She was getting too old to be lying on her stomach, eavesdropping on adult conversations when she had more important things she should be doing…or so she had been told when scolded. Nope, she was pretty certain she’d never be too old to eavesdrop on conversations. Really, if someone was going to say it, they should expect someone else to be listening. It wasn’t her bloody fault that she walked into Roman and didn’t want to get caught, so snuck into this room, where the people stood outside of in order to continue their conversation. She was simply in the right place at the right time…and they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, she supposed. Either way, they were practically begging for someone to overhear, so she was simply following the process of how things worked. They could thank her later.

Not feeling all too comfortable about the words that they were hearing, carefully, Isabella slid her hand into her cloak, silently pulling out her wand to have it ready in case they needed it. Even if they weren’t necessarily dangerous, Isabella still found it difficult, now more than ever, to trust anyone around…especially people who talked rather shady. Times were changing; trust was not something that should be given out easily anymore. Things were so much simpler when they were all kids, running about playing on their broomsticks or causing havoc somewhere with no care in the world. Now, it seemed like they had every care in the world, viewpoints being shoved onto them, forcing them to choose sides, whatever the hell that meant.

Isabella’s eyes widened slightly at Roman’s words, her eyes moving to look to the top left, as she always did when she was deep in thought. She had known that her family had been killed by radicals, but hearing from whoever the hell was out there was making her want to storm out there and demand information on who bloody killed her family. It didn’t sound like they did it, but perhaps they knew who did it on the other side. And if they were implying that the Minister knew, she was going to march right…wherever he bloody worked…and demand an answer. Her hand gripped tighter around her wand, trying to remind her legs to stay put in order for her to hear some more. “I think that on occasion, but then I remember I don’t want to live with filth. It’s amusing, really, that everyone fears the wrong enemy. They’ll pick each other off and then it’ll be real easy to convince the rest. Just trying to protect magic,” the bloke stated matter-of-factly. Isabella was having a hard time focusing on the words, her mind still bringing her back to who killed her family. Who the hell was the enemy then?

This was certainly getting interesting and worrisome. Well, Roman was getting more aggravated than anything else. It had seemed up to that point the pair talking through the door were just talking about nonsense. Nothing they had said really fit together and that was frustrating him until it clicked about killing purebloods. Then they spoke of the Minister and he felt his stomach lurch. Was the Minister paying off people to kill off purebloods? Was he the one responsible for the murder of Bella’s family? Had he hired people to kill them off like the fucking coward he was? Sure Roman was still not fond of purebloods, if that did stop it would take some time. But killing them was inexcusable. Bella’s family was the most loving and accepting family out there. They didn’t deserve to die.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Bella pulled her wand from her robes and followed suit. They had no clue what these nut jobs were going to do. Though he was slightly worried that she might attack those beyond the door when he whispered what he thought they were talking about. His free hand groped around beside her until he found her hand. He laced his fingers with her giving her hand a firm squeeze as if to tell her he was right there, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but the urge to protect her had never seemed to leave. He listened closely as the bloke spoke his head gently cocked to the side. They weren’t working with the Minister—which could only leave Death Eaters and purebloods, but that made no bloody sense. ”It’s really a shame to waste such strong bloodlines to dwindle, but if they want to run alongside those disgusting disgraces to magic then they are the only ones to blame for their misfortune.” The woman spoke, disgust clear in her voice. Roman felt his jaw clench tight as he moved away from the door as if to stand.

This was certainly not what Isabella had anticipated when she decided to go for her nightly regular walk on her sleepless nights. Even when she was alone, her thoughts focused on not thinking about certain topics, such as the one that was being brought up through the door. It was difficult to ignore the thoughts when others were voicing things so similar to that. For Isabella, she had spent so long convincing her thoughts exactly what she wanted it to think that now, it was just frustrating. A part of her knew that if she was to focus on what she really thought, she would be afraid of herself, as lame as that sounded.

As the conversation progressed, Isabella had the thought that she should share the information with her aunt that there were people at this school that could be dangerous. Although she didn’t bloody like her aunt, she at least knew she wasn’t corrupt. But then again, they weren’t really getting much information, just speculating from what they heard. No, she should definitely share the information with her aunt as that would be the mature thing to do. Then she could go back to hating her, she thought to herself. Everything that they were hearing was making her upset, both sides making her irritated. What the hell did the Minister have to do with anything? And did someone take over Voldemort’s place? Who the hell killed her family? With each statement that was said, more questions formed in Isabella’s mind and her grip continued to tighten. However, before she got too lost in her thoughts, she jumped slightly as she felt his hand moving to hold hers, almost forgetting that he was there for a moment. Isabella shot him a small smile of appreciation, glad that they could at least pretend that they were still friends and this past year never happened. She squeezed his hand back lightly before letting go as she released her strict grip on the wand.

