Warnings: Language, Sexual jokes

WHISPERS FILLED THE HALL, all eyes prying at the girl that sat at the Slytherin table. Her head was held high despite the rumors flowing around, unusual purple eyes glinting as she surveyed how the students were cowards to not and act like the oh so "moral" Headmaster that sat up on the Teacher's bench. 

Her purple eyes locked with the emerald ones of Harry Potter, and the cold mirth turned into soft sympathy, and she nodded in hello. They were in the same boat, after all, it was best not to rip each other apart. A nudge to her side, and the purple locked with the silver. 

"Oi, Jin." Draco whispered. "Would you stop looking at Potter and go back to glaring at the Hall? It'd do me a favour."

The girl rolled her eyes, a smirk gracing her lips. "Sure, keep staring at his ass."

The Pureblood flushed, but didn't argue as he raised his goblet to his lips to keep himself busy. Beside him, a dark-skinned boy laughed as he patted Draco on the back. 

"Hey, you didn't deny it."

"Zabini, Jin,  stop teasing him." A voice on their right rang in, and a curly-haired boy leaned forward. "He'll explode."

"Ah, Nott. Calm down." Blaise hummed, fork picking at his food. "It's just facts."

"Still," Theodore scowled. "There's no need to be true now, not after I heard you and that one guy from Ravenclaw getting it on in a closet. Just outside Professor Snape's office."

Blaise, who'd been gulping down water, turned the other way so he didn't spray water on a fellow Slytherin. Now it was his turn to flush, ducking his head down to the laughter of the small friend group. 

"You-you heard?"

"Everybody knew, and Snape just decided to muffle the sounds with a charm. It's a miracle you haven't been expelled yet."

"Way to rub it in... didn't you and Knight, the Italian Hufflepuff, do it once?" 

"What about you and Williams, the Hufflepuff, yesterday in the bathroom?"

"What about you and Lloyd, the Slytherin, last week?"

"What about you and Stevens, the Ravenclaw, last month?"

"What about you and Bishop, the Slytherin, two months ago?"

"What about you and Johnson AND Elliot literally three days ago? IN OUR DORMS? AND TWO GRYFFINDORS?"

Draco wrinkled his nose, disgusted. "Never mention that again, now I know there's filthy sperm germs in the dorm."

"Filthy sperm germs." Arcadia snorted. "Way to put it."

"Get it out of your mind." Draco sneered, though nobody could deny the sparkle of laughter in his eyes.

"Welp, time to go to class. And tell Snape to change our sheets." Arcadia mumbled, stuffing her supplies into her bag. As she did so, her finger passed over a small stitching of an iguana and a horse, and she couldn't help but smile.  

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Arcadia groaned, fingers digging into her scalp as she tiredly shoved a quesadilla slice into her mouth. Besides her, Blaise raised his brow at her condition. 

"What's wrong."

Arcadia sighed, lifting her head from its leaning state on her hand. 

"It's class. Transfiguration sucked, but History of Magic? I just stared at the wall until the bell rang."

Blaise hummed, patting her on the back. "Professor Binns is like that everyone, so don't worry! You're not alone. You said you had someone back at home? Maybe you could send them a letter?"

"What's this about Jin having someone at home?" Draco leaned in, mouth slightly full of meat. "Did I miss something?"

Blaise looked mildly shocked, turning to Arcadia. "You didn't tell him?" She shook her head no.

Blaise just sat there in silence, before he started snickering. "Okay okay okay, so she didn't tell you, and you still didn't figure it out even though she'd basically shout it out?"

"No?" Draco raised his brows.

"Damn, you really are oblivious."

Before the silver-eyed pureblood could reply, the food on the table vanished, marking the time where they head to bed. Rubbing her temples, Arcadia just ignored the bickering besides her as she climbed the stairs down to their dorm in the dungeons. 

Huffing, she faced the stone wall that was the entrance and muttered the password. 

"Serpentine."

The floor rumbled slightly as the stone bricks moved to show a password, and the crowd of Slytherins stumbled into the common room before heading to bed. Stepping up the stairs to the girl's dorm, she opened the door to a pillow fight.

Daphne and Astoria Greengrass were busy tackling Keva Mendoza, who lay playfully lay defeated. Smirking in amusement, Arcadia just made her way to bed, taking her bedtime clothes to the bathroom to get changed. 

Stepping into the shower, she nearly sighed in relief when the warm water hit her body, though she knew to make it quick. Her roommates would grow bored quickly, and would most likely accidentally barge in.

It'd happened more than once, and she'd really like for it to not be shared.

