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2023-06-04
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2025-04-01
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When Girls Cry (OLD)

Summary:

Ophelia Potter has been hiding her transition for three years. She lets everyone believe she is a boy. She binds her chest, bottles her emotions and doesn't let anyone know who she is.

Daphne Greengrass and the TriWixen Tournament change everything. Her comfort zone is long gone. Ron won't so much as look at her and Hermione's not paying her any mind.

So when a group of harsh yet kind Slytherins offer friendship, she finds herself accepting it quite readily.

[DROPPED]

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Snakes in the Owlery

Chapter Text

Year 4.

Harry Potter is a closeted trans girl who is transitioning but has made sure absolutely nobody knows (bar Madam Pomfrey and one or two exceptions.)

She's become rather riddled with anxiety, nerves, and worry. Constantly afraid, constantly uncertain, constantly doubting herself.

So of course, Daphne Greengrass steps in.

~Potter x Greengrass~

CW: Self-Hate, Self-Deprecation, Depression, Internalized Transphobia, Bullying, Misgendering & Deadnaming (unintentional)

This kid needs therapy.

~~~~~Ophelia~~~~~

Snakes In The Owlery

~~~~~Ophelia~~~~~

November 5th, 1994

Ophelia sniffed a bit as she finished sealing her letter to Sirius. She knew he'd want to know how she's doing in the aftermath of the Tournament being announced - with her as the Fourth Champion, no less. Hopefully he'd have advice on how not to get herself killed. Maybe if she fainted after it started that'd be enough. She was certainly terrified enough for it.

Ron had been… horrible. Genuinely, utterly horrible. Usually he was fairly understanding, if a bit thick. But he seemed to have gotten it in his head that she wanted this, which in Ophelia's opinion was utterly mad. But her voice wouldn't come to her the last few nights when he snarked and scathed, so she couldn't defend herself at all.

Hermione had been… better. She seemed intent on ignoring Ron outright and spending a lot of her time with Ophelia. That wasn't so bad, but she was worried Hermione doubted her, too. So most of the time - if she could help it - Ophelia just spent time with the two inter-house friends she had; Phoebe Boot and Hannah Abbott.

Though today she'd had to brave going up to the dorms to write and prepare the letter. Thankfully, Ron wasn't there. Not until she was about to leave, anyway.

With her favorite charcoal jumper, jeans, and trainers on, she liked that the look was fairly androgynous. With her short-cut hair and the use of the makeup and voice altering spell she always applied in the bathroom each morning, she knew nobody would mistake her for a girl, but she looked 'girly' by the standards of the boys. That was plenty for her. Besides, she just had to survive another four years of school and then she'd be able to pretend Harry Potter vanished into thin air while 'Ophelia' appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

Ron regarded her with the look of disbelieving annoyance he'd taken to using lately, while Ophelia stiffened, pursed her lips, tucked her head down and ran out past him. She didn't want to listen to his scathing remarks - not then.

After rushing down the stairs that were thankfully not enchanted to kick girls out the way the girl's were for boys, she hurried out of the Common Room. Nobody seemed to give her a second glance, but then again they were also probably looking for the usual baggy clothes she wore. She silently thanked Madam Malkin's for having begun to stock Muggle Clothes, because it meant a quick handful of trips during the summer got her plenty of clothes to last. Though she'd also found something that had been a lifesaver - Madam Malkin said it was called a binder.

Apparently they were magically enchanted in the Wixen world, but like their Muggle counterparts they were perfect for flattening one's chest. Considering Ophelia's own 'growth' in the last year, she knew just baggy clothes wouldn't have cut it, so she bought three and pretended they were for a friend. Whether Madam Malkin believed her, she didn't know - but they certainly felt much more comfortable than the bandages and double sports bras she'd been using.

It didn't take long to get to the Owlery Tower, though she grimaced at the thought of climbing so many stairs. Her legs were short and with the binder she had a tendency to run short of breath. Still, it needed to be done. Hopefully nobody would be up there.

After the usual ten minute trek up the stairs, she opened the door to the Owlery only to find someone else was there. On top of that, they were petting Hedwig.

That was already enough to make Ophelia nervous and anxious, but then she saw the color of the scarf the girl who was petting Hedwig wore. Green and silver.

Slytherin.

