.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     CRESSIDA LUCILE THORNE LAID ON THE SLYTHERIN COMMON ROOM COUCH FOR THE PAST HOUR. She was surrounded by students of all ages asking all sorts of questions. Many were asking why she had drunk the draught in the first place, others were wondering what it was like to sleep for two weeks. A few people even wondered if they could have her autograph.

     She turned them all down without a second thought. There would be time for autographs later, but right now she wanted peace.

     Her attention, instead of lingering on the herd of students surrounding her, was on the large glass pane windows at the edge of the common room. She forced her vision to focus on each individual detail on the glass as if reteaching her eyes how to work without blur.

     For some odd reason, her right eye was working better than her left. Her mind drifted to the extreme, now wondering if she'll need glasses like Potter. Cressida would pitch herself off the Astronomy Tower if she did.

     The girl pulled herself out of her annoying thoughts.

     Cressida abruptly held her hand out impatiently and internally enjoyed the way everyone went automatically silent. She liked knowing she had so much power over other students. She sighed, irritated visibly beyond compare by their questions, "If I don't know your name, then get out of my ten-meter radius!"

     No one moved for a moment. They looked at each other trying to decipher if she was being serious or not. After all, she was the most popular person in school right now and they needed their questions answered!

     Cressida clenched her jaw, "Don't make me repeat myself."

     Within a second, the crowd around her disappeared. Some students still lingered outside the ten-meter radius, watching Cressida like she was some sort of goddess. She would practically hear their thoughts, 'she conquered death!', 'how is she still alive?'  The worst part is, Cressida didn't even know how to answer that. It hadn't felt like facing death at the moment, it felt like running an endless marathon with boulders tied at her feet.

     She might as well think of some sort of lie to tell the press. Or, she could just say she felt nothing at all.... but that wouldn't be interesting. She's all for the dramatics.

    Cressida got up from the couch when noticing Regulus barging into the common room looking absolutely annoyed. At this point, what else was new? She approached him with a cautious expression. "What's wrong?"

     Regulus huffed, "Thomas is waiting outside, but he's not alone. Potter insisted on seeing you. Says it's his right," he scoffed. "I told him off, but Thomas disagreed. I haven't a clue why."

     Anger bubbled within Cressida. His right? It is not his right at all. Potter's best friend could have killed her and all while he stood by and watched as it happened. He's just as responsible as Sirius. Potter could have snatched the vial out of his hands or simply told the truth. But no, he chose to stand by and do nothing.

     She began walking toward the large entrance door, still using Regulus as support to travel long distances. Her mind was all over the place, but all her thoughts agreed on one thing: she will bitch slap the fuck out of Sirius. There was no denying it, she had a mean right hook, and Sirius was about to get the end of it.

     "Cressida," Regulus started just as they were about to exit. The five boys were waiting just outside so he needed to speak now. "Remember not to tuck in your thumb; it'll break."

     The girl rolled her eyes but appreciated the reminder nonetheless. She was the one who taught Regulus how to throw a punch and here he was telling her how to do it right. She gave a distant smile, "I can practice on you if you'd like."

     The boy gave a dry chuckle and advanced forward to the large door. A snake-like figure appeared at the bottom and created an archway, opening their path outside. As promised, all five boys were waiting.

     Cressida quickly took in each of their appearances.

     Thomas' hair was disheveled and heavy bags laid under his eyes. Cressida felt guilty for his lack of sleep. His uniform was on correctly -- not a single thing out of place -- and his hands were playing with each other nervously. She caught the way his eyes lit up with happiness the moment he made contact with her. The 11-year-old had never looked brighter.

     She turned her head slightly to the left and watched Sirius Black let out a long breath of relief. As always, his appearance was appalling. His tie was undone and shirt untucked, but that was nothing new. Cressida sent him a sharp glare.

     Next to Sirius Black, as expected, was Remus Lupin. The two were always together. New scars were on his face and neck, which Cressida curiously wondered where they came from. It was always her job to stick her nose in other people's business and figure out the drama, if any. Lupin's shirt was also untucked and messy, but his tie was not. He had a look of surprise on his face, mixed with concern. That's new, Cressida noted.

     Peter Pettigrew had not changed at all in two weeks. Then again, two weeks isn't that long. However, it felt impossibly long to Cressida. His sand-blond hair was brushed, but still not quite neat. His bag slouched on one of his shoulders, threatening to pour out all of the books because of the angle. One of his hands was tucked in a pocket with eyebrows furrowed and eyes wide.

