It was decided that Isabella’s sixth year was just a bumpy broom ride that needed to end. Some days, she felt like she was simply not cut out for the drama that came with being a teenager. Between dating, losing and making friends, being hated for no bloody good reason, being desired for no bloody good reason, and her family having more drama than she wanted, things were just a stressful load she hadn’t wanted to partake in anymore. Now that she had friends, finally deciding that it was okay to have them, it was difficult to have any time to just get lost in her own thoughts, taking a breather from holding everything together. It was because of this, that she found herself wandering along the hallways of Howgarts way past curfew, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways. Really, her sleeping habits had been horrible ever since she returned from Christmas break, but now she was used to it, she supposed.



Isabella knew that if her aunt knew that she was sneaking about the hallways past curfew, she would be lucky to ever see daylight again as it appeared purebloods were in the middle of the war, sometimes. One side wanted them to join their ranks, declaring war on muggleborns and the like, whereas the other side was assuming they were all like that. Sometimes, Isabella felt like she really had no choice in the matter, being forced to choose a side that she didn’t want to merely because standing in the middle meant no good whatsoever. Of course, those were not thoughts she ever wanted to have, nor would she ever actually voice them aloud, but she still couldn’t find herself actually being afraid for her life. She supposed she should, but she also supposed that there was only so much a person could lose before loss became numbing, fear taking a back burner as now, loss was expected. A part of her felt that she should be more careful, having lost her own family to a bunch of radicals, but it simply wasn’t something she wanted to think about. She was not going to go bloody hide simply because the world told her it wasn’t safe. That was simply ridiculous.



Walking quietly down the fifth floor corridor, this was her favorite place to be, next to the Room of Requirement. This floor didn’t seem to hold a whole lot, letting her feel more comfortable in the silence. There were certainly more exciting floors for people to be bothered with. The Slytherin girl found herself slightly distracted by a noise behind her, looking back briefly and not seeing something. Turning the corner as her head was still looking behind her, she ran into something hard, covering her mouth quickly as she gasped out in surprise, immediately stepping to the side to catch her balance before looking up to see what just happened. Her eyes narrowed as the recognition reached her brain, really not ever wanting to see this bloke in her life again outside of Quidditch “Watch it, Rudolphi,” she snapped, already seeking to walk past him and on her merry way wherever.


@roman

Nights had seemed unbearably long these days for Roman. It seemed that every time he closed his eyes he was reminded of the hell that awaited him once summer holiday began. He wouldn’t have a home to go to, or a loving family waiting for him. His girlfriend still had no clue about this all and his best friend, well old best friend, wouldn’t be around to crash at her house as he did often when her brothers were alive. No that didn’t bloody matter. He was surrounded by corrupt purebloods and it was sickening. It was surprising to him that he even still had a girlfriend with how shitty he had become. He often loudly insulted purebloods and the like yet that didn’t seem to bother her. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing though he tried to not give it much thought.

It seemed like just about every other night he would slip out of the Slytherin common room to wander aimlessly about the halls without being suffocated by others. No one ever asked him if he was okay, or if he just needed someone to be there. Granted he would most likely just pretend to be fine. He often tried to convince himself that this was all just a terrible nightmare that he would wake from at any moment, but he knew that wasn’t the case in the slightest. He was looking down at his feet lost in thought when he felt himself bump into something reaching out to grab at whoever he knocked into only to quickly pull his arms back and glare at the girl. ”Lurking around to find recruits for your disgusting pureblood agenda? Piss off, DiTraverso.” He growled going to move around her with a scowl.

As soon as Isabella had bumped into someone, her mind was racing with different excuses for her being out at night. However, with who it was, she really didn’t want to stand in his presence much longer than necessary and it most CERTAINLY was not necessary. They had been best friends at one point but that point was long gone, never to return. He had made it very clear to her at the beginning of the year just what she was to him now, a disgusting pureblood. To say that she hadn’t been shocked and hurt at the beginning of the year would have been a lie, but she had her brothers to thank for keeping her sane. Now, she avoided this prat like he was Voldemort himself, only seeing him really when Quidditch made it necessary. For some bloody reason, he had pushed everyone aside, except for his girlfriend, who stayed with him for whoever the hell knew why. It clearly couldn’t be because he was angry at purebloods, as he had even pushed Evan aside and he wasn’t even a pureblood. Something had happened, Isabella wasn’t stupid, but to hell if she was going to waste her time on someone who made it clear she was worse than vermin.

Set on getting out of the hallway as quick as possible, lest she be discovered by the tosser who would be all too willing to probably say she dragged him out there to off him, Isabella tried to walk quickly away. However, at his words, she found herself stepping back into his way to glare at him. “Better than lurking around to find purebloods to blame for shit,” she snapped at him, standing her ground stubbornly. Even him saying her last name was irritating to her at this point. “Not looking to join my cause, are you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows sarcastically in his direction while her arms folded across her chest.

