Christmas at home had been nice. Her Muggle friends had sent her gifts, and visited once or twice, but Drew could sense the awkwardness in each of their meetings. She had decided to not tell them about the magical world, and it put a wall of dishonesty between them, and they were soon drifting completely apart.

Her father had sent her a postcard, which was really nice of him. She was glad he hadn't decided to show up unannounced. He didn't get along with her mother and her whole summer would have been ruined if he had.

Despite all the good things, Drew had wanted to get back to Eliza the most. And now that she was back at Hogwarts, her life shined a little brighter. The world of magic was just a bonus.

They were on their way to Charms now, and Eliza was telling one of her endless stories about wizards all around the world. One of her grandmothers had apparently gone to Ilvermorny, the best wizarding school in America.

Drew didn't really have interesting family stories except for her grandpa being descended from bandits, but he hardly knew anything about them. Eliza nearly crashed into another student as she animatedly talked about Ilvermorny.

"Did you know Porpentina Scamander studied there?" she asked.

Drew cocked her head, "Who's that?"

"Half-blood," Eliza supplied, brows furrowing in microscopic annoyance. "She's an Auror, and she married Newt Scamander. You know," she smiled, "the magical creatures guy."

"The fantastic beasts guy," said Wilby, appearing out of nowhere.

"Stop stalking me!" Drew yelled after him.

God, that boy drove her insane. Really, she just wanted to be with Eliza.

* ° * ° *

They had Charms with the Hufflepuffs, and were learning the Severing Charm.

"Ah yes," Drew waved her wand eagerly, "this will be great for my fits of rage. You think I could sheer Torch's orange hair off from here?"

Eliza snorted but didn't smile, making the sound seem more mocking than good-natured. Something was definitely up with her. She'd been distant and moody ever since coming back from the holidays, and possibly longer than that, since Drew often looked past the negatives of Eliza Skull.

"Are you okay?" Drew asked her.

Eliza frowned at her sleeve and brushed off a speck of dust. "Yes. Do not waste your worry."

Drew wanted to interrogate her properly, but Professor Flitwick began the class.

They were split into partners, and of course, the two girls were separated. All the teachers had heard about their sledding fiasco, and anytime they walked together they were the receivers of fearful stares.

"Miss Getaway," the teacher chirped, "you can work with Mister Blue again."

Eliza moved to find her partner Isabell. Drew didn't have time to feel sorry for her, because Wilby had already appeared beside her, holding a white piece of fabric.

The last time she'd worked with him was for the Levitation Charm, and he'd weirded her out by freaking out when she had gone swish swish instead swish and flick.

"Don't forget all the wrist movements we've done!" pipped Professor Flitwick, perched from his pile of books. "You want a nice and clean cut. Be as accurate as you can, and be careful!"

Drew traced a line into the pale fabric, aiming for where she wanted to snip it. Wilby watched politely. "Diffindo!" she sliced her wand down, and a crease formed, but it didn't cut through.

She sighed, giving it to Wilby for him to try. "Diffindo," he said with determination. He moved his wand downwards, and another fold formed, but with a small cut at the top. "Yay."

Snatching it back, she glared at him, "Never say 'yay' in front of me."

He shrugged, "Okay."

They both tried a few times, with varying levels of success. Drew began looking around to see how everyone else was doing so she could assess her relative progress.

Isabell had almost succeeded, but Eliza could not however hard she tried. The black-haired girl's hands were shaking, as if someone were forcing her to do it.

Eliza caught her eye, but quickly turned away, her pitch-black hair hiding her face.

* ° * ° *

By the end of class, she'd mastered the spell and gained Flitwick's praise. Eliza was waiting for her by the door, and they walked to Potions together. Eliza didn't look at her.

"You've been acting off all day," Drew told her, fully knowing that she was pushing into an unwanted territory and risking her head. "It's not just because you had to work with Isabell, is it?"

To her shock and dismay, Eliza shot her a glare, grey eyes as cold as a double-edged sword.

