(A/N: you will meet Miss Zabini this chapter but before anyone asks why I won't reveal her first name it's because I feel as if it fits her character to keep that a secret)

DUAL POV

"You will lay down!" A woman in a bright purple wig screeched, forcing a struggling Rose flat onto a glowing table in a private metal walled room. Rose shot the lady a sharp glare and went still, giving in to her fate.

"From District Two no less!" The woman huffs with the utmost aggression before stepping away, throwing a purple curl over her shoulder as the steel door slides open and she steps out.

For the past three hours Rose had been poked and prodded in the Revitalization Center. Scrubbed head to toe with painful brushes, boiling hot wax ripping hair from every inch of skin, eyebrows plucked so intensely they were sharper than ever. Her raven hair was a different story. It had been down to her bum for the entirety of her existence and the two women working on primming Rose to the Capitol standards begged to cut the long waves to her shoulders under the idea it could be used against her in the area. No way.

In Rose's defense, she only threatened to stab them once with the trimming scissors.

The workers scornfully gave in after Rose blabbed on about how hard it would be to keep short hair out of her eyes. Instead they chopped the hair to be just under her breasts.

Rose held a big weakness. She was extremely claustrophobic and the room they had taken her to after finishing with all the pampering was very small—the fact the steel door held no handles did nothing to ease her. Dressed in a hospital gown and the hard glowing panel underneath her made it feel as if she was about to be put to sleep for good.

But then the door slides open. A young woman who has to be in her twenties like Rose waltzes in with a silky golden blouse and a flowy patterned skirt. Her hair is as white and blinding as Draco Malfoy's, stretching down in loose curls to her waist. There's sparkling purple eyeshadow across her eyes and spreading onto her temples. She is undeniably one of the most beautiful women Rose has ever saw and nothing about her is average.

Rose sits up quickly and thankfully to no longer be alone, caution on her face at the new presence.

"Sorry I'm a bit behind...my partner is running late" The woman extends a rainbow painted hand, her voice so airy it sounds like the wind. "Luna Lovegood"

The Black slowly blinks before taking her hand, "You're fine."

Luna smiles peppily, "Amazing thing you did up there" Suddenly the look of happiness drops into a frown, "I am very sorry though"

"You're sorry?!" Rose splutters out in shock.

Before Luna can explain the door slides open once more. This time it's a woman clearly a few years older, every one of her features the opposite of the other stylist from the dark skin to kinky hair. Her outfit coincides with Luna's though, a golden shimmering pantsuit and loud heels clicking as she walks in with one hand in a pocket. There is a certain air of feminine superiority around her that makes Rose hold admiration for a Capitol official on accident.

"Miss Zabini" She announces loud and clear, a beautiful smirk twisting into smile upon stopping in front of Rose. "We are both sorry actually, nothing about these games are fun."

Rose has to take a moment, a thick silencing passing by. "Well that's....shocking to hear"

Miss Zabini looks down to Luna with a laugh, "Told you we'd surprise her. Now up up dear"

Luna's smile returns and Rose jerks in shock again as the blonde stylist hops onto the table beside her. Miss Zabini decides to grab a tall chair from the wall, rolling it in front of Rose and taking a seat.

"Goodness..." Miss Zabini begins quietly and lifts Rose's chin up, "You are stunning child"

"Uh....thank you?"

Miss Zabini laughs quietly, "So Rosalie—"

"Rose." The Black cuts her off, "I don't like being called my full name."

"Very well" Miss Zabini exchanged a nod to Luna, "Did Luna tell you how she asked for you?"

"You asked for me?"

Luna loops her arm through Rose's and the raven haired girl goes to pull away until she gets another frown that makes her reluctantly stay still and let Luna hold on.

"Oh yes! Your aura! I can see it!"

"It's probably black as shit" Rose mutters.

Miss Zabini snorts and covers her mouth, getting a confused stare from Luna. "Excuse me" She laughs and holds her hand out, expecting Rose to take it but only gets a blink back.

"Take my hand Rose. You have to be open with me if we are going to work together."

Mortified by the idea, Rose carefully slips their fingers together, jumping when Luna giggles by her ear and Miss Zabini can only smile at everything happening. It wasn't that Rose was an unhappy person but ever since the reaping she had been unable to experience happiness for even a minute, too closed off to everything and everyone.