Every single one of Malfoy's jeers and Ron's warnings ran through her head at once. She became tense as she immediately stepped backwards, hoping the girl hadn't noticed her. Ophelia needed to run. Now. She could come back later - the girl obviously wasn't going to hurt Hedwig. But Ophelia knew better than to be alone with a Slytherin. She valued her safety.

The girl turned to face her. Her hair was blonde and she had a rather pretty face with silvery-gray eyes. Normally Ophelia would immediately flush at the thought of such a pretty girl looking at her, but right then she felt very, very small.

"Potter?" She asked with a bit of surprise, causing Ophelia to suck in her breath.

"Uh… that's my owl," she managed weakly. She wanted to hit herself. Yes, Ophelia. Genius idea. Tell the Slytherin she's petting your owl. Are you trying to get yourself or Hedwig hurt?

The girl blinked a couple times as she looked at Hedwig, who had noticed Ophelia and leapt off the girl's arm and flew over to Ophelia, landing on her shoulder and ruffling her feathers. She took a slow breath, as deep as she could with the binder. Hedwig always was good at helping her relax.

She handed the letter to Hedwig, who took it in her beak and nuzzled Ophelia affectionately before leaping off her shoulder and flying past the Slytherin girl before flying out the open window. The moment she saw Hedwig go out the window, Ophelia turned and went to leave the room. She'd much rather not talk to a Slytherin girl who'd just bully her - not if she could help it. She just wanted to go find some corner to gather herself and maybe eventually find Hermione, Phoebe or Hannah so she could relax. This was far too much stress for her in one day.

Before she could so much as get out of the doorway, however, the other girl grabbed her hand, "Hey, wait!"

Ophelia recoiled violently, yanking her hand out of the girl's grasp, pinning herself against a wall, and cursing the fact she left her wand in the dorm as she looked and felt much like a deer in headlights.

The girl actually looked a bit hurt, "Uh… sorry. I just wanted to talk."

Ophelia swallowed the knot in her throat, "Uh… I just… I just wanted to send my letter…"

"Oh! Um… who-who were you writing to?" The other girl asked, wincing a bit.

Ophelia's brow furrowed as she slowly pulled away from the wall, heavily intent on bolting the moment she could, "My godfather." Technically it was the truth. It had been made a public lie that Remus was her godfather so that she could just send letters to Sirius and - if anyone asked - say they were for Remus when they were actually addressed to 'My Godfather'.

"Oh! Professor Lupin, right? He was quite nice last year. A shame what happened…"

Ophelia's brow furrowed as she tried to wrap her head around it. Malfoy always claimed that Lupin - being a werewolf - was some sort of problem or half-breed.

"Uh… Yes, it is. It was nice having him at Hogwarts," she replied, slightly untensing. Though not completely. She had no idea what this girl was thinking.

The girl nodded and seemed to be rather pleased, "Right! Oh! Don't know if you recognized me, but I'm Daphne - er, Greengrass. Dunno if Dennis Creevey mentioned my sister to you, ever? Astoria? She and him are friends - same year."

Ophelia winced, "I, um… don't talk to the Creeveys. They're too enamored by…" She gave a weak shrug and pointed at her forehead.

Daphne winced, "Oh, damn… that sucks. Oh, um… since I know it'll upset you, uh, figured I'd give you a warning. Draco is… well, he's making these badges… they say not-nice things about you."

Ophelia blinked, and her shoulders slumped. She'd rather expected something like this, honestly. But it still hurt. "Oh… I guess you'll be wearing them, too?" She asked, not really caring about the slightly bitter twinge to her tone. Zacharias Smith, Isobel MacDougal, and Leanne Valiance had all said or done rather unkind things to her in the past after being friendly, so she wasn't surprised that Daphne was going to be the same.

Daphne looked a bit shocked and hurt, "What? No! Honestly, most of us don't care about you."

