MARA WILLIAMS

The door flew open to the otherwise empty Gryffindor common room and hoards of students came barging in, disturbing the peace that I had been enjoying as I read my book.

Some ran straight to the dorms, other lingered for a while before the fire, but the moment I raised my eyes to scan the crowd I wished I hadn't. Hermione came storming towards me, her face like thunder and a slightly wide eyed Parvati trailing behind her.
"Why weren't you on the train?" She demanded hotly. "-We looked everywhere for you! We thought you'd missed it! We were so worried why didn't you at least-."

"-Hermione calm down," Parvati interrupted, rolling her eyes. "She only missed the train it's not like she killed somebody." Then she turned to me with a frown. "-You did just miss the train right?"

"Umm..."

"-Of course she didn't!" Hermione practically shouted with frustration, "If she'd missed the train then how would she be here before us!"

Parvati pursed her lips and remained quiet, allowing her bushy hair friend to vent, and when she was done, Hermione turned to me with raised eyebrows that said, explain yourself.

"I-umm... I left early..." I said with a wince, bracing myself for the shit storm to come, but Hermione didn't explode like I expected her to, instead she remained deadly quiet, eerily so, her face not so much as twitching as Parvati tentatively asked, "How early?"

"...Like three days ago.."

And then Hermione erupted, "Three days ago!" She cried, her face contorting into one of horror, "Why did you tell us? Why didn't you write us! Why would you even leave in the first place, you realise how much danger you put yourself in by coming back here! ...Please tell me Malfoy came back early with you?"

I felt a weight drop into the pit of my stomach and a lump swell in my throat rendering me speechless, but Hermione took my dissonance for affirmation. "You came back alone?"

Parvati and I shot each other worried glances as Hermione began yet another rant, this time about Draco... "-I can't believe he would let you do that! He had one job! One! Just you wait till I get my hands on that good for nothing-."

"-Alright, alright." Ron grumbled as he slumped down in the chair opposite me, "I think she gets the idea!"

The red haired boy rolled his eyes head shook his head in exasperation. "Anyways, you alright Mara? Had a good Christmas?"

Shooting him a small smile I replied, "Yeah, great thanks, and can you say a big 'thank you' to your mum from me for the jumper, it's brilliant."

At the thought Ron's face turned just as red as his mother's knitted creation and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Ah yeah that... It's only because Hermione wouldn't shut up about you the entire time..."

"I did not!" She snapped embarrassed, "Ignore him Mara!"

"Nah, Ron's right." Suddenly the two fiery haired twins appeared behind their younger brother, faces alight with mischievous grins. "Hermione's obsessed!"

"I am not!" Hermione yelled, but it was too late, the boys had already begun to sing a taunt. "-Mara I love you! Mara I do!" Even Parvati joined in the last bit as they all burst out in hysterics at the look on Granger's face. "-When we're apart my heart beats only for you!"

Hermione's face was almost as hot as the three Weasley boy's hair now as glared at the four of them with a thunderous look enough to simultaneously kill every plant in the Gryffindor common room.

"Awh, come on Granger, you know we're only joking." Winked Fred, which only caused her face to grow redder and her hands to clench into fists in her lap. Parvati and I shot one another a look with a knowing smirk, evidently she'd noticed the sexual tension between them too.

• • •

Despite the growling in my stomach, the thought of going to dinner made me feel slightly sick. That's why I'd made sure to shield myself from the Slytherin table behind Fred and George's towering forms as we made our way to our seats.

We ate in relative silence, except for the twins who continued to sing quietly under their breath, just loud enough for Hermione to hear and just loud enough for it to wind her up. Mara I love you, Mara I do, when we're apart my heart beats only for you.

"Will you shut up!" She finally snapped right as I could've sworn I'd seen Fred's hand give her thigh a subtle squeeze under the table, jabbing her elbow into the older boy's ribs a little more fervently than she had meant to and knocking the air from his lungs causing him to cough and splutter.

"Watch it Granger," George smirked from beside his wheezing brother, "-I've heard he's a masochist."

Ron spat out his pumpkin juice, sending a spray that hit Neville straight in the face and coated Parvati's cabbage soup. The entire table, myself included, erupted with laughter at the horrified look on the girls face, and the way Neville clutched his face and cried, "My eyes!"

"Never mind your eyes what about my dinner!" Growled Parvati, who looked as though she was debating stabbing Ron with her fork.

It felt good to laugh, the past few days alone had been so desolate and miserable I had seriously contemplated whether it would ever be possible to feel happiness ever again.

"I think I've gone blind!" Said Neville, evoking a new wave of laughter as he began feeling around the table until Harry handed him a napkin."...Open your eyes Neville, then you'll be able to see."

The boy wiped the pumpkin juice from his face and opened his eyes, "...Oh yeah, thanks Harry."

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a girl storming towards us, and I turned just in time as Angelina Johnson rounded on me, "Whats this I hear about you dropping out the team?"

"Oh... Yeah." I said quietly, not quite able to look her in the eyes, especially as I could feel everyone in our group staring at me.

"What?" Hermione demanded, "You're quitting Quidditch! Since when?"

"-Since three days ago apparently." Angelina scowled, "She handed her notice into McGonagall on Friday."

"-But you can't just drop out... Can you?" Said Harry with a frown, "Isn't there a match against Slytherin next week?"

"Exactly." She hissed, shooting me a glare, "That's exactly what I said, but apparently so."

"Sorry..." I mumbled, poking around in my dinner with my fork to avoid making eye contact and Angelina scoffed, "You will be if we lose this match because of you, the Slytherins will never let us live it down."
And with that she stormed from the dining hall, leaving me alone with the prying eyes and unspoken questions of everyone around us.

"You and I are having a talk later." Hermione said firmly, and yet she didn't look anywhere near as angry as I had expected her to. The only explanation was that she'd been able to realise the only denominator me dropping out of Quidditch and coming back to Hogwarts three days early had in common.

• • •

After dinner the group of us slowly began to make our way back to the dorms, the twins still tormenting Hermione all the way, refusing to let the joke die. At one point Fred picked Hermione up, throwing her over his shoulders as he sung loudly, "-Mara and Mione sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage-."

"Put me down this instant!" She screeched, and I found myself unable to breath through the laughter as we all joined in his song. "-Frederic Weasley I will tell your mother!"

My sides hurt and my cheeks aches from grinning, so much so that I'd hardly noticed when someone had grabbed my wrist, only drawing my attention when they pulled me to a halt.

When I turned all semblance of joy fell from my face at once, and a sickness curled around my chest as I yanked my arm from his grasp. "Don't touch me!"

"Then fucking talk to me!" He hissed, a strand of sinfully pale hair falling over his face. "You can't keep ignoring me forever Mara."

"-But I sure as hell try." I snapped back, but when I tried to walk away he grabbed me again. I didn't even mean to but the moment his skin met mine I lashed out, striking him square across the face. The slap rang out and a hush fell over the hall.

"Why don't you understand?" Tears blurred my vision as I shouted at him, "I can't stand to even look at you anymore Malfoy, you make me sick..." This was the boy that knowingly led me to the darkness, and just like my father tried to slave me to the Lord, but I would not go gentle into that goodnight. I refused to be like him. "-I hate you."

***
QOTD-Which cover is your fav for my new Tom Riddle fic? Which would you be most likely to read? Which is most striking? Which is most relevant to Tom Riddle? Which is most relevant to a disgustingly toxic yet sexually charged relationship?;) did I mention the prologue is out now? (Full version out 01/01/2021)
-TFOA