Luna's airy voice fills the metal room, "What you did for your brother was not like we usually see for District Two. You didn't volunteer because you want to be in the games, you did it to save him."

Every fiber of Rose's being turns to ice at the mention of Sirius, "Are you not supposed to just be styling me? Giving me a frilly dress to be a Capitol pig?"

"That's exactly what we want to talk about!" Luna states excitedly and scoots impossibly closer to Rose, "We want to send a message to Dumbledore...."

Rose starts to gawk at both of them, "The president? The high-master as he calls himself? I have zero interest in sending him anything."

"You say president, I say asshole." Miss Zabini tests the waters and just what she thinks will happen comes true. A sudden smile breaks out onto Rose's face. "We called it Luna"

"Wait..." Rose yanks herself away from them both at once, "Is this some kind of trap?"

"No no" Miss Zabini pulls Rose back to her and interlocks their fingers tightly, "We want to...ruffle some feather per say"

"But the sponsors—"

"They won't understand the message" Luna reassures, "Only him. And trust us when we say the sponsors won't be able to look away from you."

Miss Zabini nods along, "It'll be so discreet that he wouldn't even be able to proclaim it was a direct jab"

Agreeing to something that will piss off the man in full charge is an awful idea. There would be many consequences and putting herself in a spotlight to the other tributes would place a target on her back. But, she thinks of the years of games broadcasted in her life time. Kids murdering kids, adults mourning children, families dying—

"I'll do it." Rose cuts her own thoughts off, taking a shaky inhale of breath.

"Excellent!" Miss Zabini smirks almost maliciously, "You know the language of flowers and what your name means?"

"Well there's many meanings" says Rose, "Every color has different one when it comes to roses"

"Yes but have you noticed how Dumbledore always keep one very bright red rose on him at all times?" Luna pauses until Rose nods, "His means love and desire—something he holds toward himself"

"He's also anal about them dying. Killed one of his servants three years ago for letting a rose bush shrivel" Miss Zabini tells the story scornfully. "Now, at your mentors Victory party last year Dumbledore made a passing comment in his toast about the red roses being a symbol of the Capitol...something none of these drunk sponsors will remember but the people in the districts certainly shall"

The pieces start to click in Rose's mind, "So you want to incorporate crimson roses in somehow? They mean mourning—the opposite of his"

"Sharp brain you have" Luna smiles, "We want you to have a dress made of crimson roses....but there's a twist. The roses will decay and fall off, leaving you in an assassin type of outfit. He'll be smiling at the thought your paying adoration to the Captiol until the roses fade away and it all clicks for him"

"Assassin?" Rose mumbles, "Did you just say an assassin outfit?"

"She worded it wrong" Miss Zabini laughs lightly, "It'll turn into clothing fit for the actual Hunger Games"

"That's a massive fuck you to him...as if I'm insinuating the fall of the Capitol and calling out it's exploitative behavior towards children" Rose shakes her head reverently, "He'll kill me and then kill my family for it."

"No he won't. Your family could not be killed without it becoming a massive scene and he will surely confront us about it but we have the perfect reasoning" Miss Zabini halts for a moment, "Your name is Rose and it's an example of you shedding where you came from to focus on becoming a Victor—as if you want to be apart of the Capitol—excited even to be nothing other than a tribute"

"What about Theodore?" Rose wonders aloud, "Our outfits have to coordinate and I doubt he wants to do anything other than kiss the Captiols arse cheek."

Miss Zabini's hazel eyes gleam, "Who do you think had me held up for so long? He encouraged the idea"

Luna sighs and rests her head against Rose as if they've known each other their whole lives, "I think he said 'let's stick it to the man'"

"Okay...." Rose mutters before taking a deep breath with a firm nod, "Stick it to the man then."

"Stick it to the man!" Luna cheers.

Miss Zabini shakes with laughter and has to force herself to calm down. She rises from the seat, tucking Rose's hair back. Ready to give a sentence that will remain in their brains forever.

"All powerful men have a weak spot and his is thinking everyone's loves him. He'll believe it easy enough."

*

"Where is she?" Theo asked as he stood in a circle of sorts with Miss Zabini, Sybil, and Draco who was chugging from a flask. He had been led from the Revitalization center to a stable of sorts. Carriages placed neck to neck and being drawn by two thestrals each that everyone could see considering their livelihood had been spent watching the games. Each tribute stood by their carriage with stylists and bright, wacky outfits that coincided with the proper district duties.

