Crystal - Pandora x Sybil - @taylorswiftmicrofic - 455 words - AO3
Pandora comes to a stop when she turns the corner, tilting her head as she makes sense of the scene before her. Someone she’s seen in Divination class—Sybil, she believes her name is—her back pressed up against the wall, Mulciber reaching forward and throwing her crystal ball to the floor, a loud bang echoing through the corridor. Why is it always that arsehole who antagonises innocent people? It doesn’t matter, any excuse to take him down a peg or two. Grinning manically in a way that would rival Barty’s, she raises her wand, firing a stinging jinx at him and his two cronies.
Yelping, they turn to face her. “What the fuck, Rosier?”
“Want me to do that again?” she asks and disarms him before he has the chance to reach in his pocket for his wand. Pandora takes a step forward, laughing as that simple movement makes the three boys scramble away, and hands Sybil her ball back. “Are you okay?”
She just nods, seemingly in shock. Eventually, she says, “I- I thought you were…”
“Were what?”
“I don’t know, this sweet little girl. A bit creepy, yeah, but not ruthless like that.”
“Oh, honey, trust me. That was not ruthless. That was me going easy on them,” Pandora exclaims. “Besides, where did you ever get the idea that I was sweet from?”
“It’s just, you seem to always help people.”
“I can’t stand it when people are needlessly cruel.”
Sybil raises an eyebrow behind her massive glasses that ordinarily would look ridiculous but are really cute on her. “But you have no problems being cruel when defending others?”
“Exactly. Besides, you really think I’d be friends with Bartemius Crouchemius Junioremius of all people if I wasn’t unhinged too?”
She chuckles. “I’m Sybil by the way.”
“Pandora.”
“Would you like to perhaps hang out sometime? I think you’re really cool.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you saw all the bugs in my room.”
Her face twists in disgust. “You have pet bugs?”
“Not pets, test subjects.”
“Yeah, okay. You are unhinged.” Sybil looks up at her, still smiling, “I’d still like to hang out though. Maybe you could show me your…test subjects.”
No one has ever really shown interest in that hobby of hers other than her brother and occasionally Barty, her other friends listening to her ramble on about her newest experiment while avoiding her dorm like the plague. This is different. And there’s just something about this woman that makes her feel calm, serene. At peace, both with herself and the chaos of the world around them.
Pandora extends her hand. “Are you free now?”
Sybil interlocks their fingers, electricity coursing through her skin at the touch. “Lead the way.”
