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The Great Hall was dark and cold that evening. Not seeming so great, after all. 
There were no floating candles, no bright lights and colours, no laughing. No, it fits what I had expected quite well. 
Like Hogwarts was draped under a dark, dark shadow. A cloud so big the sun might never shine through or past it again. 
Snape didn't prepare a speech. Didn't do or say more than introducing the new staff. I almost started laughing when the words left his mouth but had enough common sense not to do so. 
I was almost glad he didn't pretend like this was fine, or normal. Everyone knew it was not, and he wasn't trying to fool anyone into a false sense of security. 
Nothing about Hogwarts was secure anymore. 
The very thing it tried to keep out of its walls was now teaching classes, sitting in the headmaster's office, even. 
Alecto Carrow teaching Muggle Studies. Well, Miss Burbage surely couldn't anymore. 
I couldn't imagine anything worse than a Death eater teaching Muggle Studies. 
Apart from, maybe, a Death eater teaching Defends against the Dark Arts. A subject that was swiftly renamed into just Dark Arts. Good thing we had Amycus Carrow to take care of that. 
And then, the grand finale, Severus Snape; headmaster of Hogwarts. 
The thought alone made me almost miss Dumbledore's long and tiring speeches about friendship and loyalty. The ones that were nearly the same every beginning of term and every end of it. 
I wasn't surprised most of my fellow Slytherin peers didn't mind all that much. Crabbe and Goyle seeming happy about it, even. Egging on Draco, wondering why he wasn't more excited. 
"After all, you are one of them. You should be excited, mate," One of them said. The news spread like wildfire then, did it? 
I wasn't sure if people would know what had transpired at the end of last term. But that certainly answered my question. 
All it did was earn them a disheartened grunt from Draco. 
I couldn't quite read what Blaise thought of the whole ordeal. Stared almost too obviously at him during dinner, in an attempt to figure out. He didn't seem scared or even bothered by it. Not necessarily like he minded it much, really. 
That's what I wasted the hour in the Great Hall with, anyway. I couldn't get down a single bite. 
I wasn't sure if it was the cold temperature or the atmosphere; whether it was seeing Death eaters sitting at the staff's table, or just Snape sitting in the middle of them all. 
I don't think Wren and I ever walked down the dungeons quite as fast as that evening. We were the first in the common room, thank Merlin. But, before I could sprawl out on the leather couch and start complaining about all of it, she dragged me into our dorm. 
She locked the door with her wand swiftly, already walking over to her bed and casting a Muffliato at the closed door while doing so. 
"Okay, look," She said seriously, crossing her legs after sitting down and looking at me expectantly. I just furrowed my brows at her, though, sat down on her bed, anyway. "I know something is up," She shrugged, a sigh escaping her lips as if it was obvious. 
I quirked an eyebrow at her words but had no idea what she was talking about. Of course there's something up. There are many things going on that would make her feel like something might be up with me. For one, our school being taken over by Voldemort. 
She seemed to realise. "With Draco. With you and Draco- I can tell it's not just you two having a fight." She tilted her head, a faint smile on her lips; sincerity in her eyes. 
I went to protest, vigorously shake my head; tell her there's nothing more happening than a fight that we're both too petty to apologise for. And it would've been a good excuse. A lie I could've sold, because Merlin knows we are both so very stubborn. But she didn't let me get that far. 
She interrupted my thought process with a stern "Don't." And then her head shook slowly and, though I wasn't quite sure, it seemed like she looked almost guilty. "It's none of my business. I don't want to force it out of you," She sighed. "I just wanted you to know I'm here if you want to talk- should you ever feel comfortable talking about it." She smiled weakly. "It's okay, as long as you are." 
I took a deep breath at her words, my eyes fluttering shut for a moment and just listening before a smile found its way across my lips. 
I pulled her into a long hug afterwards, nodding into her neck in understanding and appreciation at her words. 
"It's just, we all know I haven't always been the best friend. But you were always there for me, and I just want to be there for you, too," She continued, now mumbling her words rather than coherently speaking them. "And I just want you to be alright. This is all so overwhelming- all of it. But I just want you to be fine. You're my best friend, and I love you so much. I just want you to be okay-" 
The last words were more a huff; a loud exhale, if you will. 
And I came to realise; this was the first time we were alone after everything happened. I wondered whether she wanted to say all these things last time we saw each other already; whether she just waited for a moment to get me alone. One that never occurred. 
Or, perhaps, it was just the circumstances now, that had forced it out of her. The horrible atmosphere, and the realisation that that atmosphere was our life now. 
Maybe she was more fragile than she led on. 
"I love you, too," I sighed, rubbing her back gently. "And I want you to be okay, too." I brought a bit of distance between us, releasing her from my grip with a small smile on my lips which she reciprocated. 
"With everything going on, I just want us to know that we have each other's back. That we can trust each other, heaven knows that circle got a lot smaller now." 
Those were the words I was afraid of. Trust each other. 
How could she trust me when I kept the one thing from her I knew she would want to know? 
I swallowed thickly, trying to keep the former smile on my lips. I nodded. 
"Me too. I'll always have your back, don't you worry," I mumbled, my fingers suddenly much more interesting. 
And then she sighed loudly. A sigh of relief as the built-up tension flowed out of her system with it.  
"Well, thank god that's out," She clapped her hands together as if achieving a great deal with this conversation before shaking her whole body to snap out of the rather depressing mood. "Let's get out there now, mingle a little," She laughed lowly. "Figure out who we definitely don't wanna cross paths with; who supports them and their bizarre ideologies." 
She unlocked the door, opened it soon after as she jumped out of bed. The Muffliato charm wore off as she opened the door. "Go on," She urged, her head gesturing for me to get through the door. 
And with a groan, I did. 
A/N: is that wren character development I'm seeing there ?? unbelievable 
There's smut next chapter and I'm kind of in love with it lol also feel kinda bad because its story relevant too?? so idk I guess I'll just quickly summarise the important bits in the a/n tomorrow for the people who don't want to read it?? 
Someone asked me to leave my socials at the end of every chapter so I'll do that every now and then! My Instagram is seselinamae and my Tiktok seselina_!