dorcas never had a lot of friends at hogwarts. she never quiet felt safe in slytherin, as her fellow housemates fostered hate and anti-muggle sentiments.

to survive, she wrapped herself in a cold, icey shell, and she got so good at hiding her emotions that after a while she couldn't remember how to get at them. always playing the confident but cold antagonist, even to her own house. always good with witty comebacks, but unable to truly open up.

she told herself she didn't need friends. she told herself she didn't want them, because she was only at hogwarts to succeed. to best the class, to become head girl, and to get out. but secretly, when lying alone at night, she hurt.

the change was pandora. pandora, who came into her life as an outsider. a ravenclaw who she had herbology with. someone entirely unphased by her insults, by the cold casing she was wrapped in. pandora who seemed content to carry the weight of conversation, who seemed to accept dorcas without wishing for kindness or softness. she wasn't expectant, and so dorcas didn't have to do much more than let her keep talking and listen along.