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The light of the moon peeked through the viridescent curtains, and the silvery light seemed to be amplified once it hit the ground. It was peaceful, serene even. Only the occasional hoot of an owl or a call of a crow echoed through the night, thought it was quickly interrupted by the scream of a ghost. 

"INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS IN THE GRYFFINDOR CORRIDOR!" The voice of Peeves echoed through the school, followed by the shouts of Snape in their common room.

Arcadia bolted up, sleep now gone as she grasped for the prefect badge on her bedside table. Pinning it on, she ushered the half-asleep girls out of the dorm, followed by the numerous other girls, who looked fearful.

Years of being training left her a light sleeper, enabling her to move around like normal, shown by how hurriedly she shouted for the 7th years to stay with the younger ones. As they hurried to the common room, her purple eyes connected with the silver ones of a panicked Draco, who was doing the same thing with the boys. She practically ran to him, confusion in his eyes the same as hers. 

"Do you know what's going on?" She asked, hoping for an answer. 

Instead, he shook his head and they followed their Head of House to the Great Hall. Deja vu filled her head, remembering what had happened just two years ago. Shaking her head, Arcadia continued to follow Snape to the Great Hall, Draco in the back to make sure the younger ones were safe. 

Finally, the group saw the giant doors of the Hall, and entered. The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors stood in the Great Hall, the parallel to the third year present. Ron Weasley stood upright, Hermione Granger at his side. 

Arcadia could feel the glares from the said Gryffindor at her head, but ignored them. She and Draco lined up with the others, though through his tough exterior, she could see the flicker of panic. Umbridge came hurtling down the steps, screeching at other teachers.

Exasperation and plain anger filled Arcadia's mind as she straightened up. Great, she thought, just what we needed. A toad with no height. The last thought echoed through her mind, dark eyes scanning the curly brunette hair as it passed her arm. 

The prefects (as well as the Head Boys and Girls) were sent to patrol the halls, something that was risky on its own. The news only got worse when Brenton Williamson (Hufflepuff Head Boy) noticed that there was a scarce amount of ghosts. 

The silver choker that lay on Arcadia's neck felt uncomfortable, and she itched to pull out her weapon that could protect her. But she couldn't. Not when mortals were nearby. It was dangerous, seeing as she already knew one (Draco) was clear-sighted, and there was probably more with her at the moment. Plus, there was the fact that the Mist could alter what regular mortals could see, so it'd look dangerous enough to be a risk.

They separated, leaving Draco and Arcadia with the Slytherin Heads as they ventured into the castle, occasionally asking portraits for help or bumping into another group. Soon, the light from her fingers grew dim as they circled around yet another corridor. 

The Slytherin Head Boy, who she soon learned was the infamous Elouan Bellerose, started to grow more and more frustrated with each empty space they found. The Slytherin Head Girl, Annora Serveran, looked paranoid with each step they took. 

As much as they all wanted to speak out to Dolores, it was best not to. Their parents (or... three pairs of parents) were affiliated with the Ministry, and if they defied it, there would be  punishment back home. So they sucked it up. 

A grunt echoed just a few feet away, and the quartet froze as they recognized the scream that came after. Arcadia spun on her heel, abandoning her group to run to the source of the scream. 

"Jin!" Draco called her name out, shocked at her (admittedly reckless, when she looked back on it) decision to head out to the dark halls to find the Ravenclaw group. The light hovering off her finger grew brighter and brighter with her panic. 

Finally, the light fell onto a pair of blue-lined robes and Arcadia lifted it up. The familiar figure of Padma Patil lay unconscious on the carpet, Anthony Goldstein nowhere to be seen. The Head Boy and Girl were missing as well, causing a feeling of dread to settle in Arcadia's stomach.

Another yell echoed through the halls, the voice belonging to who she remembered as Ernie Macmillan, who'd shouted Hannah Abbot's name. Their Head Boy and Girl were silent, so she could only assume the worst. 

"Jin!" Draco had caught up to her, fear stricken across his face as he stared at the unconscious girl. He stood, panting after the run he had to do to catch up to the wixen. "Elouan and Annora found something, and they wanted you back."

Arcadia's amethyst eyes flickered with caution. "Seeing how everyone was taken down, I don't think we'll find them. Come on," She muttered a spell, and Padma's body hovered over them, body curled into a ball. ", It's best if we stick together."

As they walked, they met with the pale figure of Ron Weasley. Granger was nowhere to be seen, but Arcadia supposed she was okay with that. He was nearly unconscious, lowly groaning to the probable pain in his head. Draco's face twisted into a sneer at the sight of the redhead blood traitor, but he made no move when his companion waved her hand. In an instant, the boy jolted up in a panic, the exhausting effects on him gone. 