"Oh look! There she comes!" Miss Zabini smiles brightly and Theo turned to follow her pointed finger.

His breath hitched as he spotted Rose walking from the metal elevator and toward him. She was angrily pulling at the pearls on her neck but he had became blinded by how astonishing she looked. Rose is beautiful and she always has been—something everyone knew in his District after years of her being presented as a hidden trophy behind the Victor gates—still though, that didn't lessen the way his heart picked up at the state she was in.

Her newly polished black nails picked up the sides of the strapless ballgown made up of layered crimson rose petals. She matched him perfectly from the sleek crimson suit he wore to the rose petals on his shoulders tying together, a crown of twelve thorns upon his head to represent the districts.

As she neared he cracked a smile at the inky black wings across her blue eyes, such blinding highlight on her cheekbones that they turned from sharp to daggers, hair falling is loose raven waves.

"Beautiful, isn't she?!" Sybil piped behind him, garnering a jump from Theo as his stare was broken. "The Capitol touch!"

Rose started tugging on the pearls again upon stopping in front of them and just then Theo realized Luna had been walking beside her the whole time.

"Is anyone else burning up?" Rose breathed out and looked up to Theo, doing a double take before quickly averting her eyes away. Other tributes and mentors seemed to glance over and she breathed harder, finding a simple task hard from how heavy the gown was. "Everyone is looking at us weird because we don't match the masonry title"

Miss Zabini grasps Rose's chin, pulling a deep red gloss from nowhere and dabbing it into her lips. "Envy darling, imagine if you had to be dressed up like a piece of wood or a fish..."

"They're probably looking at Draco too" says Luna dreamily. "He has a name here, you know? The Grim! Last years Victor is bound to draw eyes!"

"The Grim?" Rose tried to look at Luna only to get her chin gripped tighter, "Like the bad omen?"

"A beautiful reminder of the people he killed" Theo joked in a way that made Rose question his sanity, "Apparently it's a must to give a nickname to a record setter"

"All done!" Miss Zabini cheered and released Rose at once, giving the agitated girl a wink. This finally garnered Rose a second to look around and be met with Draco's towering presence in front of her, he wore the same variant of what he had on the train except his shirt had been considerably more buttoned now.

Draco let his eyes shamelessly run Rose over from head to toe, appearing angry at how she looked. He tipped his flask to her with a dry voice, "You clean up nice"

Rose laughed very suddenly before covering her mouth, "Are you...complimenting me?"

"No, I'm stating you look hideous every other day."

Sybil swats at Draco instantly and Rose shoots him a sarcastic smile, questioning how much trouble she would be in if she pushed him under the feet of the thestrals and let the creatures crush his skull.

A mystical bell rings out and Miss Zabini starts to speak quickly, "Up up on the carriage!"

As Theo starts to circle around to the back of the shiny black carriage Rose picks up both sides of the heavy dress, smiling as she purposefully passes by Draco and slams the heel of her tall black boot into his foot, grinning when he groans in pain.

Theo steps onto the squared platform and extends his hand to offer help up. He begins laughing to himself when Rose smacks his hand away and climbs in next to him with agigtation at how big the gown is.

"Smile widely!" Sybil shouts as she pulls Draco off to the side, the blonde's eyes trained on Rose furiously.

Both tributes look over their shoulders as Luna speaks lowly, "The outfits are spelled to turn—it will feel odd during the transformation but don't worry"

"Delightful." Rose deadpans and the two stylist scurry away with gleaming smiles. She takes the moment to look over at Theo whose gaze is transfixed on the fourteen year old boy in front of them on the District One carriage, lips turning into a discreet frown.

There has to be at least three freckles on—

His head turns to her and she immediately looks ahead. Suddenly the frown is gone, "They...cut some of your hair"

"Yes." Rose answers sharply, wondering why he was looking at her so quizzically. "And they've thrown a crown of thorns on you—very patriotic. Glad we are stating the obvious right now...should I celebrate how good of justice they did to your curls?"

Theo let out a deep laugh that makes her eyes roll. "You think my curls are grand?" He nudges her shoulder and forces Rose to crane her neck up to make direct eye contact. There's a fire in her gaze that makes him wonder if she's held it her whole life, "Tell me a secret"

"A secret?"