Drew recoiled, then sprung right back, "Don't you glare at me! You're the one giving me side looks every minute then pretending everything's fine!"

Eliza set her teeth and let out a long shaky breath, brushing her pale fingers through her curtain of inky hair. "Leave it, Drew."

Drew gave her a suspicions squint, "Does it have to do with me?"

"I...no."

She easily picked up on the hesitation. They were stopped outside the Potions classroom, and Drew kept her hand on the doorknob. "You're telling me during class. Right?"

Eliza tried for a smile, "Of course."

* ° * ° *

Halfway through the lesson, Eliza still showed no intention of telling Drew anything.

So in the middle of making a Healing Draught in Potions class, Drew purposely spilled the Skrewt acid onto her own hands.

"Professor!" Drew yelled, "I spilled the acid on my hands!"

Snape shot her a tiny glare, rubbing his temples with one hand and pointing out the door at the other. "Go."

"Eliza," Drew hissed, "help me out, will you?"

Eliza cast her eyes in Snape's direction, "Of course."

She followed Drew to the door and opened it for her.

"And accompany me to the Hospital Wing too," Drew winced, "there's still another doorway I've got to get through."

Eliza figured out what she was doing, "Drew, we can talk about it later—!"

"For two days you've been growing distant and you haven't told me a thing. I asked you to tell me during Potions, yet you didn't." Drew reached out and closed the door on her own, with her scarred hand.

The black-haired Slytherin scowled through chattering teeth. "Fine!" she bit out, her white teeth showing in her grimace. "I will tell you. I have been reluctant to do so before because I did not want you attacking me in your trademark rage." She took a short breath and said, without losing her sophisticated air, "We cannot be friends any longer."

No...

Drew was wounded, and she shoved her pounding heart back into her chest. No. No. No. "Why not? Is it because of how I got you hurt on the sled? Even though it was really Isabell's fault?" She'd been worried about that for a while. "I'm sorry," she blurted, voice nearly breaking along with her heart. "It was an accident, I swear."

Eliza turned away, and her perfect black hair fluttered in the air before falling against her back. "No, it is not that."

"Then why?" Drew tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, burying it under annoyance and impatience.

Eliza took a deep breath, sounding frustrated, "I told you not to tell anyone you are a Muggle-born for a reason."

Drew's hands were shaking, "I told you I don't care if there aren't supposed to be Muggle-borns in Slytherin. I don't care how people treat me. Besides, Ari's not going around telling people and I haven't told anyone besides Isabell and Malfoy."

"The two worst people to tell," Eliza stated, losing her cool. "You think they would keep it a secret? Of course they will tell everyone about it soon. I cannot imagine why they have not already. Perhaps they wish to blackmail you!"


"They can try. But explain to me why we can't be friends. Don't tell me..." Drew did not want to say it, so she thought it instead. Don't tell me you hate me.

"You will ruin my reputation," Eliza spat, her words cutting through the air like a silver dagger, clear and final. "You will tarnish my family name. And worst of all, I will act more and more like a dirty Muggle. I should have ended our friendship long ago, but now I realize I am becoming soft."

Drew's chest constricted painfully, "What?!"

"I cannot risk being seen with you anymore! Your personality is enough like a normal pure-blood Slytherin, so nobody would have suspected you of being even a half-blood. But your twin sister is so obviously Muggle-born, and you already confirmed it with two people. Four if you count Wilby Blue and I. Do not be surprised if he decides to desert you as well. There are no benefits at all from befriending you!"

"Hold up," Drew flared up. Her hand was in the air, and she wasn't sure whether she was making a stop gesture or just wanted to slap Eliza's hair off. She had successfully covered the gash in her heart with a fuming bandage. "Let me get this straight. You don't want to be friends with me because I'm Muggle-born?"

"It is nothing personal!" Eliza snapped. "It is just blood. You are not one of us, and never will be."