Ron's hazel eyes were frantic, but it soon turned into anger and disgust once he laid eyes on the pair. Draco sneered, inching away.

"Hello Weasley." He scowled. "Fancy a little nap?"

Arcadia laid a hand on his shoulder, to which he yielded. She sighed, looking at the obvious rivalry. She offered a hand to the ginger-haired boy, who took it and helped himself up.

"Look. I get that you guys have a rivalry of some sort, but you need to put it aside now. Something's happening, something similar to what I've experienced." She cringed, as did Draco. "We need to get to the Great Hall and alert the others. Best make it quick. Follow me."

She ran in the direction of the Hall, with the stunned pair of boys to try and follow her. Along the way, burn and scratch marks became more apparent on the carpet. Frowning, Arcadia wondered why they looked so familiar. It was something that she knew she'd seen, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Still, she sped to the Hall, praying to the gods that she would remember in time. 

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It was concerning, to say the least. Neither Draco nor Ron could describe what had happened to the others, which left the Hogwarts Staff with little leads. They resolved to keep the students confined in the Great Hall, though the occasional bathroom break was made. Arcadia was having difficulty not blowing up with the amount of panic she felt. So, she resolved to ask the house elves for help. with Harry's influence. 

"Dobby, have you seen anything peculiar last night?"

It was hard to keep the action a secret, seeing as the eyes of the staff were everywhere. So they resolved to sneak out with the Cloak, and made their way into a classroom on the ground floor. Harry had made some offhand comments on how this would resolve in them getting in trouble, but the argument of his track record shut him up. Arcadia stood next to the emerald-eyed boy, fan in hand as her eyes scanned the house elf. 

"Yes, Lady Arcadia. Dobby was walking to the Room when he heard a bang. Dobby was scared, my lady, but he investigated because he recognized the voices." The house elf feebly exclaimed. "Dobby saw a large group of people, with the same aura as Lady Arcadia. They were all so shocked, and Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger ran into them a while after."

Arcadia hummed, closing the ebony paper fan. Same aura? Large group of people? It all was strikingly familiar. She smiled at the house elf, nodding her head.

"Thank you for the help, Dobby. It is very much appreciated. You are to keep this a secret from everyone, even Dumbledore. You are to not speak of this, unless Harry or I ask you to. Understand?" 

"Yes, Lady Arcadia! Dobby understands!"

"You have my graces. You're dismissed."

The house elf disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the pair of wixen to stand alone. Harry looked confused at the girl, eyes flickering from her calm yet cold expression to the rigid posture she held. 

"Are you okay?" He muttered. 

"Quite fine, Harry. Just thinking."

The boy frowned, not convinced. 

"Why?"

Arcadia's eyes opened, the violet shade amused. "Pardon?"

"Why do you keep secrets? Why do you help me?" He muttered, hand scratching his neck. "I mean, you're a Slytherin, a best friend of Malfoy of all people. You should hate me, refuse to stay with me. But you do. Why? I tell you all my secrets, all my burdens. You refuse to tell me yours, saying it's for my own good. Why?"

Arcadia hummed, staring wistfully out of one of the windows. The lake was beautiful, looking serene as the light reflected out of the water. 

"You ask for a deeper meaning, Harry. Why do I keep secrets? Because you would understand. You would understand my pain, my misery. I do not look for pity, for sorrow. You have your burdens, and I have mine. I listen to you because you are so... young. You have so much to live for, but I do not. I listen to you because the weight on your shoulders is heavy, and I help relieve the pain. 

"Why do I help you? Because you are a great person. Where we stand in the same field doesn't matter, it is yet another example of prejudice. It is better to help your companions, whether on good or bad terms. It is better to stay unified, than it is to tear each other apart. Just because you are supposed to be my rival house doesn't mean we are in the same situation. 

"Do not judge others, Harry. It will only lead you to the despair that awaits you, believe me when I say it is better to ally yourself with the rival than it is to be destroyed by the enemy. It is something that is true, something that a large amount of people refuse to believe. I hope you are the first person to heed my warning, and yield to the people. 

"You are so young, so pure. But you hold many pains and burdens within you, and it is tearing you apart. So heed my warning, young boy. You are yet to be old enough to understand."

She whispered it, small tears trailing down her cheeks. Just for a second or two, something shimmered around her. It looked like mist, revealing ivory colored horns, curved like a ram's horns. 

She looked... so sad.