Her jaw clenched at the next words spoken, a flash of anger spreading through her eyes. That was HER strong bloodline that was getting dwindled and if they knew anything about it, she really should be going out to…talk to them…with her wand at the ready. What were the talking about? Families being disgraces to magic? They were to BLOODY BLAME? Before Isabella could even formulate a proper thought, she noted Roman moving beside her. Eyes widening, she sat up quietly as she reached up to grab his arm to stop him. ‘No,’ she mouthed to him, shaking her head. As much as she wanted to go out there and have a few words, she couldn’t have him going out there and possibly getting bloody hurt. Cecilia would kill her. She pulled on his arm to indicate for him to get back on the floor and put his ear to actual good use. This conversation they were hearing would certainly be more beneficial as long as the others didn’t know they were actually eavesdropping.

Roman was ready to burst from the room and take out whoever was standing outside of the door speaking like killing families was just an easy solution to whatever ‘problems’ were going on. Sure Bella was still pissed at him, and probably didn’t consider him anything more than just some shitty bloke she was being forced to share a space with at the current time, but he that was still her family and he was livid over it. He had been surprised that she had actually allowed him to show her some sort of comfort by holding her hand. It was something he had done often when they were friends. Sometimes little actions were far louder than words alone. He could tell they were both on edge trying to figure things out.

He growled lightly as he felt her grab his arm and try to lead him back down to the floor to listen. Roman wasn’t sure if he really had the strength to just lay on the floor listening to two people casually discuss the death of people he loved and how the chaos was working in their favor. He froze as he heard the footsteps begin moving towards the door they lay behind. One set stopped leaning against it causing Roman to scoot back slightly, urging Bella to do the same. ”Well, we’ll just to have to wait to see what happens won’t we?” Said the man with a brief chuckle. Roman hoped they would be leaving soon. He wasn’t sure how much he could take before he left the room to go after them and cause more problems in the process.

When Isabella went home on that cold January day, she had been happy. Her day had been spent with her best friend, excited that that was the start of their year and everything was going to go smoothly. She had just ended things with her suffocating boyfriend, feeling slightly guilty, but relieved. Unfortunately, he was still trying to get her back, annoyingly so, but she wasn’t concerned. She could remember that day with Cecilia perfectly, how much fun they had been having. That memory was soon tarnished by the time she had returned home. Stepping inside her large home, she immediately knew that something was wrong. It was eerily quiet, which never happened at her house. She remembered stepping inside, calling out to her mother and father to let them know that she was home. Dropping her snowy jacket off at the front entrance, and shaking out the snow from her hair, she started to walk through the house, looking for where everyone was. Normally, Isabella wasn’t one to suspect the worst, only suspecting that they were trying to pull some kind of trick on her as her brothers usually enjoyed doing.

Then she entered the large living room, seeing her mother and youngest brothers, lifeless…all wrong. Too afraid to stop, the young Slytherin with widened eyes carefully passed through the room, her wand in her hand, though she didn’t even remember taking it out. Stepping into the dining room, she saw her two older brothers, just as lifeless, just as still. With legs that felt ready to give at any moment, she finished her tour, stopping at the entrance of the kitchen and seeing her father, not a breath to be left in his body. It was a memory Isabella could not take out of her brain, a memory that was floating back as she listened underneath the door, hearing the careless whispers. That was her family, the family that she lost…and it was as if their lives meant nothing. They were just casualties in this war, an example to be given.

As she tried to insist Roman to sit back down, she paused, staring underneath the door for any signs of feet as feet shuffled against the ground. When feet came into view, she felt Roman pulling her back from the door. Isabella was still trying to place the voices, etching them into her memory in the hopes that she would succeed. “The wait won’t be long now. The Minister is starting the interrogations of purebloods again…how many times has this been now?” the woman laughed lightly. “More will be joining our side.” Isabella could feel her foot falling asleep, annoyingly enough. Though, that at least gave her something to focus on other than leaving the room. Surely they couldn’t be standing out there all night long.

Roman didn’t know exactly where the night would take him; well he figured it would eventually take him by the kitchens so he could grab a late night snack as he lazily walked the halls. Normally he spent this time trying not to think about anything. These walks were supposed to be to clear his mind and shake the terrible thoughts from his head. Tonight would not be one of those nights as he was now lying on the floor with someone who probably hated him, that he had once had a very close bond to, and listening to two deranged people talking about murder as if they were discussing the latest quidditch match. It didn’t help that the murders definitely sounded as if they were of pureblood families… and large ones at that. Bella’s family was one of the biggest ones in the area, and that concerned him, even if she didn’t want to speak to him ever again.

When the feet stopped in front of the door he felt it important to get them both away from it just in case. He listened carefully his brows furrowing as they spoke of interrogations on purebloods. Hadn’t the Minister already done that years ago? Why the hell was he doing it again? How was that supposed to sway people to this ‘other side’? With every word spoken a question popped into his mind. He jumped slightly as he heard one of them leaning up against the door quickly getting to his feet with his wand at the ready, stepping in front of Bella. If they were looking for purebloods he wasn’t letting them spot her if they decided to try to get into the room.