     And lastly, James Potter.

     The boy with unruly hair and crooked glasses stared at her in shock, as if believing she were a walking miracle. Perhaps she was. He was the only one already out of uniform for the day and instead wore red converse (with untied shoelaces), baggy pants, and his Quidditch jersey. His wand peeked out of his pockets along with the ends of a note. Cressida guessed it was one of his many notes to Evans.

     His mouth opened as if to say something, but nothing came out.

     "CRESSIDA!" Thomas shouted as he bombarded the girl with a tackle-hug. She jerked back at the sudden movement and physical contact but didn't revoke Thomas' hug. He needed it and frankly, so did she.

     Funnily enough, she's had more hugs today than she's ever had in her entire life. It had brought her to near death to receive the bare minimum -- how fucked up is that?

     She wrapped her arms around the small boy, feeling new to the whole physical notion. She wondered how strange this must feel for Thomas as well, seeing as he also mostly received the same treatment at home that she did.

     She could feel his rapid and unsteady breath rate against her chest along with his hyperactive heartbeat. Cressida gave a faint smile knowing her good health brought him joy. All she ever wanted from Thomas was to be happy and shielded from the evil of the world. Family meant the world to Cressida; it went above everything and everyone.

     She would kill for him. Family always came first.

     The girl ran her hand through Thomas' hair and ruffled it, saying, "Nothing can kill me, don't forget it."

     The blond shrugged his shoulders, "I almost did until James reminded me not to." Thomas spoke about the curly-haired boy with some informality that made Cressida wonder all that she's missed. Why was he on a first-name basis with one of the Marauders? She looked at the younger boy as if he were crazy.

     Cressida caught the way Potter sheepishly lowered his head as if avoiding eye contact with the girl. She'll have to confront him about it later, but for now...

     She broke apart from the hug and immediately approached Sirius Black. The Gryffindor had no time to react as she swung her hand and struck him across the face painfully. He brought a hand up to his cheek, feeling it sting instantly. Sirius' jaw opened slightly, but he said nothing in return. It wasn't the first time he'd been hit, and it surely wouldn't be the last. But out of all the times he's been hit, this was probably the only one in which he deserved it.

     "Do not come near me again," Cressida lowered her voice laced with venom. Her eyes bore directly into his and tried to get the message loud and clear across to him. "You're lucky I haven't had you expelled yet, Black."

     Remus leaned into Sirius protectively. He knew how the eldest Black felt about being physically hurt, so he wanted to show his support in any way possible. Remus managed to slide his hand beside Sirius', not yet holding it but they were touching. All he could hope was that Black didn't draw his away.

     Cressida grabbed her brother's arm lightly and began to pull him away. She needed to speak with him privately, without the prying ears of those she disliked. He furrowed her eyes at her, but she merely gestured at an empty corridor in reply.

     Once she knew the two of them were alone, she let go of him. She needed to know why Thomas had been friendly with the Marauders, why he called Potter by his first name, and why Potter had looked shy at the moment. What was she missing? "What happened while I was away? Why were you speaking about Potter as if you have been lifelong friends? What did you mean by —"

     Thomas held out a hand, cutting her off, "Now that's a long story."

     She waited for him to continue, "Well? I haven't all day, Thomas."

     He sucked in a long breath, knowing his sister wouldn't be particularly happy with the news. He knows how she absolutely despised Potter and his friends, for reasons unknown. Thomas scrunched his nose, "When you were, er, unconscious, I spent every single day sitting by your side for hours without end. The only times I wasn't beside you were when I was sleeping, eating, or at classes."

     Cressida frowned but allowed him to continue.

     "But I wasn't alone, ever. James — um — Potter was always there with me. He hung out with me and kept me company. He taught me games and we conversed. It was nice, really. I even heard that he spent his nights in the infirmary!" Thomas paused for a breath.

     "As I said before, he never looked on the downside, even when I was. His daily reminders really helped me, Cress. Now, I know you two don't get along, but he's not all bad. I've even seen some similarities between the two of you, funnily enough. Just —," he sighed, "know that he truly is sorry for what happened."

     Cressida tried to process everything her brother was saying, but it had surprised her. Why would Potter, of all people, stay by her side day and night? And aside from that, whether she liked it or not, he had made Thomas happy. James Potter had done her a favor, so now she was in debt. She did not like being in debt.