Drew's mouth dropped open in shock, "I can't believe you even said that. And there are no such thing as 'pure-bloods.' Every single wizard in this place is either half-blood or Muggle-born. You idiotic pure-blood supremacists think you're so pure, but somewhere in your family tree you'll find hundreds of Muggles!"

"That is not true!" Eliza gasped, and Drew knew that she believed it.
 Her ex-friend was corrupted beyond repair.

"Wizards are so behind in science," Drew muttered, fists now clenched. "That's what you get for being homeschooled by idiots. And Wilby will never stop being my friend, since he's smart enough, but the same can't be said for you."


It was the first time Drew had called him her friend, but of course he was. Why — why — had she ever taken him for granted, when she should have just taken him?

"Let me tell you something," Eliza continued, unabashed. "My family knows many followers of You-Know-Who. It is said that Wilby Blue's father is a Death Eater, and a ruthless one at that. That boy may seem innocent and nice...but is he really?"

"Wilby?" Drew sputtered. "The son of a Death Eater? I think not."

Eliza's eyes narrowed at her words, "You really are an idiot—"

Drew slapped her across the face, sending her sprawling into the cold stone wall. Her hand hurt, but not nearly as much as she wanted so it could distract her from the agony inside. "I'm an idiot? Me? I'm your friend! And you drop me, all because — because of who my family is? I can't believe you. I can't believe you! I thought you were wonderful, the greatest person I'd ever know —"

She trailed off when she saw Eliza's skin peeling between her pale trembling fingers. Drew wished that she didn't regret hurting her.

"I will report this!" the raven-haired girl wailed. "This is—"


"I doubt you'd want people to know you got hit by a Muggle-born."
 Drew was icy — under control. She couldn't break down now.

Eliza was backing away, trying in vain to keep her furious expression, but Drew's stare was daunting. "Fine then!" Eliza managed to shout. "I am vain and I care about my blood. And I am a coward who thanks her parents every day that she is pure-blooded, unlike her dirty-blooded friend." Her voice cracked at the last word, but she covered it up by tossing her midnight hair, something Drew decided she would never find beautiful again. "There! I have admitted it! Are you satisfied?"

Drew dropped her hand. It was beginning to sting, and so were her eyes, but she pushed the pain away — pushed all her pain aside for later. "No. I'm not. My mind tells me to hurt you, but I already have. Nothing I can do to you will be enough."

Eliza's lip quivered, "I can't believe you stuck with me for so long. It's...pathetic, almost."

Hearing her describe it all so perfectly, Drew couldn't take it and she lunged forward.

The other girl gasped and jumped backwards, real fear gleaming in her stormy eyes.

Drew still found her ex-friend's eyes to be like gray clouds, but clouds hid the sky, just like how Eliza had hidden her true feelings for Muggle-borns.

Drew barely remembered what she did next. All she knew was that she was yelling and shaking Eliza by her robes, which had been perfectly pristine, just like everything — everything — about her was perfect and put-together but she wasn't. She was a monster that Drew had refused to see.

Barely seconds later, Professor Snape came charging over, a few curious students on his tail.

"Take her away from me!" Eliza cried, hugging her arms to her chest. "Throw her in Azkaban!"

"THROW HER IN AZKABAN!!" Drew screamed back, much louder than she'd intended. Everyone in the hall took a step back. "I hate her — I hate her so much —"

Her words were abruptly cut off when the Potions professor snapped his wand threateningly in their direction and barked, "QUIET! Both of you, hold your tongues! Miss Getaway, go up and see the Headmaster! Perhaps he'll know what to do with you!"

Drew stalked off wordlessly, glad to be able to turn her face away so she wouldn't have to pretend that the only emotion she felt was anger.

There was the sound of rustling robes as Snape bent down, "Miss Skull, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing. The rest of you, return to class!"

Drew sighed, deciding that this was the last day Snape showed her any respect.

And the last day that Drew would ever trust so blindly and completely again.