After a moment of silence, Rosier's voice rang out again, but her tone had changed completely.
"I really hate seeing that little bitch from the Orphanage being welcomed everywhere."
The words exploded through the Great Hall like a thunderclap.
Lucretia's hand holding her fork froze in midair.
She bit her lower lip, trying hard not to let her expression change, but Lily had already noticed. Her warm arm gently wrapped around Lucretia's shoulders.
The Great Hall was now so quiet that a pin dropping could have been heard.
The students at the other tables were stunned, then began pointing toward the Slytherin table and whispering among themselves.
Over at Ravenclaw, several older students who had been reading The Daily Prophet put down their newspapers and rose to their feet with dark expressions.
Some muttered that it was too much, while others shook their heads.
Rosier's face went deathly pale, completely drained of color.
She covered her mouth, her eyes filled with terror. She could not believe those words had come out of her own mouth.
Little Barty abruptly rose to his feet.
His chair toppled backward and slammed into the floor with a harsh crash, making all the cutlery on the Slytherin table tremble.
His expression turned frightening as his usual indifference was instantly replaced by pure fury.
He gripped his wand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Regulus lightly tugged at Little Barty's sleeve, but he did not even manage to catch the corner of it.
The tip of Little Barty's wand was already pressed against Rosier's tie, only inches from her throat. "What did you say? Say it again in front of me."
Rosier shook her head frantically, tears nearly spilling from her eyes. "No, it wasn't me... I didn't mean to... I just..."
But a few seconds later, that traitorous voice came again.
"I hate her! Barty was supposed to be mine! Why did she take all his attention the moment she arrived?"
This time, even Rosier herself was in despair.
Lucretia nearly choked on the toast in her mouth. She coughed softly a few times as Sirius discreetly pushed a glass of water toward her.
Lily and several girls beside her also wore extremely subtle expressions.
Lucretia helplessly glanced toward the Slytherin table.
Little Barty froze in place. The hand gripping his wand trembled once, and the disbelief on his face turned to disgust within seconds, as though he had smelled something revolting.
He sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Mine? Don't disgust me, Rosier. I'd rather date an Acromantula than look at you."
At the Gryffindor table, James had been drinking pumpkin juice. The moment he heard that, he sprayed it all over the table and doubled over coughing.
After finally catching his breath, he wiped his mouth and slapped the table as he howled with laughter. "That's priceless! Date an Acromantula! I never thought Crouch had such bizarre tastes, hahaha!"
Sirius leaned lazily against his seat and snapped shut the Quidditch magazine he had long since stopped reading, his eyes full of mischief.
"That really is priceless, Fork. Doesn't hearing such a familiar line leave a bad taste in your mouth? How can you laugh at someone else?"
He cleared his throat and drew out his voice as he imitated Lily's tone.
"I'd rather date the Giant Squid than go to Hogsmeade with you! Get lost, Potter!"
James's laughter stopped instantly. He grabbed Sirius by the collar. "You looking for a beating?"
Sirius grinned even wider. "Come on, then. Think I'm scared of you?"
The two began wrestling in their seats, sending the tableware clattering everywhere.
Watching them make a mess of things, Lucretia temporarily forgot her earlier discomfort.
Lily rolled her eyes and pulled Lucretia closer into her embrace. "See? Boys are all childish. But interestingly, this time they're on Slytherin's side."
Amid the pointing, laughter, and jeers, Rosier's friends began backing away, trying to keep their distance from her.
No one wanted to get caught up in this disaster.
Her appearance was changing too.
Her once-neat outfit began to wrinkle, and inexplicable stains appeared on her shirt, as if potion had been spilled over it.
Her carefully groomed blonde hair became tangled and dull, like a bird's nest.
Her skin lost its glow as well, turning sallow and waxy.
Her nails began changing color, becoming long and yellow.
"Y-you... what did you do to me?"
Rosier covered her face, her voice trembling as tears finally fell.
Little Barty looked at her disheveled state and sneered. "I didn't do anything, Rosier. You actually look more like your real self now. I really don't know where you got the confidence to say something so shameless as that I was yours."
"I just wanted him to like me."
Her voice betrayed her one last time, but this time it carried genuine emotion.
Seeing Rosier on the verge of tears, Lucretia opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she lowered her eyes with a hint of pity.
Lily noticed her expression and gently shook her head. "She brought this upon herself. It has nothing to do with you. You don't need to feel guilty about what happened to her."
But Lucretia could not help looking at Rosier again.
Rosier finally could not take it anymore. Covering her face, she turned and rushed out of the Great Hall, her heels striking the stone floor in rapid clicks.
Her friends hesitated for a moment before ultimately following after her.
The Great Hall erupted into even louder laughter and discussion.
Some people imitated Rosier's earlier words, while others discussed the changes in her appearance.
Little Barty sat back down, still seething. His coffee cup slammed onto the floor of the Great Hall with a clang.
Regulus was holding back laughter so hard that his face had turned red. "She really doesn't understand you at all, does she? By the way, did you think about this when you cast the spell yesterday? That she might confess to you?"
Little Barty gave a brief assessment as he opened Survival Guide and continued reading. "Disgusting. Her self-righteous attitude makes me want to throw up."
"Barty was supposed to be mine."
Regulus mimicked Rosier's tone, then quickly shut up under Little Barty's vicious glare.
"Fine, fine, I won't mention it. Still, Gryffindor looks pretty happy about it. They even sprayed pumpkin juice all over the table."
Little Barty glanced toward the Gryffindor table. "No surprise. Potter and your brother never miss a chance to enjoy a spectacle."
At the same time, Lily was giving James and Sirius a scrutinizing look. "So this is your new creation?"
James stopped fooling around and immediately put on an innocent expression. "Creation? I have no idea what you're talking about, dear Lily. But if Rosier suddenly became honest, then I fully approve."
Sirius stood up and rolled his shoulders, apparently worn out from all the roughhousing. "Honesty is a terrifying punishment for some people. I need to go. I still have homework to catch up on, thanks to certain people's detention."
He stopped when he passed Lucretia and gave her an extra look.
"Was the strawberry jam any good?"
Lucretia thanked him softly, then hesitated before asking, "It was very good, thank you. Was that what you did? Made her tell the truth?"
Sirius raised an eyebrow but did not answer directly.
He lowered his head slightly, his gray eyes fixed on her. "Do you think she deserved it? From how you reacted just now, it doesn't seem like you entirely do."
Lucretia was a little surprised that he had noticed such a detail. "I just... didn't expect her to say that. What she said was indeed awful, but that last sentence..."
Sirius picked up the thought, an indescribable understanding in his eyes, as if he had confirmed something once more. "But in the end, she has feelings too. Is that what you think? Interestingly, Crouch doesn't seem to have noticed that."
The two fell silent.
Lucretia blinked. Was there... approval in the way he looked at her?
Sirius waved to James. "Let's go, Fork. We still have to finish that Transfiguration Class essay."
James grumbled, but still followed him. "That essay isn't due until next week."
When he passed Lily, he stopped again.
"So, Lily, admit it. This time, you think we did nothing wrong too, don't you? Even if the method wasn't exactly... conventional?"
Lily shot back, though there was less annoyance in her voice than usual. "I didn't say anything, Potter. But Rosier really ought to watch her mouth."
James seized the opportunity to ask, "Then for the next Hogsmeade weekend, will you consider my invitation? I promise you won't run into any Acromantulas."
The corner of Lily's lips curled into the faintest smile. "Maybe in a hundred years, Potter."
Before you continue