Chapter Text
The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement and chatter among all the students, and even the teachers. The tinkling of plates and utensils and the smell of various dishes were wafting up Will's nose as he sat with his friend Alyss at the Slytherin table. A few tables ahead, across from him, he noticed Jenny and Gilan spoon-feeding each other at the Hufflepuff table. He allowed a small smirk to cross his face as he thought of all the countless times Gilan had claimed he would confess his undying love to Jenny.
"Cassandra seems like she got a glow-up, don't you think?" Alyss addressed him absentmindedly while staring at the Gryffindor table longingly. She had a weird smile on her usually stern features, which Will had a feeling he knew why. Still, why would a Gryffindor associate with a Slytherin? Slowly, he turned to his lovestruck friend to reply.
"Maybe, but why did you only notice today?" He asked as Alyss turned to look at him curiously. Hastily, he continued. "I mean to say, you hardly talk to her unless it's related to Charms or Transfiguration." Alyss looked affronted and quickly settled her features to resemble her usual self. Quiet, reserved and the usual air of judging that people associated Slytherins with. But despite being a Slytherin, Alyss was far from it. She was not one of those obnoxious, muggle-haters that had come from this house. Eventually, when she felt she had regained enough dignity, she replied back to Will.
"At least I talk to Cassandra in those subjects. Besides, I don't think she even likes girls, she's always near Horace," Alyss told him while eyeing Horace in contempt. Horace Altman, Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, top of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Will's bully. Since day one, Horace had found a target in Will and could not help but release a snarky comment or put Will in a headlock when he felt like it. And of course, because Will was a muggle-born Slytherin, all the Gryffindors and Slytherins would take Horace's side, thinking Will deserved it for being a 'traitor' or a 'mudblood' as most Slytherins put it. In fact, as he'd noticed before, Alyss hardly seemed to get the same treatment, and she was halfblood. Now, he was staring at Horace with the same contempt as Alyss. Finally, he decided to speak.
"Well, how good would she be if she were to hang out with Horace of all people? And you always complain about how just cause she's the headmaster's daughter, she gets favored a lot," he reasoned with her. Alyss seemed to digest what he was saying because she smiled a little and nodded, seemingly in understanding. Slowly, she turned to him.
"Thanks, Will. You always seem to know what to say." At this, Will shrugged. In truth, Alyss was the only person who had bothered to befriend Will in first year. All the Slytherins had been avoiding him, and she was the only one who had decided to sit next to him Potions class. He still remembered that day and it had changed his whole life at Hogwarts. Ever since then, they'd been hanging out in the Slytherin common room together, sharing food and helping each other with homework. Unfortunately, people like Keren would come up to Alyss and constantly ask Alyss why she even bothered to spend time with Will and would suggest she hang out with him and this guy named John Buttle. Instead of accepting, Alyss would often politely disagree and go back to whatever she was doing, a fact Professor Pauline had noticed quite a few times. Will liked that about Alyss. No matter how mad or annoyed she was, she would always disagree politely and very diplomatically.
"Oi Treaty! I bet your excited for the History of Magic OWLS, aren't you?" Horace asked him from across the table. Will looked over at Cassandra and saw her staring at the Slytherin table weirdly. Or perhaps it was a specific Slytherin she was looking at. Sighing he turned back to Horace. He would never get used to all the accusations he received from most students. With this in mind, he replied to Horace.
"So what if I am? It's quite interesting to learn about-"
"Save that for the professors, Treaty!" Horace yawned from across the table, making it clear he was not interested. Then he decided to turn back to the conversation he was having with his Quidditch match just before. Will sighed and turned back to Alyss, who was still staring at Cassandra weirdly. Luckily, Cassandra had turned away from her and did not catch her staring at her weirdly. Will decided to break the awkward silence that had taken place between them when Horace had spoken.
"Maybe you could try to get closer to her, if it'll make you feel better," he advised her, trying to change the topic of Horace's rude interruption. Alyss, however, just looked at him confusingly. Something about the way she looked at him told Will he had said the wrong thing. He shrugged; wouldn't have been the first time, he thought.
"Are you kidding? She's never going to want to be seen near someone like me. She struts around the place like she owns it and is so mean, all because her father is the freaking headmaster of all people," Alyss said the last few words a little too loudly for a normal conversation. Many heads from the Gryffindor table turned accusing glances in their direction. A few Slytherins had let a small smirk at one of their own badmouthing one of their rivals and even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had looked shocked at the enormity of what Alyss had said. Unfortunately for Alyss, the two of them had sat right in front of the professor's table, and many of them had turned to look at Professor Duncan, the headmaster, who was staring intently at them. So much for being the teacher's pet, Will thought, cursing silently to himself.