5
Dorcas, Regulus, and Evan walked into the Slytherin common room; Dorcas split into the girls’ dormitories. Reg stared blankly at his older cousins chatting with older students. Bella was flirting with one of Pandora's older brothers while Narcissa chatted with her boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy. Andromeda was nowhere to be seen, likely somewhere else in the castle. It was a common occurrence; after all, Andromeda was in her last year at Hogwarts and wanted to spend her time away from the common room.
Narcissa looked at her younger cousin and smiled a little while Lucius nodded. Regulus gave a small head dip in acknowledgement, Evan pulling him along to their dorm room. He may have disliked Lucius slightly, but he was still a respectable pureblood heir and respected Narcissa deeply.
"I need your help in Potions already, Regulus," Evan whined as he collapsed on his bed, "Slughorn's got it out for me, I swear to Salazar."
"Evan, if you just paid attention for longer than five minutes, you wouldn't be struggling so terribly," Regulus countered, "Slughorn's quite an approachable professor, as long as he isn't distracted or led off-topic."
Evan groaned loudly, knowing full well that Regulus was right but unwilling to admit it. His shortcomings in Potions were a source of endless frustration, both for himself and for his friends who often had to bail him out. It was no secret within their tight-knit group that Evan wasn't the most adept at potion-making; he tended to get easily distracted and lacked the patience needed for the meticulous craft. The slightest disruption would send his attention spiralling, resulting in a botched potion more often than not.
No, Potions were not Evan Rosier's forte, instead, he excelled in Charms and Transfiguration. Thankfully, within their circle of friends, each had their strengths and weaknesses. When one struggled with a certain subject, another mastered it, creating a balance that made their study sessions both productive and necessary. Group sessions became a staple of their routine, where they pooled their knowledge together.
Remus was absorbed in a game of wizard's chess in the corner of the common room, his brow furrowed in concentration as he moved a knight across the board. Peter sat opposite him, equally focused, though his attention wavered when the portrait door swung open. Anna entered, towing Alice and Frank along with her. Her voice carried through the room as she animatedly recounted something that had happened in one of her classes earlier in the week. Alice seemed amused, though slightly exasperated by Anna’s insistence, while Frank chuckled good-naturedly at his sister’s exuberance.
Unbeknownst to the Longbottoms, Peter watched Anna closely. His eyes followed as she waved one hand in the air dramatically, disappearing to the girls' dormitories with Alice. Remus looked up, expecting Peter to play his turn, catching his friend's lingering gaze.
“I don't think Frank would approve of you making googly eyes at his little sister, Peter,” Remus quietly warned. Peter flushed red, embarrassed at the accusation, facing his friend.
"I wasn't, Remus," Peter defended futilely, trying to focus back on the game between them.
"Mhm," Remus hummed in response, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
Weeks passed with the same routine; Remus, Lily, Alice or Frank accompanied Anna to the library, and then Anna would study with Pandora and Evan. Dorcas would join occasionally butshe often tended to study at the end of the table, alone. The rest of the Slytherin hoard from the first study session hadn't joined them since. Then Alice and Frank, or Lily and Severus would come by and collect Annie for dinner. For dinner, Anna sat primarily with Lily and her friends, Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon. Mary had curly ebony hair that cascaded to her shoulder blades and warm chocolate skin to match her deep brown eyes. Marlene had wild and wavy brunette hair, light eyes, and fair skin tanned from summers outside.
Tonight, however, was different. Anna had called it early, lying to her friends and brother that she hadn't slept well the night before and wanted to sleep a little more to make up for it. She turned the corner, bumping her shoulder into someone. Anna immediately noticed Regulus Black rubbing his shoulder, glaring at her.
"Watch it, Longbottom," Regulus snapped before she watched him continue towards the Great Hall.
"Sorry," Anna mumbled softly, turning to continue her journey towards Gryffindor Tower.
'What got into him? He seemed nice a mere couple of weeks ago,' Anna thought, 'Maybe he was stressed over the upcoming tests in History of Magic and Defense?'
Regulus frowned as he slinked into the Great Hall; a weird tingle filling his stomach. Anna had merely bumped into him as she turned the corner, there had been no way for her to know he was there. She had been so nice to him and his friends, and he had no true reason to snap at her like that over a mere accident. But he couldn't shake the feeling from his stomach; perhaps it was remorse?
Regulus was shaken from his thoughts when he heard his brother shout at his friends, laughing. Reg rolled his eyes, his traitor brother wasn't worth the thought. Sirius and his friends' boisterous need for attention and chaos was a constant annoyance.
Anna trudged up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories, her feet growing heavier with each step after a long day of classes and endless walks through the castle's winding corridors. The thought of sinking into the luring comfort of her red and gold duvet was the only thing keeping her moving. Her body ached with fatigue, and her mind buzzed with the remnants of the day's homework, but all she wanted now was to escape into the warmth and safety of her bed.
As she reached the door to her shared dorm, Anna pushed it open with a sigh of relief. The familiar sight of the room greeted her, but she hardly glanced around. Her eyes were locked on her inviting bed, the soft, plush duvet seeming to beckon her closer. Without a second thought, she made a beeline straight for it, letting the weight of the day slip from her shoulders with each step. The world outside her room could wait; for now, all she needed was the comfort and quiet that awaited her beneath those red and gold covers.
Anna didn't bother to remove her shoes and didn't even pull at the duvet enough, before letting her body fall onto the bed with a muted thud. Silence filled the room once more, a rare sound Anna basked in. Her eyes started to flutter shut. The distant sound of laughter and conversations from the common room seemed to evaporate into the soft rustling of the breeze flowing through the canopy and window curtains. Sleep pulled at Anna, her wandering thoughts about homework and the day growing fuzzy and disjointed. Anna sighed, content, as sleep embraced her wholeheartedly.