"Mhm..." His lips curve into a smirk, "You ever smile Black or am I doomed to make the impossible happen before my impending death?"

"I can smile, thank you very much." Rose screws her nose upward, "I—I am a happy person!"

Both eyelids close over his pools of deep blue and he laughs and laughs until Rose is mumbling to herself.

"Do you always act like this Theodore?"

"No..." He rubs back of his neck, "I'm just a little nervous right now"

"What's making you nervous?" Rose dares to ask the question, gripping the steel railing tightly as the carriage kick off and the threstals start walking toward a nearing dark tunnel.

Theo starts to gesture to her, "You look—"

"Like a Capitol Pig?" Rose interrupts distantly as she focuses on the tunnel ahead, "I know. If I dyed my hair neon I'd fit right in with the loons."

"No," Theo's eyebrows pinch together and there's no smile on his face, just an intent look as she finally faces him again. "I was going to say you look beautiful"

Her lips part and she appears scared toward him—not because he scares her—it's the fact there's nothing but sincereness in his voice that she's never heard from anyone before about any topic. A certainty to his words that her twisted mind can't warp to make her believe he's playing a game.

After a second of too much intense eye contact, "Don't—don't compliment me."

"Okay." Theo murmurs and smiles gently, almost too gently for her to bare.

Her flustered state brings him amusement as he watches her eyebrows furrow and unfurrow repeatedly until giving him a suspicious side-eye.

His smile stays.

And she promptly focused ahead once more, pursing her lips tightly to not let a smile break loose but she fails just as they are succumbed into the darkness of the entry tunnel.

"I know you're smiling." Theo whispers and she can hear the taunt in his voice as their arms brush.

"Shut up." Rose mutters, grinning like a fool. Cursing him internally for silencing the anger she had felt since the day of the reaping. For a moment in the darkness the tunnel provided she was just a twenty-one year old woman finding humor in a man who was obliterating every ideal she had about him.

But then light at the end of their path started to illuminate District One's carriage, muffled and distant applause slowly growing louder.

Coming out of the tunnel they were met with screams from too many people, in colorful wings and outrageous outfits to match, lined off to the side in stadium seating. The tributes heading down a wide sunk in pathway.

Flowers started to be thrown and the screaming only seemed to expand. To Rose, the excitement was purely a reminder of how little anyone from the Capitol cared for the kids about to be slaughter for a televised program.

"Talk to me" Rose blurted out, horrified and looking over at Theo. There was no way she could smile and wave at these people, "I—I can't"

"Hold my hand" Theo commanded.

"What?!" Her eyes bulged.

"Hold my hand."

Rose stares at him in confusion. The gall and audacity of this man to think she, out of all people, would ever do such a thing. "Why on earth would I hold your hand?!"

"The stylists said to" Theo shrugged and held out a wide tanned hand, "Something to show unity I guess but we don't have to hold them up or anything"

Her eyes darted form his face to his hand, hesitation written all over herself.

"Don't worry," He smirks too happily, sarcasm dripping in his tone. "I'll be your dirty little secret"

"I could never like you enough to make you a secret" Rose shoots back and slips her fingers through his, focusing ahead for only a moment until going wide-eyed at how contrasting their body temperatures were. "Of course you'd have burning hot hands"

Theo fought the urge to fully smile, dipping his head toward her to whisper. "You know what they say about warm and cold hands?"

"Don't." Rose warned with a sharp look, sending Theo back to his full height while laughing. The carriage reached the middle point of the pathway and before another word could be exchanged the rose petals from her gown start to decay along with the ones across his shoulders, gasps slowly filling the stadium as eyes were stolen from the other tributes to them.

It all happened very suddenly and felt oddly constricting, tight fabric coming over their arms as the petals fell off, leaving the pair in the black arena suits Miss Zabini described.

Rose let out a manic giggle that suprised Theo, squeezing his hand subconsciously as she looked down at their outfits. "Well, we definitely look like we are about to go straight into the games"

"They weren't lying about...." His words trailed off as he peered down at the fabric hugging every curve of her body.