Ophelia pursed her lips, "Yeah. I knew that much." She turned and left before Greengrass could say anything else - or see the tears forming in her eyes. She should've known better than to bother talking to a Slytherin. Ron was right - the bastard.

~~~~~Ophelia~~~~~

November 7th, 1994

Monday was a slog, like usual. Ophelia was just thankful she didn't have to worry about Potions.

Transfiguration with the 'Claws was fine, and Ancient Runes was pleasant - though she was rather sure that Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were shooting glares in her direction, so she ended up more hunched in on herself than usual. If Hermione noticed, she didn't say anything - which of course made Ophelia feel even more like shit.

After a relatively uneventful Double Herbology with the 'Puffs and a quick lunch, she headed off to History - not bothering to wait for Ron or Hermione. Ron of course wasn't talking to them anyways, and Hermione was too engrossed in checking over what of the homework she'd already done for Ancient Runes.

The classroom was relatively empty this early, which she was grateful for. Though unfortunately she'd gotten too early - Malfoy was there.

"Well, well, well, Potter. Finally realized that you should do something about working on your education?" Malfoy drawled. Ophelia pursed her lips and pointedly tried to ignore him, moving to try and take a seat at the front of class - where he tended to avoid.

Malfoy got in her way, "Hey, now. Surely you weren't about to miss out on seeing these beauties?" He puffed out his chest while Ophelia shifted and curled in on herself reflexively. On his chest she saw a badge glowing a faint yellow and reading 'Support Cedric Diggory: The Real Hogwarts Champion.' If that was all they said, then she had to wonder what it was that Greengrass had meant about 'not-nice things'. If anything Ophelia quite agreed with the badge.

"Oh… they're nice," she muttered distractedly, a bit too uncomfortable and anxious to try and push past him like usual. She bitterly wished she wasn't having a row with Ron - if she weren't, he'd shove Malfoy for her or cause some sort of ruckus.

Malfoy seemed a bit taken aback before his sneer returned, "Bet you can't wait to see what else they can do!" He pressed the button and it changed, glowing a faint green and reading 'Potter Stinks: Liar and Cheater!'

Ah, so that was what Greengrass meant. Ophelia didn't even have the energy to cry - though for that she was grateful. The last time she'd cried in front of Malfoy it hadn't ended well - for her. He'd teased her about it for months.

Instead she just swallowed the lump in her throat, walked around him and sat at one of the empty front desks, ignoring his cackles and the chuckles of his friends as she set up her notes and writing supplies. Hopefully Binns' drone didn't put her to sleep today. She'd rather like to get notes for more than half the period's worth of lecture.

Before long, other students started to arrive, but before Hermione or maybe Neville could sit next to Ophelia, Greengrass took the seat next to her. Ophelia stiffened but made sure to focus on her paper - it didn't matter where the other girl sat, but she didn't want to talk to her. Besides, surely Greengrass felt the same, seeing as she 'didn't care about' Ophelia.

Hermione caught her eye from nearby, but Ophelia just gave a half-hearted shrug and went back to looking at her notes and waiting for Binns. Idly she realized that Ron was probably staring at her like she was out of her mind - well, maybe she was. That'd certainly be preferable to some of the circumstances she was in.

"Hey," a voice came from her right. Ophelia stiffened and pursed her lips - it was Greengrass.

Despite the fact that every facet of her wanted to ignore Greengrass or ask her to shove off, she replied with a more clipped, "Yes?" As she wasn't looking at Greengrass, she saw Nott and Zabini give her pointed glares again. It seemed she wasn't wrong about it happening in Ancient Runes, after all. Though she did find it strange that they were glaring at her but didn't have those badges on.

"Potter, please. I just wanted to tell you something."

Ophelia sighed softly. She wished she had the strength or confidence to just say 'no' or something. Ron and Hermione certainly had no trouble with it.

She slowly turned to face Greengrass, fighting down her urge to run or just curl up into a ball. "Yes?" She asked again, trying to say as little as possible to prevent her emotions from coloring her voice. She'd noticed she had a tendency to get all warbly when she was especially emotional, and sometimes it affected her Voice Altering Charm - that wouldn't do.

Greengrass looked a little pained, though Ophelia noticed she wasn't wearing one of the badges. Admittedly she'd claimed she wouldn't be, but Ophelia had written that off as a lie so that Greengrass could get on her good side. "Look… I put my foot in my mouth on Saturday. I didn't say what I meant to."

Ophelia pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. Mostly because she was bitter, but also because she really didn't know what to say to that.

Greengrass grimaced, "I… what I meant to say then was that most of us don't care about deriding you the way Draco does. There's no point in it - it's not like you're a bad person. A bit skittish, but…" She shrugged, fiddling with her quill.

Ophelia pursed her lips tighter. She knew that technically it would be good manners to accept the apology and move on, but her personal experiences with Slytherin and Ron's warnings echoed in her mind. She thought about it over a few moments, before realizing Binns appeared.

She decided to make a snap decision - based on the fact that Greengrass hadn't worn a badge.

"Okay. I… I'm sorry I ran away," she replied softly before avidly focusing on the class. She was adamant not to fall asleep today.