Really, this was just ridiculous. They should just leave the classroom as if nothing happened, see who was standing outside and act like a couple of kids that were just sneaking outside of their dormitories. They could bloody pretend, couldn’t they? That would at least give faces to the voices that they were hearing. Though, she supposed the people could always see through the detection, no matter how confident Isabella could portray herself. It was hurtful, hearing the words that whoever was speaking was saying. She really just wanted to leave and torture them for the information; the thought alone had caused Isabella to pause in her thoughts, realizing that that wasn’t her at all. They were just irritating her, was all. She wouldn’t possibly torture someone…no, she might just do that if it were necessary in finding out what information they held. She didn’t know how, but Isabella was going to find the people who killed her family, no matter what it took of her.

Isabella was shocked to see Roman jump up, wand at the ready. Slowly, she stood, hoping that the people hadn’t heard his sudden movement. That would just be bloody great and exactly what they hadn’t needed. She silently stepped in front of him, letting her eyes flicker to his wand, and mimicking with her own for him to put his wand away. If whoever was out there found them, fighting their bloody way out wouldn’t work. They were just kids, still, and Isabella could think through the ways of their best chance of survival.

The bloke chuckled before responding. ‘This school reeks of mudbloods and lovers, traitors, even. The traitors should be the first to go, in my opinion,’ the deep voice stated, finding traitors to be the most despicable, forgetting who they were.

Roman was not about to put his wand away. To him it didn’t matter if the people behind the door were more powerful than they were, if that were even the case. If something happened he would fight like hell regardless. What point was there in putting his wand away when within a moment’s notice he would have to pull it out again? He scowled at her and shook his head before stepping around so that she was beside him. He didn’t trust whoever was out there and there was no telling what could happen. They were talking about killing purebloods, Bella’s family name was known from the papers that covered the story of her family’s death and having a pureblood relative as an auror. For all he knew she could become a main target and as much as she hated him her safety came first.

The conversation seemed like it was taking ages, every word causing his body to tense more and more. He wondered vaguely if they hadn’t hinted towards big pureblood families like his once best friend’s, if he would have even cared. It was a sad thought to realize that it was a possibility he would have agreed with them if he wasn’t reminded that there were purebloods still out there that he did care about; one of them being in that room right beside him. He startled slightly as he heard a noise from outside the door, though it sounded like it was farther down the corridor. ”Shit.” He heard a voice whisper. ”Let’s get out of here. We can’t blow it all now…” The other voice replied with haste before he heard the footsteps quickly moving away from them.

This night just needed to end, Isabella thought to herself, partly wishing she hadn’t gone on a walk that night. It was slightly awkward sitting in a classroom with her ex-best friend who very clearly despised her because of her blood status. The same friend had been accepted practically as family in her own family, only to dishonor their memory and their love for him by not even showing up for their bloody funeral when they were bloody murdered because of the status he all of a sudden decided to hate. The more that Isabella thought about it, the more she was tempted to just start yelling at Roman and demand him to stop being such a bloody prat. He was acting here as if he cared about her bloody safety, which was only angering her in the process. She rolled her eyes at his stubbornness, taking out her own wand again since he was being a wanker.

Her eyes moved towards the door as she heard the movement, followed by the pair saying that they were leaving, thank bloody Merlin. Isabella found that she was still in a mixture of emotions, not really sure what she was even supposed to say to Roman. She was mad at him for treating her like shit, but she empathized with him with the loss of his family. She was hurt that he had abandoned her and didn’t even show up to her family’s funeral, but she just really missed her best friend that she knew was still in there somewhere…maybe. She sighed heavily, not really sure what to think anymore, suddenly feeling just very tired of all of this drama. After a few moments of silence in the hallway, she opened the door slowly, looking into the hallway before looking back to him. “Back to the dorms?” she asked him quietly, figuring they should probably both head back to the dormitories if there were people like that roaming the hallways.

This night had been an absolute nightmare in more ways than one. Suddenly he was questioning absolutely everything he had held as truth over the course of a year. He was confused by every event that had occurred. He hated his ex-best friend because of her blood status as he was sure it was somehow her fault for all the pain and bullshit he had to deal with because of his parents. The way he had immediately felt the need to protect her had opened his eyes quite a bit. If he truly hated her there would be no way he would have cared enough to jump out in front of her and put himself in potential danger. Then there was the anger he felt at the mystery persons behind the door casually speaking about the random killings of what he assumed were purebloods that confused him. He shouldn’t care what happened to them. It was partially their faults for what happened to him. He was starting to slowly think he had been wrong.

Before he could fully process everything he heard Bella speak and turned his attention back to her trying to keep his face neutral. ”I guess so.” He replied with a shrug tryint to pretend that everything they had just heard wasn’t affecting him. He walked towards the door, very slowly opening it before peeking through the crack to see if anyone was still out there noting that he no longer heard footsteps in the immediate area. He glanced over at Bella and nodded at the door before putting his wand away and stepping through the door into the corridor more than ready for the bloody night to be done and over with.