.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     AFTER RECEIVING THE VERY CONFUSING NOTE FROM POTTER, Cressida burned it as promised. 'Challenge Accepted'....what in the blazes was that supposed to mean? She had not introduced any topics or conversation with the infuriating boy, so why had he created some sort of challenge? Maybe it was only more evidence that he needed to permanently pay St. Mungo's a visit.

     Directly after class, Cressida raced down to the dungeons and into her dorm room. She had to safely put Nickel anywhere besides her robes. The brunette ended up placing him in a box, which she spelled shut, and poked holes so he could breathe. If Nickel were to escape, she'd be in so much trouble. Besides, she'd have to return him eventually.

     But she made sure to leave Zabini's golden bracelet in the box with the niffler, so he'd have something to play with if he got bored. And if Zabini were to come lurking, she wouldn't be able to open the box.

     After paying some random Ravenclaw student to do her homework, it was finally time for dinner. This day has probably been the longest of her life, with more surely to come. She entered the Great Hall and made a direct bee-line to the Slytherin table. Cressida recognized Regulus' dark messy hair instantly, slumping down into the seat next to his.

    Regulus didn't need to turn his head to know it was Cressida sitting next to him. "Interesting day?"

     The girl began putting food on her plate. She nodded, ready to go to bed. "Very. I stole from Professor Kettleburn and got vexed by Potter," Cressida rolled her eyes at the memory. She picked up a fork and played around with the chicken on her plate. She quickly glanced up, her gaze landing on the loud group of boys sitting at the Gryffindor table. She scoffed, finally taking a bite of her food.

     With a large intake of breath, Regulus' eyebrows raised. He disregarded the comment about Potter being annoying because it was nothing new. "Merlin, Cress. What on earth could you have possibly stolen from Kettleburn?"

     Cressida looked around her surroundings to make sure no one was listening. She lowered her voice, "A niffler."

     Shaking his head, the boy replied, "I thought you hated those."

     Cressida thought about her response. She does.... at least she supposed she does. After today's class, she couldn't exactly call her emotion toward the creature 'hate'. Thanks to Pandora Rosier, the Slytherin was able to see that Nifflers were pretty harmless, except for their determination for riches, (Cressida could relate to that). They were attention seekers and troublemakers, much like herself.

     She also thought about the favor Nickel had done for her; taking Evelyn's bracelet. It was definitely a highlight of her day. "Hm, not anymore I don't think. At least it's not hate, maybe dislike, but not hate."

     Now he was intrigued. It's only been a day and Cressida's already changed her opinion about something. He remembered the day she came to him, freaking out that she had seen a niffler rummaging through Kettleburn's office, threatening to steal the jewelry off her as well. An opinion like that doesn't simply change over a few hours. "And why's that?"

     "I was paired with a Ravenclaw student for an assignment," she discretely pointed to the Ravenclaw table and at the blonde-haired girl. "Pandora Rosier knew how to use a niffler's behavior to our advantage, and after that, they became much more....civil creatures. Why didn't you tell me the Rosiers were twins?"

     Regulus' gaze followed to where Cressida was pointing. He took in all the girl's features, noticing how she looked the exact opposite of Cressida. The Ravenclaw girl had light blonde hair and soft features, while Cressida had dark brown hair and sharper features. He had no idea how his friend ever managed to cooperate with Rosier. "I've never met her. From what Evan's told me, they don't have the closest of relationships. And you were... friendly to her?"

     "Painfully so, but it did score us a good grade on the assignment because of it," she took another bite of her dinner. "What about you? Anything interesting?"

     "Nothing worth noting, although I have noticed Evan Rosier's attempt to include me in his little friend group. Not sure how I feel about it, though," the youngest Black replied. His tone didn't seem all too interested as he spoke about Rosier, if anything, it seemed uncomfortable.

     "Well, he is your roommate, maybe it's a good thing to befriend his group?" she looked around, wondering where Aurelia could be. "I also happen to be in the process of getting to know one of my roommates."

     In a playful tone, Regulus said, "Who are you and what have you done with Cressida Thorne?"

     "What are you on about?"

     "You hate making friends."

     The girl paused. It was true; she despised trying to befriend anyone. She believed that no one was worthy enough for her. But this year she was thinking of her future. In ten years, who would be standing by her side? Besides boredom, Cressida's biggest fear was being alone. Would she be the only one in her family to die alone? And with the war going on, now is the time to make allies. "I know, I know. But I was just thinking about everything that's been going on..."

