What a Wicked Game

[Margo Ellis]

Margo had never anticipated this. She and Odette had argued before - that was nothing new. But to fall out with her entirely? She'd never even thought it possible. They were too close, too bound together with the secrets and the fantasies they'd shared with one another. Yet it had happened, and now Margo was sitting alone in the Hogwarts gardens, wishing upon every dandelion that she could take back the things she'd said, and upon every other that she never saw Odette ever again. The garden began to swim behind a film of tears which Margo wiped at angrily. It was quiet, but she was not alone, and she wasn't sure she could deal with any bullies right now.

 

[Sara Benivieni]

Sara had felt that with the loss of the game she needed to take her mind off things. She was really happy to hear that Lavinia was doing great, she had made friends doubtlessly and she was doing exceptionally well in class. Sara wanted to talk to her about something, and as she searched for her outside she had second thoughts. What if she was hanging around Athena? Sara knew how close the two were, so close almost to the point of Sara's jealousy. She also wanted to have a break from studying as she had done so the whole week with little to no breaks. As she walked through the garden she spotted a familiar face sitting alone, except the face was upset. Sara went over to the Ravenclaw and placed a hand on her arm. "Margo, are you okay?" Of course if she was in tears she couldn't be alright, in fact far from, but she still asked nonetheless, the first words that naturally came out of her mouth.

 

[Margo Ellis]

Margo looked up. Great. Another Slytherin. But then again, Sara was okay. Margo doubted she was spying for Odette, or anything, anyway. The Ravenclaw shrugged and sighed. "The person I thought was my best friend actually hates me, I haven't even started my Astronomy revision, and I can't do anything right even when I'm trying as hard as I can," she said, hardly pausing to consider that Sara wasn't a close and trusted friend. Truth be told, Margo didn't even care. The only friend she'd ever had had been lying to her all along. If Odette didn't really think Margo was great, then would anybody, ever? Or did they all think she was useless and pathetic, too? Margo sighed again. "Do you ever feel like that? Probably not. I bet you're really good at everything, and all your friends really mean it when they say nice stuff about you." Her tone wasn't unkind, or jealous, but encouraging and wistful. "You don't have to sit with me, if you don't want to."

 

[Sara Benivieni]

Sara hadn't expected Margo to tell her what was wrong, maybe because she thought the girl wouldn't want to share personal things with a stranger, so she was a little surprised when she told her. Still the third year listened and once Margo was done she pursed her lips. She didn't want to ask who her best friend was, as she didn't think that was a good way to start cheering the girl up. "I do, actually," Sara admitted quietly, meaning it. She did know how it felt - she was always trying to impress her parents, it was exhausting. One slip up and if they knew about it, they would tell her to try harder. Sara thought they were afraid, but of what? "Sure, my friends are good people, but sometimes I feel left out. I don't know. I don't think they do it on purpose." She paused, watching Margo's expression. "Don't get me wrong, friends are meant to have your back, but not everyone is like your friend and not everyone is a liar. I've had enough experience with liars to know one. I'm sure your friend didn't mean it." Sara had no idea if this was making Margo feel any better but it was worth a try. "I do want to sit with you."

 

[Margo Ellis]

"Oh," said Margo, stunned to hear that Sara was struggling with similar problems to her own. Margo's sisters didn't talk about their feelings very much, and neither did Odette, so after a while Margo had drawn the natural conclusion that she was the only person who felt as if nobody liked her - as if the whole world was out to get her, and she couldn't satisfy anyone no matter what she did. She felt a pang of empathy for the younger Slytherin, and was glad that she decided to stay. "I think she did mean it. She called me a pathetic, brainless idiot, so..." The Ravenclaw sighed. "Maybe we should be friends. I mean, we both feel left out. We could stick together!" She smiled, liking the idea more and more as she talked about it. "And I could help you with your homework, if you want, because I'm in the year above. I'm not that clever, but I'm not really a brainless idiot. Not all the time, anyway. What do you think?"

 

[Sara Benivieni]

Sara sighed, Margo was going through something Sara didn't want anyone to have gone through, as she was from a young age and in a way her and Margo‘s situations were similar. Some people annoyed the young Slytherin and even more so when they didn't realise what they were doing was wrong, that how they treated others wasn't okay. "Wow, I‘m really sorry Margo," she said, really meaning it and frowning at the horrible words. She glanced at the older girl when she suggested they should be friends. Well, Sara was feeling lonely nowadays, even though she had recently seen her friends around. That didn't make her feel better because her friends always hung out together, they had their own little group. "That would be cool!" she admitted with a smile. She loved how enthusiastic Margo was about it. "It would be fun and that would be awesome. Of course I don't think you're a brainless idiot," she said. "I love the idea!"

 

[Margo Ellis]

Margo felt silly just as soon as she'd finished suggesting it. She knew she ought to be able to make friends in her own year, and that she was purposely avoiding having to, but it was just so hard - especially when everybody considered her Odette's pet. They couldn't see that she had an independent mind of her own. It had been so long since she'd used it, Margo had begun to doubt it, too.

But Sara was lovely, and her enthusiastic response put the Ravenclaw back at ease right away. She smiled, feeling for once in her life as if she had the power to take initiative. "I am a bit absent-minded, but that's just part of my charm," she said, with a grin. "So where do you come from? What do you like to do?"

 

[Sara Benivieni]

Sara was really relieved to see that Margo had cheered up, and she was proud that she'd helped with that. She was always willing to make new friends, talk to different people, especially now. She didn't want to lose her current friends, obviously, but she felt like she needed to expand her friendships nowadays. She giggled at the older Ravenclaw, "who wants to be normal anyway? Crazy is fun," she added, playing along. At Margo's questions, she straightened a little, smiling. "I'm from Italy, I'm half Italian and half Spanish and, as I've recently discovered, I have New Zealand blood too," she chattered. "I like to read a lot, and talk to people. I also really enjoy being outside more than anything. What about you?" she finished.