Amused, Rose smirked and pushed his chin upward with one finger, forgetting about the loud screams surrounding them. "My eyes are on my face, Theodore"

"I'm—" Theo mumbled, quickly looking ahead. "I'm so very sorry"

This time she's the one laughing and Theo might've felt more remorseful for thinking he made her feel objectified but the sound leaving her lips was too melodic and distracting, sounding like peaceful song he wanted to keep replaying in his head forever. Before Theo knew it he was smiling again, questioning how he could make her laugh endlessly so the sound never went away.

When the carriage halts in the center of the pathway broken off into a circle their moment instantaneously shatters, carriages from every other district creating a formation beside and behind them, all of the triumphant music ceasing.

"That's him, isn't it?" Theo muttered with clear distaste and a sudden tense face at who he blamed for his mothers death. Rose flicked her eyes up the steel tower in front of them where a plump old man stood. He had long white hair and a combed beard to match, his ring clad hands gripped at the edge of an extended podium off the tower that held a large emblem of a phoenix.

Dumbledore.

President Dumbledore.

High-master Dumbledore.

Whatever he had proclaimed himself to be.

The power radiating from him could be felt even from the forty-feet he stood above the tributes. His eyes seemed soft and kind just as the small smile he wore but Theo knew there was nothing except evilness underneath. A golden banded crown in the shape of a phoenix gleamed atop Dumbledore's head. This was a representation for the Order of the Phoenix, the organization that defeated all thirteen districts and created Panem.

Behind the president sat a group of seven men and women in throne chairs, their hair all in different hues of light colors from lavender to baby blue to shimmering silver. A big superior contrast to the neon shades Capitol goers adorned. Rose knew who they were, the Ministry. A group compromised of the highest held people in the world besides the president. No one really understood what they did or their jobs, only that they were the second in command.

Dumbledore raises his hands up and the screaming filled audience dies out at once. Only now does Rose realize he has a pair of neon red roses pinned on either side of his silky blue robes. As usual he gives a long speech that garners smiles from all around, the people of the Capitol eating up every minute of his words. Meanwhile, Theo's grip on her hand turns impossibly tight to where her fingers go numb but he remains so steady that she doesn't force him to let go—relishing in the fact she couldn't fall if he was there holding her.

As soon as the speech ends, music begins sounding out again and the carriage are all pulled into a doing a circle before heading back down the same sunk in pathway.

Rose doesn't know why she does it nor does she have any logical reason for wanting Theo to feel better but when they make it to the half way point she's looking back up at him and cracking a joke quietly which is easy with how much applause rings out. "If I knew wandless magic I would've thrown him off that edge"

Surprise flashes on Theo's face and although she did quite enjoy how intimidating his look of anger was, Rose finds relief when his smile returns. "Me and you—we could turn him into a pancake with some good ole wandless magic"

"Pancake?" Rose questions, swatting away a flower that lands in the carriage from the crowd as her eyes stay transfixed on him, intrigued by the word.

"You don't know what a pancake is?" Theo mumbles in disbelief.

"No...should I?!"

"Oh...Well, I'll have to see that changed immediately." He teases with a firm tone that makes her slowly nod, unsure if she wanted to truly know what this pancake he speaks of is.

The doors of the tunnel reopen and District one enters first. Theo finally loosens his hold on Rose's hand just their carriage follows through, "Didn't mean to cut your circulation off"

"It's fine." Rose states coldly out of nowhere, yanking her hand free from his own. She's so closed off he doesn't know what to make of it but he also understands that her mind is probably scrambled from everything happening so quickly.

When the carriage halted back inside the stable-like hall Theo and Rose were swarmed by a prep team with way too many voices speaking at once until Theo noticed her overwhelmed face, telling them to back off and offering his hand to help Rose off the platform to the side of the carriage.

This time, she lets him guide her.

Miss Zabini and Luna began to cheerfully speak about how splendid everything went but Rose could only focus on the dirty looks the other tributes were shooting in their direction.

As the two stylist darted to the side to use their wands and clean the dead petals from the platform floor, Sybil and Draco took to blocking Rose's view.

"Amazing! You two were all I could look at!" Sybil threw her hands around wackily. "The suits too! Glorious!"

"Mhm..." Draco hummed, visibly more drunk from how he peered through slated eyes. He reached out and picked a spare decayed petal from Rose's hair, deeply laughing when she swatted at him. "You look like your about to high-kick me in that outfit"

"I'd let her kick me" Theo blurted and Sybil covered her mouth with a snort. He began smirking innocently after, "Did I say that out loud?"