~~~~~Ophelia~~~~~

She'd been successful. Mostly. Dozed at one point, but managed to pinch herself awake. Greengrass gave her a strange look about it, but Ophelia paid her no mind.

When class was over she was grateful they had a free period next, rather relieved she'd be able to find some alcove to maybe curl up in and work on some homework.

Those plans, however, were dashed almost immediately when Nott, Zabini, and another Slytherin girl she vaguely recognized as Tracey Davis all came up to the table where she sat with Greengrass. Ophelia hadn't had a chance to finish packing up yet, so she was very much feeling like she'd been trapped.

Almost by reflex she drew in on herself, her legs shot up to have their feet on the chair and her hand gripped her wand under her cloak. Zabini rolled his eyes and Nott looked utterly contemptuous while Davis seemed bored at best.

"Huh? Oh, hey you lot," Greengrass greeted them amicably as she finished packing her things. When she noticed how tense and curled up Ophelia was, however, she frowned. "Something wrong, Potter?"

Nott shook his head, "Don't know why you're bothering with him, Daph. He barely looked at you during class. We should go and you need to stop wasting your time on him - he's a coward!"

Ophelia pursed her lips, but didn't stand up for herself or disagree. He was right, after all. She still didn't understand why the damned Hat put her in Gryffindor. She was hardly 'brave'. More 'stupid, cowardly and reckless'.

"Theo's got a point, Daph. Any guy who can't treat girls with respect isn't worth your time," Zabini added, and Ophelia had to fight the urge to snort. If only he knew.

Greengrass seemed a bit put-out, "He's right here, guys. And I told you numbskulls that I was the one who put her foot in her mouth. Potter just got upset and left - and after I explained myself, he apologized! Merlin, quit being such prats."

Ophelia kept her mouth shut, mostly because she was more inclined to agree with Zabini and Nott than she was Greengrass. Though since they seemed distracted, she uncurled her legs and let go of her wand so she could quickly organize her things. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, however, Davis seemed to have other plans. She had a mischievous grin as she slammed her hand on Ophelia's textbook, stopping her from packing it away. Ophelia froze as panic rushed through her.

"U-um, I was just packing up… can you please let go?" She tried to be polite, if only because - like the others - Davis didn't have a badge on. She was actually almost starting to believe Greengrass about the claim that most of them didn't care about being mean to her.

"What? Daphne took an interest in you, so sue me, but I'd like to know why you're so content being rude to others when they just want to talk to you," Davis drawled, a lazy grin on her face. Nott, Zabini, and Greengrass were looking over as well - Greengrass with mild concern and interest, the boys with rather unkind smiles.

Ophelia looked at the textbook with a bit of sadness. It was the only bit she hadn't gotten into her pack - she'd been so close to freedom, but now they were basically holding her hostage.

Once again, like clockwork, Ron's warnings about Slytherin echoed in her mind.

"Haven't you heard the rumors? I'm a coward who can't respect people," she found herself saying listlessly. While Phoebe and Hannah had definitely been outliers, she'd learned that vocalizing her hatred for herself and being overall negative was a good way to get people who didn't know her to leave her alone.

Bitterly, she wished Hermione hadn't left. But her best friend had apparently deemed fit to up and vanish. Well, she'd had her suspicions about Hermione doubting her - maybe consorting with Slytherins was enough to do the trick and make her lose faith.

Davis actually recoiled a bit in shock, which gave Ophelia a bit of grim satisfaction. She just shoved the textbook into her pack, stood up, and immediately walked out as quickly as she could, not wanting to run since it would just leave her utterly exhausted with her binder.

