My first Howler

I had never received a howler before, and I certainly didn't know they came disguised as ordinary letters when magic was done on them. So when the next day dawned, burdened with exhaustion from all the pointed stares and hushed whispers branding me as a traitor, I simply walked into the Great Hall, determined to keep my head up.

I hesitated for a fraction of a second before choosing my seat. My usual spot beside Draco and the others was glaringly uninviting. Their expressions alone told me what words didn't need to. I was unwelcome.

So, instead, I slid into the seat beside Kenny. She, out of everyone, had been the most reserved in her reaction. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and I felt the hesitation radiating off of her, but she didn't move away. That had to count for something, right?

The moment my presence settled, an almost imperceptible tension coiled in the air. I felt the weight of every gaze in the room drilling into me, silent accusations burning into my skin. Every time my fork scraped against the plate, the noise rang out like a funeral bell.

"I'm sorry, I'll sit somewhere else." My voice was hollow, mechanical. I wasn't sure why I even said it, but I did. Perhaps it was my last attempt at salvaging some dignity.

I glanced around the hall, searching for another seat. Any other seat.

Not a single face in the room was looking at me with kind eyes.

Except Luna, of course. She was always kind.

The Gryffindors' expressions were filled with that same condescending disappointment, their eyes practically screaming, Well, she's a Slytherin. What did you expect? It was infuriating. They prided themselves on being morally superior, on fighting the good fight, yet they were so quick to villainize someone who didn't fit their narrative.

Of course, the Slytherins' hate was justified, expected. But the rest of them? The hypocrisy made my stomach twist. I knew what they thought. It wasn't Ron's fault. It was mine. Of course. I seduced him. I trapped him. Poor, innocent Ronald.

I scoffed under my breath at my own idiocy. How had I not seen this coming?

Frustrated, I dropped into a seat near the first years, hoping for some reprieve from the suffocating judgment.

A mistake.

"It's giving betrayal," one of them sneered, in that insufferable, smug little tone that only eleven-year-olds could perfect.

That did it.

I snapped my wand up and pointed it directly at the kid's face.

"This gives curses," I said, voice low and deadly. "Wanna see?"

Silence stretched across the table.

A few seats down, I caught Blaise smirking, the corners of his lips twitching in amusement. Even Kenny hid a small chuckle behind her goblet.

But before I could relish in the victory of at least mildly terrifying a child, I absently tore open the letter in my hand.

A horrible, gut-wrenching sound filled the Great Hall.

A howler.

The letter trembled in my grasp before bursting open into a gaping mouth, shrieking so loudly it drowned out every other noise in the hall.

"SELENE BLACKTHORN, HOW DARE YOU BRING SUCH HUMILIATION UPON THIS FAMILY? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE? HAVE YOU EVEN CONSIDERED THE CONSEQUENCES? YOU HAVE DISGRACED THE BLACKTHORN NAME, AND I REFUSE TO TOLERATE SUCH FOOLISHNESS!"

My mother's voice. Sharp, venomous, and cruel in a way that settled deep into my bones.

The howler wasn't done.

"YOUR FATHER AND I HAVE HAD TO ENDURE ENDLESS SHAME BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS! SIDING WITH POTTER? BETRAYING YOUR OWN HOUSE? DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE NO REPERCUSSIONS FOR THIS? I HOPE YOU ARE PLEASED WITH YOURSELF, YOU SELFISH, UNGRATEFUL CHILD!"

The letter spontaneously combusted into ash, and for a moment, the silence in the Great Hall was deafening.

Then came the whispers.

Draco had frozen at the Slytherin table, his pale face unreadable. Kenny was staring at me in alarm, a flicker of something soft in her expression. Pansy looked beyond smug. Theo averted his gaze. Blaise sighed, rubbing his temple like this was all just some grand inconvenience to him.

And then there was me. Standing amidst the remains of my mother's wrath, my hands shaking ever so slightly.

I straightened my shoulders.

Lifted my chin.

And without a word, I turned on my heel and walked out of the Great Hall.

The whispers followed me all the way to the Slytherin common room, like a storm waiting to strike.

When I tell you I wanted to die, I meant it. That wasn't just mild embarrassment. That wasn't just a little "oopsie-daisy" moment. That was full-blown, crawl-into-a-hole, change-my-name-and-move-to-Brazil kind of mortification.

The howler had roasted me alive in front of the entire school, and worst of all, it had audience participation.

Let's talk about the first years for a second. These Gen Alpha, TikTok-brainrot-ridden eleven-year-olds ate it up. One of them straight-up pulled out a handwritten sign that said "L + Ratio", which means they had prepared for this. Another one dramatically whispered, "This is giving... main character downfall."