The girl had a lot of fucking nerve to act the way she was to him. It was her kind that put him in the position he was now. If it hadn’t been for that lot his life would most likely be normal. He’d still have his parents, and some kind of grasp on his sanity. It didn’t matter if she wasn’t personally involved, she had a whole bloody family that could have been present that night he ventured into Knockturn Alley to find his parents. Her family was enormous and there was no way there weren’t a few bad eggs that she didn’t know about, or she probably did. He wouldn’t be surprised if there were even a couple of Death Eaters in that disgraceful family.

He narrowed his eyes at her when she stopped to turn around. Roman had been hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with any of her bullshit, or anyone else’s for that matter. He crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance slightly as if to brace himself for battle. ”Well someone has to make sure your lot pays their dues.” He sneered as he looked her up and down with disgust in his eyes. He wrinkled his nose at her next comment and scoffed. ”Are you planning on killing more innocent people, hiding away Death Eaters, funding their little cause? Gods knows your family is loaded…” He shoved in her face. He had never really cared that her family was wealthy while his was pretty damn poor, but right now he was looking for absolutely everything and anything he could say to piss her off and make her leave.

Not even five minutes in his presence and she was already developing a headache as if being in his presence was sickening to her body. She had liked him at one point, obviously since they were friends, but this person he chose to become was someone she despised. He had been like family to her and he turned his back on her, an act she could never understand. To her, that meant he obviously never cared about her to begin with, which was fine by her if that’s how he was. Everything about him was intolerable and she was starting to really wish she had convinced Evan to come out on a walk with her.

If she hadn’t as much pride and if she hadn’t been as stubborn, she would have been wise enough to just ignore his annoying comments and move on. However, not responding simply wasn’t an option as that would make him think that he bloody won or something ridiculous. “Were loaded, not is, you fucking tosser,” she snapped at him angrily, her eyes flashing dangerously. He had no right to even mention her family, wanting to curse him for even daring. Taking a few deep breaths, she turned on her heel to walk in the direction she had come from, making it only a few steps before her anger resurfaced again, turning back to him. “And I’d rather join them and be honest about who I am than join your bloody side who goes around claiming woe is fucking me before killing innocent people,” she snarled quietly, remembering that they still weren’t supposed to be out and about. Her fists had been clenched, shaking slightly as she glared at her old friend, disgusted that she could ever be friends with someone that was so discriminative.

He had been angry, well, not so much angry as just a bit annoyed until she kept bloody talking. He had pushed her away for a damn reason and it was becoming increasingly clear as to why he had. She had not a damn clue what was going on around them. She didn't know the hell he had had to endure at the hands of families like hers. No, her family had always been kind and loving towards him, but that didn't negate the fact that the still stood for everything he hated. They stood for everything he had lost, including his once best friend.

Roman scoffed at her comment on not being loaded anymore. That was bullshit the pricks practically owned a whole bloody street lined with fucking mansions. To anyone else they may have thought his thoughts were exaggerated but he wasn't, at least last time he checked they still lived in the lap of luxury. "Oh you poor thing... Did you have to sell your summer home?" He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He had been pleased to see her start to walk off but it didn't seem she got very far before turning back around. He felt sick to his stomach at her words. She would rather join them? He hoped she had no damn clue what the fuck she was saying. "You want to join a group of people that have a history of slaughtering others just because? A group of pricks that live to destroy fucking families? Well I guess I had been right about you... Fucking shame really." He hissed in her direction.

He was absolutely infuriating, someone who was simply wasting her time. Isabella really wasn’t even certain why she was still standing here to begin with, mixed between grabbing her wand and hexing him or just punching him in the face. Really, he might as well have been the hand to take the lives of her family members, standing here and rubbing it in her damn face. Her family had loved him and he stood here practically spitting on their memory. Her jaw clenched together tightly at his reference to the summer home, a flash of hurt and pain crossing her features. The summer home had been where some of her favorite memories existed, staying up late through the night as she snuck out with her brothers and some friends to go playing Muggle sports on the beach. Her parents would have taken off from work, letting them all enjoy family time in the warm sun, finding any activity to do as a family. Now, that place was ruined for her, much like everywhere else, and Roman stood there rubbing it in her bloody face.

Perhaps this was why she couldn’t walk away from this annoying encounter, wanting him to realize just how bloody wrong he was, no matter how doubtful that was. It was like teaching a troll to read, it seemed. “What about MY fucking family you bloody prat? Is there really a bloody difference in the sides anymore? MY family was destroyed…the same family that fucking loved you like their own, you fucking wanker. Right about me?” she scoffed. “You don’t know a fucking thing about me, Rudolphi, because your head is stuck too far up your arse to know what the hell is going on around you,” Isabella stated, unable to stop the glare coming from her eyes.