Once she'd made it far enough down the hall, she slipped inside an empty classroom, shut the door, cast a Locking Charm and made it about five steps in before she began to sob.

~~~~~Ophelia~~~~~

At dinner, Ophelia ate alone - or, well, away from anyone in her year. She was beginning to drift away from most everyone, and bitterly felt as if she deserved it. After all, she'd basically ruined everything for everyone when whatever psychopath put her name in the cup did so. She couldn't even bother to look Hannah in the eye all day - after all, Diggory was the one meant to be Hogwarts' Champion. A Hufflepuff. Hannah definitely wouldn't want to look at or be around her. Not when their House was finally supposed to be getting its dues, and she'd gone and fucked it up.

When she got to the Common Rooms after dinner all she wanted to do was just go to the dorms and lie down, but she didn't have the energy to climb the stairs. So instead she sank into one of the couches and sighed softly before pulling her pack up close and curling up, hoping nobody would bother her.

Of course, she was the bloody 'Boy'-Who-Lived, so there was a fat chance of that happening.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked, causing Ophelia to open her eyes and regard her friend.

She looked at Hermione thoughtfully, not sure what to say.

"... 'm fine," she muttered weakly. Any anger she'd had against Hermione had long since dissipated. She just felt tired. It had been such a slog of a day, and the events with the Slytherins in History had hardly made it remotely tolerable.

Hermione's worry became more visible as she sat next to Ophelia on the couch, "Harry… you were practically surrounded by Slytherins when I left History."

Ophelia nodded, "Yes. You left." It wasn't venomous or even bitter. She was more just… stating it. Even so, Hermione looked as if she'd been struck.

"Harry, you know I had Care!" She defended hotly.

Ophelia nodded, "Yes. I know. But it doesn't take more than a few seconds to step in and help."

Hermione frowned a bit, "Well… they didn't have the badges, and you seemed alright around Greengrass…"

Ophelia pursed her lips. Hermione wasn't wrong… even so, she couldn't help but wish the girl would just leave her alone for the night.

"Harry… I'm worried about you. You've been acting much quieter than usual lately, and with the Tournament and Ron…"

Ophelia shrugged, "I'll just forfeit the Tournament. They need us to participate, but I read some books. I don't need to try my best or succeed. I can just quit part way through each Task and I'll be fine. Ron is… he'll come 'round." She shifted uncomfortably, tightening her grip on her pack. She really didn't like talking about people behind their backs - it happened enough to her that she knew how shitty it felt. Besides, Ron wasn't exactly wrong to be upset with her. Sure she wasn't lying, but he'd been struggling with his confidence for ages. He just needed time to cool off.

Hermione looked even more concerned, "Harry, I–"

"It's late, Hermione," Ophelia interrupted a bit stiffly. Aching legs and struggles breathing be damned - she wanted to go to bed. She got up and didn't give Hermione a second look before she strode past her, gritted her teeth, and ascended the stairs to the fourth year boy's dorm.

Thankfully nobody else was in, so she was able to shower and change in peace. As much as she loved how her growth and changes were going, she grimaced at the visible red marks from where her binder had pressed against her for the past twelve hours. Her pajamas were, at least, good at hiding her figure. The pants were a size too large on purpose, and on top she intentionally wore a thick sweater over the pajama shirt - that helped, especially when she hunched over and was quick to get in bed. Then all she had to do was draw the curtains, make sure the opacity was at full so nobody could see her, and lie down to get some much-needed sleep.

~~~~~Ophelia~~~~~

The next morning, after her usual swift morning ablutions and also making sure her binder was on securely, Ophelia left the dorm pretty early - 2 hours before usual. Since breakfast was served even then, she felt it was fine. Apparently it was for an hour and a half for the early risers, and only consisted of one of the tables - it evidently varied each day.

When she got to the Great Hall, she was relieved to see that nobody she knew was there, but the Ravenclaw table indeed had been set up with food - a few students glanced her way but didn't give her more than that passing look. She took care to sit at one end, far away from anyone, and filled her plate with some basic toast, bacon, and potatoes. With a bit of the apple jam, the toast tasted great and so did the rest - she had to suppress a soft groan of relief, before grimacing. Whenever she had to do that, it meant she'd just satisfied a craving… that meant her cycle was going to hit in the next couple of days. Of course. Just her luck.

She kept eating and tried not to internally grouse too much about her lot in life when two students sat by her sides. She stiffened when she realized who they were - Nott and Zabini. Mere moments later, Greengrass and Davis sat across from her. A massive pit opened up in her stomach and she fervently wished to be anywhere but where she was. Nobody said anything to her, so she kept her gaze intensely focused on her breakfast. Maybe they'd leave her be. Maybe it was an intimidation tactic or something. Maybe it was to guilt her for something she did yesterday. Payback was also an option that ran through her head. She began to feel like she was just eating cardboard about halfway through her potatoes. Not even cravings could settle the anxiety swelling within.