     The Slytherin rubbed her face. Thomas' eyes were searching hers, looking for a reply.

     "Salazar's sake Thomas, I'm not mad if that's what you think. I would never be mad at you for having someone accompanying you when you feel lonely. I'm glad you made a... friend out of Potter. But what his intentions may be, I don't know." She didn't bring up anything about the fact that Potter also slept in the infirmary. She couldn't believe it. Some things were not adding up.

     Thomas visibly relaxed. With a cheeky grin, he added, "With that being said, you are not allowed to murder him for the time being, okay? I've befriended him and would hate to see him go."

     Cressida shoved his shoulder lightly, "I make no promises." In reality, she wanted to deny his request ten times over, but she also knew that when Thomas befriended someone, it was serious. Her brother isn't exactly a social butterfly, so she wasn't going to take away his happiness, even if it were in the form of an arrogant toe rag of a person. "Why don't you hang around Regulus for a bit? I've got to talk to Potter."

     He sent her a look.

     "I won't hurt him, I swear," she placed her right hand on her chest, "Not yet at least."

     Thomas still looked at her suspiciously but nodded nonetheless. "Alright. Also, some people named Rosier, Zabini, and Custelle were looking for you. I didn't know what to tell them so I didn't say anything."

     "Ravenclaw or Slytherin Rosier? They are twins."

     "Slytherin."

     "In that case, if you see them again, tell them to meet me in the Central Hall later tonight. Thanks, Tommy."

     Thomas cringed, "Don't call me that, it makes me sound like a little kid."

     Cressida smiled as the two began to walk back to the group. She could only hope Regulus and Sirius hadn't gotten into a fight yet. She walked with her brother's shoulders touching her rib cage (he was a pretty short 11-year-old ... or maybe she was just tall). "But you are a little kid, Tommy."

     He groaned but said nothing more. He knew there was no point in arguing because Cressida never backed down. She always won an argument, whether she was right or wrong. Thomas wanted to save himself from that misery today.

     Oddly enough, the five boys were not conversing at all. Regulus was leaning up against a wall, watching his older brother intently. Remus Lupin fiddled with a used cigarette in his hands, presumably just having put it out. Cressida looked toward him curiously, noting that he put it out as soon as she returned. High-class wizarding families did not smoke, so it was something Cressida never saw much of.

     If only high-class families didn't do such filthy acts, then no wonder Lupin enjoys himself with a cigarette.

     She made sure to send an exaggerated grimace his way, just for the sake of being dramatic.

     Regulus gave her a look as if saying, 'Everything okay?'

     She gave a curt nod to the youngest Black and turned her attention toward the curly-haired boy. "I need to have a conversation with you, Potter." He furrowed his eyebrows and waited for her to continue. When she didn't see him move, she added with annoyance. "Alone — without your posse."

     "Oh, right," James awkwardly gestured to the end of the corridor to his friends, trying to get them to leave. Sirius didn't budge; he believed that whatever Cressida had to say to James, he could listen as well. They were a packaged deal.     

     James gave his friends a more intense stare.

     "We'll see you afterward, right?" Peter asked lightly.

     Potter gave a lopsided smile which made Cressida's stomach churn in disgust. "No, I'm sure Thorne here will have murdered me before then," he said sarcastically.

     Remus rolled his eyes and turned away. He knew that whenever James became sarcastic that everything would be fine. The scarred boy managed to drag Pettigrew and Black along with him, although he threatened to use Ventus on Sirius since he began complaining. That managed to shut him up really well.     

     By then, Thomas and Regulus had already been out of sight. Cressida appreciated Regulus' ability to scatter without having to be told twice. He was always the more obedient of the two Black brothers for good reason.

     The Slytherin got straight to the point, not wanting to spend any unnecessary time in Potter's close vicinity. "I'm giving you three favors which you can use at any given moment and are not restricted to any rules besides the obvious," she continued to elaborate, "No torture, humiliation, shagging, or anything of the sort — understand?"

     James had only grown more confused. "What?"

     Cressida glared at him, "Do not make me repeat myself."

     "I — uh, what? What are you on about? If you could provide more context then surely..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

     She stopped herself from hexing the boy, only because of her promise to Thomas, but it was a difficult restraint. How could one person not understand context clues from the given information? Why else would she be giving him favors? Were all Gryffindors this dull? "Thomas told me what you had done these past two weeks, and I am indebted to you. Not only did you provide my brother company and solace, but also sacrificed your own comfort for it. I am not going to grant you two weeks' worth of favors, and one favor seemed too little, so I'm giving you three. Understand?"