     She trailed off, knowing Regulus got the point. The duo hated bringing up anything related to the war, knowing their families were a part of it. School was their escape from the war, so they avoided talking about it.

     The rest of the dinner was quiet; both Slytherin students ate their dinner while their thoughts drifted off. Cressida felt bad for ruining the mood, but it had to be said. Every other year, she was only known as the 'bitchy Slytherin Princess', but this war has created a yearning for more -- something worth living for.

     But of course, she would never admit it out loud. She was too prideful to acknowledge it.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     Friday finally rolled around and the first week was over. Hogwarts had quickly gotten back to its usual rhythm and classes were in full swing.

     However, since it was the end of the first week back, everyone was sure to expect some type of prank from the Marauders -- it was tradition. The four boys have planned obnoxiously well-thought-out pranks every year since their first, but Cressida's goal was to shield herself from them. After last year's, the girl wasn't sure she could put up with it anymore.

     The Marauders had managed to change the hair color and texture for every single Slytherin student. Cressida had been unfortunate enough to have woken up with a buzz cut, tainted with red and gold (Gryffindor colors). She had spent the entire day locked away in her room, not wanting anyone to see what she looked like. But of course, every Slytherin looked terrible that day.

     Two years ago, all of the Slytherin robes changed to the house they hated the most; all except Regulus'. People believed that his uniform didn't change because Sirius was his brother, but Cressida knew better than that, though she never brought it up. Her own had changed into Ravenclaw's colors, but now she doesn't particularly have a least favorite house. They all had their pros and cons.

     But this year, she was devoted to saving herself from such a disaster.

     At first, she thought that the solution would be not to sleep at all and try to catch them in the Slytherin common room. But, then she remembered that it would take all night to jinx each individual student, so that was likely not their method.

    Then she thought of following the four boys around after school all day..... discretely of course. That way, she'd be able to learn their plans and figure out a way to counter them.

     The only problem with following them around meant she'd lose homework time, and she'd seem like a stalker. However, none of that mattered if it meant she could keep her dignity. Hell, students might even praise her for being the only one who dodged the prank.

     But that wasn't all. Cressida was planning to return the favor to the boys; a taste of their own medicine. If she could learn their tactics and methods, that would make getting payback a whole lot easier. Aurelia has even already offered to help, and she'd have Nickel on her side as well.

     Classes for the day had just ended, and Cressida found herself trailing behind Peter Pettigrew. He was, without a doubt, on his way to reunite with his friends. The helpless boy didn't even notice Cressida as she followed behind, just meters away. It was all too easy.

     He finally turned a corner and was met with the familiar voices of his loud friends. Cressida stayed behind, but just close enough so she could hear the conversation. Sirius Black was the first to speak, greeting Pettigrew with a playful shove on the shoulder. "Ready for the weekend, Wormtail?"

     Peter groaned at the nickname. It had only been a year since they created the names, but his was most definitely the worst and caused him to cringe. However, the small boy knew there was no point in fighting against it. "Yeah, for sure."

     The four boys began walking down the hallway, getting further from Cressida.

     James quickened his pace to stand in front of the group, walking backward to face them. "Do you think Evans might give me a chance this year? With Quidditch tryouts tomorrow, she might come and watch."

     Remus sighed, knowing it was most likely not going to work. But still, he had to give James some hope. "I could ask her to come?"

     The curly-haired boy with glasses gleefully smiled. "Will ya, Moony?"

     Cressida decided it was an appropriate time to turn the corner and follow behind them, making it look completely natural. She pretended to be busy reading the book in her hands, seeming very invested.

     If the boys don't start talking about the important stuff, she might have a fit. Cressida could not care less about Potter's love problems, although she would be attending the Quidditch tryouts for Regulus. He was determined to become a Seeker this year, and Cressida was going to support him.

    "I know Mary's coming," Peter added, playing with his hands. He knew the topic of Mary and Sirius was still sensitive, seeing as they broke up last year.

     Remus and James glanced at Sirius, trying to catch any reaction from him. Remus frowned slightly but covered it up within a few seconds. The eldest Black puffed his chest and crossed his arms, "Does it look like I care what Macdonald does?"

     James hit Sirius lightly, "Don't be rude, Padfoot. She's our friend."

     Remus gave Peter a look that made the dirty blonde regret bringing up the topic in the first place.

     Sirius raised his hands in defeat, "Alright, alright. Though you can't disagree: singlehood is terrible!" The boy paused. He turned around, hearing a distant footstep pattern behind them. "Speaking of girls..."

