THREE BLOOD TRAITOR

     Theadora was acutely aware of the stares she and the other Slytherins received in the hallways as classes begun. Despite knowing they had every reason to be staring at her and whispering rumors, the Blackwood family was unfortunately almost as infamous as the Malfoy's, but it was still irritating to walk down the hallway and know that people had just been talking about you. She almost hoped that the Hogwarts champion would be a Slytherin, just to shove it in their faces that someone so evil could still fight for their school. Theadora had never been one for inter-house unity, but she did wish she wasn't so ostracized because of her house and family. The events of the Quidditch World Cup had just made everything worse for Helena and Thea -- for most of the Slytherins, really.

"Thea, Thea!" Helena's voice called her out of her trance as she was walking alone to her next class. She stopped and turned, causing her sister to almost mow her down in the middle of the crowded hallway. "I just witnessed the most amazing thing! These two Gryffindor boys, I'm pretty sure they're Weasley's considering they've got red hair and are absolute buffoons, they tried to take an aging potion to get their name in the Goblet for the competition and -- oh, Merlin, you should have seen it! Their hair turned gray and they grew these magnificent beards! Then, they started totally fighting! It was the greatest thing I've seen all week!"

"Sorry to have missed it," Thea laughed as she indulged her sister's retelling of the events, "I don't even know why people are bothering, there's no way anyone's gonna get past that age line. You'd have to be an idiot to even try."

"Oi, those are my brothers you're talking about, Blackwood," a voice called out as Thea felt her shoulder get bumped. An angry-looking boy with red-hair was now walking past her, none other than Ron Weasley.

Thea rolled her eyes, not in the mood for a stupid tussle right now, but of course, her mouth got ahead of her mind, "So sorry, Ronald, I suppose your brothers aren't very educated on age-lines since they're too busy trying and failing to start a stupid joke shop. Aim high, I suppose."

"Can we not do this now?" a new voice joined the conversation and Thea nearly froze. Hermione had flanked Ron's side with Harry Potter as well, the girl sounded exasperated and Thea almost felt bad for daring to exist in her presence. "I think we're better off not listening to the likes of this crowd, not like she'd owe us any respect in the first place, Blackwood."

"Granger," Thea fired back, regaining her confidence as she realized what the girl was saying, "Don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm sure you've got better things to worry about like your silly little hunger strike. What's next? Gonna start making badges? Posters?"

"Maybe I will!" Hermione exclaimed, sounding sure of herself, "I'm not going to apologize for not being okay being served by literal slaves."

Helena cut in this time, responding with, "Oh, grow up, Granger. I know things are a little different where you come from, but here, house-elves like the work they do! Sorry not everyone wants to be miserable like you, living in a sad little world without magic --"

"Helena," Thea seethed, grabbing her sister by the wrist to shut her up and pushing her forward. Before they left entirely, she turned back and said, "I think it's better you lot don't try and push yourselves somewhere you aren't wanted. Don't ruin my day and I won't ruin yours. See you in potions."

As the two sisters walked away, Helena ripped her arm out of her sister's grip, "Why'd you cut me off? Granger was being a mangy little bitch, I should have reminded her who she was talking to!"

"Merlin, you sound like dad," Thea scoffed, "We are many things, Helena, but I refuse to be a blood-purist. You can make fun of Granger for her stupid buckteeth and frizzy hair as much as you want, but she doesn't control the blood in her veins any more than we do. We just happen to be lucky enough to reap the privileges of being death eater's children."

"Mum and dad aren't --"

"Don't speak on things you do not understand," Thea spat as the girls walked at a hurried pace, "You will learn soon enough just as Eleanor and I have. If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named ever walks this earth again, I guarantee you mum and dad will be standing right behind him. Say what you want about Granger, but she will always be better than us in that regard."

Helena seemed to take this with a grain of salt as she spat back, "I can't believe my own sister is a stupid blood-traitor. We're better than people like her and you know it. As much as you try and denounce that, you can't ignore it. You ought to be more like Draco, at least he owns up to it."

Thea couldn't handle the words coming out of her sister's mouth. She had thought she taught her well, but it seemed she failed. She shoved her sister away, "I can't reason with you and right now, I can't even look at you so get out of my sight, I don't want to deal with you right now."

"Seriously?" the younger girl asked as she crossed her arms.

Thea didn't bother responding as she turned and walked off towards her next class, not bothering to give her sister the time of day. She actually had half a mind to go back and apologize to Hermione for the way they had spoken to her, but she was far too prideful to do such a thing. So, instead, she carried on towards her class, thankful that she wouldn't have to face the girl until Potions. She could simply carry onto Charms with the Hufflepuffs and ignore the fact that her sister was following in the footsteps of her parents which was something she never wanted to happen. She had hoped Helena would be different. Eleanor only partook in the "family business" because she needed an ear to the ground in case anything was to happen. Thea knew that if the time ever came, Eleanor would fight for the right side of history, but she didn't have the same certainty when it came to Helena and that, admittedly, terrified her. If she was a blood traitor, then so be it, but she would rather be that than a death eater. Helena could wag her finger in her face all she wanted, Thea was never going to budge on that. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the other houses from turning up their noses at her as she walked through the hallways.

She would bear her Slytherin cross as long as she needed to, she just couldn't wait until the day when she could leave this place and never return. Oh, how much easier things would be. A girl could dream, she supposes. And dream she would.