"Shut up or I might just do it" Rose couldn't help but laugh, bringing Theo pleasure that the sound was falling from her lips again.

Draco clutched his head as the world started spinning too much for him to handle. Sybil noticed first and grabs onto his arm, "I got you dear"

Rose exchanged a look with Theo before talking aloud, "Let's go upstairs."

"Please" Draco mumbled, leaning into Sybil. They held an interesting dynamic. When Draco met Sybil last year he couldn't stand her. From the fact she was a reaper to her wacky brain but slowly he started to cling to her like a mother. Through the beginning and after winning. During the Victory tour Sybil was the only person he could hold onto for stability. Maybe he had to deal with her trying to rant about crystal balls and divination cards but she was worth it, Rose and Theo would learn that soon enough.

*

"Your home for the next few days!" Sybil cheers when the elevator doors open, grunting with a thankful nod as Theo took Draco off of her.

"I hate this place." Draco grumbles loudly, head hanging forward. It's almost shocking how insanely beautiful the accommodations are. Black and white tile lining the floor and chandeliers at every turn, multiple sunk in living rooms, an open kitchen....

"Go sit him at the table Theodore" Sybil commands softly. Then, she starts to clap curtly. "Now you both have your own rooms but I suspect you scurry back to me quickly! Dinner will start as soon as you change into comfortable clothing!"

Theo drops Draco down into a seat at the head of the banquet table covered in candles, exchanging a worried glance with Rose as Draco slumps down onto the wood and waves them off. Sybil's heels clicking up the metal staircase ring out and Theo moves toward the kitchen but stops as Rose speaks.

"I'll get him water, don't worry about it!"

"Are you sure?" There's trepidation in his voice, wondering how she suddenly had any care for Draco.

Rose gives him a easy smile and pats Draco's back softly, "Yeah—I don't mind"

The corner of Theo's lips turn up as he passes by. Rose waits until she hears his door slam down the hall, scurrying to the kitchen and only blinking for a moment in shock at the size before opening up cabinet after cabinet until finding a glass.

She fills it to the brim with water from the sink and her jaw ticks the whole way over to Draco. Rose had the right to be angry. He's their mentor and currently too drunk to even sit up. How was it fair they had to go in to a death trap with no help because he's an alcoholic?

Rose is an empathic person regardless of what anyone might believe but she was so over this ignorant blonde man. Something had to give.

So, as any rational woman would do, she tosses the water on him. Draco sits up so quickly his chair almost falls over but doesn't because she grips the back of it.

His eyes dart around her face in pure shock, pushing his now wet hair back as he tries to speak but is truly too stunned to do so.

"Wake up" Rose spat as she leaned down toward him, slamming the glass onto the table. "You're going to eat dinner and then you're going to have a conversation without a glass of whiskey in your hand."

He could only blink.

Rose made a frustrated noise and rushed off to her room, tearing off the suit like a disease and not slowing down until she stepped in the shower with water hot enough to boil her alive. She clutched at the tilted walls as her skin tinged in pain from the heat. All she saw when she looked at Draco was the image of her father. A drunk Victor too messed up to care about anyone or anything. Rose is scared, really fucking scared and nothing about her situation was helping. How were they supposed to have help? How were they going to get sponsors while in the arena if their mentor couldn't hold a proper conversation with the people he needed to socialize with?

Suddenly Rose finds herself grabbing at the beige loofah and scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing until she draws blood from her forearms. In a twisted sense it brings her a breath of fresh air to see that she is in fact still alive. Suddenly she's sinking to floor, drawing her knees to her chest and crying.

Crying, crying, and crying because there is nothing else to do. Rose feels so terrified of the future and she knows there no way to share her fears with anyone. She thinks of Sirius and Regulus. Wondering what will become of them if they lose her. That's all it takes for her sadness to turn into anger.

Forty minutes passed before Rose dared to resurface from her temporary bedroom in silky pajamas. The table had been set full of colorful food, the fresh smell bound to invade the senses. Rose halted as she entered, staring around at the four women placed in a square formation around the table in white screen mask, such deep black eyeshadow circling their eyes that they appeared to have none, mouths sew shut with red string. A man in the same state carrying a golden tray covered in glasses came walking from the kitchen. They all had been mutilated.