     Cressida froze when she heard the change in his tone. It had gone from playful to cold in an instant. She forced herself to keep her eyes on her book, although they kept trying to drift off. Alarms were going off in her head; it was clear that she was not the best at stalking. Cressida hadn't even gotten the important information out of them yet!

     The Marauders turned around, following where Sirius' attention had fallen.

     A mischievous grin fell on Potter's lips as he was reminded of the challenge created yesterday. He called out, "Following us, Thorne?"

     At last, Cressida's eyes left her book. She clenched her jaw tightly. The Slytherin quickly examined her surroundings and tried to determine to which part of the castle they had wandered off. It looked like they were near the Gryffindor tower (which made sense logically), and by McGonagall's office. She thought of a lie, easily. If there was one thing in the entire world that she was good at, it was being a pathological liar. "I was going to drop something off at Professor McGonagall's office for Transfiguration. Why would I ever follow you anywhere?"

     "Ah, I'd thought you'd miss me already."

     "What on earth are you talking about, Potter?" she dared to take another step closer to the boys. "I don't think anyone misses you four, as made very clear by your previous conversation."

     "Eavesdropper," Sirius sneered.

     "No, you're just loud. I'm sure the entire castle could hear you crying over Macdonald and your singlehood." If she was being honest, she was curious about all this talk over Macdonald. First, Aurelia says she fought with her, and now this? Surely something more is happening that Cressida wasn't aware of. But then again, she truly didn't care. Cressida simply loved drama.

     Remus winced as he guessed where this conversation would be going. He knew exactly what Sirius would say next.

     "Well, it'll be your crying that castle will be hearing tomorrow morning....along with all your friends." Black emphasized the word 'friends' in a way Cressida did not like. It did not take a genius to know what he was implying.

     She glared at him.

     "C'mon Sirius, it's not worth it," James tried reasoning.

     Cressida scoffed. She was very much worth arguing with. She thrived on making people angry and getting attention simultaneously. A smirk tugged on her lips as she reached for her wand secretly. She held it behind her back, pretending to have an itch. Cressida gave the wand a twirl, before swiftly pointing at Sirius and saying softly, "Ventus."

     Instantly, a strong wind began blowing him back, but none of the other boys were affected. Cressida stood proudly, crossing her arms in enjoyment. They all watched as Sirius was pushed further back into the endless hallway, fighting against the spell.

     "Oi!" he called out, "What is this?! Stop it!"

     At this point, the magical wind was howling.

     Remus rolled his eyes, beginning to walk toward Sirius. Peter followed suit, not daring to look at Cressida, fearing she might do the same to him. James lingered in his spot with a bemused expression. Finally, he broke the silence. "That was bloody entertaining. I never did learn how to shut him up, thanks."

     Cressida furrowed her eyebrows, "I was not doing you a favor, Potter."

      "No, but still. I'll have something to tease Sirius over for ages. He'll never live it down."

     The girl raised her wand, threatening to use the same spell on him. She hadn't gotten any useful information tonight, so why waste another second in his presence? She turned on her heel, ready to depart, but Potter's voice interrupted her once more. She sighed, annoyed.

     "Did you know using spells in the corridor is against the rules?" James asked with a smug expression. Doing things against the rules was his trademark, at this point. Color him surprised at seeing the Slytherin Princess doing the same. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

     She shrugged her shoulders, uninterested. Cressida was never one to follow the rules, so she wasn't particularly enthused in the conversation. It wasn't any new knowledge. "Goodbye."

     James reached a hand toward her, "No, wait! How do I make it stop?"

     The Slytherin sighed; her patience was almost gone. No, scratch that, it was gone. She sent him another look. He understood the glare all too easily. His face contorted. Maybe this challenge wasn't going to be as easy as it looked. He bit his lip in frustration.

     Just as he thought she wouldn't say another word, the girl froze in her step.

     Cressida knew that some of what Potter said was true; magic in the corridors was against the rules, meaning Filch would surely be here within seconds — a minute with luck. However, by then she will have fled the scene, leaving just the echoes of Sirius' yelling and the three boys trailing after him. She looked over her shoulder and smiled maliciously, "Give Filch my regards, would you?"

     James watched as she strutted away from him confidently, not a single care in her mind.

     He hadn't crossed paths with her before this year, but now her reputation was crystal clear. She truly was bitchy -- just as Sirius had said. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. "Bloody hell."