Eventually Nott cleared his throat in what was clear irritation, and she knew she couldn't ignore them any longer. They'd probably hit her if she did - Merlin knows Ron and Hermione already swatted her whenever she spaced out.

"Hi," she managed weakly, still keeping her gaze stalwartly focused on her meal. "Hope I didn't take your spot or something," she managed to sound genuinely apologetic, because it had crossed her mind when they'd sat down. So if that was the case, then she did indeed feel bad.

Zabini huffed at that, "That's not why he did that, Potter. How about you actually look at us? It's considered common decency."

Ophelia knew that was a crock. She'd only ever been told to not look at people - it was rude to look, rude to stare. She decided to say as much.

"It's rude to look at people. I try not to do it if I can help it," she muttered, putting another bite of bacon in her mouth. It should have tasted good - usually she loved salty foods. But it just felt like work to chew and swallow.

"I… what? That– no. It's rude to stare, but it's considered polite to look at someone when talking to them," Davis sounded utterly appalled, and Ophelia shrank in on herself.

"Sorry," she muttered, now no longer bothering to eat. She just poked idly at the potatoes with her fork. This sucked.

"Potter, are… are you alright?" Greengrass asked tentatively, and Ophelia tensed.

"'M fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm a famous Champion," she replied sarcastically and bitterly, indirectly quoting all of Ron's comments. How he felt it was unfair and stupid for her to be upset and afraid when she had fame, fortune, and plenty of opportunities to 'prove herself'. She stabbed a potato somewhat angrily before the emotion quickly dissipated and her shoulders sagged a bit. "Sorry… I should keep my mouth shut."

Nott actually sounded rather uncomfortable when he spoke up next, "You… you do know that we believe you didn't put your name in the Goblet, right?"

She jerked up, finally looking at him in shock. He seemed a bit surprised at her reaction. "You do?" She asked breathlessly as her voice shook, a bit of hope rising in her. She'd been hoping someone might actually believe her, and say as much. Hermione never really confirmed whether she had, so she'd had her doubts.

Nott seemed a bit stunned as he regarded her a bit apprehensively, "Uh… yeah. Wasn't it obvious by us not wearing the badges?"

Ophelia flushed a bit as she pulled back - she hadn't realized she'd leaned in a bit in her excitement. Even so, she felt so much better, and the dull throb had vanished.

"Sorry… but, um. Thank you - all of you. That… it means a lot, really," she managed, now not focusing solely on her meal. She still couldn't look anyone in the eye - that never happened even with Ron or Hermione. But they all seemed very surprised at her sudden shift in attitude.

"Uh… yeah, sure," Davis replied, not seeming like she knew what to do with herself.

Greengrass seemed like she needed to regain her bearings, "Uh… so why did you come to Early Breakfast? We usually come every morning, but we've never seen you up this early."

Ophelia grimaced a bit, "Oh… well, just… felt like if I was gonna be eating alone, I'd prefer it to be… well, quieter." She shrugged a bit self-consciously before spearing some bacon and potato on her fork and eating it.

Zabini frowned, "Alone… What about Weasley and Granger?"

Ophelia shrugged, "Ron… he's just having a moment, so I'm letting him cool off. He, ah, doesn't believe me about… about the Goblet. Not sure Hermione does, either. But she was… prying a lot last night, so I just felt like I wasn't up to seeing her." She shrugged again and resumed her meal, not noticing the looks of concern the four Slytherins shared.

"Aren't they your best friends?" Nott asked a bit skeptically, and Ophelia flushed with pride as she nodded and smiled. The thought of them being her best friends always made her happy - Hermione was absolutely brilliant, and Ron was really good at chess and plenty brave. She felt lucky to have them.

Greengrass seemed aghast, "And… they don't believe you?"

Ophelia frowned, "Well… no. But I guess they just thought it was something I'd do, and assumed I lied to them. I don't blame them for it." She shrugged again, starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

Davis looked at her with a piercing expression, "... If they told you they didn't do something, would you believe them?"

"Of course," Ophelia replied immediately. She didn't need to think about it for even a moment. She had no reason to doubt Ron or Hermione, after all.

Davis actually looked a bit crestfallen, "Then why is it okay that they don't believe you?"

Ophelia frowned, but found she didn't have an answer to that. She wasn't sure.

… why was she okay with the fact that they didn't believe her?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Probz just a Multishot. Blargh.

Your Kudos give Ophelia all the hugs, your Comments tell her she deserves better.