrong, Ria?"

"That's the point. Nothing's wrong. Stop worrying so much." Ria tried to keep her voice at bay. Lord, was it getting annoying.

"Nothing's wrong, eh?" Harry raised an eyebrow. And his tone struck a nerve of hers, somehow.

"God! Why is it so hard for you to understand?" She snapped. "I don't need help. I'm perfectly fine!" She backed away from Harry. "You all are acting like I've never been fucking hurt before, and it's annoying! Get over it, for Salazar's sake.."

Harry chuckled in disbelief. "Well, yes! You might've gotten hurt before but—"

"It wasn't my fault, was it?!" Ria erupted, reading the direction of his thoughts. "It wasn't my fault I wanted to save you! It wasn't my fault I didn't realise it was a trap! It wasn't my fault I tried to speak the truth!"

After a few moments of studying her desperate figure, Harry spoke up softly. "I never said it was your fault.."

"Then stop acting like this!" She cried out. "Stop trying to help me, even when I don't need it! It makes me feel like shit— it makes me feel like I'm burdening everyone! It makes me feel like it— is— my— fault!" She answered in all honestly. "Just let it fucking go! Why is it so difficult?!"

A long silence took over once those words left her mouth. "Ria.. talk to me, please?" He asked sincerely. All he wanted to do was make her feel better, but he was failing miserably at it.

She started tearing up. "I am not hiding anything." Ria stated, deadpan, staring back at him. "I'm not!" Her pleas didn't convince him.

Harry leaned back into the wall behind him and looked at her with the most endearing doe-eyes. "Your eyes speak loads." She looked up at him. "You just don't realise.."

Ria sighed exasperatedly. She angrily wiped her tears away and stormed off to her room, shutting the door close.

There hadn't been a good moment since months where she had had some time for herself. With no people, with no thoughts, with no damn nightmares and voices. Just her alone. Alone, for some time, with some peace, so she could finally calm down and help herself stand up.

Every time she would try to get away from everyone, someone would come along, tagging behind like a tail wherever she went. And it was frustrating. Why was it so hard for people to understand that she just wanted to be left alone?

"You couldn't have told me that earlier?" asked Ria in disbelief. "I've been losing my mind over this since morning.." she shook her head slightly.

Blaise rolled his eyes and dramatically bowed in front of her, making her halt in surprise and embarrassment. "I apologise, m'lady!" The students surrounding them took notice of the scene, "seeing as I was too occupied in vomiting my guts out instead of letting you—"

Ria grabbed him by his hoodie's collar and aggressively dragged him out of the crowded corridor, while he kept sniggering at her embarrassed face. "Ouch! Let me complete— instead of letting you know that I had the adamant wish to surprise you by trying out for Quidditch."

"Who are you?" She asked suspiciously, stopping in her place. "Where's Blaise Zabini? What have you done to him?" Blaise chuckled.

"No, I'm being completely serious." Ria justified, resting her palm against his forehead as if checking for any fever. "Are you— Wait— answer me honestly, okay? You're not doing this for me, right? Like.. Do you really want to play?" she asked, her expressions hopeful.

Blaise opened his mouth to answer, but closed it shut again just to piss her off. She squinted her eyes and smacked his arm. "Oww! Yes, you lunatic!" Asteria gave an ecstatic squeal and hugged him tightly. "Why do you always smack so hard?" He hissed under his breath.

"Yes! Two done.. Two more to go." She whispered victoriously as they continued their way towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"Nah.. She's never going to join Quidditch. Nott might.. but Sophie?" He shook his head with a small laugh.

"We still have two more years ahead of us." Ria added, her tone hopeful. "And who knows? She might take a little more interest now, because of Malfoy." She shrugged. "But it'll piss me off if she does change because of Malfoy, you know 'cause—"

"Like the way you changed because of your boyfriend?" At his question, she gave him an 'excuse me?' look. "What? It's true! We don't hang out as much, nowadays." answered Blaise truthfully.

"That's not true.." Ria defended herself, but then she nervously looked up at him. "Is it?"

Blaise sighed. "It's not your fault, though.." He assured, swinging his arm around her shoulder. "We have O.W.L.s, you're learning about your powers and stuff, you're also the captain, that Ministry hag's around.." Ria chuckled at that. "Not a great time to be your best friend, I guess."

"I'm sorry.." She apologised. Zabini shrugged in response.

As they entered the Hall, they chose their regular seats at the end of the Slytherin table. Being at the back of the Hall really helped in avoiding unnecessary attention. They sat down in front of each other and waited for the other two.

"It's fine. Just do me a favour, will you?" Ria nodded at his question, and, much to her surprise, he held her left forearm and lifted it up. "Report this shit, please." He gestured towards the wound.

Asteria quickly retrieved her hand, trying to mask her shock. No one else knew about it. "It's nothing, honestly. Just from today—"

"Who're you trying to fool?" Blaise interrupted, annoyed. "Because, trust me, it's not working. It's not fooling anyone, not even Sophie and Theodore. They just haven't told you that they know yet."

Ria blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"Yes. Did you really think the jar of Murtlap essence just magically appeared out of thin air in the middle of the night, when that cut was irritating you?"

"It was you?" questioned Ria, dumbfounded. She had thought it had always there on her desk, for some reason.

"Yes. Well, not me, really. Theo prepared it, and Sophie then placed it somewhere you'd 'accidentally' find it. But that's beside the point." He shook his head. "Ria, those blood quills are torture devices." He whispered in urgency.