Roman couldn’t seem to stop himself from speaking. He was growing angrier by the minute. It hadn’t been as if he wanted all of this to happen. When he lost parents he had lost everything including himself. He didn’t find any joy in anything anymore; even quidditch didn’t hold the same love it used to. His mind briefly to the memories of flying around her family’s land with her brothers throwing minor hexes at each other since dueling was absolutely no fun when one’s feet were still firmly planted on the ground. He remembered falling to the ground at one point, the wind being knocked out of him to look up and see his best friend standing over him concerned, only to start laughing like a bloody idiot once she realized he was okay. Those days were long gone. She was the enemy now and nothing would change that.

For a moment he felt a twinge of pain in his chest at the mention of the loss of her family. It had been devastating and even though they weren’t speaking it had upset him deeply. He recalled sitting up in his dorm breaking random things of his in a rage. He knew his best friend had needed him in that moment… and he abandoned her. That didn’t matter anymore, for all he knew it was their fault for everything happening. Who knew what they could have been dabbling in, not that he wished death on them, but what if they had been doing shady business? He scoffed callously shrugging his shoulders at the comment on her family not willing to open his mouth to blurt out something he could possibly regret later. ”I’ve seen what’s going on with my own damn eyes, DiTraverso. Unless you’ve walked the streets I’ve walked you haven’t seen shit.” He shot back at her trying to keep his voice low to avoid anyone hearing them.

She absolutely could not stand him in the slightest. He had become so despicable to her, not even the decency to show up at that funeral. Her family had loved him and he had been friends with her brothers. If he lost his family, she would have bloody showed up no matter how much she disliked him. She had been devastated when her family died, but she managed, no thanks to him. A part of her had been hopeful at one point that he would get over whatever tantrum he was throwing, but that hope all disappeared in January. Even if he did bloody change back into who he had been, she wanted nothing to do with him. Now, he was even ruining what was supposed to be her peaceful walks to collect her thoughts, irritated that he was there.

The fact that seeing him was bringing up memories of her family she didn’t want to see was incredibly frustrating. To her, it was like seeing the hand of the person who had killed her family, him not being any better. He hated her because of her blood status which meant that he hated them because of their status, even though her eldest two brothers weren’t even purebloods, having been adopted when they were young. They were half-bloods, adopted because his parents were told that they couldn’t have children and they wanted to raise life in this world. It was scum like him that took away her family, stuck in their mindset that being a pureblood meant that they obviously thought a certain way. It was irritating to her to admit, but she pushed herself to believe that if he could possibly stand there and spit on her family’s graves then he couldn’t have possibly been the person she had known. This must have been who he really was.

Isabella was so fed up with him that she really was about to just walk past him, done with whatever it was that he wanted to say. He most definitely wasn’t worth her time or breath. Why Cecilia continued to date him was confusing, him having become such an arse. In the process of turning around again, she stopped at his words, her eyes turning towards him in a confused glare. “Walked the streets you’ve walked?” she asked, trying to shoot through what she could say to actually get him to answer her. Obviously, he wasn’t just about to answer any of her questions unless he wanted to, which he clearly didn’t. “What, joined your mother now?” she hissed out, feeling immense guilt for taking that blow but finding it completely necessary.

Never in a million years did he think he could hate someone that he once held so dear, but it was happening with every word she said. It was almost like the last six years had never happened and that it had all been a front regardless. That was why he didn’t need friends anymore. At least his girlfriend left him alone and didn’t talk so bloody much. She left him the hell alone and he wished Isabella would do the same damn thing. He didn’t need anyone to give a fuck about him. What did it matter anyway? They were all going to choose to leave him eventually. There was absolutely no point in forming an attachment to anyone. He was no longer a happy bloke that loved nothing more than making others smile. No, he was angry and bitter now. That was fine by him. If he had been like that in the first place he wouldn’t feel the pain he currently did.

His jaw clenched as she continued on, feeling his stomach heave as if he were going to be ill. It was hard to believe this was the same person he spent a majority of his summers with, the only person he had really confided in when his mother left them high and dry. She had been the only one to see him let loose, breaking everything in his path as he collapsed to the ground on the brink of tears. That person obviously didn’t fucking exist anymore. ”How fucking dare you…” He ground out stomping over to her. ”How fucking dare you speak of her like that… No princess, that isn’t the case. That is the damn problem. I didn’t fucking join which makes me a disgrace.” He spat at her only standing a couple of feet away. ”Go fuck yourself.” He added moving to step around her before he started destroying things in the hall getting them both in trouble.