     James looked at the girl with a strange expression. He couldn't decide if he absolutely loathed every part of her, or if he was intrigued. It varied from moment to moment, it seemed.

     He had only done it because it had been the right thing to do, but now she was trying to get even for it. Cressida had only been in that position because of James and his friends, so why was she trying to get even?

     He held out a hand, "Look I'm deeply sorry about what happened but that's really not necessary."

     "It is. Now, you can ask anything of me within sensible boundaries at any time. Though, I will warn you; if you cause any of my class marks to lower, I will make your life a living hell."

     James Potter was still hesitant. He didn't like the idea of having power over Cressida Thorne (of all people). He majorly believed in the concept of free will with favors, not because of duty or debt. However, he saw the way she would not back down.

     Now that he thought of it, this could work for both his and Cressida's benefit. He challenged himself with an (almost) impossible promise last month and had full intentions on keeping it. Maybe these three favors could show his friends that Cressida Thorne was not a demon reincarnated.

     "Okay, alright fine," James smiled, planning the first favor in his head already.

     The girl waited for him to announce his departure, but it never came. Cressida crossed her arms expectantly and resisted the urge to hex him. Getting a detention on the first day of being awake would not do her any good — although it would spawn sympathy points with Slughorn. She might just use that to her advantage sometime.

     "You can run along now; I'm sure Evans is in the Potions Classroom with Snape. Go bother her why don't you?" Cressida had no idea where Lily Evans actually was, but she wanted Potter out of her sight badly. The Slytherin knew how much Snape hated James and vise versa; to hear the love of his life around his enemy would drive him crazy. Besides, a little lie never hurt anyone. At least it would keep him occupied as he searched hell and back for the redhead.

     "With Snape?" he sneered.

     Cressida grinned. She personally understood his dislike of the greasy haired boy and watching this unfold was rather hilarious. "I won't repeat myself."

     "I'm gonna go now," James pointed to his friends at the end of the hallway. His hand reached inside his pocket and pulled out a blank piece of parchment that Cressida believed was a love letter — seems not. "I'll see you tomorrow."

     The girl grimaced, "Be sure you don't."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     That night, Cressida met up with Pandora, Aurelia, and Evelyn. She explained everything to them and could have sworn to see murder painted in Evelyn's eyes. Cressida didn't know she even cared so much — but then again Cressida was amazing and anyone could easily fall for her. It was one of her many skills.

     Aurelia filled Cressida in on the whole 'Mary Marlene' situation. The brunette was strangely okay with it and was neutral toward Aurelia's decision mend the friendship. If it had been Cressida, those two girls would have already been blacklisted for life. However, listening to drama did lighten her mood. It was always her cup of tea, perfect for finishing off the day.

     Pandora was overjoyed to see Cressida in good health. She filled the conversation with random fun facts about creatures and all sorts of topics, and Cressida couldn't find it in her to complain.

     The trio managed to sneak Pandora into the Slytherin Common Room. Since Cressida's brother, Noah, was Head Boy, the students couldn't tattle on them. They know Cressida would tell Noah and everyone's scared of him.

     To many Slytherins, their Common Room was sacred and intruders were seen as the highest offense in the school. Fortunately, Cressida did not give a flying fuck. If she wanted her friends around, she'd have them around. End of story.

     But this wasn't uncommon. More and more students are allowing others from different houses into their common rooms. One of the many benefits of this was large parties. Halloween, birthday parties, Yule events, etc, all became chaotic days in the house common rooms. Gryffindor students say they have the best parties, but that's because no Gryffindor student has ever been invited to a Slytherin one. Every other house knows that Gryffindor does not compare next to the Slytherin functions — all of which Cressida organizes herself with the help of Dorcas Meadowes, Barty Crouch Jr, and Aurelia Custelle.

     Speaking of which, Cressida was behind on planning this year's Halloween event which was the day before her birthday. October 31st and November 1st were the two best days to be a Slytherin student because of all the celebrations.

     "Your common room seems to be the biggest of them all," Pandora commented as she entered the large room for the first time.

     It was true; Slytherin was the largest and most luxurious of them all. It had tall ceilings, large windows, long velvet curtains, fireplaces, chandeliers, marble statues, fancy furniture and carpets, and everything that a Slytherin may need. The atmosphere of the room was cool and fresh, as if the windows were open with billowing wind.