Like, excuse me? WHO TAUGHT THESE CHILDREN??

I couldn't even process it all at once. I was too busy watching my social status as a Slytherin plummet into the depths of hell.

As the howler finished its grand speech of my sins (not that I was paying attention, because the ringing in my ears was louder than an orchestra), it promptly exploded into a puff of smoke and left me sitting there, looking like a medieval witch about to be burned at the stake.

But Kenny? Oh, Kenny was having the time of her life.

She leaned over, completely unfazed, and said, "That was so slay, bestie. I love a good public execution."

I turned to her, still in shock, "Are you... serious?"

"No cap."

I covered my face, groaning. "Please shut up before I throw myself into the Black Lake."

But here's the thing—she acted like nothing was wrong. Like I hadn't just been banished into the shadow realm by my own house. Like I hadn't just betrayed the entire Slytherin bloodline. Like we were the same pair of best friends we had always been.

And maybe... maybe that was the worst part. Because she forgave me. Just like that. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like she knew me better than anyone else did.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. So, naturally, I just sat there, blinking at my food, while Kenny continued talking about how "That was peak content, you should've gone viral."

But as the day went on, something started shifting.

One by one, the group—our group—began feeling my absence.

Theo was first. He didn't say much, just nudged my arm at lunch and mumbled something about how I should've hexed that one first year who called me a "walking L."

Blaise was next. "It's honestly embarrassing watching Draco sulk like this," he muttered, flicking his spoon at me. "I'm not saying you should fix it, but for the love of Merlin, somebody should."

Even Pansy, who had previously led the "Selene is a Traitor" movement, rolled her eyes and said, "Just because you're a backstabbing snake doesn't mean I want you to die or whatever."

Goyle shoved some chocolate at me, grunting something that sounded like "eat", which was apparently his way of showing concern.

And Kenny? Kenny never left my side. She acted like none of this had ever happened, like we were still the same girls who gossiped about people's awful hairstyles in the common room at 2 a.m.

But there was one person missing.

One particular blonde boy.

Draco Malfoy had not spoken a single word to me. Not a glance. Not a glare. Not even his usual passive-aggressive remarks.

Nothing.

And that hurt more than any howler ever could.

.......................................................................

DRACO'S POV

I knew she was coming before I even looked up. I had memorized the sound of her footsteps long ago—the confident stride, the slight pause when she was thinking, the way her shoes tapped just a second slower when she was tired. But this time, her steps were careful, hesitant, almost... fearful.

I refused to look at her. If I did, I knew I'd break. Instead, I kept my gaze on my plate, pushing my food around like I had any intention of eating. Kenny and Blaise were talking about something, but I wasn't listening. Everything had been noise ever since that night.

Ever since I lost her.

"Draco," her voice came softly. So soft. She never spoke like that.

I didn't answer. My jaw clenched.

"You can't ignore me forever," she continued, barely above a whisper.

"Watch me."

It was cruel, and I knew it. I wanted to take it back the second it left my mouth. But I couldn't. If I let her see even a fraction of the hurt, I'd fall apart.

She sighed, and for the first time, I finally looked at her.

She looked—Merlin, she looked awful. Like she hadn't slept in days. The dark circles under her eyes made them look even bigger, even sadder. She was paler than usual, and her hands trembled slightly at her sides. She was barely holding it together.

Good. Let her feel even a fraction of what I felt.

"Draco," she tried again, stepping closer. "Please."

I shoved back my chair abruptly, the legs screeching against the floor. "I can't do this, Selene."

Her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to say something, but no words came out. I felt my throat tighten.

"You betrayed me," I said, my voice dangerously low. "You betrayed all of us."

She flinched, and that should've satisfied me, but it didn't. It just made me want to grab her and shake her and yell until she gave me an explanation that made sense.

"You don't understand," she whispered.

I laughed—cold, bitter. "Oh, I think I do. I think I understand perfectly, actually. You were sneaking around. Lying to me. You, Selene. Out of all people." I let out a sharp exhale, running a hand through my hair, frustration clawing at me. "I trusted you. Do you get that? I TRUSTED YOU."

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, as if physically in pain. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Well, congratulations," I spat. "You did."

Silence.

The air between us was suffocating.

I wanted to hold her. I wanted to push her away. I wanted to scream at her. I wanted to pretend she never existed. I wanted her to explain everything in a way that made me believe her again.

But she just stood there, looking at me with those exhausted, broken eyes. And I hated that even after everything, a part of me still wanted to protect her.

I shook my head. "Just... don't talk to me."

I didn't wait for her response. I turned and walked away before she could see the tears threatening to spill.