"They're bloody dark. It's illegal to use them once, let alone all the times that bitch has made you use them. It's easy. All you have to do is report that woman and—"

"No. It's not that easy." She replied with a humourless chuckle. "She's just using it to keep us quiet. But she won't succeed, of course! It's— It's not about the torture, Blaise. We're trying to make a point here."

"There are other ways to make a point, Ria.." He explained calmly. "All I know is that this is not the right way, and not the only way, either."

Asteria stared at him in disbelief, as if hardly agreeing with his point. "You know what I've always admired about you?" Blaise asked. "Your patience.. even after all the shit you've been through."

Theo's familiar laugh echoed through the door, and the two turned to look at him and Sophie walking in. Blaise leaned in a little closer to Ria and whispered. "You're an incredibly patient person and it has taken you places before. But in this case.." he shook his head slowly, backing away. "It's not going to take you anywhere."

"You're so wrong about me.." She let out a humourless chuckle. "You think I'm-? I'm the most impatient person ever!" she shook her head with another chuckle.

The girl who begged people for answers about her own life.. the girl who couldn't tame her anger.. the girl who constantly judged a century-old wizard because he didn't give her the advice she expected.. the girl who stupidly and desperately wrote to her father, who had abandoned her years ago.. the girl who'd practically jump into flames without another thought if she had a second chance to do something.. 

She wasn't patient.

"Yes, you are." answered Blaise firmly. "You think if I was told that I had some typical— magical history with You-Know-Who and the Seer, I would've said 'okay' and continued with my day?" He asked in disbelief. "Hell nah! I would've spiralled into an existential crisis and lost my mind."

"Well—" she croaked out. "I do spiral into an existential crisis, you know? You just haven't seen it yet—"

"But you handle it better than most of us would, and that's commendable." He complimented, and Ria would be lying if she said it hadn't warmed her heart.

"What's going on, people?" asked Theo, slipping beside Blaise, while Sophie sat beside Ria.

"Eh— nothing.. Just giving our Seer a motivational speech about her patience." Blaise shrugged, making Ria warn him with wide eyes.

"Oh.." Theo nodded as they filled their plates with food. "You know when it was at its peak?" he asked, waving his fork in the air. "When you joined the team. Honestly, with Flint and Malfoy, for two years, how did you not lose your mind?" He asked, his tone of admiration. "like— I can't be around Flint and Malfoy for more than an hour or two. They're annoying."

"Don't forget last year." added Sophie. "You were almost framed to participate. Then Harry, being bloody oblivious during the Yule Ball, the fake Moody, the tournament as a whole.. honestly, how are you fine?"

Ria stared at the three in mild shock before shrugging and looking down at her plate. "I.. don't know how to answer that, so I am not going to." she muttered. The three exchanged quick looks and smiles before eating their dinner in comfortable silence.

Ria sighed internally. She could never really explain the feeling of peace she had around her best friends. And she had a feeling she wouldn't have had this with anyone else other than these three. It was like a found family trope, but in real life, and boy, was she grateful she had had this experience..

"Thank you for the essence, by the way." She spoke up, taking Sophie and Theodore with surprise. "It really helped me loads."

"Essence?" Sophie chuckled, nervousness radiating off her tone. "What essence?"

"It's fine, she knows." Blaise confirmed, and Ria nodded apologetically.

Theo gave him a look and shook his head in fake disgust. "You traitor," he spat. "How could you?" Blaise rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

"It's fine, Theo." Ria shrugged it off, but the boy shook his head in irritation.

"No, it's not!" he snapped, the anger seeming genuine this time. "You think Umbridge is punishing everyone with those detentions? No, she's not. It's just you and Potter."

"It doesn't matter—"

"It does matter, Ria!" Sophie joined in, but much calmer than the two. "She's taking it on you two as if the feud is personal. That's not right." She explained. "Heck, there's a possibility the Ministry doesn't even know this. So, there might be a chance she'll be removed once she is exposed."

Asteria rolled her eyes. At that point, honestly, she'd care less about the Ministry and its governance. Cornelius Fudge was a shit Minister. End of discussion.

"Listen, you are not doing those detentions again." Theodore ordered. "Just bunk them. Maybe tell someone.. Dumbledore, or McGonagall, or Snape. Or we will."

"No, you won't." Asteria replied sternly. Theodore ignored her and continued eating. "Promise you won't tell anyone." she repeated.

"Why?" He snapped. Sophie tried shushing them down, but her attempt was brushed off. "No! Why should I not tell anyone?"

"Because it's my damn problem, okay?" retorted Ria. "And I'll find a way out for myself. I don't need anyone figuring shit out for me. Just leave me alone!"

Theodore's outraged face softened, and as Blaise kicked his shin below the table, he gave him a helpless look. He didn't mean to hurt her.

Ria rolled her eyes in frustration that had started to tear up. The way she felt nowadays was terrifying. The paranoia of not being in control of things bothered her so much that it physically sickened her.. At times, it made her skin crawl with desperation and disgust. She loathed that feeling.

'Poor little lamb.. always helpless.. What would you ever do on your own?'

She desperately wanted to get rid of that feeling, but people offering to do things for her did not help.

She also hated how selfish she felt for loving the people in her life, even after knowing how destructive her powers were. She knew they all wanted to help, and she couldn't be more grateful. But she feared. She feared she'd lose someone else, like she lost Cedric. She feared someone else would be scarred for life, like Amelia.

An icy shiver ran down her spine and she pushed her plate away. "I'm done." She whispered, getting up quickly and walking away.

"Ria, I'm sorry—"

I just need time. I'll be fine. She convinced herself as she walked away, knowing damn well that even all the time in forever wouldn't be enough for her.

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