     It was one of Cressida's favorite places in the world — although being underground did have its drawbacks.

     It was late at night so all the students were supposedly in their proper rooms sleeping because of curfew, except for Cressida and her friends, of course. Once again, the benefits of having Prefect friends and Head Boy as a brother.

     Aurelia threw herself onto one of the many couches. "I think this calls for a celebration, don't you think? We should celebrate Cressida not being dead."

     Cressida rolled her eyes but would never say no to a small party .... especially one in her honor.

     Suddenly, where the Grand Piano was toward the back of the common room, popped out four heads in interest. Cressida flinched in surprise but relaxed upon realizing who the heads belonged to.

     Regulus Black, Evan Rosier, Barty Crouch Jr, and Dorcas Meadowes.

     Funny, Cressida was just thinking about them.

     Evan Rosier broke out into an over exaggerated skip toward the trio of girls. He noticed his sister but didn't bother going in for a hug; it was a very uncommon thing. "Did I hear a after-curfew hours party was going to take place? Sign me up. It's a good thing I know where Malfoy hides the alcohol."

     "Please let it be real firewhiskey this time," Cressida noted.

     Barty rolled his eyes, "Would you like us to taste test it for you, your Highness?" He sarcastically asked. It was clear as day that Barty was on the fence about Cressida. He couldn't decide if she was worthy of his friendship yet.

     Cressida played along, "Well, if you're offering..."

     Regulus plopped down to the couch next to where Cressida was seated. It was obvious that he'd had a long day — like everyone had — and seeing Sirius did not help either. Whenever Regulus saw his brother, it only brought bad memories back that he'd wish to keep buried. He stopped trying to make contact with Sirius after his second year — it was clear the older brother wanted nothing to do with him.

     In Sirius' defense, he hated anything that reminded him of home, but that was still not an excuse in Regulus' eyes.

     Regulus reached for the bottle in Barty's hands and yanked it open. "We do have cups, right?"

     Dorcas sighed, "Don't be so high maintenance — unless you want to transfigure cups yourself, then be my guest."

     Evelyn, the highest required maintenance of them all, cringed. "I'll do it. I am not drinking out of that thing with the rest of your dirty mouths." And with that, she took out her wand and changed a small piece of paper into a cup. Then, she continued to use the gemino charm to multiple it.

     Cressida held the cup and inspected it, "If this thing gives me a paper cut on my lip, I'll burn your entire closet."

     Regulus pored some of the firewhisky into everyone's cup, leaving some extra for himself. He was only fourteen, but living in the Noble House of Black meant he already had an extensive knowledge on different alcohols and, particularly, wines. "Where did you say you found this, Rosier?"

     Both Pandora and Evan turned their heads in his direction but used common sense to know which he was asking. The darker haired replied, "Lucius Malfoy showed me his collection behind the statue of Salazar Slytherin at the entrance. He said he'll pass it down to me once he graduates this year."

     "The statue has a secret compartment?" Pandora asked her brother. "How intriguing. Makes you wonder what else is hidden within the castle walls."

     "Yes it does," he nodded in agreement.

     Cressida took a sip of the drink, subconsciously making sure it wasn't another deadly Draught. Once she decided it was safe, she made the bottom go up. 

     An hour later, Regulus' tie was wrapped around his head, Barty and Pandora were on the floor playing Exploding Snap, Aurelia was passed out on the table, Evelyn was dancing with Dorcas, and Evan and Cressida were drunkenly throwing knives at a board that was transfigured to look like Sirius Black's face.

     It seemed crazy to Cressida that a month ago she'd never be in this environment. A month ago, she'd only hang out with Regulus and that's it. But now Regulus combined his newly found friend group with her new friend group and it was working perfectly. Yet they hadn't even hung out a lot, only at meals and occasionally in the library. It's perplexing to think about how total strangers a month ago could have ever escalated to just barely friends enjoying a night together. Were they all just desperate for friends? Were they all terrified of the upcoming years?

     Cressida drew herself out of her thoughts as she lightly poked Aurelia's head for any sort of reaction. She furrowed her eyebrows, "Light weight." Evan laughed but immediately covered it up with a cough.

     Funny how in the beginning of the term she had feared being alone for the rest of her life, but she wasn't now. She had her own messed up little friend group that liked to throw knives and dance on top of tables. She didn't believe it could get any better than this.

     But little did she know, it could.