"Crows," Draco informed from where he now sat up straight at the head of the table, white dress shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows of his veiny arms. "Servants to the Capitol"

Sybil nods along from the chair to the side of his, "Their mouths aren't actually sewed dear, it's just makeup!"

"That's awful" Rose mutters and pulled out the seat across from Sybil, situating herself next to Draco. "Why would they do it like that then?"

"It's representational, their tongues have been cut out." Draco informs, nodding gratefully as the only male crow goes to set a glass of whiskey in front of him. Just as he goes to wrap his ring clad hand around the liquid, Rose picks it up and leans back into her chair.

"He'll take a water instead please" She smiles, making annoyed eyes at Draco as she sips from the glass.

Draco glares unblinking at her, running a hand over his mouth in sheer agitation as she smirks behind the rim. He holds her gaze for so long he assumes she'll break but she doesn't and he's the one giving in now.

"A water is fine." He deadpans, reclining back into the chair.

"Did you shower in your clothes Draco?" The voice of Theodore Nott floats in as he pulls back the chair beside Rose and crashes down, amusement clear in his tone.

"I think he did" says Rose casually, smiling over at Theo as Draco scowls.

"Did you...?!" Sybil gasps, "Rosalie! Do not throw water on him!"

"Well at least he's alive now" Theo shrugs, "Something had to be done"

Rose sets the whiskey down and Draco immediately picks it back up. Everything becomes a blur. She takes the knife from beside her plate, hand slamming down and pointing the tip toward his throat.

"Hey!" Rose warns as she inches the blade closer, "You're going to get sober enough to help us or when I die I'm going to make sure whoever kills me carves your name into my body for the world to see!"

Theo chokes on air.

Sybil recoils in her seat purely terrified.

But Draco doesn't falter, leaning on the table to get closer to the blade. "You're psychotic!"

"Guess you've met your match, huh?" Rose bites back, nicking the skin of throat. "Do you understand how fucking selfish you're being?"

Theo is quick to have her back because even as the most relaxed human, he is on the verge of punching Draco. "She's not wrong. It's really fucked up how you're acting."

"You know what?" Draco says lowly and yanks the knife form her hand, "I'll get sober enough to help you both."

Rose sits back with a deep breath, "You need—"

"But first...." Draco interrupts and dangles the glass of whiskey toward her tauntingly, "Why have you decided to hate me princess?"

Her jaw twitches, "Stop calling me that, it's demeaning."

Draco smiles maliciously, "No no I quite like how it riles you up...have you noticed your jaw ticks every time I say it?"

Rose instantly started to answer his question, "I think you're a monster. Too selfish to sober up enough and help two people who are about have to fight to the death in a arena." She looked at him as if he had wore a stain, "Too easy going when nothing about this is easy! And those people you...it's awful!"

His smile turned into a pleased smirk at her inability to speak of the ones he murdered. "Fair enough" says Draco before handing her the glass.

Rose apprehensively takes the whiskey, "That's it? Nothing to yell back with?"

"No, you're right. I've been selfish" Draco raises an eyebrow of amusement as she blinks then starts to chug the whiskey down, seeming to need a numbing antidote from his calmness. "I'll stay sober enough to help you and while your both in the arena I'll keep that promise—mingle in with the Capitol pigs and get sponsors but," His hand slams onto the table very manically and sudden, "One of you is going to live if I do that, okay?! I'm not taking home two dead bodies."

Theo yawns tiredly, "Easily done"

"You are way too optimistic." Rose huffs and slides the glass back onto the table, jumping slightly as Theo's arm goes around the back of her chair. She shoots him a sharp glare, one that only draws a smirk in return.

"And you are way too pessimistic. We both have our flaws, yes?"

His words never fully reached her ears because she was finally relaxed enough since the reaping to really look at his face and all of the air almost leaves her lungs from how much of a Greek go—

"Listen to me" Draco pulls her attention back with a gruff voice, "Tomorrow is the first day of training and neither of you are going to protest my rules. You don't show your talents and you don't need training. You've done this your whole life."

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A/N: Draco and Rose piss me off with how spiteful they are to each other lol

—Theo <3 my baby <3

—the dress idea and the order of the phoenix and ministry thing took so long to figure out omg but it was genuis!

—anyways next chapter you'll get introduced to some tributes yay

xx bri